At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

That night.

Outside Yudu.

The rain is still falling.

"Ha ha!!"

Laughter echoed through a valley. Under the glow of the campfire, Xia Wang, who was usually stern and unsmiling, suddenly smiled, his eyes sparkling as he stared at the middle-aged man before him.

"Zhao Yan!! With such a magnanimous ruler, what are you still hesitating for?"

Seeing that the middle-aged man did not react, Xia Wang put away his smile and stared straight at the middle-aged man, saying, "The uproar caused by Li Jin's actions in the court and among the people is enormous. Whether it is the three empresses, the nobles, or the civil and military officials, there are great differences and controversies about how to deal with this matter. Even though you are in Shanglin Garden, you can't be unaware of this, can you?"

"We do know."

Zhao Yan remained calm as he met Xia Wang's gaze and asked, "So? You want me to leave Shanglin Garden without permission and enter Yu Palace to serve the new emperor?"

"That's not necessarily true!!"

Xia Wang waved his hand and said, "If you enter the Yu Palace, I don't know how many people you will provoke. If that happens, all the things the new emperor has done in the palace may be in vain."

"Then what do you want to do by leaving the Yeting Palace and coming to Shanglin Garden to see me?"

Zhao Yan frowned slightly and stared at Xia Wang, saying, "You must know how much trouble Li Jin has caused to the Great Yu and the central government by doing things in Xiliang, having served the Emperor for so many years."

"The words the new emperor spoke at the court assembly in the Daxing Hall, you secretly spread widely in Yudu. Based on this alone, there is nothing wrong with killing you!"

"Then why don't you kill them?"

Xia Wang sneered, "Deep down, you also think that what we did was right. You are just like us, a servant of the imperial family. As a servant, having ambition is nothing, but disloyalty is a capital offense!!"

"The new emperor is indeed different now in the palace and in court than before, but don't forget that all of this is far too fragile for the new emperor."

"If any of the three empresses wanted to do something, they could put the new ruler in a passive position. That's why we're asking you to make a statement!"

Zhao Yan remained silent.

Xia Wang stared at Zhao Yan.

In the past, Xia Wang wanted to invite the new emperor to Shanglin Garden under the guise of learning horsemanship, but his real purpose was to get the new emperor to meet the person in front of him.

One emperor and one courtier.

This applies not only in the imperial court but also in the palace.

Xia Wang was an old servant of Emperor Taizu and was deeply trusted by him. He did many things in secret, including disappearing and hiding in the Yeting Palace, which was actually carried out by Emperor Taizu's secret order.

Zhao Yan, on the other hand, was a former servant of Emperor Taizong.

Having entered the palace at a young age, he initially stayed in the Eastern Palace. From being unknown to serving Emperor Taizong, Zhao Yan only took ten years, which seems like a long time, but in reality, it was very short.

Many people in the inner court may never move an inch in their entire lives.

Xia Wang valued Zhao Yan because he was too intelligent. He had distinguished himself during the reign of Emperor Taizong and had handled many important matters.

None of those serving the emperor were fools.

"Our family are servants of the imperial family; you don't need to emphasize that."

Zhao Yan remained silent for a long time before looking at Xia Wang and saying, "What a servant should and shouldn't do, you and I have both been in the Yu Palace for a long time, and we know it all by heart. But I must advise you, don't cross the line. If you dare to threaten the Great Yu state, disrupt the existing court, or put the new emperor in a desperate situation, I will take your life!"

"You don't need to tell me that."

Xia Wang's lips curled slightly. "I've said everything I needed to say. If you dare to betray the Great Yu and cross the line of being a servant, then I'm determined to take your life!"

After speaking, Xia Wang flicked his sleeves, raised his head and walked towards the valley. The rain was still pouring down, and two figures stood in the rain.

Qian Mu, who was leading the horse, saw his ancestor approaching, glanced at the young man standing beside him, and then led the horse toward Xia Wang who was walking towards him.

"go!"

Xia Wang glanced at the cold-faced young man, then said to Qian Mu, took the reins, skillfully mounted the horse, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

The aloof young man, bathed in the rain, saw Zhao Yan standing before the valley in the firelight, still in the same spot. He then led his horse toward the valley.

Ok?

When the aloof young man approached, he was taken aback to see Zhao Yan standing there in a daze, as he rarely saw his godfather act like this.

"Godfather, what's wrong with you?"

The aloof young man hesitated for a moment, then walked towards Zhao Yan.

"nothing."

Zhao Yan shook his head and said, "I just remembered something."

"Godfather, what brings this old fellow to Shanglin Garden?" The cold-faced young man frowned upon seeing this and said, "Public opinion is in turmoil in Yudu right now, I'm afraid this person..."

"We know."

Zhao Yan interrupted, "Let's not talk about this person anymore. Guan'er, what's the progress on those people we're investigating?"

Zhao Guan was suspicious, but quickly recovered.

"Tong Chao has not been found yet."

Zhao Guan lowered his head and said, "Especially his group of men, they have all disappeared from Yu Palace and Yu Capital. I have been investigating them for so long, but I haven't found a single clue."

"In that case, the death of Emperor Xuanzong Chun must have been hiding many secrets, just as we guessed."

Zhao Yan frowned and said, "This Tong Chao, and Cai Jie in Ganlu Hall, are both deeply trusted by the new emperor. Especially Tong Chao, the secret guards he commands, although they were only established in less than half a year, were all capable people drawn from various places. One has disappeared, one has kept silent, and another is already dead. It will be difficult to find out the truth about this matter."

The one Zhao Yan mentioned who died was the former supervisor of the Daxing Palace.

"I'm afraid that's the case."

Zhao Guan continued, "While I was secretly investigating this matter, I also discovered that the people from the Three Palaces seemed to be investigating something as well. I was afraid of arousing suspicion, so I..."

"You did the right thing."

Before Zhao Guan could finish speaking, Zhao Yan interjected, "When it is time to be decisive, we must be decisive. Some deaths are inevitable. The Great Yu Dynasty is currently in a dangerous situation. As servants of the imperial family, we must do what we must do."

"The new emperor."

Zhao Guan hesitated before speaking.

"If I'm not mistaken, the new emperor should be arriving at Shanglin Garden soon."

Zhao Yan narrowed his eyes and said, "Our new master has indeed surprised many people, including us. Xia Wang was right when he said that some things cannot be delayed and we must express our opinions when necessary."

“But Godfather, if we really do that, I’m afraid the Empress Dowagers and some people in the court will have other ideas, right?” Zhao Guan said with some worry.

"Emperor Taizong Wen issued a decree ordering you to be cared for in the Shanglin Garden. If you get involved, I'm afraid some things will change."

Snapped!

A crisp sound rang out in front of the valley.

Zhao Guan's face burned.

Zhao Yan stared coldly at Zhao Guan.

"This is the first time we've hit you since we adopted you as our godson."

Zhao Yan said coldly, "You know better than anyone what kind of fate we have. Once we leave the imperial family, who will even look at us? Now that we've entered the imperial family and become servants, you can have your own ideas and ambitions, but your loyalty must never waver."

"My child is wrong."

Zhao Guan knelt down and said.

"You're not wrong, this round is the one that's wrong."

Seeing this, Zhao Yan sighed and said, "Who could have imagined that something like this would happen? You are still young, you don't understand what chaos in the world will bring."

"You don't understand at all; much of this chaos is created by human actions!!"

“Since we can’t avoid it, let’s face it. That way, even if one day I go down and see Emperor Taizong, I will still have the face to continue serving him. Let’s go back.”

"Here!"

Zhao Guan immediately bowed and said.

The rain grew heavier, and a cold wind swept through. The campfire in front of the valley flickered, almost being blown out several times, but it still burned brightly...