Ten years of dormancy: Starting as a martial arts master at the pinnacle

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

The entire court of the Great Zhou was clearly caught off guard by Emperor Li Zheng.

After they came to their senses...

At the court assembly the following day, a large number of civil and military officials knelt down.

"We urge Your Majesty to reconsider!"

"Prince Yong is still young. Even if the throne were to be passed on, it should first be passed to His Highness the Prince of Qin, and then to Prince Yong. How can the throne be passed on to the son while the father is still alive?"

The majority of people support this argument.

Secondly, it is argued that His Highness Crown Prince Li Yuanqian has never committed any wrongdoing, nor has he ever been deposed as crown prince.

What reason is there not to pass the throne to the crown prince, but to the grandson of the emperor?

The other princes' supporters were also busy at this time, kowtowing repeatedly.

"We beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider."

Faced with the chaos in the court, Emperor Li Zheng of the Great Zhou Dynasty put on a stern face and said only one sentence.

"My mind is made up, and there is no reason to change it. If any of you ministers are not satisfied, you may go home and reflect on your mistakes. You may return to court when you have come to your senses. My Great Zhou is full of talented people, and we have no shortage of officials."

This almost shameless attitude left all the officials in the court stunned.

Soon, some clever courtiers set their sights on Wang Guodong, the Minister of Justice.

The Emperor may disregard their feelings and act arbitrarily.

But Wang Guodong's pride wouldn't allow it.

He is the father-in-law of Prince Yong's father-in-law, and the maternal grandfather of the future Princess Yong.

At this critical moment, Wang Guodong stepped forward and argued that it was unreasonable. Even His Majesty the Emperor would have to think twice before acting.

After all, in addition to their relationship as ruler and subject, they were also related as relatives.

Wang Guodong held the jade tablet in his hand high, concealing his entire body.

If you want him to be the first to stick his neck out, forget about finding a way in; he's blocked all the windows.

Originally, his granddaughter was just a minor princess.

It is only because of Li Changqing's special status, coupled with the existence of the World Society, that this princess's worth is so extraordinary.

His granddaughter will at least be a princess in the future, and most likely become empress.

Moreover, she was the empress who held real power.

The Wang family must have accumulated countless good deeds over many lifetimes to have such good fortune today.

Even if Wang Guodong were to abandon his reputation and be condemned by everyone for currying favor with the powerful, he would not utter a single word at this moment.

The others quickly realized what Minister Wang was thinking.

That's why they're related by marriage.

Even the usually upright Minister Wang could not be truly impartial when it came to Prince Yong, Li Changqing.

He chose to pretend he was deaf and dumb.

Not to mention others...

The Qi State Duke's Mansion, the Xiaoyao Marquis's Mansion, the Sanyang Marquis's Mansion, the Wang family, and the Cui family, which were previously ridiculed.

They all have connections in the imperial court.

Either their direct descendants entered the court as officials, or they were officials who sought refuge with them.

These people all chose to remain silent.

Previously, the eldest daughter of their family was married to Prince Li Changqing of Qinghe and became a concubine in the prince's mansion.

Even if they know in their hearts that they made this choice for their own benefit.

The direct descendants of their family, especially some of the collateral branches and those who supported them, still felt uneasy.

It felt like they were inferior to everyone else.

But now, the situation is different.

If Li Changqing becomes emperor, then these legitimate daughters of his family will enter the palace as concubines.

From the perspective of identity, it's at least plausible.

From a practical standpoint, if their family's eldest daughter were to enter the palace as a concubine, their family would reap even greater benefits.

Under these circumstances, what reason would they have not to support Li Changqing?

If it weren't for the fact that Li Changqing's direct succession would indeed be somewhat illegitimate, then...

They were all about to kneel down and kowtow in support.

The court was in an uproar, but no decision could be reached.

Meanwhile, in a secluded house in Kyoto.

Besides the mysterious figure hidden in the darkness, two more figures appeared, their imposing presence in no way inferior to the mysterious one.

All three were very careful not to reveal any of their aura.

"This is a trap! When has the succession of the Great Zhou royal family ever been so hasty? In the past, each time it took more than three months of preparation."

One of the three spoke first to analyze the situation.

"Perhaps this was Li Zheng's purpose. He guessed that we would not let go of this opportunity to make a move, so he deliberately brought it forward to catch us off guard."

"If Li Changqing really succeeds in passing on the mantle, all our previous hard work and planning will probably be for naught."

"As expected of that treacherous Li Zheng, he actually thinks three steps ahead for every one step he takes."

"Complaining about him now won't do any good. Let's think about what we should do instead."

This question is undoubtedly the most crucial one.

A figure lurking in the darkness spoke with a chilling voice: "We've come this far, there are only three of us. The other side only has two! Even if Li Zheng can unleash his peak Supreme power, he can't stop us."

"Whether it's true or false, we have to take action."

The three of them quickly made a decision.

In fact, from the moment the three of them arrived in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, they had already made their decision.

If it weren't for the desire to capture Li Zheng and obtain the Great Zhou royal family's heirloom treasure...

What were those three doing traveling all the way to the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty?

"How's your chess piece?"

Upon hearing someone ask about this topic, the mysterious figure hidden in the shadows chuckled.

"It might be a great gift, or perhaps the heavens will bring down the Great Zhou."

The atmosphere at the Prince of Qin's residence has been very tense lately.

Although the young master of the royal palace is about to ascend the throne and become the most powerful man in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

They still couldn't be happy.

His Majesty the Emperor bypassed the King of Qin and directly passed the throne to the Prince of Yong, even though the two were father and son.

No matter how close they had been before, when faced with this problem, the servants of the Prince's mansion did not know whose side to take.

It's important to know that the King of Qin has not given up on vying for the throne.

More than a third of those who oppose the government are from the Qin King's faction.

The father and son didn't even see each other in the mansion.

With the abdication ceremony drawing ever closer, officials from the Ministry of Rites have begun making secret preparations.

Although they argued their case forcefully in the court, the Ministry of Rites was mostly staffed by members of the Crown Prince's faction, and they certainly couldn't just stand by and watch Prince Yong ascend the throne.

But expressing opinions on state affairs is one thing; they cannot neglect their duties under any circumstances.

They have already begun to demonstrate their loyalty to Emperor Li Zheng of the Great Zhou Dynasty and to the future Emperor Li Changqing through concrete actions.

The third day after the decision to abdicate.

The forces of the Crown Prince's residence and the Prince of Qin's residence are preparing for a final struggle.

They each brought in their own powerful backers, determined to persuade Li Zheng to change his mind no matter what.

……