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

A cold wind howled in the dead of night.

Sparks flew everywhere on the snow.

Burnt yellow paper was scattered all over the ground.

"Emperor Taizu, I am ashamed before you!!"

"Emperor Taizu, I have no face to see you!!"

Two cries of agony rang out from the area. In the firelight, two elderly men dressed in mourning clothes knelt on the snow and wept bitterly. In front of them stood a wooden sign.

Outside the courtyard stood a dense crowd of people, led by two middle-aged men who were both anxious upon hearing the sounds coming from inside.

"Step aside!!"

One of them could no longer bear it. His eyes flashed as he stared at the group of old soldiers before him, and he shouted sharply, "Father has just recovered from a serious illness and cannot withstand the wind and snow!!"

"Young Master."

Faced with the middle-aged man's rebuke, the old soldier in the lead, leaning on his cane, trembled violently, "Without the patriarch's order, no one is allowed to approach. If you want to go in, you'll have to step over our corpses first!"

"you!!"

The middle-aged man was furious upon hearing this, but he dared not rush in.

He knew that if he dared to force his way in, these old soldiers in front of him would not be able to stop him, but they were really capable of committing suicide in public.

According to the military regulations of the Yu Dynasty, those who fail to carry out orders from their superiors shall be dealt with according to military law!

"Grandpa Zong, how about you let me in?"

Zongzhi stepped forward in front of the crowd, forcing a smile, and said, "I'll go in and take a look. As long as Grandfather is alright, I'll come out immediately, okay?"

"Yes."

Changfeng followed closely behind, saying, "Grandpa Chang, you love me the most. May I see my grandfather just once?"

The two men, who were on duty at the Yu Palace, escorted the heir apparent, Chu Ling, into the palace. They learned that their respective grandfathers had been staying together after leaving the palace, refusing to see each other. Just as it got dark, their grandfathers started crying and burning paper money in the courtyard. Upon learning this, the two men immediately reported their departure from the palace.

Although Duke Baoguo Zongchuan and Duke Anguo Changli have retired from court to recuperate, they still wield profound influence in both the central government and the military.

Under such circumstances, if anything were to happen to either of them, the political situation in the Yu Dynasty would be thrown into turmoil, which would be absolutely not a good thing for the Yu Dynasty!

“Young Master Sun, if you really want to go in, please take this old servant with you.” Zong Shi leaned on his cane and smiled at Zong Zhi, saying, “This old servant…”

"Grandpa Zong, I'm not going in."

Zongzhi immediately responded upon hearing this.

He knew Zong Shi's temperament all too well, and he also knew how much Zong Shi doted on him. If he really led him in, Zong Zhi knew without even thinking about it what would happen next.

There is silence here.

Everyone present looked anxiously at the tightly closed door, but no one dared to step forward. Outside, they were prominent figures, and inside the mansion, their word was law. But when facing these old soldiers, not one of them dared to contradict them.

Zong Shi and his old soldiers were the personal guards of the Zong and Chang families, but in the eyes of Zong Chuan and Chang Li, they were no different from their own brothers.

As people get older, they inevitably become nostalgic.

Within the Zong family and the Chang family, it's fine to contradict anyone, even Zong Chuan or Chang Li themselves—whether they actually did it or not is another matter. But anyone who dares to contradict Zong Shi and the others will suffer a terrible fate!

"Youngest child, don't cry."

The snow suddenly started falling. Zongchuan, his eyes slightly red, clenched his fists tightly. "At this time, neither of us can afford to have any problems. Even if we die, it should be a few years later!!"

"Seventh Brother, what did you find out?"

Changli understood what was going on, and a murderous glint flashed in his cold eyes. "The late emperor was in the prime of his life, how could he have died so easily? Tell me who it was, and I'll slaughter them!!"

"No clue."

Zong Chuan sighed softly, "We have both seen the late emperor's coffin. It doesn't look like it was murdered, and there are no signs of poisoning. This matter will probably require a thorough investigation."

"That's impossible!!"

Changli gritted his teeth and said, "When the late Emperor was alive, on the eve of the New Year, he visited our residence incognito and talked about the conquest of the northern frontier."

"The late emperor was in excellent health at the time, showing no signs of illness. Why did he suddenly pass away in the Daxing Palace?!"

"If it weren't for you stopping me, Seventh Brother, I would have had everyone in the inner court arrested. The late Emperor was most like the founding emperor. The Great Yu Dynasty, under the rule of Emperor Taizong, accumulated a considerable fortune. If..."

"enough!!"

Before Changli could finish speaking, Zongchuan rebuked him, "What's the use of saying all this now? If you really do that, do you want to destroy the foundation laid by the founding emperor? Do you want the Great Yu dynasty to collapse?!"

Changli fell silent.

As the earliest followers of Emperor Taizu, those thirteen men each had distinct personalities. Zongchuan was calm and composed, while Changli was violent and fierce. Among the twelve dukes of the present day, the one with the most ferocity was none other than Changli!

Of the several major battles that concerned the fate of the Yu Dynasty, three were fought by Changli. In each of these three battles, Changli issued a massacre order, resulting in the deaths of many people.

Throughout the world, who doesn't know the name of Han Yu, the butcher?

It was precisely because his hands were stained with too much blood that Changli contracted a strange disease, and more than ten of the Chang family's descendants had died in their prime. Among the twelve dukes, the Chang family had the fewest descendants.

This may be the law of cause and effect.

"Youngest son, you must live, you must live well."

Zong Chuan sighed softly, took Chang Li's hand, and stood up with trembling hands. "The Great Yu can do without me, Zong Chuan, but it absolutely cannot do without you."

"The new emperor is young and has been chosen as the new ruler under these circumstances. If... something unexpected happens during this period, or if someone tries to depose the emperor, then the Great Yu will truly be finished."

"Who dares!!"

Changli's eyes sharpened as he said, "The Great Yu was founded by us following in the footsteps of the founding emperor. It is the culmination of the lives of the founding emperor and the Taizong Emperor. Anyone who dares to..."

"Unfortunately, the world has changed."

Zongchuan sighed, "The Emperor Taizu was right. People can change. No matter what kind of friendship it is, once they get involved in something, they will change."

"The current situation is unstable. We should wait and see. If the successor emperor is truly unable to shoulder this heavy responsibility, then we should make plans as soon as possible."

"Seventh Brother, you wouldn't be..."

Changli seemed to have thought of something and looked at Zongchuan in surprise.

"It's late, you should get some rest."

Zongchuan interrupted, saying, "Tomorrow we will be going to the palace to see off the late emperor. As subjects, we cannot be disrespectful in any way."

With that, Zongchuan turned and walked towards a certain direction.

Emperor Taizu, the heavy responsibility you have entrusted to me is far too heavy.

Walking in the wind and snow, Zong Chuan was filled with thoughts. He recalled the events of the past. For this military genius of the Great Yu Dynasty, no matter what dire situation he encountered, he had never been afraid. But at this moment, in this turbulent and uncertain situation, fear arose in his heart.

Because he discovered that nothing in the world had changed; what they had once despised seemed to be slowly returning. And faced with these things, he, who was already in a high position, felt utterly powerless. How ironic!