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

Just as the Crown Princess was about to speak to her maid, Wuqie suddenly returned in a hurry. He was weak and had some blood on his body.

The Crown Princess, realizing he had been fighting, immediately questioned loudly, "Did Prince Xin make a move?"

"Your Majesty, he really did make a move. He killed several courtesans who were accompanying him on the spot, then got into a fight with his subordinates, and even threatened to kidnap Madam Yan."

"That beast!" The Crown Princess slammed her hand on the table. "He doesn't respect me at all!"

Wu Qie asked, "What should we do now?"

The Crown Princess paced back and forth anxiously, muttering to herself, "That caravan is with Yan Qing. If Prince Xin makes a move against Yan Qing, he will surely make a move against the caravan. Now that His Majesty is seriously ill, it is the time of the transition of imperial power. Zhao Xier wants to repair relations with the new emperor. If the envoy she secretly arranged dies in the capital, I fear the border will be in turmoil."

The Crown Princess was very thorough in her considerations. The new emperor's first priority was to stabilize the court before dealing with external affairs. Unlike Prince Xin, who acted without thinking, she analyzed the pros and cons and personally went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to meet the Crown Prince.

In the flickering candlelight of the imperial bedchamber, the old emperor lay on his dragon bed, his face ashen; his days were numbered.

The crown prince stood by him with a bowl of medicine, feeding him the medicine.

The old emperor looked at the obsequious crown prince and asked, "Have I done something wrong?"

The crown prince was taken aback, and asked suspiciously, "Why does Father say that?"

"If I had known that Chen Futu was so powerful, would he not have rebelled if I hadn't taken action against him?"

“Father, Chen Futu is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Even if he is talented, he will not serve the country. Father is right.”

"I regret it! I regret not having made more thorough preparations, giving him the chance to escape. If I could do it again, I would mobilize an army of 100,000 to surround the capital and kill this brat. It's just a pity..."

The old emperor coughed violently, trembling with rage at the thought of how he had been thoroughly humiliated by a mere young upstart these past few days.

"Father, please don't be angry. Your son will definitely kill this scoundrel."

"I regret it! If I die, how will the historian's pen, as firm as iron, describe my achievements? Will it say that I was diligent and capable in my early years, and that I was powerful and influential throughout the land? But in my later years, I was muddle-headed and incompetent, and was defeated by a mere child, fleeing in disarray? I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!"

At this point, the old emperor cried out and pounded his withered hands on the dragon bed with all his might.

The crown prince was startled by his commotion; it was not hard to see that Chen Futu had become a nightmare.

A good-for-nothing playboy suddenly becomes a king of the world, a colossal beast in the primordial era. Just thinking about it now is terrifying.

Especially Chen Futu's formidable strategists and unparalleled generals, each of whom was an extraordinary genius.

The Crown Prince dared not think too deeply about how to face the northern frontier's advance.

"Father, I assure you that I will definitely behead that traitor and spread the news throughout the Great Qian Prefecture as a warning to others."

The crown prince comforted him in a low voice.

The emperor sighed, just as a eunuch reported that the crown princess was requesting an audience.

The Crown Prince scolded, "Why isn't she staying in the Eastern Palace? What is she doing here?"

The eunuch paused, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped.

"Speak directly!"

"I heard that the Crown Princess left the palace today and had a conflict with Prince Xin. Prince Xin insulted the Crown Princess to her face and even attacked her, killing many people," the eunuch reported with his head bowed.

The crown prince was stunned by what he heard. The old emperor, as if in a final burst of lucidity, threw off the covers and roared in fury, "What did you say?!"

"Your Majesty, Prince Xin..."

"Let the Crown Princess in to speak!"

"Here!"

The eunuch dared not delay and ran out. Before long, the Crown Princess arrived and knelt down to pay her respects.

The emperor demanded, "What has that rebellious son done now?!"

The Crown Princess was secretly pleased. In fact, she had told the eunuchs what she had just said, mainly to test the Emperor's reaction. Now that she saw the Emperor was angry, she lowered her head and told him everything.

"An envoy secretly arranged by Western Zhao?" The Crown Prince frowned. "Western Zhao and I are enemies, why would they send an envoy?"

The emperor was displeased: "You call yourself the crown prince, can't you even understand this simple matter? Zhao Xi'er knows that the new emperor is about to ascend the throne, so she sent envoys to secretly probe and try to befriend the new emperor and restore diplomatic relations between the two countries."

The crown prince was embarrassed and lowered his head, not daring to say another word.

"What Father Emperor said is absolutely right. The envoy even brought a five-clawed golden dragon glass cup as a gift, but when Prince Xin found out, he seized it by trickery and force..."

In her final remarks, the Crown Princess mentioned that Prince Xin intended to kill the entire delegation and that he would likely take action tonight.

The Crown Prince was furious, "How dare Prince Xin act so presumptuously!"

"Stupid as a beast, stupid as a beast—"

The old emperor was so angry that he pounded his chest.

Currently, Daqian is in a standoff with Beiwu, and Beijiang is also eyeing it covetously from the Beixing Mountains. The Longman in the west has been almost wiped out, and Xizhao is the only powerful state that has allied with Beijiang. Now that Zhao Xier wants to ease relations with the new emperor, it is a good opportunity for Daqian to recuperate. However, King Xin actually wants to destroy these diplomatic relations!

"Father, please don't be angry. Your son will immediately dispatch the Imperial Guards," the Crown Prince said.

The old emperor shook his head. "Don't rush. Let that scoundrel make his move first, then you can step in. This way, we can both confirm his guilt and send a signal to Western Zhao. Zhao Xi'er will understand."

"Your subject understands, Your subject will go and prepare immediately."

The Crown Prince and his wife left in haste.

After the two left, the old emperor summoned a frail, elderly eunuch in red robes. "Wu She," he said, "should I reduce the power of the princes? These scoundrels are becoming increasingly audacious."

The eunuch named Wu She replied in a low voice, "Reclaiming military power is no easy task; I fear the princes might be resistant."

"Go, once the Crown Prince has dealt with that scoundrel, you teach him a lesson for me, give him a good beating!"

The old emperor, still furious, issued an order.

The old eunuch nodded and disappeared without a sound.

On a rooftop near the capital city gate, Chen Futu and Qiwen lay in wait, gazing intently at the aged, mutilated body hanging dozens of meters away, guarded by hundreds of armored soldiers.

Taking the body away quietly is easier said than done. If they make a fuss, they'll inevitably be hunted down. They can only wait.

About half an hour later, flames shot into the sky from the distant street, and a large number of people rushed out of the Prince Xin's mansion and headed towards the residence.

Chen Futu and Qiwen exchanged glances, knowing that Prince Xin had made his move.

Inside the mansion, Dian Wei stood in the courtyard carrying his double halberds, while dozens of elite guards, armed with Western Region scimitars, were scattered in the shadows, waiting to make their move.

Ge Fei stood guard at Yan Qing's door, holding a curved sword, while Liu Longyue stood alone on the roof, her pretty face filled with murderous intent.

She fled the capital in a sorry state last time, and this time she's back to have a good time killing people.

A moment later, flames surrounded them from the outside, followed by a tidal wave of crossbow bolts.

Dian Wei was startled, and with a wave of his twin halberds, he spread his qi and deflected countless arrows.

Ge Fei swiftly slashed at the door to protect it from arrows.

After a volley of fire, the mansion's doors were kicked open, and Prince Xin stormed in with three hundred personal guards. He was now much more sober and shouted, "Where are the Western Region barbarians? Come out and face your death!"