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

With a shout, the whole court was shocked. Emperor Wu stared at the young eunuch below with wide eyes and a frown.

"What did you say?"

"Your Majesty, it's absolutely true! The Prime Minister led the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Guards to surround the Imperial Palace. The foreigners outside the city are not foreigners at all, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's men in disguise!"

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is in cahoots with the Prime Minister! He's outside the palace preparing to force his way out! He's yelling for Your Majesty to surrender!"

The young eunuch trembled and lowered his head, not even daring to look at Emperor Wu, for fear that the Emperor would chop him to death in a rage.

"This... How could the Prime Minister possibly be plotting to usurp the throne? Little eunuch, do not lie about military intelligence, or you will be sentenced to death!"

"The Prime Minister is loyal to the Wu Dynasty and would never betray us!"

"It's over. The Prime Minister has rebelled, and the Imperial Guards and Imperial Guards are still under his command. Isn't the Wu Dynasty finished?"

All those still in the Taiji Hall are civil officials, there is not a single military general. Everything is in chaos, and the panic on their faces is visible to the naked eye.

Emperor Wu remained calm. After taking a few deep breaths, he asked in a deep voice, "Calm down! How many guards are left in the palace?"

"Your Majesty, there are still one thousand eunuchs and two to three hundred guards left!" The little eunuch's voice trembled greatly.

Emperor Wu slowly stood up and said, "My dear ministers, I thought it was a foreign invader, but it turns out they are just a bunch of rebels. What is there to be afraid of?"

"Pass the order down, fight immediately! Defend the palace to the death!"

There are still Black Armor Guards in the capital, and Emperor Wu is still full of confidence as long as he can wait for them to rescue the palace.

At this time, the princes were already scared out of their wits. Once the Wu Dynasty was destroyed, they were all princes of the previous dynasty, and there was probably only one fate waiting for them.

That is death!

"Father, how about we surrender to the Prime Minister for the time being as a temporary solution? Then, we can secretly gather the loyalist troops from all over the Wu Dynasty and try to recover the capital!"

"Yes, Father, there are tens of thousands of troops outside. How can we resist with only 1,800 of us? This is like hitting a rock with an egg!"

Seeing his sons failing to live up to their expectations one by one, Emperor Wu was furious and roared, "Are you still my sons? How dare you be so spineless?"

"Why should we fear death? We are the royal family. Even if we die in battle, we will not surrender to the rebels! Anyone who dares to utter the word 'surrender' again will be killed without mercy!"

Emperor Wu drew out his imperial sword and swept his majestic gaze across the entire audience. Suddenly, everyone was startled and kept silent.

Even in a desperate situation, the emperor's majesty still remains.

"What? Refusing to surrender? Haha! Good, very good!"

Li Nian, riding on a tall horse, laughed out loud and said, "Your Majesty is indeed a king with backbone! It's a pity that the Wu Dynasty has long been corrupt and must be replaced!"

"Li Nian, you shameless villain, I really regret not realizing your ambition earlier!" On the wall of the Forbidden City, Emperor Wu was wearing armor and glaring at the people below.

Emperor Wu was dressed in golden armor, which sparkled brightly under the sunlight, and the imperial sword in his hand exuded supreme majesty.

The moment tens of thousands of soldiers met Emperor Wu's gaze, they all looked away and dared not look directly at him.

Li Nian had no shame at all. Instead, he laughed and said, "Your Majesty, the Wu Dynasty is now doomed. I advise you to lay down your weapons and surrender as soon as possible. I can still make you a leisurely prince!"

"If we continue to resist, the only outcome will be rivers of blood!"

"Sixth Brother, I'm very disappointed in you!" Emperor Wu looked at Zhou Chuxuan below, his eyes filled with disappointment and indignation. "I never thought you would mingle with the rebels to seize the world of my Wu Dynasty!"

The second prince Zhou Heguan was also released at this time. He no longer stayed in seclusion to reflect on his mistakes. He stood on the city wall with a group of princes and civil officials and guards, trembling as he looked at the huge army outside.

"Father, the number of these rebels is simply too great. How about we... just live a life of ease and security? If we really perish together with these rebels, there will be no one left to revive the Wu Dynasty!"

Emperor Wu frowned as he looked at the cowering Zhou Heguan and said coldly, "I have said that anyone who dares to mention the word surrender again will be killed without mercy!"

"Father, please spare my life, Father, please spare my life!"

Zhou Heguan begged for mercy repeatedly, and looked at the rebels who had surrounded the palace in three layers below. His throat rolled, his hair stood on end, and he could not even stand steadily.

"Father, where are your Black Armor Guards? If they were here, they would definitely be able to rescue us!"

"Don't panic!"

Emperor Wu said softly, "As long as we hold on a little longer, the Black Armored Guards will surely arrive."

Li Nian below clearly realized that the Emperor was stalling for time. He was also aware of the presence of the Black Armored Guards: "Your Highness, it's up to you!"

Zhou Chuxuan smiled slightly and looked at Emperor Wu on the city wall: "Father, your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

"Humph, I don't have a son like you!"

"Tsk tsk tsk! Your Highness, it seems that His Majesty is not even going to recognize you as his own flesh and blood!" Li Nian did not forget to add fuel to the fire.

"Why don't you try to persuade your father? Under the current circumstances, any further struggle would be like hitting a rock with an egg! As long as I order the army to attack, the Forbidden City will be breached in less than a stick of incense!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chuxuan said loudly, "Father, I have something to say! The Wu Dynasty is now utterly corrupt, and the common people are living in dire straits. Officials at all levels are colluding with each other, engaging in corruption and tyranny!"

"There are other countries watching covetously. The reason for this situation is nothing more than the Wu Dynasty's treacherous and corrupt officials running rampant, causing the people of the Wu Dynasty to live in misery!"

Li Nian frowned slightly, with a glimmer in his eyes, not knowing what Zhou Chuxuan meant by this.

"Father, treacherous officials are rampant. Strong measures must be used when necessary. Otherwise, a mild punishment will have no effect on changing the situation!"

"To all the civil and military officials and soldiers present here, your families are all citizens of the Wu Dynasty. You wouldn't want to be dragged into this turmoil, would you?"

The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment. They basically saw that Li Nian had great power, so they just went with the flow, and Li Nian also had the military token in his hand.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, please watch your words. What do you mean?" Li Nian had already vaguely sensed that something was wrong and shouted in a deep voice.

At this point, Zhou Chuxuan suddenly bowed and said, "Father, I beg your Majesty's permission to eradicate this treacherous villain!"

The words "eradicate the treacherous and corrupt officials" were resounding, and Emperor Wu instantly understood what Zhou Chuxuan meant. A smile appeared on his face, and he slapped the city wall with his palm.

"I, it's approved!"

"Kill the rebels!"

Zhou Chuxuan suddenly pulled out a musket from his waist and pointed it at Li Nian's head.

Bang!