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

In the imperial capital, in a heavily guarded warm room deep in the East Palace.

Although Crown Prince Li Huan was sitting in the main seat, he seemed a little restless. His fingers unconsciously twisted the embroidery on his cuffs, and his eyes glanced at the closed door from time to time.

In sharp contrast to him were the seven old men sitting at the head of the group.

These seven people were all dressed in luxurious clothes, had a dignified demeanor, had white hair but youthful faces, and seemed to be quite knowledgeable about health preservation.

Because they were not wearing official uniforms, they looked like ordinary wealthy men, but they had the authority of being superior to others for a long time.

Coupled with the shrewd calculation in their eyes, it all shows that they are the real controllers of this palace and even the imperial capital today.

The charcoal brazier was burning brightly and the aroma of tea was wafting in the air.

After a long while, the Zheng family patriarch, who was sitting at the top left, slowly opened his slightly closed eyes:

"Everyone, he's here."

As soon as these words came out, Li Huan trembled all over.

The psychological shadow he felt towards the man was imprinted deep in his heart, second only to his fear of Emperor Qing.

The head of the Wang family opposite sneered, picked up the teacup, and gently skimmed off the foam with the cup lid.

Then, with a tone of disdain, he said, "So what if you're here?"

"Now the military power of the capital is in our hands. All nine gates of the imperial capital have been replaced by our men."

"It would be fine if Li Che didn't come, but now that he has really dared to come, he has simply walked into a trap and is trapped."

"After all, he is still a warrior, who started out as a criminal and only knows the courage of a common man."

The Zheng family patriarch didn't even raise his eyelids, his voice remained steady: "He didn't come alone, he was accompanied by two thousand cavalrymen."

"When the four northern counties saw the king's banner, no one dared to step forward to stop him. They were almost ready to surrender the city."

"He's quite clever. These two thousand cavalry are just the right number. They don't create the impression of a war, but they also keep us from making any rash moves."

"Heh." This time it was the Cui family's patriarch who spoke. He stroked his goatee and shook his head. "A mere two thousand cavalrymen, what can they do?"

The Zheng family head finally raised his eyes and glanced at the Cui family head. "Mr. Cui has lived in the south for a long time, so he may not know about the military affairs in the north."

"Those are not ordinary cavalry. They are the real elite troops under the command of Prince Li Che."

"Sweeping the Mohe, crushing Goryeo, pacifying the Khitan, and launching expeditions to the Northern Hu... these were all fierce armies that emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood."

"If two thousand cavalrymen like these formed a formation and charged into battle, they could easily defeat an enemy ten times their size."

"How can we stop those bloodless soldiers from the prefectures and counties along the way? Who dares to stop us?"

Although the aristocratic families disdain military affairs, they are not unfamiliar with them.

They were well aware of the Fengtian Army's combat effectiveness, which was why they were so wary of Li Che.

The Lu family's head, who had been silent the entire time, frowned and said, "Perhaps... we could order the troops stationed along the way to assemble, and then use our superior forces to set up checkpoints and intercept them? We can't let him approach the city so easily."

The Zhang family patriarch slowly shook his head, rejecting the proposal: "It's difficult, or even impossible."

"According to spies, those Fengguo cavalrymen each had three horses. They were clad in iron armor, their horses had protective gear, and were equipped with sophisticated firearms."

"How many troops would be needed to encircle and annihilate two thousand elite cavalrymen armed like this?"

"Besides, if we mobilize troops along the way, it will make too much noise. Cavalry can come and go like the wind. Even if they can't defeat them, they can still escape. The infantry will never be able to catch up."

"If we fail to intercept him, we will alert the enemy and give him an excuse."

The Zheng family patriarch took over the conversation, a cold light flashing in his eyes: "The only solution now is to use calm to control movement and let them come!"

"Although the two thousand Fengtian cavalry are brave, they can't storm a city like the Imperial Capital. All we need to do is keep these two thousand men outside the city and wait until Li Che enters the gates of the Imperial Capital..."

The Zheng family patriarch lowered his voice, a hint of viciousness in it: "He is like fish on the chopping block. Whether he is steamed or boiled is up to us, isn't it?"

The Zhang family head shook his head again: "Mr. Zheng's words only consider one thing, not the other."

"King Feng is so famous and has made so many achievements that he not only has many supporters in the court, but he is also regarded as a military god by the people and has many admirers."

"If we were to kill him in the street or execute him publicly in the palace, we would surely incur public outrage."

"How can we deal with the unrest that will ensue? Is this the path to long-term peace and stability?"

After hearing this, even Li Huan nodded subconsciously. This was exactly what he was most worried about.

Most of the other noble families did not want Li Che to succeed to the throne, fearing that they would lose their current status and privileges.

But Li Huan is different. What he wants is the entire Daqing and he wants to become the supreme ruler of the world.

If killing Li Che causes chaos in the world, what is the point?

Upon hearing this, the head of the Zheng family showed a cold smile on his face.

He gently put down the teacup, his voice like a venomous snake: "So, he must die in a 'legitimate' way, a 'deserved' death!"

Everyone was stunned and looked at the head of the Zheng family.

The Zheng family patriarch smiled slightly and said softly, "When the prince returns to the capital, he must at least meet His Majesty, right? Now His Majesty...isn't he only breathing his last breath?"

"We just need to wait patiently until he sees His Majesty, and then take action in time."

He glanced at every family head present and said slowly:

"This kills two birds with one stone."

"Afterwards, we will announce to the world that Prince Feng Li Che coveted the throne and was wicked and took advantage of Your Majesty's serious illness to kill the king and his father!"

"Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and his loyal ministers discovered him in time and killed him on the spot, eliminating this threat to the country and avenging our king and father!"

The warm room fell into a brief silence, with only the occasional popping of charcoal fire as the sound.

An expression of understanding appeared on the faces of several family heads one after another.

What a vicious plan!

Although it is not perfect and can easily give others a chance to criticize you, it is much better than facing the King head-on.

This not only eliminated a major threat to him, but also completely tarnished his reputation and ruined his reputation.

At the same time, it can also get rid of the hot potato of Emperor Qing.

After all, although Emperor Qing was seriously ill, his influence was still there, and no one present dared to take action to deal with him.

While Li Che was in the palace and had dealt with Emperor Qing, Li Huan and the others became loyal ministers and filial sons who restored order.

People from aristocratic families love this kind of false reputation the most.

As Li Huan listened to everyone's plan, he felt a chill rising from the bottom of his heart, making him shiver uncontrollably.

He looked at the smiling old men and realized for the first time what kind of terrible people he was working with.

And what exactly is his role in this chess game?

The Zheng family head's tone returned to his usual calmness: "Only in this way can we quell the criticism and calm people's hearts."

"Everyone, what do you think?"

"good."

"can."

"Excellent."

No one objected.

A vicious plan was quietly put into place in this warm room.

At this moment, the Lu family's patriarch suddenly frowned and asked, "How do we resolve the issue with Du Fuchen?"

"He only agreed to our seizure of power, but did not agree to kill Your Majesty and Li Che. Now he is the head of the civil officials. If we can't appease him, I'm afraid it will cause controversy."