We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

"That's not right." Li Che frowned and said, "If the emperor is really this ill, there is no way the night watchmen would not have noticed it."

As Li Che's eyes, the Night Watch is already a fairly mature intelligence department.

Although Li Che did not send too many night watchmen to the imperial capital in order to avoid arousing Emperor Qing's suspicion, basic intelligence was still collected.

Li Lin hurriedly shook his head, his breathing still uneven. "Since last winter, my father's attendance at court has become less frequent. The court officials simply assumed it was due to old age, fatigue, and a fear of the winter cold, and didn't suspect anything."

"After the New Year, the Emperor claimed illness and withdrew from court for over a month. Everyone just thought it was just a routine, so it was normal that the night watchman didn't report it..."

"And the information we received this time did not come from ordinary channels."

Li Lin took a deep breath and tried to make his voice clearer:

"He is the godson of Huang Jin, the great companion of my father. The eunuch risked his life to escape from the palace, begging and hiding all the way, and ran to my Yandi. He spoke to me alone by name."

"He said that Huang Jin sensed something was amiss in the palace and feared a catastrophe, so he risked his life to allow him to escape and report the situation."

Hearing Li Lin's words, Li Che's pupils suddenly shrank.

Huang Jin's loyalty and prudence are obvious to all. One can doubt his character, but one cannot doubt his ability.

If even Huang Jin felt that something was wrong, then the situation must be quite serious.

Li Che forced himself to calm down and asked calmly, "Where is the little eunuch?"

"He was still in my Prince Yan's mansion. He collapsed and was frightened all the way. By the time I saw him, he was only half dead."

"I let him rest, and I rushed here day and night."

Li Lin replied quickly, his face still shrouded in shock. "Sixth Brother, Huang Jin told him to tell you that Father's body has been unwell since the autumn and winter of last year. After the New Year, his condition took a sharp turn for the worse. He often became drowsy and even vomited blood at one point, becoming bedridden."

"But even after the emperor fell ill, the imperial guards and imperial guards were frequently mobilized. Huang Jin is certain that these orders were not issued by the emperor."

"Thus, even though the emperor didn't give the order, Huang Jin still risked his life to send his godson to deliver the message."

"That young eunuch also said that within half a day of him escaping the imperial city, the entire palace was completely sealed off, with no one allowed to enter or leave."

When Li Che heard this, he felt a chill running up his spine to the top of his head.

He didn't say anything else, but paced back and sat down.

I'm afraid the sky in the imperial capital has changed.

They can even get their hands on the palace’s garrison. Do those noble families really have such power?

Impossible... The aristocratic families alone can't do such a thing. The palace guards and the Jinyiwei are all personal soldiers of Emperor Qing, unless...

There are military heroes or royal family members involved, and Emperor Qing has been betrayed!

Li Lin finally calmed down and couldn't help asking, "I've been walking along and I've seen that everyone in Fengtian City is preparing for war. Are you going to go out?"

Li Che nodded and replied subconsciously:

"I had originally intended to take advantage of the warmer spring weather to personally lead the army north to attack Russia, but now it seems that won't be possible..."

At this juncture, it would be inappropriate for Li Che to go north in person.

Li Lin sighed and sat down on the ground beside Li Che in a somewhat dejected manner.

"Sixth Brother, tell me, Father has always been in good health, how come he suddenly became seriously ill?"

Li Che shook his head and remained noncommittal.

The idea that your body is always strong is just an illusion.

Emperor Qing was the founding emperor and fought many battles in his early years, suffering countless obvious and hidden injuries.

After he succeeded to the throne, he was diligent in his work and worked until late at night every day. He was known as the king of kings.

Even with such overdrawn body, he has been able to persist until his current age, which is already considered a rare talent for him.

Li Che even suspected that Emperor Qing's health had been in trouble for a long time, but he had been holding on for the past two years.

From Emperor Qing's behavior in recent years, it can be seen that he is obviously a little too eager for success.

Perhaps this is why those people took advantage of the loophole.

Li Che was mentally prepared for Emperor Qing's sudden illness, and was even prepared for the various changes that would follow Emperor Qing's death.

What really caught him off guard was that Emperor Qing could no longer even control the palace.

Li Lin asked hurriedly, "What should we do? Should we leave for Beijing immediately?"

Compared to Li Lin, Li Che calmed down faster.

He immediately shook his head and refused: "No! The situation in the imperial capital is still unclear. If you and I rush in headfirst, I'm afraid we'll be smashed to pieces."

God knows what the situation is in the imperial capital now. Those people can even control the imperial palace. What if the three major camps in the imperial capital also turn against us?

If I enter the capital without an imperial edict, I will be like a wolf walking into a tiger's mouth. I am afraid that I will be chopped into pieces before I even reach the Xuanwu Gate.

Li Lin also reacted, a fierce look flashing across his face: "Then gather the troops and march through the pass, attack the city walls of the imperial capital, and test the enemy's strength!"

Li Che looked at him as if he were a fool: "Isn't that a rebellion?"

Emperor Qing is not dead yet, yet he leads his troops into the pass...

The righteousness is not on his side at all. Even the founding military heroes headed by Zhu Chun will not support him.

The most important thing to survive in this land is to have a legitimate reason.

It's impossible that he raised an army to attack the city just to go back and see Emperor Qing because he was worried about his king and father, right?

Li Lin scratched his hair in frustration: "This doesn't work, that doesn't work, what can I do?!"

"Calm down, don't let your emotions affect your judgment." Li Che reminded, "For now, intelligence should be the priority."

"I will immediately dispatch night watchmen from all over the country to the capital to gather intelligence with all their might. If necessary, they can infiltrate the imperial palace to investigate."

"If I can get in touch with my father, that would be great. If I can't..."

Li Lin asked, "How is it?"

A cold light flashed in Li Che's eyes: "Those people have done such a big thing, they will definitely have the next move, just wait."

"If the enemy has drawn his sword, I will draw my sword and fight back!"

. . . . . .

Emperor Qing's bedroom, the Hall of Eternal Life.

The vermilion palace gate was tightly closed, and none of the eunuchs and palace maids who used to stand respectfully were to be seen. Only dozens of guards in black armor and with long swords at their waists stood on both sides like iron towers.

The guards had cold and stern expressions, their eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly. They didn't look like the emperor's imperial guards, but more like jailers.

Huang Jin hurried over with beads of sweat on his forehead.

Seeing this scene, his pupils shrank sharply.

Just as he stepped forward, two crossed long swords suddenly blocked his way, and the cold blades almost touched the tip of his nose.

"How dare you!" Huang Jin was shocked and angry, his shrill voice becoming even more piercing. "Open your dog eyes and see clearly! It's our family! We must go in and serve His Majesty!"

The leading guard said expressionlessly, "Eunuch Huang, His Majesty has ordered that no one shall be seen."

"Bullshit!" Huang Jin was so angry that he was shaking all over. "Why wouldn't His Majesty see me? It must be you murderers who forged the imperial edict!"

"How dare you! If you let His Majesty down, how many heads will you have left?"

The guard raised his lips to a cold smile, tinged with sarcasm: "Whether it is a forged imperial edict or not, you will know it by going to Xuanzheng Hall."

"The Prime Minister, the other ministers, and the other ministers are all waiting in the palace at this moment and are not allowed to see the emperor."

"Your Majesty is in poor health and needs rest. The order is clear and unambiguous. If Eunuch Huang continues to cause trouble, don't blame me for being blind!"

"Father-in-law, please go back."

Huang Jin's eyes were bloodshot when he heard this.

He stared at the tightly closed palace door, as if he wanted to see through it to see what was going on inside, but he could see nothing.

Huang Jin knew that it was impossible to force his way in.

These guards were all strangers. They were not the ones who usually served Emperor Qing. No one knew where they were transferred from, and they didn't recognize his face at all.

He stamped his feet violently and wailed a few times, "Your Majesty! This old slave wants to see you, Your Majesty! Please open your eyes and take a look!"

The sharp voice echoed in the palace, but received no response.

Huang Jin's face was ashen and full of disbelief.

It seems that Emperor Qing, the founding emperor, was really deprived of power so silently.

Huang Jin knew that it was useless to persist here and it might even lead to his own death.

He glared at the guards fiercely, and engraved his appearance in his mind.

Finally, he flicked his whisk, turned around and left quickly.

He rushed all the way to the Xuanzheng Hall.

There were no familiar faces on the road, but there were teams of patrolling imperial guards, but they were all unfamiliar faces.

Huang Jin felt even more confused and couldn't help but quicken his pace.

In the square outside the palace, dozens of important court officials, led by the Left Prime Minister Du Fuchen and the Right Prime Minister Huo Tao, as well as officials from the six ministries and nine departments, and various censors and imperial officials, stood in a black mass.

The atmosphere was different from the past, filled with an indescribable weirdness.

Some people were like ants on a hot pan, pacing back and forth, rubbing their hands, and looking towards the direction of the Hall of Eternal Life from time to time, their faces full of worry.

Some people looked pale, their eyes were evasive, and they lowered their heads, not knowing what they were thinking.

Others stood a little further away from the crowd, with their arms folded. They looked calm, but their eyes concealed an excitement that was difficult to conceal.

Looking closely, the crowd can be roughly divided into two waves.

One type of people were obviously like Huang Jin, unaware of the current situation, their brows filled with panic.

The other type of people were different. They seemed to have received the news early on, and were even the instigators of this palace coup.

As soon as Huang Jin appeared, the anxious officials immediately surrounded him and asked in a flurry:

"Eunuch Huang! You're here! How is His Majesty doing?"

"Yes, eunuch, His Majesty hasn't attended court for over a month. We are truly worried!"

"What's going on in the palace? Why can't even we see the emperor?"

"No matter what, we must see His Majesty today!"

Huang Jin was surrounded in the middle, looking at the faces that were either genuine or pretending to be worried.

I felt even more desperate, my lips trembled, but I didn't know how to answer.

What could he say?

Have you ever met His Majesty?

Just when he was getting extremely worried, he suddenly heard the eunuch's unique drawn-out voice shouting from behind him:

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—"

In an instant, all the noise in front of the Xuanzheng Hall came to an abrupt end.

The officials surrounding Huang Jin seemed to be under a spell of immobilization.

Huang Jin's heart sank to the bottom.

Prince?

The prince who was imprisoned in the Eastern Palace and couldn’t even leave the throne?