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

Are you asking me to make a choice?

Time passed second by second, and Chu Ling's voice rang out in the Ganlu Hall. When Xia Wang heard these words, his heart tightened for no reason.

That tone.

That tone of voice.

That attitude.

Xia Wang will never forget this in his lifetime!

For a fleeting moment, Xia Wang wanted to kneel down, but the last vestiges of reason within him forced him not to. At the same time, a surge of excitement welled up within him.

He is such a complex person.

Having experienced many things, one's mentality is often different from that of ordinary people. Xia Wang was indeed testing Chu Ling. For Xia Wang, what he did was extraordinary.

In the present-day Great Yu, if those people knew he was still alive, they wouldn't hesitate to say he wouldn't live much longer, so Xia Wang had to be careful.

Although Xia Wang had already begun to favor the new emperor during his last visit to Ganlu Palace, a sudden winter thunderstorm quietly changed everything.

From beginning to end, Chu Ling had no idea what kind of impact or ripples that winter thunder had produced.

"Is my question difficult to answer?"

Seeing that Xia Wang remained silent, Chu Ling walked over and stared at Xia Wang.

"This old servant would never dare to ask Your Majesty to choose."

Xia Wang bowed and said, "This old servant just feels that Your Majesty's horsemanship training is not enough to be displayed properly in the Imperial Garden Training Ground, but it is different in the Shanglin Garden."

"Improving riding skills by practice alone is not enough; you must be able to apply them. Hunting is undoubtedly the best way, and the Shanglin Garden keeps all kinds of rare and exotic animals."

Xia Wang would never reveal his true thoughts.

It's not the right time yet.

Xia Wang had considered how the new emperor could break through the encirclement and take over power from the three empresses, but based on what he knew, it would be difficult to make this happen.

Xia Wang knew far more inside information than Chu Ling did.

But he didn't dare to gamble.

Xia Wang feared that if he told the new emperor everything he knew, the new emperor would not be able to bear it, and then he would be a sinner of the Great Yu. Even if he died, he would have no face to meet Emperor Gaozu!

Yes.

Chu Ling did indeed appear very intelligent and composed, but regardless, the new emperor is only eight years old. Better safe than sorry.

Therefore, Xia Wang had to carefully plan every step and try his best to avoid situations that were out of control. In the end, Xia Wang did not want anything to happen to the new emperor.

"I want to leave the palace!"

Just as Xia Wang was pondering, Chu Ling's voice rang out.

"Old slave, I understand."

Upon hearing this, Xia Wang immediately declared, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, this old servant will do my utmost to handle this matter, and there will absolutely be no..."

"You seem not to understand what I mean."

Chu Ling interrupted Xia Wang and stared at him calmly.

Ok?

Xia Wang was puzzled, but then he guessed what it was and his eyes widened slightly.

"Whether I go to Shanglin Garden or not is none of my concern."

Chu Ling looked up at Xia Wang and said indifferently, "But if I leave the palace and sit on that throne, everything about me will be tied to the Yu Palace. This is not what I want."

"I know my thoughts, but if I were to say them out loud, they would inevitably be opposed by many people and might even have a negative impact."

"But your appearance has shown me a possibility. I must leave the palace. As the emperor of Great Yu, I must know what my Great Yu and my people are really like!"

Xia Wang's heart inevitably raced.

He had never even considered this matter.

As the emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty, the most honorable being in the entire world, only the Yu Palace could embody the emperor's majesty and ensure his safety.

The Great Yu was a thriving place, but behind the scenes, many sordid things were hidden, including desperate criminals plotting to assassinate the emperor and gamblers!

"Don't tell me you can't do it?"

Seeing Xia Wang remain silent, Chu Ling said with a cold face.

Chu Ling was also testing Xia Wang.

Regarding leaving the palace, Chu Ling had thought that if he wanted to understand the real Dayu, what he heard from others was far less reliable than what he could see and hear with his own eyes and ears.

After all, anything written on paper is bound to contain some personal opinions.

If Chu Ling wants to break the deadlock, he must master all aspects. Right now, with Li Zhong, the Xunwei, and the Plum Blossom Inner Guard, Chu Ling has begun to understand the dynamics of the Great Yu.

But this is not enough!

Chu Ling wanted to know what everyone in the Great Yu court, in the local areas, and especially in the capital city had been thinking since he ascended the throne.

"This old servant can do it."

Xia Wang remained silent for a long time, then hesitated before saying, "But..."

"It's good that it can be done."

After hearing this, Chu Ling stared at Xia Wang and said, "I know you are hiding many secrets, but if you want me to listen to you, you must do something first. If you are not even willing to do this, then why should I listen to you?"

In fact, Chu Ling could see through some of Xia Wang's thoughts.

This is treating him like a child.

Regardless of whether Xia Wang was loyal to Dayu or Emperor Taizu, if Xia Wang wanted him to do something, there had to be tangible benefits involved.

Otherwise, Chu Ling would not be able to let his guard down against Xia Wang.

This is a test.

It was also a test.

"It would be difficult to accomplish this in such a hasty manner."

Under Chu Ling's gaze, Xia Wang hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "This old servant needs to prepare for a few days. If His Majesty truly intends to leave the palace, Li Zhong and Wan Qiu'er must accompany him. However, this will inevitably arouse some suspicion, so..."

"You don't need to tell me what to do."

Chu Ling waved his hand to interrupt: "I have no shortage of patience, nor do I lack time, but I am leaving the palace. If this matter is accomplished, then we can meet again in the future; if it is not accomplished, then there is no need to meet again."

Having said that, Chu Ling ignored Xia Wang and turned to walk towards the palace gate.

"!!!"

This made Xia Wang's heart tighten. Watching the new emperor's departing figure, Xia Wang immediately put on his cloak and disappeared into the shadows, as if he had never been there.

'It seems there really is a secret passage leading outside the Yu Palace.'

As Chu Ling walked out of the hall, he pondered, 'Very few people know about this secret passage; even the Empress Dowager and the others probably don't. If Xia Wang can truly accomplish this, it means he enjoys the Emperor's deep trust.'

'But what exactly did this person do to warrant hiding somewhere in the Yu Palace? More importantly, has this person's loyalty been compromised?'

Chu Ling has too many questions that need to be answered.

With something on his mind, Chu Ling ignored the group of people standing outside the hall and walked straight toward the sedan chair. Some things could only be resolved by experiencing them firsthand.

Leaving the palace was something Chu Ling had to go through. Being trapped in this city with its high walls and thick walls, completely unaware of the changes in the outside world, was far too passive. Some risks had to be taken. If there were no risks in anything one did, then everyone would be a successful person, but in reality, very few people achieve true success...