No title, no marriage? Do you think I'm some kind of lapdog?

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Su Chuang did not answer, but instead respectfully and quickly bowed to the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, who was sitting on the dragon throne.

His tone was calm but hoarse.

But the pain from his knee hitting the gold brick made him clench his teeth.

He bent down, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pair of official boots on his lower left.

Black face with white background, tattooed with dark pythons—Yue Zhanpeng, Vice Minister of War.

Although his official position was Vice Minister of War, he was retired because the current Minister of War had left office to retire.

Therefore, he was actually exercising the power of the Minister of War!

Those with real power and high position!

Directly in front of him, a gaze came from behind the dragon table, pressing heavily on his back.

Even without looking up, Su Chuang could feel the scrutiny in that gaze.

This is the heaven of the entire Great Qian Dynasty.

At the same time, he also knew that the Great Qian Dynasty was not peaceful at present.

The phrase "beset by internal and external troubles" is most apt.

"No need for such formalities!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Su Chuang stood up shakily, but before he could fully stand, he heard…

"Your Majesty!"

"What I just said is true! Please, Your Majesty, see for yourself!"

Yue Zhanpeng stroked his beard, giving Su Chuang no time to react, and immediately stood up and bowed to Emperor Wu.

"I understand, my dear minister, please have a seat!"

"Su Chuang! I have a question for you!"

Emperor Wu waved his hand, gesturing for Yue Zhanpeng to sit down, and then changed the subject.

"...Forming cliques for personal gain, deceiving superiors and concealing the truth! Su Chuang, do you know your crimes?!"

Emperor Wu's voice was neither warm nor angry.

Upon hearing this, Su Chuang immediately stopped trying to stand up and remained lying on the ground without moving.

At the same time, the part of my mind belonging to the King of Soldiers was working at high speed:

Don't panic!

Explain yourself? It's useless.

Beg for mercy? That's a dead end.

His only chance of survival was the fake imperial edict that nearly cost him his life.

"Your Majesty!"

Su Chuang took a deep breath, suppressing the trembling in his body, and suddenly raised his head.

His gaze, however, bypassed Yue Zhanpeng and went straight to Emperor Wu behind the dragon table.

"Your humble servant confesses his guilt."

Those three words made Yue Zhanpeng's lips relax.

"Your humble servant will not offer any explanation!"

"Your humble servant only wishes to atone for his crimes by being exiled to the frontier as a soldier."

"Only by dying on the battlefield can one be worthy of being called the Heir Apparent of the Duke of Xin!"

As Su Chuang spoke, he kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face!

His eyes were slightly red, seemingly filled with tears of regret.

But deep within those eyes, a cold glint shone that went unnoticed by anyone.

Although he admitted it, it doesn't mean he's someone to be bullied!

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of Emperor Wu, Yue Zhanpeng, and even Eunuch Gui all changed.

Since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, there has never been a case of a crown prince being sent to die on the battlefield!

"This...this...Your Majesty!"

"Although the Crown Prince's crimes are heinous, they do not warrant this punishment!"

"Exile to the frontier is too severe. I hope Your Majesty will be lenient and not allow him to inherit the title of Duke of Xin. A slight punishment will suffice."

Upon hearing this, Yue Zhanpeng immediately stood up, his sleeves trembling slightly, but his tone was full of sincerity.

Su Chuang sneered inwardly. His sleeves trembled, but his voice remained steady. What a hypocritical act!

He understood that once he lost his status as the heir apparent, he would be like meat on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.

"No! Lord Yue, you are mistaken!"

"I, the young master, would rather die on the battlefield than be assassinated and die an unjust death!"

Su Chuang fought back with all his might.

"Huh? Assassination? What's going on?"

Emperor Wu inquired.

"Your Majesty, please take a look at this first!"

"Tonight someone will use it to deliver His Majesty's decree ordering his execution."

"I implore Your Majesty to see the truth and uphold justice for this humble subject!"

As Su Chuang spoke, he pulled out a roll of blood-stained yellow silk from his pocket, his fingers as steady as a rock.

Upon seeing this, Eunuch Gui disregarded his own dirt and quickly presented the blood-stained fake imperial edict.

Su Chuang then noticed that although Yue Zhanpeng concealed it well, he also noticed that the other party's expression changed drastically.

"Squeak squeak squeak..."

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

After that, the imperial study was eerily quiet, with only the crackling of the candlelight and the sound of everyone breathing.

At the same time, if you look closely, you can find a slender figure behind the screen on Emperor Wu's side, with a slight fragrance.

"...Raise your head."

After a long while, a very soft sigh came from behind the dragon desk.

"Here you go!"

Su Chuang looked up and saw the Martial Emperor clearly for the first time.

In middle age, his temples were slightly frosted, and his eyes were as deep as a cold pool.

But at this moment, it wasn't anger, but a very complex kind of exhaustion.

"Su Zhenbei's son..."

"Kneel here and beg me to let you go to your death?"

Emperor Wu spoke slowly, each word carefully chosen.

"Your humble servant... begs for a chance to atone for his sins."

Upon hearing this, Su Chuang, though his throat was a little dry, still replied.

"Atonement?"

"Hehehe..."

"Your father back then."

"In order to get me out alive, they had no choice but to kill several of my brothers!"

Even so, he never uttered the words "atonement" to me.

Emperor Wu leaned forward slightly, his gaze landing squarely on Su Chuang's face.

"His Majesty!"

"It's because I know my father played a crucial role in helping the emperor rise to power!"

"That is why I humbly request Your Majesty to grant my request to serve as a soldier at the border!"

Su Chuang continued.

As a top special forces soldier, serving in the army and fighting is the only right path for him!

He doesn't believe he possesses an exceptionally sharp political mind!

"Hmm? Military service on the frontier? With your sickly physique, you're not going to be cannon fodder, are you?"

"It's better not to let you affect the morale of the troops."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wu did not raise his eyelids, but his tone softened considerably.

"His Majesty!"

"The crimes I have committed are all due to my past blindness and lack of discernment, which led me to ruin the reputation of the Duke's mansion as a platform for personal affections!"

Su Chuang kowtowed again, his voice suddenly becoming clearer, firmer, and even carrying a hint of resolute tremor.

"Therefore, I do not seek forgiveness!"

"I only beg Your Majesty's permission to don armor and take up arms, and be exiled to the harshest and most dangerous place on the northern border!"

"Let me use this broken body and stained blood to atone for my sins! To die in battle!"

"Only then, in the afterlife, will I have the face to meet my father, Duke Xin, Su Zhenbei!"

He knew this was his best chance to join the border army.

We must seize this opportunity!

Therefore, his speech was passionate and inspiring, making the listeners' blood boil!

"I can give you a chance."

"But the North doesn't want useless trash, much less fools who are eager to die."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wu stopped interfering and gently tapped his fingers on the armrest of the dragon throne.

"Caihe".

He then raised his hand towards the outside of the hall.

"Your subordinate is here!"

A towering man stepped in, his armor clanging, a menacing aura emanating from him.

"He is a centurion who returned from the North, and he has seventeen knife wounds on his body."

"I won't test your fancy moves. Three moves."

"Let me see if there is still any blood of Su Zhenbei in your bones."

Emperor Wu looked at Su Chuang with sharp eyes.

"Hold on, and I will grant your request. I will personally confer upon you the title of Duke of Xin tomorrow!"

"The location is right here in the Summer Palace!"

"But... if you can't hold on... then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"I'll just kill you and throw you out to feed the dogs, to atone for the sins you've committed!"