A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"Father, whether we rise to power or not, those who don't believe in us will never believe in us."

"But if he comes to power, he can consolidate those loyal followers and make them fight for their own future."

"This approach is timeless and less drastic, but if you can withstand it, then the future is promising."

Zhai Yu said slowly, "I still don't want to give up my destiny to be the crown prince and the emperor."

Zhai Hong's eyes flickered slightly. He realized that what Zhai Yu said made sense, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

As long as he stubbornly refuses to admit it and muddies the waters, he can still rely on his power and prestige to dominate the entire court.

But if he were to actually ascend the throne, the death of the young emperor would be firmly attached to him, and his power would collapse immediately.

The power they can mobilize is more than twice as weak as their denial.

That would truly mean certain death.

"I've left a secret passage in my residence. Escape the capital through this passage immediately, and live in anonymity. If I pacify the world, return. If I fail, then you must live well and don't worry about me. The Zhai family line must not be broken!"

Zhai Hong said to Zhai Yu that he had a very dangerous intuition, an intuition that had saved his life more than once, so this time, he also felt that he was in grave danger.

But he was Zhai Hong, a powerful minister who had controlled the court for over a decade, and he would never surrender without a fight.

No matter who the force behind this is, he will expose that person and that force, and make them bear the brunt of his wrath.

"Father!"

Zhai Yu was shocked. Had the situation really deteriorated to this extent?

"Walk!"

Zhai Hong waved his sleeve, turned around, and strode towards the palace.

He wanted to see just how many demons and monsters would emerge from the court today.

"Father, take care! Your son is leaving!"

Zhai Yu kowtowed three times to Zhai Hong and also sensed the resolute tone in Zhai Hong's voice.

At the palace gate, the officials gathered in twos and threes, discussing the matter animatedly.

As soon as Zhai Hong approached, all the officials from the Prime Minister's faction surrounded him.

Some people wanted to ask something, but they didn't dare to say it.

Zhai Hong could sense that the officials gathered in twos and threes around him were all silently observing him.

"Let's go, let's enter the palace."

Zhai Hong was the last to arrive, and his arrival signified that all the court officials had come together.

Led by Zhai Hong, everyone headed towards the young emperor's bedroom.

At this time, the young emperor's palace was completely surrounded by his guards, and no one was allowed to enter except for the crown prince, the empress, and the empress dowager.

As the prime suspect, Zhai Hong, approached, all the palace guards drew their weapons and looked at him warily.

"Your Excellency, please wait!"

Seeing that Zhai Hong was trying to rush in without stopping, the Imperial Guard Commander Nangong Ye stepped forward to stop him.

"Are you going to stop me?"

Zhai Hong frowned. In the Great Xia, he had no taboos; for so many years had no one dared to stop him?

"No one may enter without an imperial edict from His Highness the Crown Prince, the Empress, or the Empress Dowager."

Nangong Ye stared intently at Zhai Hong. His life had been saved by the late emperor, who had appointed him as the commander of the Imperial Guards before his death, instructing him to protect the young emperor.

However, the young emperor was assassinated while under his protection, and Zhai Hong was the prime suspect.

He now wished he could stab Zhai Hong to death with a sword to avenge the young emperor.

"Then please have Commander Nangong go and inform Zhai Hong that he has brought all the civil and military officials to pay homage to His Majesty."

Zhai Hong glanced at Nangong Ye and said calmly.

"Hmph, just you wait!"

Nangong Ye snorted coldly and gestured with his eyes for his deputy to go and report, while he continued to keep watch here to prevent any suspicious person from entering and harming the Crown Prince.

After a while, the deputy general ran out of the palace. "Commander, Empress, please invite all officials in. Also, please invite the commander to bring the imperial guards in as well."

Nangong Ye then snorted coldly in dissatisfaction, stepped aside, and led a team of imperial guards into the palace to provide protection.

He even personally led troops, staying by the Crown Prince's side at all times to prevent the Crown Prince from being assassinated.

Zhai Hong led the civil and military officials into the palace. A mourning hall had already been set up in the hall, but the coffin had not yet been made. The emperor's body, with his head and body sewn together, lay on the dragon bed as the coffin.

Zhai Hong stopped 10 steps away from the emperor's body, knelt down, and began to weep bitterly.

The officials also knelt down and began to weep.

The Empress and Empress Dowager felt utterly disgusted looking at Zhai Hong, who was leading the weeping.

"Zhai Hong! You traitorous villain! How dare you come before His Majesty's coffin?!"

The empress coldly retorted, her eyes icy and filled with murderous intent.

The Empress Dowager also looked at Zhai Hong with equal coldness, blaming him for the Crown Prince's affair as well.

"What do you mean by that, Your Majesty? I was entrusted with the care of the late Emperor and have been loyal to Your Majesty. Now that Your Majesty has been assassinated by traitors and passed away, I am also deeply grieved."

Zhai Hong wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and said, choking back sobs.

"you!"

The Empress was shocked by Zhai Hong's shamelessness. How could she, a mere woman, have imagined that someone could be so shameless?

"Commander Nangong, seize him for me!"

As soon as the Empress gave the order, the sound of numerous armored vehicles clashing came from outside.

Nangong Ye's expression changed, and he quickly led his men to protect the Crown Prince, Empress, and Empress Dowager, looking solemnly towards the door.

A group of soldiers in black armor walked out of the gate and surrounded the imperial guards led by Nangong Ye.

Nangong Ye's face darkened, and he uttered a few words: "Commander of the Imperial Guards!"

The fact that the Commander of the Imperial Guards arrived so quickly suggests that Zhai Hong brought them with him when he entered the palace. If everything is fine, the Commander of the Imperial Guards won't need to appear. But if anything changes, the Commander of the Imperial Guards will immediately barge in.

What made Nangong Ye's face even uglier was that he hadn't received a single word about so many troops storming into the palace.

He was unaware that the Imperial Guards stationed on the outermost perimeter of the palace were all elite troops. Even if they were outnumbered and no match for the Imperial Guards, Zhai would definitely have someone come to inform them.

But the fact that he hasn't received any information means that there are quite a few people in the Imperial Guard who are Zhai Hong's men.

As expected, it was Zhai Hong who assassinated His Majesty!

Only he could arrange so many men in the Imperial Guard to assassinate His Majesty under tight protection!

Nangong Ye clenched his fists in anger, but he couldn't act impulsively. The Crown Prince, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager were all there, and if he risked his life, he had to protect their safety.

The most important question now is: among the imperial guards around him, who can be trusted and who cannot?

Even his own deputy general, Nangong Ye could hardly believe it now.

"Zhai Hong, are you trying to rebel?!"

Among the court officials, one man stepped forward and pointed at Zhai Hong, saying...

Nangong Ye looked at the man and saw that it was Xia Qie, the current Imperial Clan Minister!