Traveling through time and space and becoming a deposed prince, he just wants to survive!

Huaishugang Royal Villa.

Zhao Hengzhen looked at the old minister in front of him, his heart filled with joy.

In the courtyard, sunlight filtered through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows onto Wei Rong, who was prostrating himself on the ground.

Zhao Hengzhen raised his hand slightly and said softly, "What brings you here?"

Wei Rong slowly raised his head, tears glistening in his eyes, and said with deep affection, "It has been many years since I last saw the Grand Emperor. I miss him day and night, and I have come to visit him today to ease my worries."

As he spoke, he gently wiped the corners of his eyes with his wide sleeves, seemingly wiping away tears, but in fact he was secretly observing Zhao Hengzhen's expression.

Zhao Hengzhen looked at Wei Rong's acting and laughed inwardly. He also pretended to say, "Mr. Wei was thinking of me and rushed all the way here. Thank you for all the hard work!"

"Your Majesty, you are probably unaware in this villa that the throne has been passed on, and the one sitting on the dragon throne is none other than your Sixth Prince..."

As Wei Rong spoke, he cautiously looked at Zhao Hengzhang out of the corner of his eye, trying to catch even the slightest change of emotion from his expression.

In fact, although Zhao Hengzhen was in a separate courtyard, how could he be completely unaware of all the big and small things happening in the palace?

He knew in his heart that Wei Rong's artificial expression at this moment was just a test of him.

He was not in a hurry to expose the truth. Instead, he followed Wei Rong's words and pretended to be ignorant. He just wanted to use this opportunity to see what people like Wei Rong were thinking after the palace changed hands.

Zhao Hengzhen then deliberately put on a surprised expression, frowned slightly, and asked, "Is this really true? Has there been any unusual movement in the court since the Sixth Prince ascended the throne?"

Wei Rong was secretly delighted to see Zhao Hengzhen take the bait, and hurriedly continued, "Your Majesty, you may not know that as soon as the Sixth Prince ascended the throne, he announced a three-day holiday and then went straight to Fan Wenyuan's residence.

"I have heard that they held a long and secret conversation in the palace. I do not know the specifics of their discussion, but I believe it is related to the changes in the court."

Zhao Hengzhen's heart stirred, but his expression remained impassive. He slowly said, "Going to Fan Wenyuan's residence? That's interesting. Fan Wenyuan is a man of great foresight. The Sixth Prince had a secret conversation with him. Could it be that he wants to make major changes to the court?"

Wei Rong nodded quickly, echoing Zhao Hengzhen's words, "Your Majesty is wise! This old minister also speculates the same thing. Now that the Sixth Prince has ascended to the throne, I'm afraid he will take action against those who participated in framing him back then."

"Your Majesty, think about it. Although Zhao Wei was the main culprit for the incident, we are all more or less implicated. Now that the Sixth Prince holds great power, this old minister is truly worried!"

As he spoke, Wei Rong's face showed a worried expression.

Zhao Hengzhen sneered in his heart, thinking that Wei Rong, this old fox, really came for his own safety.

But he did not show it. Instead, he comforted them, "The Wei family does not need to worry too much. The Sixth Prince has always been intelligent. I believe he would not indiscriminately implicate everyone.

As long as we act cautiously and follow the rules, I'm sure there will be no serious problems."

Wei Rong disagreed, but he didn't dare to refute. He could only continue, "That being said, I still feel uneasy. Your Majesty, what do you think we should do?"

Zhao Hengzhen pondered for a moment and said slowly, "The situation is still unclear, so we must not act rashly. You should go back and secretly observe the court's movements. Report any signs of trouble immediately. We must not panic, or we will bring disaster upon ourselves."

Wei Rong had no choice but to respond, "Yes, Your Majesty. I will follow your instructions."

But he was secretly planning his own retreat.

Zhao Hengzhen looked at Wei Rong's departing back, his eyes gradually becoming deep.

He knew full well that with the change of ownership of the palace, the imperial court would inevitably be in turmoil. Although he was in the other courtyard, he could not stay out of it.

He had heard a little about the Sixth Prince Zhao Sheng's methods, and the situation was likely to become even more complicated...

Shortly after Wei Rong left the Huaishugang Royal Villa, Zhao Hengzhen's personal bodyguard hurried in and whispered a few words in his ear.

Zhao Hengzhen's expression changed slightly, and then he said, "I understand. You can leave first."

After the guards left, Zhao Hengzhen sat alone on a stone bench in the courtyard, gazing into the distance and thinking to himself, "It seems the world is really going to change..."

At the same time, in another part of the capital, several trusted ministers were discussing the next strategy for governing the country, and a turbulent period of change surrounding the Great Zhou Dynasty was quietly unfolding.

After the holiday, Mr. Zhao had his first morning court session.

It was still dark and the palaces in the capital were shrouded in the hazy night. Only among the numerous palaces, the palace lanterns flickered, like stars falling to the earth.

As the roosters crowed, low bells rang out slowly, echoing over the silent palace, as if awakening this dormant center of power.

Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, civil and military officials were dressed in court robes, with solemn expressions, and lined up in order of rank.

The civil officials wore black gauze hats and red official uniforms embroidered with patterns of cranes, pheasants, etc., and held ivory tablets in their hands, with solemn expressions; the military officials wore armor, helmets and crowns, with helmet tassels swaying gently in the breeze, and swords hanging from their waists, looking very heroic.

They waited outside the hall. In the silence, they could only hear the subtle sounds of clothes moving and boots rubbing against the ground.

"The Emperor has arrived—" The silence was broken by a sharp eunuch's greeting.

Zhao Sheng was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe. The five-clawed golden dragon embroidered on the robe seemed to be about to take off into the sky under the candlelight. He wore a crown on his head. The jade beads in front and behind the crown swayed gently with his steps, making crisp collision sounds.

He walked with steady steps, surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids, and slowly walked up to the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

All the officials immediately knelt on the ground and shouted in unison: "Long live the emperor!"

The sound resounded throughout the hall, majestic and powerful.

Zhao Sheng swept his eyes over the crowd calmly, raised his hand and said, "Everyone, please stand."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" All the officials stood up and stood respectfully.

At this time, Fan Wenyuan, standing at the head of the civil officials, stepped forward, holding a tablet in his hand, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to make. I am old, exhausted, and unable to perform my duties. I wish to retire and enjoy my remaining years."

Zhao Sheng nodded slightly, thought for a moment and said, "The Prime Minister wants to resign. I have just ascended the throne and still need your assistance in many matters."

When the officials saw that Fan Wenyuan was going to resign, and that he was doing so on his first court appearance after Zhao Sheng ascended the throne, they felt that he was being too disrespectful to the emperor.

Wei Rong also felt that this matter was a bit strange, but he couldn't figure out what was going on and didn't dare to interrupt.

Zhao Sheng noticed the strange atmosphere and said to Fan Wenyuan, "Prime Minister, why don't you go to the cabinet first? I intend to expand the cabinet from the original five to seven people. Is that okay with you, Prime Minister?"

This was something they had already discussed. Seeing Zhao Sheng delivering the message, he quickly replied, "I am willing to go!"

Everyone suddenly realized that the cabinet did not have much real power and it was rare for everyone to fight for it. However, those who could enter the cabinet would definitely be transferred to positions of real power in the future.

Someone else is eager!

Unconsciously, the morning light filtered through the cracks in the palace door and sprinkled onto the golden bricks of the hall, giving the solemn and dignified court a golden hue.

The morning court session continued in an orderly manner, and the decrees for the new day were also issued in this Hall of Supreme Harmony, affecting every inch of land in the Great Zhou Dynasty.