After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

Chen Futu ordered the caravan to rest at the town's inn. They had barely settled in when they heard the news that the scholar had died suddenly from excessive grief and indignation. The town's officials had hung up his remains as a warning to others.

“That bastard Prince Xin had designs on me back in the capital and even wrote some things to disgust me. If he falls into my hands, I will cut him into a thousand pieces.”

Liu Longyue was furious upon hearing the news.

Although the people of Beiwu are known for their martial spirit, even a royal prince wouldn't stoop to such an inhumane act.

The Daqian dynasty dominated the Central Plains and was inherently cruel. The old emperor was good at manipulating power, but his sons were all more twisted than the last.

Even setting aside the beast that is Prince Xin, several other princes, such as Prince Kang, took many children into their residences, castrated them to become eunuchs, and due to improper procedures, dozens of them died on the spot, causing widespread anger and resentment.

Chen Futu sighed and secretly instructed Dian Wei to send people to each household to buy the woman's remains, and then have them transported to Zhongshan so that they could be buried with the old man in a grand ceremony.

Dian Wei was adept at handling such matters, and he got it done in one night. He even bribed the officials to take the scholar's remains and transport them away.

Furthermore, those ordinary people who brought flesh and bones home would not know how to cook them; most of them would try to secretly throw them away.

In the morning, Chen Futu inquired whether there were any collateral branches of the Zhou family.

Dian Wei said, "I've inquired, and there's only that one lady here; most of the others are in the Zhongshan area."

"Let's set off and get to the capital as soon as possible."

Chen Futu gave the order, and the team set off again.

Two days later, the entourage entered the capital region. The capital region was not as prosperous as imagined, and the people mostly looked numb.

"Stop whoever comes!"

Upon entering the city, soldiers blocked their way and inspected the merchants' caravans.

Yan Qing got out of the carriage and secretly slipped a gold ingot to the city guard. The guard's eyes lit up immediately. "So it's Madam Yan's caravan. His Majesty has been seriously ill recently, and the capital is under tight security."

"His Majesty is seriously ill? Does that mean the Crown Prince will ascend the throne?" Yan Qing asked deliberately.

The latter was startled and waved his hands repeatedly, "Madam, please don't speak nonsense. You should only focus on your business and not gossip about the imperial family."

"Thank you for reminding."

Yan Qing handed him another silver ingot, asking him to treat his brothers to drinks.

The latter was overjoyed and withdrew all those searching the caravan, then personally escorted the caravan into the city.

Money makes the world go round; low-level officials don't care about orders, money talks.

Upon entering the city, Yan Qing immediately led the group to the Yan family's mansion in Beijing.

Upon entering the mansion, Dian Wei quickly dispersed his Tiger Guards to various locations to prevent unauthorized intrusion and investigation.

Yan Qing said, "Your Majesty, I feel that the atmosphere in the capital is a bit strange. It seems that the old emperor is indeed seriously ill."

Chen Futu pondered for a moment and said, "With the end of the year approaching and his illness serious, the princes will return to the capital one after another. Do you think any of the princes are planning a rebellion?"

“When I was in the capital, I investigated these princes. Among them, the fifth prince, the Prince of Min, applied to stay in the capital because his mother was ill and he was in mourning. The third prince, the Prince of Huai, was even lame and never took up his fief. These two had been in the capital for quite some time and had some confidants. Of course, the ones who posed the greatest threat to the position of the crown prince were the second prince, the Prince of Kang, the fourth prince, and other princes with real power.”

Liu Longyue spoke of the princes with great familiarity, and Chen Futu's expression turned somewhat displeased, "You seem to have quite a deep understanding of these men."

Liu Longyue was slightly embarrassed and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty is joking. This is information that I should investigate."

“Let’s stay here for two days. Dian Wei will arrange for someone to investigate the situation, and then we’ll see how the scholar-officials treat the old emperor and the crown prince, and who has a good relationship with the Zhong family.”

After giving the order, Chen Futu rested in the mansion. The long and bumpy journey had really taken its toll on him, even for a warlord on horseback.

The following morning, Yan Qing met with several wealthy businessmen from the capital to discuss business. Chen Futu accompanied them, along with Liu Longyue (in disguise) and Ge Fei, and the driver was still Qi Wen, the "old coachman".

The famous Observatory in Beijing was already packed with distinguished guests.

Chen Futu requested the private room next to Yan Qing's.

The wealthy businessmen who attended the meeting had considerable influence in the capital, and were backed by prominent local families, making them extremely well-informed.

Taking advantage of the situation, Yan Qing subtly inquired and managed to glean some useful information.

One was that the crown prince wanted to take a concubine to bring good luck, and the other was that a famous doctor was summoned to the palace to prolong the emperor's life, with a very generous reward.

Finally, there was the news of the prince's arrival in the capital.

Not long ago, Prince Xin returned to the capital and committed a crime, killing several of his concubines. This angered the Crown Prince, who then flogged Prince Xin, seemingly displeasing him.

Chen Futu, who was listening from next door, couldn't help but sneer.

Liu Longyue asked curiously, "Where do you plan to start?"

“Even after Prince Xin returned to the capital, he remained restless. He was either doing it on purpose or he was genuinely foolish.”

"Intentional?" Liu Longyue didn't understand what she meant.

Chen Futu said, "Although the emperor has designated an heir, the situation in the court is still unclear. If the crown prince continues to punish the princes, the other princes will probably have objections. He hasn't even taken the throne yet, and he's already mistreating his brothers. This will only incite conflict. Don't you think the crown prince is showing signs of weakening the power of the princes?"

Liu Longyue seemed thoughtful. "I've heard this news, but I don't know if it's true or not."

"Hmph, who cares if he does or not, I'll just add fuel to the fire."

Chen Futu called out, and Ake appeared beside him like a ghost, startling Liu Longyue and Ge Fei so much that they covered their mouths.

They had no idea that there was another person in the convoy!

When Ake came close, Chen Futu whispered something to her, "You must do this well. Whether the Great Qian Dynasty is in chaos or not is entirely in your hands."

"Subordinates take orders."

Ake turned and vanished without a trace, leaving the two women bewildered and uncertain. "You're not going to kill the Crown Prince and the old Emperor, are you?"

“Killing won’t solve the problem. I’m going to stir up trouble in the capital and see them fight like dogs.”

Chen Futu smiled and toyed with his wine cup, then asked Liu Longyue, "Are there any officials in the capital who have close ties with your Northern Martial Army?"

Liu Longyue hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Although I have left the capital, there are still a few officials in the court controlled by our Northern Martial Army. I have evidence of their crimes of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, so they will still work for me, just not at a very high rank."

“Fine, I want to see them.” Chen Futu’s decision startled Ge Fei, who stood up. “How can you put yourself in such danger?”

"Don't worry, I just want to give them credit, and they don't even know me."

Chen Futu didn't want to waste time, so he instructed Liu Longyue to immediately send someone to arrange a meeting with the other party.

Liu Longyue didn't dare to ask any more questions and left in a hurry.

She also has spies in the capital, including those from the Northern Martial Arts Academy, through whom she can contact the officials she controls.

After finishing her business, Madam Yan returned to this private room.

"The Zhongshan incident has had a significant impact, but many members of the aristocratic families still stand on the Crown Prince's side. It won't be easy to sow discord among them," Yan Qing said with a sigh.

"No rush. Once I meet those officials, the powerful families of the capital won't be laughing anymore." Chen Futu stretched lazily. "It's a rare opportunity to revisit this place. Come on, I'll show you around and we can buy some things."

The two women, puzzled, followed along with suspicion.

Chen Futu went to the Liang family business where the Crown Princess worked!