Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

The Jin emperor remained unmoved: "What if I don't?"

"Then you should go with Consort Xian and the third and fifth princes tonight, so you'll have company on the road to the underworld."

Emperor Jin glanced at the swarm of private soldiers in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, pondered for a moment, and said, "I can agree to your request, but on one condition."

"Tell me."

"Let the third and fifth princes go," Emperor Jin said. "I will give them a remote fiefdom. I will issue an edict tonight, ordering them to go to their fiefdoms immediately. From now on, they will never be allowed to enter the capital again without a summons."

"That's impossible. I won't leave any hidden dangers for myself," Xiahou Chuan said. "At this critical juncture, Father, you can only protect yourself. Don't think about protecting others."

Emperor Jin remained silent for a long time, then sighed deeply: "Second son, did things have to come to this?"

"This is all your fault, you can't blame anyone else." Xiahou Chuan sensed that his attitude had softened, so he beckoned someone to bring over a blank edict that had been prepared beforehand and placed it in front of him. "Father, please begin writing."

The Jin emperor had no choice but to pick up his pen and begin writing the imperial edict.

As the imperial edict was written, his already weak forehead was covered in cold sweat.

After affixing the imperial seal, Xiahou Chuan eagerly snatched the edict. He read it three times to make sure there were no mistakes before bursting into unrestrained laughter: "Hahahaha, good! Good!"

He put away the imperial edict and gestured to Jiang Yu.

Upon receiving the order, Jiang Yu swiftly beheaded Xiahou Xiao, who was kneeling on the ground.

Emperor Jin closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight of his son's severed head.

But the next moment, Xiahou Chuan's chilling voice rang out: "Father—"

Emperor Jin opened his eyes, and Xiahou Chuan walked to the dragon bed with a cup of wine in his hand: "All matters have been settled. Your son will protect the land of the Great Jin for the Xiahou family. You may go and meet your ancestors in peace."

Emperor Jin was shocked: "You...you dare to go back on your word!"

Xiahou Chuan revealed his true colors, his smile both sinister and cold: "Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles—Father, may you rest in peace."

After he finished speaking, he grabbed Emperor Jin's chin, ignored his struggles, and forced the poisoned wine into his mouth.

A quarter of an hour later, Xiahou Chuan walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

His subordinate, General Chen, rushed over, carrying a blood-stained cloth bag.

Upon arriving before Xiahou Chuan, General Chen knelt on one knee: "As Your Highness has hoped, I have already beheaded the Fifth Prince, who rushed here upon hearing the news, at the Vermilion Bird Gate."

As he spoke, he opened the cloth bag, inside which was the head of the Fifth Prince, Xiahou An.

"Well done." Xiahou Chuan nodded in satisfaction.

He turned his head to look at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. From his position, he could see the old emperor lying on the dragon bed, one arm dangling over the edge of the bed, coughing up black blood and dying with his eyes wide open.

He remained silent for a long time.

Jiang Yu, who was standing nearby, reminded him, "Second Prince, it's time to go to Yihua Palace."

Liu Su, with an army of 300,000, will arrive in the capital in two days.

Although Xiahou Chuan controlled the entire palace, if Liu Su knew that he had murdered his father and brother and used such despicable means to force the emperor to abdicate, he would surely lead a large army to attack the imperial city.

Xiahou Chuan needs to take down Xiao Lingyi and force the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion behind the Xiao family, as well as the 600,000 troops under Xiao Dingfang, to his side so that he can secure his throne.

But for some reason, when Xiahou Chuan thought of Xiao Lingyi's face, which was always calm and composed like a young lady, he had a premonition that this matter would not be so easy.

"Wait a minute," Xiahou Chuan said. "We can't go directly to Yihua Palace; we have to call someone over."

Jiang Yu volunteered, "I will go to Yihua Palace to fetch someone right away!"

“No!” Xiahou Chuan said again, “Go and invite her directly, she won’t come.”

He had set a trap for Xiao Lingyi a couple of days ago, but she saw through it. Given her intelligence, she would definitely suspect him.

Knowing full well that this is another trap, she won't come willingly.

Unless we find a way to force her to come over on her own initiative.

Xiahou Chuan pondered for a while, then said to Jiang Yu, "Go to Yongchun Palace and bring the Imperial Concubine here. Then spread the word to Yihua Palace that the Imperial Concubine was summoned to Yangxin Palace overnight."

Although Jiang Yu didn't understand his reasoning, he still replied, "Yes!"

-

Meanwhile, at Yihua Palace.

It was already past 7 PM. Normally, Yan Zhen would have already gone to bed by this time, but tonight he was unusually practicing calligraphy by lamplight.

She practiced one sheet after another, her graceful and vigorous slender gold calligraphy leaping off the paper, until Hongyu pushed open the door and rushed in: "Your Highness, the Second Prince has had the Imperial Concubine taken away."

Yan Zhen paused, and a drop of ink stained the paper, staining the entire sheet.

She paused only for a moment, then continued writing as if nothing had happened: "Understood."

After writing on the entire page, she put down her pen and said, "Let's go."

Hongyu immediately fetched a fox fur cloak and draped it over her. As soon as the door opened, a cold wind carrying fine snowflakes rushed in, making Yan Zhen shiver.

She paused, as if remembering something, and instructed Hongyu: "Go and fetch the little wooden bird that the Second Prince gave me."

Hongyu, still puzzled, turned around and took the little bird from the antique shelf.

Yan Zhen took it, tightened the mechanism under the bird's wing that resembled a spring, and after aiming at the direction for a while, he reached out and wiped a little lip rouge off his lips, smeared it on the bird's head, and released it into the air.

Watching the little bird flap its wings and fly straight ahead, Yan Zhen breathed warm air into his palm.

She gave him the opportunity; whether he could seize it was up to Xiahou Che himself.

Hongyu opened her umbrella, and the two of them braved the snow to walk towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

They arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation without any obstacles, where Yan Zhen met Xiahou Chuan.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation had already been cleaned up, but a faint smell of blood could still be smelled in the air. Yan Zhen's eyes immediately searched for the figure of the Imperial Concubine.

Seeing her sitting on the mahogany chair, flanked by two sword-wielding soldiers, her face pale and her expression uneasy, but she was alright, Yan Zhen immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiahou Chuan noticed her worry and laughed: "Using the Imperial Concubine to lure you here, this trick really worked."

Yan Zhen glanced at the dragon bed. The Jin Emperor's body was still there, covered with a quilt, as if he were asleep, but the skin on the back of his hand exposed outside the quilt had begun to turn blue.

"What do you want?" Yan Zhen asked.

“A wise man doesn’t speak foolish words,” Xiahou Chuan said. “Write two letters now. Send one by fast horse to the border, asking Xiao Dingfang to lead his troops back to the capital to help me ascend the throne. Send the other to the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion, asking everyone in the Duke’s mansion to enter the palace. After this is done, you, Xiao Lingyi, will be the Empress, and your eldest son will be the Crown Prince. I mean what I say!”

Yan Zhen remained silent for a while, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but instead asked a completely unrelated question.

"Xiahou Chuan, six years ago I fell into the water at a palace banquet, and Xiahou Jin jumped in to save me. Was this something you orchestrated?"

Xiahou Chuan was taken aback, not expecting that even at this critical juncture, she would still be asking about such old, trivial matters.

"Yes." Now that things have come to this, Xiahou Chuan admitted it without any guilt. "I know you hate being schemed against. If I go into the water to save you, it will be a double win for me to sow discord between you and him."