In this chaotic world of vying for power, I can become stronger by marrying a wife.

We'll see how the Crown Prince handles this then.

[Ding! 27 Imperial Guard Assassins defeated, gaining +270 Luck Points!]

[Ding! Host's strength has increased. Current cultivation level: Mid-stage Rank 7!]

A system notification sounded.

Mid-seventh grade.

Not bad.

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from outside the camp.

Su Ming turned around and saw Xiao Qingtian leading a group of men rushing in.

"Su Ming!" Xiao Qingtian's expression changed drastically upon seeing the corpses scattered on the ground. "What happened?"

"Someone wants to kill me."

Su Ming pointed to the corpses on the ground, "Unfortunately, they weren't qualified."

Xiao Qingtian walked to a corpse, pulled off the mask of the man in black, and his expression became increasingly grim.

"The Imperial Guard?"

"That's right." Su Ming nodded. "Qi An sent them."

Xiao Qingtian gasped.

Qi An has made his move, which means that the Crown Prince can no longer sit still.

"You brat..." Xiao Qingtian looked at Su Ming, not knowing what to say.

"There's no need to worry, Captain," Su Ming smiled. "Since they dare to come, I'll make sure they don't leave alive."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Tomorrow morning, I will send all these corpses to the Censorate." Su Ming's eyes turned cold. "If the Crown Prince wants to play, I'll play along to the end."

Xiao Qingtian was silent for a moment, then suddenly patted Su Ming on the shoulder.

"Fine, you've got guts! I'll cooperate with you on this, but you'd better be careful. The Crown Prince's methods are more ruthless than you imagine."

"I know."

After seeing Xiao Qingtian off, Su Ming returned to his tent and sat down cross-legged.

Tonight is just the beginning.

The real storm is yet to come.

Early the next morning.

At the entrance of the Imperial Censorate in Jing'an City.

Twenty-seven corpses were neatly arranged on the steps, each dressed in the black uniform of the Imperial Guard.

More and more people gathered to watch, and discussions arose one after another.

"These...the Imperial Guards?"

"How did you die here?"

"I heard he went to assassinate the centurion of the Jing'an Army last night, but was killed instead!"

"What?! The Imperial Guard assassinated a centurion?! This...this..."

Inside the Censorate, Wang An stared at the corpse outside the door, his face terribly grim.

"How dare they!"

He slammed his hand on the table and turned to his subordinates, saying, "Report to His Majesty immediately that the Imperial Guards have acted without authorization to assassinate a high-ranking official!"

"yes!"

The subordinate official accepted the order and left.

Wang An walked to the window, looked at the corpses outside the door, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

The Crown Prince is likely to suffer a great loss this time.

……

The Imperial Palace, Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The current emperor sat on the dragon throne, listening to Wang An's report, his face growing increasingly grim.

"Did the Imperial Guards act without authorization to assassinate a high-ranking official?"

His voice was calm, but everyone present could feel the suppressed anger emanating from him.

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true." Wang An knelt on the ground, his voice respectful. "I have already investigated and confirmed that this batch of imperial guards was mobilized by Qi An without authorization."

"Qi An..."

His Majesty's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.

"Issue an imperial decree to summon Qi An to the palace."

"yes!"

A moment later, Qi An, the commander of the Imperial Guards, was brought into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

He knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Qi An, I ask you, are you aware of what happened last night?"

The Emperor's voice wasn't loud, but it sent a shiver down Qi An's spine.

"Chen, Chen..."

"explain!"

"Your Majesty, I know!" Qi An gritted his teeth and kowtowed sharply, "But I was acting on His Highness the Crown Prince's orders!"

Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

The emperor's face darkened completely.

"The Crown Prince?"

"Yes," Qi An continued, "His Highness the Crown Prince said that Su Ming possesses evidence detrimental to the court and must be eliminated. I... I am also acting in the best interests of the court..."

"That's enough!"

The Emperor suddenly stood up and flicked his dragon robe.

"Guards, take Qi An to the imperial prison to await his fate!"

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!"

Qi An's pleas for mercy quickly faded away outside the palace.

The Emperor turned around and looked at Wang An.

"Who is this Su Ming?"

"Your Majesty, Su Ming is a centurion of the Jing'an Army's Shenji Battalion. He recently performed a great service, killing more than three hundred elite Northern Barbarians," Wang An said respectfully. "This man is not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also brave and resourceful, and is highly regarded by Xiao Qingtian."

"oh?"

The Emperor became interested and ordered, "Summon him to the palace; I want to meet him in person."

"yes!"

Jing'an Army Camp, Shenji Camp.

Su Ming was instructing Zhang San and others on the training ground when he suddenly saw a group of imperial guards riding towards him.

The leading eunuch was none other than Eunuch Li, the chief steward by the emperor's side.

"Commander Su, His Majesty has summoned you to the palace for an audience."

Eunuch Li said with a smile.

Su Ming's heart stirred.

coming.

"Thank you, Eunuch Li. I will now accompany you into the palace."

"Centurion Su, you're too kind. Please."

The group rode away from the camp and headed straight for the palace.

Wei Lang watched Su Ming's departing figure, his face full of worry.

"Will there be any danger for you, sir, entering the palace this time?"

"rest assured."

Zhang San grinned and said, "Sir, you can even kill the Imperial Guards, what are you afraid of?"

"That's what they say, but in the palace..."

"No buts." Zhang San patted Wei Lang on the shoulder. "Since the lord dares to go, he must be confident. What we need to do now is guard the camp and wait for the lord to return."

Wei Lang nodded.

But the unease in my heart lingered.

The Imperial Palace, Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Su Ming followed Eunuch Li into the main hall and felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the Emperor sitting on the dragon throne.

Is this the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty?

He looked to be in his fifties, with a dignified face, piercing eyes, and an aura of authority.

"This humble subject, Su Ming, greets Your Majesty."

Su Ming knelt on one knee and clasped his hands in a salute.

Get up.

The Emperor waved his hand and looked at the young man before him.

He was young, but there was a fierce look in his eyes.

interesting.

"I heard you killed my imperial guards last night?"

The Emperor spoke, his voice calm.

"Your Majesty, I was forced to defend myself." Su Ming raised his head and looked directly at the emperor. "Those imperial guards broke into the camp in the dead of night with the intention of assassinating me. If I had not resisted, I would probably be a corpse by now."

"How dare you!"

A nearby eunuch rebuked, "His Majesty is asking a question; how dare you try to deny it!"

"shut up."

The Emperor raised his hand to stop him, continuing to look at Su Ming, "Do you know what crime it is to kill a member of the Imperial Guard?"

"This humble subject knows," Su Ming nodded, "but this humble subject also knows what crime it is for the Imperial Guards to be dispatched without authorization to assassinate an official of the court."

After these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

The Emperor stared at Su Ming for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

"What a quick-witted young man."

He stood up and walked up to Su Ming.

"I ask you, is the evidence you possess genuine or false?"

"Absolutely true."

Su Ming took out the black scroll from his pocket and presented it with both hands. "Inside this is all the evidence of the Ministry of War's smuggling of military rations and collusion with the Northern Barbarians."

The Emperor took the scroll, opened it, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

"Great, very good!"

He slammed the scroll to the ground and turned to look outside the hall.

"Issue an imperial decree summoning the Minister of War, Vice Minister Liu, and the Crown Prince to the palace!"