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

As the New Year approached, Dayu emerged from its past sorrows and officially adopted the new reign title Yongchang, marking Dayu's full transition to the rule of a new emperor.

However, the sudden death of the ambitious new emperor had a great impact on the central government, causing undercurrents to surge in all directions. Despite the constant turmoil, the Great Yu eventually welcomed a successor emperor, and everything started to move in a positive direction.

However, too many people overlook one point.

In other words, what exactly is the weight of popular support and hope that a new emperor, who gradually rose to prominence during the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, garnered?

Yudu.

As the capital of the Great Yu Kingdom, it has a population of over one million, making it the largest city in the country. While the Yu Palace and the central government are gradually emerging from their grief, the capital city itself remains shrouded in sorrow.

But with the arrival of thunder in the dead of winter, Yudu, which had been suppressed for so long, seemed to be different from usual, and various controversies began to emerge in the streets and alleys.

"Thunder in the dead of winter, this is no good news. The thunder last night was so loud that it made my heart tremble. Could it be that something major has happened in the court, so that even the heavens have sent down a warning?"

"Don't you know? The Great Yu Dynasty has an emperor! I heard he's the seventh son of Emperor Taizong Wen, and he's only eight years old!!"

"Is this for real? Why haven't the Secretariat and the Chancellery posted any notices? Eight years old? Isn't that just a child? How can a child be chosen as the successor emperor?"

“This is not right. According to the patriarchal system, shouldn’t our dynasty establish the legitimate heir if there is one, and the eldest son if there is no legitimate heir? This eight-year-old child can become the heir to the throne. There must be something fishy going on here.”

"It's not just that there's something fishy going on; didn't you notice anything in the vicinity of the Yu Palace and the Imperial City last night?"

"what?"

"Fire! This must be a fire. But the Yu Palace and the Imperial City are so heavily fortified. We are currently in a period of national mourning, yet a fire has suddenly broken out. Don't you find it strange?"

In Tonghua Ward, near the imperial city, a large group of people dressed in mourning clothes gathered on a main street. They were talking quietly, but as they chatted, their voices gradually grew louder.

Tonghuafang was draped in white. The snow that had stopped last night started falling again at dawn. The endless expanse of white gave off a strong sense of desolation.

According to the regulations of the Yu Dynasty, upon the death of the late emperor, marriage, entertainment, and all sexual relations between men and women were prohibited throughout the country for three months. Anyone who dared to violate these regulations during this period would be severely punished without exception!

Perhaps in local areas, this system is not so strict, but it is very strict in the capital of the Great Yu Kingdom. After all, it is under the emperor's nose, so who would dare to break the rules?

As a result, many transactions in the market have come to a standstill.

Perhaps it happens in private, but don't make a scene in public. Anyone who dares to overstep the bounds, even if they have someone backing them up, the Censorate isn't just for show!

Many people in Yudu were originally looking forward to the New Year so they could have fun, since the mourning period for Emperor Taizong would end as the New Year approached.

But no one expected that after only a few days of carefree living, the new emperor would pass away. This joke was far too cruel.

"General."

While the group was discussing this, they didn't notice a group of people approaching. Han Qing, who was returning home after his shift, was on horseback, frowning as he looked at the scene before him, his face extremely grim.

Han Qing, who had left the imperial city and was walking along Zhuque Avenue, intending to return to his residence via Shanhefang Main Street, overheard some discussions along the way. This made him abandon his plan to return home and instead began to detour along Shanhefang.

However, what Han Qing saw and heard along the way made his mood increasingly heavy. Last night, the Daxing Palace caught fire, lightning struck in the dead of winter, and the Imperial Observatory unexpectedly caught fire. This series of unexpected events made Yudu different from the past.

Especially during these private discussions, Han Qing heard various things about the successor emperor, which made him feel heavy-hearted and also wary!

Chu Ling, the seventh son of Emperor Taizong Wen, was only eight years old when he became the successor emperor as Prince Rui. The three empresses issued an imperial edict on this matter, but it was limited to the Yu Palace and the imperial city. There was no formal edict issued for the capital city of Yu or the whole country. In fact, the three empresses used various methods to strictly prohibit the central government from spreading this matter.

According to Han Qing's knowledge, the official edict of the successor emperor would be issued the day after the memorial service for the deceased emperor, and would be posted by the Secretariat and the Chancellery in preparation for the enthronement ceremony.

With so many unexpected events last night, the Secretariat and the Chancellery were already in chaos. The Left Chancellor Xu Chu, the Right Chancellor Wang Rui, the Grand Councilor Qi Sheng, and other ministers were all summoned to the palace by the three empresses. Zhang Bu had not yet officially issued the edict, but such news had already spread in Yudu.

Someone is trying to fan the flames!

Thinking about all this, Han Qing came to a conclusion in his heart, so he didn't pay any attention to the shouts from his personal guards, or more accurately, he had something else on his mind.

"General, someone is following us in secret."

Han Qing didn't care, but his personal guards did. Seeing that their general was silent, the head guard rode forward warily and whispered to Han Qing.

"Ok?"

Only then did Han Qing come to his senses.

“There are at least three groups,” the head of the guards continued. “One group followed us as soon as we left the capital, another group secretly followed us in Shanhefang, and the third group…”

"Back to the capital!!"

Before the head of the guards could finish speaking, Han Qing pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and headed towards Zhuque Avenue, which startled all the guards on both sides.

Speaking of such a major event that occurred in the Yu Palace and the Imperial City, Han Qing, as the General of the Imperial Guards, could not abandon his post even if he was off duty.

Han Qing had originally intended to do just that, but an imperial edict from Changqiu Palace forced him to leave the palace. Now that Han Qing was not returning to his residence but instead heading back to the capital, how could his personal guards not be alarmed?

"General, if you want to return to the capital, I'm afraid..." The head of the guards hurriedly rode after him, his brows furrowed with worry, and advised Han Qing.

"I'm returning to my office, not going to the palace to serve. Is there a problem with that?" Han Qing's eyes were sharp as he glanced at the man, and his words left the head of the guards speechless.

Does this not seem like overstepping any bounds?

The head of the guards thought to himself, and then, without thinking of anything else, he followed closely beside Han Qing to Zhuque Avenue. The change of direction of Han Qing's group startled the three groups of people who were secretly monitoring them, and they immediately hurried to follow.

However, no one knew that besides these three groups, there was another group monitoring them, but they were not monitoring Han Qing, the Marquis of Pingchuan of the Great Yu and the Grand General of the Imperial Guards!

The very people they were monitoring were secretly tracking Han Qing's movements. As these groups moved, they disappeared into the crowd. No one noticed their whereabouts from beginning to end, including the battle-hardened Han Qing. Where they came from and where they were going would remain a secret...