The path to immortality through martial arts begins with being forced into marriage!

Xiao Wu's face twisted visibly!

"You, you bitch!"

He roared and, disregarding his status, jumped up from the dragon throne!

"To become pregnant out of wedlock at such a young age, thus defiling the imperial palace, is truly a disgrace to the royal family!"

"Guards! Seize her! Effective immediately, the Ninth Princess is to be demoted to a commoner!"

"Execute him! Execute him immediately!!"

Before the words were finished, more than twenty figures slowly walked in from outside the hall; they were none other than the imperial guards.

This was already the most elite force in the palace, and the last line of defense for protecting imperial power.

More than twenty people, all of them at the Core Formation stage!

The leader was Chen Fang, the commander of the Imperial Guards, who was at the peak of the Core Formation stage and had followed Xiao Wu for twenty years, always loyal to him.

At this moment, Chen Fang entered the palace as ordered, and Xiao Wu's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, finally dropped a little.

As long as his people continue to obey his orders, things haven't yet slid into the abyss he fears most.

But his composure lasted only a moment before he suddenly knelt on one knee in the center of the hall. The direction he bowed to was not Xiao Wu, who was sitting high on the dragon throne, but directly towards Xiao Yuli!

"This humble general, Chen Fang, greets Your Majesty the Empress."

Behind him, more than twenty Core Formation Realm guards knelt down in unison, their armor clashing in perfect unison.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"

The sound waves rolled on, causing the beams and pillars of the Zichen Palace to tremble slightly, as if they had been rehearsed a thousand times.

Xiao Wu's face was ashen!

These are the people he has supported for twenty years, and they will kneel before others!

"Chen Fang!"

Xiao Wu's voice trembled uncontrollably; even his fingertips were shaking.

"I have treated you well! How dare you betray me?!"

Chen Fang raised his head, looked at Xiao Wu, and a hint of disgust flashed deep in his eyes: "Your Majesty has indeed treated this humble general very well."

"But His Highness the Prince of Zhenbei treats me even better."

"Twenty years ago, I was just an insignificant centurion on the frontier, surrounded by enemies. It was His Highness the Prince of Zhenbei who personally led his iron cavalry to rescue me from a pile of corpses."

"Ten years ago, my mother was critically ill and there was no cure. It was His Highness the Prince of Zhenbei who sent people from afar to find a life-saving elixir and saved her life."

"Five years ago, my son unintentionally offended a powerful figure and was nearly killed on the spot. It was His Highness the Prince of Zhenbei who intervened and protected him!"

"To this humble general, Your Majesty is merely a high and mighty monarch!"

"But you've never treated me like a living, breathing person. All you want is an obedient knife and a dog that's always at your beck and call!"

"But I am also a living, breathing human being. Everyone deserves dignity, not to be subservient to Your Majesty's power!"

"But I am a human being too! All people have dignity; they are not born to submit to your power and tyranny!"

"From His Highness the Prince of Zhenbei and Her Majesty the Empress, we received the respect we deserved, the status we were entitled to, and the justice that your Xiao family never gave us!"

"The Great Yan Dynasty is now corrupt and decadent, with officials forcing the people to rebel and the people living in misery. Who in the world does not know this!"

"Her Majesty the Empress's purge of this malignant tumor is in accordance with the natural order!"

Chen Fang suddenly stood up, his long sword half-drawn from its sheath, its sharp edge pointing directly at the dragon throne!

"Your Majesty, it's time for you to abdicate!"

Clang!

One after another, the sound of swords being drawn rang out in the hall. Without exception, all the guards' swords were pointed at Xiao Wu on the dragon throne!

In the midst of this deathly silence, the four ministers stepped forward from the ranks and proclaimed loudly, "Your Majesty! We risk our lives to speak out: In the Great Yan Dynasty, powerful officials run rampant, annexing land, leaving the people homeless and starving!"

"The national treasury is empty, taxes are heavy, and there is exploitation at every level. The people have no money left to pay and no tears left to shed!"

"His Majesty's rewards and punishments are unclear; virtuous and talented people are demoted, and scoundrels hold power!"

"The people of the land are already filled with resentment and are itching to rise up in rebellion!"

"The royal family has lost its virtue, the rites and ethics have collapsed, the laws are rendered meaningless, and justice no longer exists in the world!"

"Your Majesty treats the empire as your private property and the people as worthless weeds. With such governance, the fate of the Great Yan Dynasty is sealed!"

"Soldiers in the army suffer from cold and hunger on the border, die in battle without care, are not rewarded for their merits, and have no way to redress their grievances!"

"In contrast, the court is rife with wine and meat, and revelry every night. Such a court is unworthy of holding military power over the land! It is unworthy of ruling this vast empire!"

Apart from the officials who were already under Xiao Yuli's control, many other officials remained silent and unaware of what was going on.

Although they didn't know what was going to happen or what Princess Xiao Yuli was going to do, their intuition from years of navigating officialdom told them that sometimes keeping silent was the best way to save their lives!

Especially in situations like now where it's unclear what stance to take!

If he utters even a single extra word, he could make a wrong move and fall into an abyss of no return.

At this moment, the entire hall was deathly silent.

Xiao Wu's face was completely distorted. This was simply trampling his dignity as an emperor into the ground and crushing it repeatedly!

"You treacherous officials and rebels, how dare you openly defy my will in the imperial court!"

"You've all rebelled! I see you've all rebelled!"

"Where are the Imperial Guards?!"

After that shout, no sound came from outside the hall.

At this point, even the last shred of hope in Xiao Wu's heart completely collapsed.

"So you had this planned all along!"

"But do you really think you can control me like this?!"

Xiao Wu suddenly roared, and his aura suddenly exploded!

Early stage of Golden Core!

Although he only reached that level through pills and his foundation was weak, being at the Golden Core stage was enough for him!

He still has a chance!

As long as we can break through and find Song Ziwei and the others, we can turn this seemingly hopeless game around!

Xiao Wu's figure blurred as he charged towards the palace gate!

Before he could run two steps, a withered hand appeared out of thin air and pressed down on his shoulder.

The hand was very light, as if it were just a casual touch, but Xiao Wu's figure suddenly froze in mid-air!

Xiao Wu suddenly turned around and found that the person standing behind him was none other than the Prince of Zhenbei!

This old man had somehow gotten behind him!

"Prince Zhenbei, don't try to act tough just because you're old!"

"I respected you before because I felt you had contributed greatly to the court. If you insist on offending my dignity in this way, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

A smile suddenly appeared on the wrinkled old face of the Prince of Zhenbei: "You dog emperor, you really know how to talk a good game!"

"I'm a rough man, I don't understand your intricacies. But today you must die here!"

"You dare kill me?!"

"I am the emperor! The Son of Heaven! If you kill me, it is treason! It is—"

Before he could finish speaking, the Prince of Zhenbei had already placed his hand on the top of his head.

"emperor?"

The Prince of Zhenbei's voice was hoarse and deep, like a rusted knife that pierced Xiao Wu's courage.

Do you think you deserve it?