Zongwu: Start as Jinyiwei, invincible and powerful!

"This servant pays homage to Master Lin!"

When the eunuch saw Lin Fan coming out, he quickly bowed and spoke respectfully.

Lin Fan asked casually, "What's the matter?"

The eunuch said, "Lord Cao has sent this servant to inform you that Long Yu has passed away. I'm afraid it will be tonight. Please come to the palace immediately."

Lin Fan's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "Wait a moment, I'll be going into the palace right away."

After saying this, without waiting for the eunuch's response, Lin Fan went straight back to the room and explained to Kankan that the emperor was about to die. After giving a few more instructions, he went to the palace with the eunuch.

On the way to the palace, he met Yanri who was coming in a hurry.

"Master, something big has happened," Yanri said in a low voice, approaching Lin Fan after completing his salute.

Lin Fan asked, "But the Emperor is about to ascend to heaven?"

Yanri was slightly startled when he heard this, "So, Master, you already knew."

Although Luowang claims to be omnipresent, it still takes time to investigate information and pass it on.

In comparison, the news Cao Shaoqin received was much more direct.

"Well, I'm about to go into the palace now. Just tell the people below to take precautions."

"I obey my orders!"

Yanri agreed respectfully and turned to leave.

Afterwards, Lin Fan and the eunuch quickly entered the palace.

"Lord Lin, you are here." Cao Shaoqin had been waiting for Lin Fan in a corner of the palace. Seeing Lin Fan coming, he hurried to greet him.

Lin Fan nodded slightly, then asked, "What's the situation?"

Cao Shaoqin said, "The Emperor should be able to hold on for a while. I've already sent for the six ministers, the Six Ministries' Chief Constable Zhuge Zhengwo, the Western Factory's Supervisor Yu Huatian, and others."

Yu Huatian returned to Beijing in the past few days and had already met with Lin Fan. Lin Fan was not surprised to hear Cao Shaoqin's report.

"Since the emperor can still hold on, let's wait for others to come and see him together, so as not to give others any cause for criticism," Lin Fan said with a faint smile.

Originally, Cao Shaoqin sent the letter to Lin Fan in advance because he was worried that the emperor could not hold on or would summon other ministers in advance.

Now, since the emperor can still hold on and has not summoned other ministers first, Lin Fan is not in a hurry to see him.

"Yes, then you wait here. I will go to serve the emperor. Report to me immediately if there is any movement," Cao Shaoqin said respectfully after hearing this.

Lin Fan nodded slightly and said, "Okay, you go first."

Cao Shaoqin bowed slightly to Lin Fan again, then turned and left, returning to the inner hall to serve Emperor Zhu Shou.

Soon, the six ministers, Zhuge Zhengwo, Yu Huatian and others all arrived.

Cao Shaoqin came out again and conveyed Emperor Zhu Shou's order to everyone, summoning all the ministers to meet him.

Not long after, Lin Fan, Zhang Julu and others entered the inner hall again and met the terminally ill Emperor Zhu Shou.

This time, Emperor Zhu Shou could only lie weakly on the bed, unable to even sit up with the help of others.

"Your humble servant pays homage to His Majesty! Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Seeing the appearance of Emperor Zhu Shou, everyone looked at each other, bowed and saluted him.

Emperor Zhu Shou was obviously on his deathbed, but the more this happened, the more they had to put on a show.

"Your Majesty, please excuse me," Zhu Shou signaled to Crown Prince Zhu Jun with his eyes, and Crown Prince Zhu Jun immediately said to everyone.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Highness!"

Upon hearing this, everyone thanked him in unison, then stood up straight and stood aside.

Emperor Zhu Shou said weakly, "My fate ends today. After my death, Crown Prince Zhu Jun will ascend the throne. You must diligently assist the new emperor and ensure the eternal prosperity of our Great Zhou..."

Emperor Zhu Shou spoke a lot in a disjointed manner, asking everyone to assist Zhu Jun with all their strength to continue the foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and to let everyone be loyal to Zhu Jun as they were loyal to him.

Finally, Emperor Zhu Shou said to Crown Prince Zhu Jun, "Crown Prince, please bow to all the nobles and thank them for their support."

"Zhu Jun thanks all the pillars of the court for your contributions to us, father and son, and to the Great Zhou..." Upon hearing this, Zhu Jun bowed to everyone and said a bunch of polite words.

"Your Highness, you can't do this!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Julu and others repeatedly expressed their fear.

Upon seeing this, Chen Lin, the Minister of Rites and Cabinet Scholar, stepped forward and helped Crown Prince Zhu Jun up.

"My dear Lin, my dear Zhang, please come forward," Emperor Zhu Shou said to Lin Fan and Zhang Julu.

Lin Fan and Zhang Julu looked at each other, then stepped forward together and approached the emperor.

"Prince, come here too," Emperor Zhu Shou then said to Prince Zhu Jun.

Upon hearing this, Crown Prince Zhu Jun also walked respectfully to the side of Emperor Zhu Shou.

Emperor Zhu Shou trembled and used up his last bit of strength to place Crown Prince Zhu Jun's hands in Lin Fan and Zhang Julu's respectively. "I... leave the Crown Prince and the Great Zhou Dynasty to... you two... beloved ministers..."

Having said this, Emperor Zhu Jun's hands loosened powerlessly, and his eyes instantly lost their luster. He lay silently on the bed, his pupils dilated and out of focus.

"Master Zhang," Lin Fan called out to Zhang Julu and pointed in the direction of Emperor Zhu Shou.

Zhang Julu hesitated for a moment, but still carefully stretched out his hand to feel Emperor Zhu Shou's breathing and pulse, and then fell to his knees with a "thump".

"His Majesty is dead!"

"Father!"

Crown Prince Zhu Jun also knelt on the ground and cried out in pain.

"His Majesty!"

Immediately afterwards, Chen Lin, Zhuge Zhengwo and others also knelt on the ground.

Lin Fan hesitated for a moment, and then silently pretended to be respectful in the corner, thinking that the dead are the greatest, and kneeling down is no big deal.

After kneeling for a while, Lin Fan stood up and said, "Your Highness, Master Zhang, and everyone else, now is not the time to grieve."

"His Majesty's passing is a matter of great importance. We cannot conceal this from the world, nor can we allow any disturbance to occur during His Majesty's funeral. We all need to work together to handle all situations properly."

Zhang Julu nodded slightly upon hearing this, then stood up and said, "Lord Lin is quite right. Your Highness, my Lords, this is not the time to be sad. We should prioritize national affairs."

Crown Prince Zhu Jun said, "Everyone, please stop kneeling. I am young and inexperienced, and I still rely on you all for my father's funeral arrangements, as well as important matters at court."

"Your Highness, you are too kind. This is our responsibility!"

Upon hearing this, everyone bowed hurriedly.

After some polite words, Cao Shaoqin, as per custom, had the Impermanence Bell in the palace rung.

The ringing of forty-five bells signified the emperor's death, and the news quickly spread throughout the capital.

All of a sudden, people with some status in the capital city all took action quietly and made new arrangements.

In addition, there were also spies from all sides who quickly headed to the four gates of the capital city, so that they could wait until dawn and leave the city as soon as possible to deliver the news.

Inside the palace, after comforting Crown Prince Zhu Jun, Zhang Julu asked all the ministers to disperse and each do their job to stabilize the court, and then he found Lin Fan alone.