Dressed as the prince's substitute? I took the throne

"What did you say?"

When Zhou Chuxuan said this, everyone present looked at him with astonishment and wide eyes.

Create the world?

"You...you want to overthrow the Wu Dynasty? Seek power and usurp the throne?" Yuan Shouwen's pupils suddenly shrank. "You thief, you actually harbor such evil intentions!"

Even Xu Qinglong beside him was shocked. From his cooperation with the prince to his initiative to show goodwill to Zhou Chuxuan, it was just to further enhance the status of the Xu family in the Wu Dynasty.

But as for plotting to usurp the throne, overthrowing the Wu Dynasty, and establishing a new dynasty, this was something Xu Qinglong had never thought about.

"Have evil intentions? Haha!"

Zhou Chuxuan sneered, his voice extremely confident: "I don't think so! If an empire cannot provide a peaceful life for the people of the world, it cannot protect them!"

"The entire dynasty is rotten from the inside out. There's no need to save it!"

"How dare you! You think you can overthrow the Wu Dynasty? Do you know that His Majesty can kill you for what you said tonight?"

Yuan Shouwen shouted angrily.

"No! He won't know!" Zhou Chuxuan raised a strange smile: "Because of you, no one can go back and report the news!"

"You, what do you want to do?"

Yuan Shouwen watched in horror as Zhou Chuxuan turned around, and the muskets and crossbows in the hands of the hundred or so personal soldiers were all aimed at them.

"No, you can't kill us!"

"Bang bang bang!"

Half an hour later, Zhou Chuxuan led his men back to the capital.

Morning next day.

Emperor Wu looked at the dozens of corpses in the court with a very ugly expression.

These were the civil and military ministers of the Wu Dynasty. How could they be killed in this way?

"Who is it? Who did it? What is his intention?" Emperor Wu was furious in the court, and his majestic eyes swept over the ministers.

Li Nian couldn't help but look at Zhou Chuxuan. With his intelligence network, he naturally knew that this was Zhou Chuxuan's doing.

But Emperor Wu was in a state of rage at the moment, and he didn't dare to speak rashly, otherwise it would easily get him into trouble.

"Your Majesty, this is what I did!"

Amidst the frightened gazes of the ministers, Zhou Chuxuan stood up, bowed, and spoke in a voice that was neither humble nor arrogant, without any hint of fear.

"Sixth Brother? You?"

There was anger in Emperor Wu's eyes, and he forced himself to suppress the rage in his heart.

"Sixth Brother, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation! Otherwise, after you killed so many court officials, where do you think I should be?"

Zhou Chuxuan smiled slightly and said in a deep voice: "Father, the decline of the Wu Dynasty's national strength is not due to external powerful enemies, but internal reasons!"

"How could the emperor not know that a thousand-mile embankment can be destroyed by an ant hole? Our Wu Dynasty has long been riddled with holes, and the officials in the court are all rotten wood!"

"These people gathered together last night, plotting to usurp the throne! How could I let them succeed? I followed them in secret! However, these people intended to resist, so I had no choice but to kill them!"

"Sixth brother, what you said is wrong! Based solely on your one-sided statement, you conclude that these ministers are plotting to usurp the throne?"

The Third Prince frowned and said, "Eunuch Yuan is an old minister who has accompanied my father for many years. He is loyal to His Majesty and the Wu Dynasty and would never betray him!"

Emperor Wu clenched his fists on the dragon throne, his eyes flashing with brilliance. Yuan Shouwen's death was the most difficult thing for him to accept.

This old eunuch was thoughtful and had followed him for many years. Emperor Wu had long regarded him as his only friend with whom he could have a say.

"Third brother, take a good look at these ministers who went out late at night, and they were not wearing official uniforms, but coarse linen clothes!"

Zhou Chuxuan remained calm as he slowly stepped forward, pointed at the ministers' clothes, and pulled out short knives from several of them.

"Third brother, would you carry a dagger when you go out? Would you wear these clothes when you go out?"

"Dozens of court officials, both civil and military, went out wearing this kind of civilian clothing, with blades hidden inside. Haha, I don't need to explain what this means, right?"

Zhou Chuxuan's words made Emperor Wu's pupils tremble wildly.

Yes!

If these civil and military officials had no purpose, why would they all wear these clothes and go out to gather together? And why would they even carry daggers?

"Besides, Lord Xu Qinglong and Lord Li Nian can both prove it for me! These people are definitely plotting to usurp the throne!"

Xu Qinglong and Li Nian, who were watching the excitement, were startled and looked at Zhou Chuxuan at the same time, with anger flashing in their eyes.

Zhou Chuxuan looked at his nose with his eyes, and then at his heart with his nose, pretending not to see it: "Father, Lord Xu and Lord Li are both my Wu Dynasty's jade pillars, bridging the sea of ​​purple gold beams. There is no way they can be bribed by your son!"

"The truth and falsehood, the emperor will know once he asks!"

Xu Qinglong cursed Zhou Chuxuan a thousand times in his heart, but outwardly he still bowed and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I can testify for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Last night, it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who invited me to go and stop them! These people's words were rude and revealed their intention to rebel against the court!"

"Then His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appeared, causing them to panic and even try to resist. That's when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had no choice but to kill them!"

The corners of Li Nian's mouth twitched wildly. This old guy grabbed it so quickly!

But he is currently on the same front with Zhou Chuxuan, and he has to rely on Zhou Chuxuan to cooperate with him to realize his great ambitions.

Therefore, he could only swallow his anger and said through gritted teeth, "Your Majesty, I can also testify for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"These ministers have repeatedly disrespected Your Majesty and complained endlessly! I have tried to dissuade them many times, but to no avail!"

"Therefore, what His Royal Highness said is true!"

The two most influential people in the court spoke up. Emperor Wu nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "In that case, Old Sixth Brother has been rewarded for his service in protecting the Wu Dynasty!"

"A reward of five thousand taels of gold and silver, and five thousand pieces of silk! Send them to the East Palace immediately!"

"My dear father, I thank you!"

Xu Qinglong and Li Nian looked at each other and saw a strange look in each other's eyes.

Emperor Wu waved his hand and ordered the Imperial Guards to remove the bodies. "Sixth Brother, how are your plans for the Northern Desert going?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, I am almost ready!"

Zhou Chuxuan bowed and said, "However, I want to mobilize an army from near the capital, and after I personally train them, we will send them to the battlefield!"

"That's right!"

Emperor Wu nodded and said: "The Imperial Guards of the capital and the troops in the surrounding areas are at your disposal!"

"I wonder how many troops you are going to prepare for the expedition?"

Zhou Chuxuan slowly stepped forward and said word by word, "Fifty thousand elite soldiers, ready to go!"

"what?"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was in an uproar.

"fifty thousand?"

"Your Highness, are you kidding me? Five thousand Northern Desert Iron Cavalry can easily rip through my fifty thousand strong army!"

"Why only 50,000 troops?"