The emperor faked his death? Never mind, I will ascend the throne directly!

The city gate slowly opened, and civil and military officials, led by Song Zelin, filed out.

Although everyone looked pale, they had to bite the bullet and move forward.

No one wants to be the first to disobey the order of the current "Emperor"!

"Oh..." He Sheng looked at this scene, sighed heavily, and looked helpless.

"Third Prince, this Imperial Concubine Liu has such a vicious mind! This is a clear conspiracy! She calculated that we wouldn't dare to attack the officials and bear the stigma of killing them, so..."

"Uncle!" Li Chengfeng raised his hand to interrupt He Sheng before he could finish, with a mocking smile on his lips.

"Since Concubine Liu is the mastermind, wouldn't it be a shame if we didn't play a game with her?!"

Seeing that Li Chengfeng was unmoved, He Sheng thought he was about to charge forward, so he immediately lowered his voice and advised, "Third Prince, Song Zelin is, after all, the foremost Confucian scholar in the world. If anything were to happen to him, those nerds would spit at you. Even if you ascended the throne, it would be illegitimate!"

The surrounding officers and staff also echoed this, obviously not wanting to be recorded in history books by these pen-pushers and "become infamous for eternity."

Li Chengfeng smiled slightly and signaled everyone to stay calm.

...

On the palace wall, Concubine Liu Li Chengfeng remained unmoved and became even more confused.

"Eunuch Gao, where did the imperial gold medal in the Third Prince's hand come from?"

Gao Hai bowed and replied, "Your Highness, this imperial gold medal has always been bestowed by His Majesty personally. Even during the reign of the late Emperor, there was only one such medal, and it has always been in...always in the hands of Prime Minister Song. I really don't know how it ended up in the hands of the Third Prince!"

Before Gao Hai finished speaking, Concubine Liu was stunned at first, then her face suddenly changed as if she thought of something.

Could it be that... Song Zelin supports the Third Prince?!

As soon as this thought came to her mind, it grew wildly in her heart like weeds, making her feel extremely confused.

Before she could think about it, Song Zelin walked to the front of the two armies under the city wall, and in front of everyone's shocked eyes, he was the first to kneel down in front of Li Chengfeng!

"Old minister Song Zelin pays homage to His Royal Highness the Third Prince!"

"Prime Minister Song, what are you doing..."

All the officials were stunned and in an uproar, and were completely confused by Song Zelin's actions.

"The late emperor has passed away, and a woman is raging in the court. I, your humble servant, implore the Third Prince to prioritize the greater good and lead his troops into the palace, eliminate the corrupt officials, and save the people from this dire situation!"

"boom!"

As soon as Song Zelin finished speaking, a storm of emotion suddenly arose among the crowd!

No one expected that Song Zelin would actually support Li Chengfeng in public!

Concubine Liu was struck by lightning, and the last bit of hope in her heart was completely shattered.

"Song Zelin, you're so bold!" Concubine Liu was furious. She pointed at Song Zelin below the city and shouted, "As the Prime Minister of the current dynasty, you don't want to assist the Crown Prince and stabilize the country, but you actually openly rebel. You... you deserve to die!"

Song Zelin faced Concubine Liu's wrath without fear. "My Lady Concubine, the Crown Prince is incompetent and incapable of such a great responsibility. If he were to ascend the throne, he would surely bring our Daqian Dynasty to ruin!"

"As a veteran of two dynasties and a trusted minister, I cannot stand by and watch Daqian go astray!"

"You..." Concubine Liu was so angry that she was shaking all over. She pointed at Song Zelin but couldn't say a word.

"Prime Minister Song, are you planning a rebellion?!"

"How dare you! How dare you be so disrespectful to the Imperial Concubine!"

"Come here, take down this traitor!"

...

On the city wall, a group of the prince's close ministers cursed Song Zelin.

Song Zelin turned a deaf ear and just looked at Li Chengfeng, waiting for him to speak.

Looking at Song Zelin who was surrounded by officials in front of him, and then looking back at He Sheng who was in front of the army, Li Chengfeng let out a long breath, his heart surging.

He will embark on a road full of thorns and blood, and at the end of this road is the dream of many people to rule the world...

This farce in the imperial city should come to an end!

"Thank you all for your kindness. The people's hearts are with you, and my sword is pointing to you..."

He Sheng's eyes lit up, and he knelt on one knee before Li Chengfeng, "I am willing to be the vanguard, leading a hundred thousand troops, charging into the palace, and clearing all obstacles for the Third Prince!"

"We, the generals, swear to follow the Third Prince until death!"

Behind He Sheng, tens of thousands of soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the sky and echoing throughout the entire imperial city!

Li Chengfeng looked at the scene in front of him, and the last trace of hesitation in his heart completely disappeared!

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes like torches, and looked around. Finally, his gaze fell on the city wall, and on Concubine Liu's face, which was distorted with anger.

"Alright!" Li Chengfeng raised the imperial gold medal in his hand and said loudly, "Since that's the case, then this prince will grant your wish!"

"Today, I, Li Chengfeng, will uphold justice for all, purge the corrupt officials, and restore peace and order to the world!"

Concubine Liu's face turned pale, and she no longer had the confident demeanor she had before.

"Song Zelin! You old bastard! I've treated you well, yet you dare to betray the Crown Prince and me!"

The sharp roar at the top of his lungs echoed over the imperial city.

Song Zelin's expression remained unchanged and he said nothing.

Li Chenghao on the other side was also completely panicked. He had no opinion of his own to begin with, and faced with the ministers' betrayal one after another, he was helpless!

"Mother, what should we do now?"

Concubine Liu took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. At this point, anger and abuse could no longer solve any problems.

She forced herself to calm down, her eyes swept over the dark crowd below the city, and finally she could only pin her hopes on the towering walls of the imperial palace.

"Humph! Even if you have Song Zelin and He Sheng backing you up, don't even think about breaking into the palace so easily!"

Concubine Liu pointed at Li Chengfeng and said in a stern but cowardly manner.

"The walls of the Imperial City are made of fine granite. These rebels can't even deploy their siege equipment. Trying to break into the inner city is nothing but a pipe dream!"

"Even if Song Zelin defected at the last minute, what would happen? As long as the five major camps joined..."

Li Chengfeng sneered and was too lazy to listen to the woman's fantasy.

Instead, he turned to look at his uncle and said, "General He, do you think the palace wall can be breached?"

He Sheng frowned, thought for a moment, and then patted his chest, "Your Highness, you're joking. Our army is several times larger than the Imperial Guards. They are all elite soldiers who have fought in many battles. Even if we have to climb the city walls with ladders, we can still carve a bloody path for Your Highness!"

"Good!" A gleam of light flashed in Li Chengfeng's eyes. "General He is so courageous!"

"However, I'm afraid things are not as difficult as General He thinks..."

He Sheng had already prepared for a bloody battle, but when he heard Li Chengfeng's words, he was a little confused for a moment.

"Your Highness means..."

All the staff were also bewildered, not knowing what the once dissolute Third Prince was up to.

Li Chengfeng smiled slightly, bent down and picked up an inconspicuous fuse from the ground.

Then, under everyone's puzzled gaze, he slowly lit it.

"Your Highness, this is..."

Li Chengfeng didn't answer, his face full of ease, "Uncle, just watch over it!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the burning fuse transformed into a line of fire, rapidly rushing towards the city gate...