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

"Imperial Edict from the Three Palaces!"

As the emperor's carriage came to a stop, a figure hurriedly walked out of the Shouhuang Hall. Before Li Zhong could even begin the chant, the man shouted loudly.

The warriors surrounding the Shouhuang Hall chanted in turn, their voices so loud they echoed through the sky. The crowd of people kneeling in worship stirred, and many people's expressions changed.

Compared to the slightly upturned lips of Prince Su Chu Hong, Prince Ning Chu Zheng, Prince Jing Chu Xuan, Prince Wei Chu Biao, Prince Jing Chu Jun, and the Sixth Prince Chu Jun, who were kneeling in front of the crowd, the expressions of the group including Duke Baoguo Zong Chuan, Duke Anguo Chang Li, Duke Fuguo Liu Yong, and Han Qing, the commander of the Imperial Guard, were more complicated.

Of course, there were also Rongguo Gongsun He, the Left Chancellor of the Secretariat Xu Chu, the Right Chancellor Wang Rui, the Chief Minister Qi Sheng, the Commander of the Imperial Guards Xu Hui, and their entourage, who showed no joy or sorrow and all displayed an indifferent attitude.

Many eyes were focused on the imperial carriage.

When the succeeding emperor arrived at the Shouhuang Hall, even though Chu Ling was indeed a child, according to the Yu system, once the deceased emperor passed away, the succeeding emperor was clearly the legally supreme ruler.

Before the formalities were even over, before the words "no need for formalities" could even be uttered, the three empresses' imperial edicts arrived at just the right time. Who wouldn't have some doubts?

"The Successor Emperor~"

After a brief moment of surprise, Li Zhong frowned and glanced at the man before bowing to Chu Ling. His attitude was quite clear: he wanted Chu Ling to make a move.

Li Zhong dared not say these words.

After all, so many eyes are watching.

This is to demonstrate my authority.

Sitting in the sedan chair, Chu Ling could hardly fail to see the hidden meaning behind it.

If he were to stand up at this moment, it would mean that he had been publicly suppressed. The three empresses' prestige would greatly increase, and all the imperial relatives, civil and military officials gathered in front of the Shouhuang Hall would understand that the future court situation would be dominated by the three empresses, with him, the successor emperor, playing a supporting role.

This will inevitably force those who are still observing and loyal to the Yu Dynasty to choose sides.

As for the established factions, Chu Ling never considered trying to win them over. After all, their core interests were already set, and they would only choose to betray them and then accept his offer of allegiance if they were completely out of their minds.

If he doesn't stand up at this moment, it might surprise some people, but it will only make the three empresses wary, and his situation in the Yu Palace will likely become even more passive.

If things really come to this, it will be difficult for Chu Ling to do anything.

Is that how you play?

Thinking of all this, Chu Ling sneered inwardly. He couldn't choose either of the two options before him. If he did, he would be passive and there would be nothing else to do.

Under these circumstances, Chu Ling came up with a plan. He reached out and pinched his thigh hard, and the pain made him react immediately.

"Your Majesty...your humble brother has come to see you!!"

Then, a choked voice rang out. Chu Ling's eyes were slightly red. He got up from the sedan chair and, under the astonished and suspicious gazes of many, walked up the stone steps toward the Shouhuang Hall.

"The Heir Apparent!!"

"The Heir Apparent!!"

Seeing Chu Ling crying as she walked towards the Shouhuang Hall, Li Zhong and his entourage, who were accompanying the emperor, were all alarmed and chased after Chu Ling, calling out to her in hushed tones.

The atmosphere suddenly changed.

What should have happened took an unexpected turn, causing many people's expressions to change. The one whose expression changed the most was the person standing in front of the Shouhuang Hall, holding the imperial edicts of the three empresses.

This was completely different from what he had expected.

It was originally a good job, but now things have changed and it's become a bad one.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Three Palaces decree: The coffin of the late Emperor shall be temporarily placed in the Shouhuang Hall..." Seeing Chu Ling walking step by step towards the Shouhuang Hall, the man became anxious and, without thinking much, began to read the decree. It was clear that Chu Ling was still walking, so the man's speech quickened.

"Your Majesty!! Your humble servant is late!!"

On the other hand, Chu Ling, holding onto her skirt with her small hand, walked step by step, occasionally calling out with a sob in her voice. It gave the impression that the younger brother missed his older brother and did not want to believe that his brother was dead, which made the atmosphere very subtle.

This brat...

Some people who were not optimistic about Chu Ling watched his thin figure walk step by step towards the Shouhuang Hall, and were suddenly moved.

On the contrary, the way Sun He, Xu Chu, Wang Rui and the others looked at Chu Ling changed. They obviously hadn't expected this sudden turn of events.

Neither good nor bad happened.

Instead, a compromise emerged, which made some people wonder whether the current emperor was young and wise or simply missing the late emperor.

If it's the former, then the situation is complicated!

But if it's the latter, then it's easier to talk about.

But the crux of the problem is that no one can figure it out!

Suddenly, whispers began to emerge from the previously quiet crowd, and the crowd began to sway. Something unexpected had happened. How was this drama going to continue?

"Empress Dowager Cisheng Kangshou! Your eldest grandson, Chu Hong, who was personally bestowed the title of Su by Emperor Taizong, has a memorial to present!!" Under these circumstances, as Chu Ling walked up a dozen stone steps and the person in front of the Shouhuang Hall hastily finished reading the imperial edicts of the three empresses, Chu Hong, standing in front of the crowd, shouted in a resounding voice.

What does he want to do! ?

This shout drew countless gazes.

Even Chu Ling stopped.

"The Successor Emperor~"

As soon as Chu Ling stopped, Li Zhong and the others caught up.

But Chu Ling ignored them. Instead, with reddened eyes, she looked down at Chu Hong, who was getting up from the crowd. Her expression remained unchanged, but she was secretly delighted.

It's good that it came out.

The best thing would be to challenge me and criticize me for not being worthy of being the successor emperor of the Great Yu.

To be honest, Chu Ling wasn't surprised at all by this scene.

The vacant throne was occupied by someone like him, leaving Chu Hong and the others with no chance. This was certainly unacceptable to them.

"Empress Dowager Cishou! Your Majesty, I, Chu Biao, the fourth son of Emperor Taizong, personally enfeoffed by Emperor Taizong as Wei, have a memorial to present!" Just as Chu Ling was pondering, another voice rang out after Chu Hong.

Chu Biao lifted his robe, stood up, and walked forward with his head held high.

The atmosphere changed again in an instant.

"Empress! The fifth son of Emperor Taizong, personally enfeoffed by Emperor Taizong as Jing, your younger brother Chu Jun, has a memorial to present!!" Immediately afterward, Chu Jun's voice rang out, causing the crowd in front of the Shouhuang Hall to stir completely.

This is a private transaction.

Seeing Chu Hong, Chu Biao, and Chu Jun get up one after another, Chu Ling, who was standing on the stone steps, immediately realized that they must have been in contact last night.

So even without his previous move, they would likely have seized the opportunity to step forward. Although Chu Ling hadn't yet guessed what Chu Hong and his group were up to, he knew one thing: these usually proud individuals had remained obsessed with the throne since the late emperor's death. Even though the successor had been chosen, the opportunity they had longed for had been cruelly snatched away. Anyone would find it hard to let go of such a thing. An interesting conflict was about to unfold...