I started out with seven husbands, and I worked hard to support my family while crying.

Long Jinyan nodded heavily, his eyes revealing a fierce look, as if he had returned to his heroic figure on the battlefield back then.

Li Renyi patted his chest and said loudly, "Count me in! I want to see what tricks Pei Changqing can pull!"

The support from everyone warmed Pei Yan's heart. He looked at them gratefully and nodded heavily. At this moment, he was even more determined to expose Pei Changqing's conspiracy.

As the former young prime minister, Murong Changqing was meticulous. He frowned slightly and slowly said, "Actually, I have long suspected the Crown Prince's rebellion. I always felt that there were many suspicious points in it."

Unexpectedly, the mastermind behind this was none other than the Second Prince, Pei Changqing.

He paused, his gaze deep, and continued his analysis: "Upon closer reflection, it's not entirely without reason."

Although Pei Changqing was a prince, he was born of a concubine, putting him at a disadvantage in the succession to the throne. Pei Yan, on the other hand, had the empress as his mother, making him of high status. For Pei Changqing, eliminating Pei Yan was one of his means to ascend the throne.

Listening to Murong Changqing's analysis, everyone nodded in agreement, and couldn't help but sigh at the cruelty and complexity of royal power struggles.

Just as everyone was discussing, the door was pushed open again, and He Jinnian rushed in looking flustered.

He was panting heavily when he found Pei Yan and said quickly, "It's terrible! The eldest prince, Pei Zuo, has suddenly gone mad. He's killing people everywhere in the streets and keeps saying that the Great Yu Dynasty should be his, and that he is the emperor."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically. Fang Xiaoxiao unconsciously covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filled with terror.

Li Renyi's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief;

Long Jinyan frowned, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists, as if he were ready to rush to the battlefield at any moment.

Pei Yan's face instantly turned ashen, a hint of anger and worry flashing in his eyes. He knew that the royal situation was becoming increasingly chaotic, and that this might be another conspiracy orchestrated by Pei Changqing.

Without hesitation, everyone followed He Jinnian to the scene of the incident.

The sky had darkened without anyone noticing, and thick, dark clouds rolled in like ink, as if they were about to swallow the entire world.

A fierce wind howled past, causing the trees along the street to bend and sway, their branches whipping against each other with a crackling sound, as if setting the stage for the impending chaos.

Pei Yan and his group traveled swiftly and soon arrived at the archway. The scene before them was horrifying. Pei Yan held a long sword in his left hand, his eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was crazed. At his feet lay three or four corpses of commoners, their blood spreading across the ground, mixing with the dust, and emitting a pungent, fishy smell.

The surrounding buildings looked particularly eerie under the gloomy sky, and the tightly closed doors and windows seemed like pairs of terrified eyes, watching this human tragedy unfold.

Upon witnessing this scene, Pei Yan trembled slightly. He bit his lower lip, his eyes burning with fury, and roared, "Pei Zuo, what are you doing!"

His voice, hoarse with anger, sounded particularly piercing in the howling wind. Murong Changqing gasped, his face grave. He muttered to himself, "What on earth is going on? How could the First Prince lose control like this?"

A gust of wind rushed into his collar, making him shiver involuntarily. Long Jinyan stepped forward, blocking the crowd, and cautiously observed the surroundings, saying, "There must be something fishy about this. Pei Zuo shouldn't be like this."

The wind howled, almost drowning out his words.

Li Renyi's face turned deathly pale. Pointing at Pei Zuo, he said in a trembling voice, "How...how could he lay a hand on innocent civilians!"

The howling wind made his voice broken and filled with fear.

Fang Xiaoxiao turned her head away, unable to bear the sight of the bloody scene. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she whispered, "It's too cruel. These people are so innocent."

The strong wind tossed her hair, as if it too was lamenting the tragedy.

A dozen meters away, a group of guards were tightly protecting Zhang Xuzi, the Grand Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. Zhang Xuzi, his face filled with anxiety, shouted, "Pei Zuo, don't be impulsive! We can talk this over!"

His voice was somewhat weak amidst the chaos, but it was still full of concern for his disciple.

The strong wind tore his shouts apart, making them difficult to carry.

Pei Yan quickly approached Zhang Xuzi and anxiously inquired about what had happened.

When Zhang Xuzi saw Pei Yan, it was as if he had seen a savior. He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, the First Prince was just parading through the streets when, for some reason, he suddenly went mad and started killing people indiscriminately. We couldn't stop him at all."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan's heart sank. He suddenly thought of a possibility: could it be that Pei Changqing had interfered and used some means to cause Pei Zuo to lose his mind? Just as this thought flashed through his mind, he heard a "whoosh" and an arrow flew swiftly towards the crowd, piercing straight through Pei Zuo's back.

Pei Zuo groaned and swayed, but did not fall down.

At this moment, a strong male voice rang out from the crowd: "The Crown Prince Pei Zuo has harmed the people. The emperor is subject to the same laws as the common people!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man dressed in black standing on a high place, holding a longbow and staring coldly at Pei Zuo.

His appearance made the already chaotic scene even more tense. Everyone's eyes darted back and forth between Pei Zuo, the archer, and Pei Yan, wondering what would happen next.

When everyone realized that the archer was Pei Changqing, they were all surprised.

Pei Changqing stood on high ground with a strange smile on his face, as if everything was under his control.

He surveyed the crowd from his elevated position, his gaze seemingly proclaiming his victory. Before the crowd could recover from their shock, Pei Changqing's men swiftly moved, engaging the guards in a fierce battle.

In an instant, shouts of battle and the clash of weapons mingled together, creating a chaotic scene.

Pei Yan knew the situation was complex and he couldn't act rashly. He suppressed his anger and observed his surroundings.

Amid the chaos, he exchanged a glance with Long Jinyan and the others, signaling everyone to calm down.

After a fierce exchange, Pei Changqing's forces gradually gained the upper hand, and the situation was slowly brought under control.

Pei Yan knew that it was not advisable to confront Pei Changqing directly at this time, so he chose to endure it for the time being.

After bidding farewell to the group, he returned to the palace, filled with resentment and anger.

Back in the palace, Pei Yan dared not relax for a moment. He knew that Pei Changqing would not let the matter rest and would definitely have further actions.

Sure enough, not long after, Pei Changqing suddenly launched a coup. He led a group of confidants into the palace and forced the old emperor to abdicate.

The entire palace was thrown into chaos, with palace maids and eunuchs fleeing in all directions, their shouts and cries filling the air.

Upon learning the news, Pei Yan quickly organized forces to resist, but Pei Changqing's forces were overwhelming, and Pei Yan's side gradually found it difficult to cope.

In the chaos, Pei Yan was also assassinated.

The assassins appeared like ghosts and launched a fierce attack on Pei Yan.

Pei Yan fought back fiercely, sustaining multiple injuries, but he still did not back down.

Just as Pei Yan was starting to lose strength, Long Jinyan and his group appeared just in time.

Long Jinyan wielded his broadsword with ease, driving back the assassins one by one.

With everyone's combined efforts, Pei Yan's crisis was temporarily averted.

However, seeing that the situation was not good, Pei Changqing took advantage of the chaos to escape.

Unwilling to accept defeat, he kidnapped Fang Xiaoxiao during his escape, intending to use her to threaten Pei Yan.

Upon learning that Fang Xiaoxiao had been kidnapped, Pei Yan was extremely anxious. Ignoring his own injuries, he immediately led everyone to launch a rescue operation.

Following the clues, Pei Yan and the others tracked down Pei Changqing's hiding place. A fierce battle ensued.

Pei Yan had only one thought in his mind: to rescue Fang Xiaoxiao.

He rushed toward Pei Changqing without regard for anything else, his eyes filled with anger and determination.

With everyone working together, Pei Changqing's men were gradually subdued.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Pei Changqing tried to escape, but Pei Yan and the others blocked his way.

Pei Changqing looked at the crowd in front of him, a look of despair on his face.

He knew he had nowhere to escape, so he made a final struggle.

But Pei Yan would not give him a chance. After a fierce battle, Pei Changqing was finally killed.

Pei Yan looked at Pei Changqing's fallen body, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

This dramatic coup has finally come to an end.

With his unwavering will and the support of the people, Pei Yan successfully quelled the rebellion.

Exhausted by this upheaval, the old emperor decided to pass the throne to Pei Yan. After ascending the throne, Pei Yan began to reform the court and govern the country. Fang Xiaoxiao naturally became the empress.

From then on, Pei Yan and Fang Xiaoxiao worked together to govern the country, and their love story became a popular tale that circulated widely among the people.