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

Li Zhong stood still, scanning the kneeling crowd before him. His face seemed unchanged, but in reality, his heart was filled with turmoil.

For him, the events of the past seven days are something he never wants to think about again.

The new emperor, Yongchang, is quite similar to Emperor Taizu Gao. He was ordered to succeed to the throne and has a strong ambition to govern well. He intends to rectify the long-standing problems of the Yu Dynasty and launch military campaigns against the Northern Barbarians and Nanzhao to demonstrate the power of the Yu Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, he reigned for less than a year, and the reign title had just changed when he passed away in the Daxing Palace. This was something no one could have foreseen.

Upon learning of the sudden death of the new emperor, Empress Dowager Cixi Shou fainted from excessive grief. However, what was strange was that Empress Dowager Cixi Kangshou, upon learning of this, ordered the Grand Chang Le Palace to issue an imperial edict, commanding Grand Marshal and General Sun He to lead troops into the palace and take control of Daxing Palace and other places.

Amid such a tense situation, someone leaked the news to the outside world, and high-ranking officials from the various provinces of Zhongshu, Menxia, ​​Shangshu, and the six ministries of Li, Hu, Li, Bing, Xing, and Gong all went to Yu Palace. A confrontation and game of power began. Even the Grand Marshal and General of Chariots Zongchuan, who had not attended court for a long time, and the Grand Marshal and General of Chariots Changli, were invited to Yu Palace one after another.

What happened in the inner palace during those seven days remains unknown to anyone outside the palace.

But those within the inner court all felt a sense of impending doom!

Even in the inner palace, with its high walls and thick armor, countless people died, their deaths utterly silent, as if they had never existed in this world.

It's better to be dead! Sometimes living is more painful than dying!

Lost in thought, Li Zhong composed himself upon seeing the imperial edict from the three palaces before him. He picked it up, unfolded it, and began to read it aloud in a resounding voice.

"By the grace of Heaven and the Three Palaces, the decree reads: The late Emperor ascended the throne by imperial decree, inheriting the benevolence of the former Emperor, mindful of the nation and the people, appointing virtuous and capable officials, eliminating treacherous ones, and striving to govern diligently..."

It seems that no one in the Yu Dynasty expected the new emperor to die so suddenly, including the emperor himself; otherwise, this decree designating the successor to the throne would not have been issued in this manner.

The imperial edicts of the three palaces were unprecedented.

Chu Ling, kneeling to receive the imperial decree, pondered inwardly as Li Zhong read out the contents. Although he did not know what had happened in the Yu Palace, he understood one thing.

The world is bustling with activity because of profit; the world is in turmoil because of profit.

There was not a single word from the Yu Palace for seven whole days, which was abnormal in itself. It was likely that the power struggle among various parties over the vacant throne was very intense.

Through Li Zhong's reading, Chu Ling also keenly noticed that the new emperor seemed to be deliberately concealed.

The new emperor in Mingming's memory had a personality very similar to Emperor Taizu Gao, but now he is being described as acting benevolently like Emperor Taizong Wen.

That's interesting.

It is feared that the Yu Dynasty will soon see a situation where the empress regency prevails.

However, this has nothing to do with me.

Thinking of this, Chu Ling sighed inwardly. Once the successor to the throne was decided and the mourning period ended, he could return to the Tenth Prince's Mansion.

"...However, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Prince Rui is of upright character, wise and intelligent, strict with himself, and cares deeply for the people. The late Emperor praised him many times during his lifetime. To consolidate the Yu Dynasty and bring peace to the hearts of all people, Prince Rui..."

Li Zhong, who was reading the imperial edicts from the three palaces, felt a complex mix of emotions, and a sense of dread welled up within him!

How could he possibly be the one to inherit the throne?!

The expressions of Chu Hong, Chu Biao, Chu Jun, and the others who were kneeling to receive the imperial decree were all unnatural, because this Prince Rui had never been appointed before!

The atmosphere here suddenly changed.

So it really is a case of choosing the youngest heir?

In contrast, Chu Ling remained calm. All signs pointed to one thing: the sudden death of the late emperor had broken the previous power balance. The new emperor who succeeded him must not be too old, otherwise the balance would have been broken again during the seven days of power struggle, and the interests of all parties would not have been guaranteed.

Could it be the Eighth Prince, Chu Hui?

Is it still the ninth brother, Chu Mao?

Among Emperor Taizong's sons, Chu Hui was only seven years old and Chu Mao was only three years old. If Chu Ling were to choose, he would definitely choose the latter.

After all, he is only three years old. It will be at least fifteen years before he comes of age and begins to rule in his own right!

Fifteen years—that's enough to secure the interests of so many people.

"...Chu Ling is hereby appointed as the successor emperor. He shall enter the Daxing Hall. The Ministry of Rites, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Court of State Ceremonies, the Court of Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Observatory, and other relevant departments shall select an auspicious day to hold the enthronement ceremony and issue the edict of accession to proclaim it to the world. This is the imperial decree!"

A word stirred up a thousand waves.

As Li Zhong finished reading the imperial edict from the three palaces, countless eyes turned to one place. No one had expected that Chu Ling would sit on the throne!

How is this possible! ! !

"A forged imperial edict!! This must be a forged imperial edict!!"

Chu Hong was the first to question, rising to glare at Li Zhong and shouting in a deep voice, "You treacherous traitor who has brought ruin to the country, how dare you proclaim a forged edict! What virtue or ability does Chu Ling possess to shoulder the heavy responsibility of our dynasty?!"

"Junior Supervisor Li, is this imperial edict from the three empresses truly issued jointly by the three empresses?" Chu Jun asked with a gloomy expression as he slowly stood up and stared intently at Li Zhongdao.

"It's fake!! It must be fake!!"

"There are treacherous officials plotting within the inner court; the three empresses must have been kidnapped!!"

"How could Chu Ling, a mere child, become the successor emperor!"

The Sea King Chu Zheng, the Jing King Chu Xuan, and the Sixth Prince Chu Jun, who were originally just watching the show, all stood up and questioned it. They could accept it no matter who among Chu Hong, Chu Biao, and Chu Jun could become the successor emperor, but what about Chu Ling?

Born into a lowly and unimportant family, disregarded by Emperor Wen of the Taizong Emperor from birth, and virtually invisible among the princes, how could he possibly become the successor emperor?

"Brother Wang, you have become the heir to the throne."

On the other hand, Chu Hui looked at Chu Ling and said.

This joke has gone too far.

Upon hearing Chu Hui's words, Chu Ling felt no joy whatsoever. Instead, he felt amusement. Well, he had become the biggest beneficiary in the power struggle among all parties.

But does this beneficiary really benefit?

At that moment, Chu Ling suddenly realized something. Whether it was the eighth prince Chu Hui or the ninth prince Chu Mao, their maternal families could not compare to those of Chu Hong and the others. However, their mothers were a powerful woman from Guandong and a noble family from Jiangnan. If one of them were to become the heir to the throne, the inner court might not change much, but what about the outer court?

That's pretty ruthless!

Chu Ling's understanding of the Yu Dynasty was once again refreshed. It was like a gathering of apes. If he really entered the Daxing Palace and became the fourth emperor of the Yu Dynasty, could he really live a good life?

"We request that the successor emperor take up residence in the Daxing Palace!!"

While Chu Ling was lost in thought, Li Zhong ignored the doubts raised by the crowd, bowed his head and walked towards Chu Ling, performing a kneeling ceremony.

"We request that the successor emperor take up residence in the Daxing Palace!!"

The entourage that followed Li Zhong out of the palace all knelt on one knee and shouted in a resounding voice. This was a guard that only served the emperor, and those who could enter were all sons of noble families in the capital. Their presence with Li Zhong to deliver the imperial edict was of profound significance: Chu Ling was the chosen successor emperor, the new emperor of the Yu Dynasty.