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

During dinner, Liu Longyue muttered to herself while biting her chopsticks at the table, "The king's move is ruthless enough. Those princes might be planning to assassinate the king."

"Tell me, what would happen if, after the old emperor issued the decree, I sent someone to kill him and frame the prince?"

"The Crown Prince will use ruthless methods to kill those princes who didn't have time to leave the capital. I'm afraid we won't be able to leave either."

"So there's no rush. I need to figure out a way out for the princes, so they can fight against the crown prince. Then we can retire gracefully."

Chen Futu's main purpose in this trip was to cause internal strife in the Great Qian Dynasty, with the princes holding their own armies and the Embroidered Uniform Guard stirring things up, which would also lead to uprisings among the people.

With one side gaining and the other losing, within a few years, the Northern Frontier would advance unimpeded, and the Great Qian Dynasty could be destroyed in the blink of an eye.

The following morning, the old emperor held court, and all the princes, ministers, and princes went to the Golden Hall.

With Chen Futu ordering Liu Longyue to send messages to those treacherous officials stirring up trouble, the court was in an uproar. Some even took the opportunity to demand the reduction of the power of the princes, which angered Prince Xin, Prince Kang, and other princes. However, they dared not retaliate against the emperor, so their hatred was transferred to the crown prince.

But the crown prince was actually quite pleased, eager to have his salary and power reduced.

A court debate lasted for a long time, and finally the old emperor forcefully ordered a reduction in the stipends of princes. Apart from princes, their descendants were demoted in turn, and the number of successors for other titles was reduced.

After the court meeting, a group of princes angrily rushed into the Hall of Mental Cultivation to request an audience with the emperor. They knelt for a long time, but the emperor did not grant an audience with any of them.

Upon hearing the news, Chen Futu pondered for a moment and a plan came to mind. "Crown Princess, I want this great beauty of yours. Don't blame me for being ruthless."

Subsequently, Chen Futu instructed Liu Longyue's spies to spread the word among the various princes' residences that the Crown Princess was stirring up trouble behind the scenes, trying to sow discord between the Crown Prince and the princes because of the incident involving Prince Xin.

As expected, the news spread quickly. In just two days, the Crown Princess became a thorn in the side of the princes, who wished they could get rid of her as soon as possible, especially since the Crown Prince was about to take a concubine. It was said that the woman he was taking was the daughter of a nobleman, and her status was quite high.

The princes secretly contacted the nobleman, hoping, both openly and covertly, that his daughter would replace the Crown Princess and become the new head of the Eastern Palace.

Chen Futu deliberately passed the message to the Crown Princess, who was furious. She smashed the phoenix glass cup and roared, "These worthless bastards have insulted me far too much!"

She then left the East Palace to see Chen Futu.

Chen Futu used Liu Longyue's informants to leak the news to the Crown Prince, saying that the Crown Princess had secretly left the palace again.

"That bitch! She never stops!"

The Crown Prince has been getting a headache lately from the princes and is increasingly trying to strip them of their military power. Although the Crown Princess had a purpose in leaving the palace several times, she always went to see a man. What does she take him for?

Inside the mansion, Liu Longyue and Yan Qing watched Chen Futu's outrageous actions with bated breath, complaining, "The King is really something else. He's even schemed against himself. They say it's better to destroy ten temples than to break up one marriage. What is he trying to do? Is he trying to win over the Crown Princess?"

Yan Qing suppressed a laugh and said, "Perhaps. The King has always had a fondness for married women, and the Crown Princess's beauty is exquisite, which may suit the King's taste."

"This shameless person..."

Liu Longyue was so angry she wanted to punch Chen Futu Bangbang twice to see if he would still be blinded by lust.

Meanwhile, Chen Futu had already met the Crown Princess in the quiet courtyard. The Crown Princess looked worried and her complexion had deteriorated considerably. "Mr. Zhu," she said, "I am being targeted by the Prince. What do you think?"

Chen Futu said solemnly, "As a husband, one should naturally protect one's wife. I believe the Crown Prince will make the decision for the Crown Princess."

“The Crown Prince’s attitude toward me has been getting worse lately. Your national policy targets the Prince, but it has also burdened me with a lot of pressure. Mr. Zhu, please give me some advice.”

"Please don't make things difficult for me, Your Highness. I'm just a nobody, not worthy of being mentioned."

"Aren't you afraid that if I lose power, we'll fight to the death?"

"What are you saying? I'm on your side."

Chen Futu looked like he had a deep sense of bitterness and resentment.

"Stop pretending with me. No matter how eloquent you are, I still have doubts about your identity. Now that His Majesty has reduced the princes' stipends, you should have expected this outcome. If you don't come up with a plan to deal with this turmoil, I will kill you."

The Crown Princess's face was frosty, and her aloof appearance was extremely alluring, making one want to pin her down on the table and spank her hard.

Chen Futu raised an eyebrow and approached her. "Actually, it's not difficult. I wish to see the Crown Prince and personally discuss the solution with him. I guarantee I can resolve your troubles."

"really?"

"really."

Their eyes met, and the Crown Princess narrowed her phoenix eyes. "Fine, I'll take you to see the Crown Prince. You'd better be able to resolve my troubles, or I really will kill you."

Chen Futu shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

Soon the two arrived at the East Palace together, but this time the Crown Princess, to avoid danger, retreated directly.

Chen Futu waited for a long time before seeing the Crown Prince approach with an unhappy expression. Chen Futu stood up to greet him and called out with a smile, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Speak, what business do you have with me?"

"Can we talk in private?"

"Let's see what kind of nonsense you can come up with." The crown prince impatiently dismissed all the servants.

Chen Futu whispered, "Does the Crown Prince wish to take over Western Zhao without bloodshed?"

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"The King of the Northern Frontier has repeatedly broken his promise to my lord, so our relationship with him is getting worse and worse. If the Crown Prince can go with the flow, this plan can succeed."

Chen Futu's words were cryptic.

The Crown Prince sneered, "You want me to marry Zhao Xier? I heard that Zhao Xier and Chen Futu are having quite a bit of fun in the military camp. What kind of person do you take me for?"

"I dare not speak recklessly, but why not take over Western Zhao without bloodshed?"

Chen Futu silently apologized to Zhao Xier, saying he would temporarily borrow her name and then kill this damned crown prince. As long as she didn't know, everything would be fine.

The Crown Prince pondered for a moment, “Throughout history, monarchs have gone through the process of marrying the empress of a fallen kingdom in order to consolidate their imperial power. The King of Northern Frontier took the Dragon Barbarian Empress Mo Lan as his wife, and I have no objection to that either. However, it is impossible for Zhao Xier to become empress; at most, she can be a concubine.”

"The Crown Prince is destined to be an emperor for all time. Even if he has other ideas, he must consider the other party's face and at least maintain appearances. He can make other plans later."

"Chocolate, oh Chocolate, you're such a good subject. Aren't you afraid Zhao Xi'er will skin you alive?" the Crown Prince said with a sneer. He liked the phrase "Emperor of a Thousand Ages."

"Hehe, the Western Regions are barren, and I've had enough of them. If the Crown Prince agrees and promises my family a worry-free life in the Central Plains, my family is willing to mediate, and perhaps things can be accomplished."

Chen Futu looked sincere.

After a moment's thought, the Crown Prince said, "Alright, if we can take down Western Zhao without bloodshed, you will be credited with the greatest merit, and I will grant you a lifetime of glory. Go and do your best, I await your good news."

"Should we inform the Crown Princess? I'm afraid she might overthink things. She just confided in me about many things, saying that she's being targeted by the Prince and is feeling very distressed..." Chen Futu was deliberately bringing up a sore spot, taking advantage of his newfound usefulness to cause trouble.

"Enough!" The crown prince roared, glared at him, and stormed off.

Chen Futu watched his retreating figure and immediately grinned from ear to ear. "Tch, you're already angry? Damn it, just wait and see how I steal your man."