I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Even if he was wrong, Emperor Xuan would not admit it.

Everyone makes mistakes; he's not a saint. Why are the eldest and seventh brothers so fixated on him? Why can't they forgive their father?

Oh, right, and there's also the second son right in front of us!

He is the father of all three of them; blood is thicker than water!

Even if he was wrong, the three of them had to put up with it!

Just as I was thinking this, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the Cold Palace.

Emperor Xuan, leaning on a broom, and Qin Han, dressed in monk's robes and standing under the eaves, both looked toward the palace gate.

It's been a long time since this place has been this lively. What's going on? What happened?

Normally, besides Qin Han, the only people here are the palace servants who come to deliver meals; the imperial guards guarding the outside have long since left.

A frail, pampered old man, thinking he can escape on his own? Give me a break.

boom!

Unlike usual, when palace servants brought meals and the palace gates were gently pushed open, today they were kicked open forcefully.

After a loud bang, the two palace gates swung open, and a troop of fully armed soldiers poured in from outside.

The leading general was someone Qin Han was neither familiar with nor unfamiliar with.

This man, named Night Owl, was one of the three most trusted confidants of the King of Liangzhou.

He was only in his early twenties, very young.

However, he is ruthless and decisive in his actions!

Not long ago, the King of Liangzhou came to the capital and brought all three of them with him.

"General Ye, do you know what crime it is to lead troops to trespass into the palace? Get out of here immediately!" Qin Han shouted coldly.

Even if the other party is a confidant of the emperor's uncle, they cannot bring troops here.

This is a capital offense!

Unexpectedly, the Night Owl suddenly drew its sword, pointed it at Qin Han, and cursed:

"Stop pretending in front of me. Do you really think that just because you shaved your head and put on monk's robes, you're a monk and no longer care about worldly affairs?"

"You, Qin Han, the Prince of Jiang, are a proper prince with fiefdoms and military power."

"Qin Li has no son. If something happens to Qin Li, you will be the emperor!"

"I don't believe you! Can't you tell what brings me here?!"

"If you already know the answer, why ask? You have a terrible conscience!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Han's face turned ugly.

He certainly knew why the Night Owl had brought his troops here.

He was ordered by the King of Liangzhou to invite the deposed Emperor Xuan to the front hall to be restored to the throne!

Knowing all this, he spoke to intimidate the Night Owl, without making things too explicit.

If the night owl gets scared and retreats, there's still room for maneuver.

But to everyone's surprise, the Night Owl was not afraid at all, and he resolutely carried out the task assigned to him by the King of Liangzhou!

Seeing that Qin Han remained silent, Night Owl sneered.

He turned to the side, hoisting the knife onto his shoulder with one hand, and extended his other arm, smiling as he said:

"Your Highness, please?"

"Your Highness is a wise man; it would be rather unseemly for you to draw your knife here."

"All the civil and military officials are waiting in the front hall; only Your Highness and His Majesty are missing."

Hearing someone call him Your Majesty, Xuan Li felt a mix of emotions.

It has been a long time since anyone has addressed him as "Your Majesty".

Qin Han remained motionless, while Emperor Xuan threw down the broom in his hand as if it were worthless, and strode towards the palace gate.

Qin Han immediately stopped him: "Benefactor, don't forget your place!"

To everyone's surprise, Emperor Xuan ignored him completely, not even turning his head. He simply flicked his sleeve behind him and said, "What is your identity? I am the Emperor of the Great Zhou!"

After saying this, Emperor Xuan strode out of the Cold Palace.

Seeing this, Night Owl laughed smugly and stretched out his arm again. "Your Highness, a wise man submits to circumstances. Whether you walk out of this palace gate yourself or I hold a knife to your neck and ask you to leave, I'm sure you know the answer."

After thinking for a moment, Qin Han said, "There's no need for General Ye to do anything; I can walk by myself."

After saying that, Qin Han also left the Cold Palace.

On his way to the front hall, Qin Han discovered that the palace had changed drastically.

The palace has been completely replaced by the Liangzhou King's men, and the Liangzhou King has taken control of the palace!

In fact, he had noticed something was amiss ever since the King of Liangzhou entered the capital.

Therefore, he even wrote a letter to Qin Li, who was far away at Xuanque Pass, urging him to take this matter seriously.

But perhaps because the fighting in the north was so intense, Qin Li didn't reply to his letter at all.

This allowed the King of Liangzhou to raid the capital and seize control of the city.

On his way to the front hall, Qin Han also encountered Empress Pei and Consort Xiao.

The two women were forced together by soldiers and led to the front hall.

The Empress was fine and walked on her own, but Consort Xiao had a terrible temper. She kept cursing all the way, saying that the soldiers were all traitors and that they would be taught a lesson when His Majesty returned.

The person escorting the two was none other than Ying She, one of the King of Liangzhou's confidants.

This is a woman who is very beautiful, but has a heart of a viper.

On the palace path, two groups of people merged together, and Shadow Snake couldn't help but complain to Night Owl:

"If I had known this would happen, I would have switched with you."

"Look at this Imperial Concubine, she has quite a temper, she almost scratched my face."

Unlike in the Cold Palace, Night Owl managed to get the two out without much effort.

Shadow Snake had gone to great lengths, which infuriated her so much that she was almost ready to stab someone with a knife.

Night Owl couldn't help but laugh. "Second Sister, it's because you're a woman. If I were to invite Her Majesty the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, it would be very inconvenient. I'm sorry to trouble you, Second Sister."

Shadow Snake nodded, understanding the prince's arrangement.

The next moment, she added, "I wonder how things are going with my elder brother and the prince. Success or failure hinges on this."

The night owl said with great confidence, "Your Highness is such a heroic figure; you will surely succeed this time."

Upon hearing this, Qin Han and Pei Qingluan couldn't help but speak at the same time.

Neither of them expected the other to speak, and they were both taken aback.

Shadow Serpent and Night Owl turned to look at the two of them and laughed:

"What is it, Your Highness the Prince and Her Majesty the Empress wish to say?"

Qin Han said, "Your Majesty the Empress, please."

Pei Qingluan then said, "This is treason, a crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan. Have you thought this through?"

The night owl laughed heartily: "Our lives are all given to us by the prince. We will do whatever the prince tells us to do."

Shadow Snake nodded; they wouldn't question whether their mission was right or wrong.

They only ask whether they did a good job and whether they have betrayed the prince's trust in them.

Soon, the group arrived at the front hall.

Inside the hall, all the civil and military officials were present.

Some were standing, and some were lying down.

Before they arrived, some people had already drawn their knives and killed some disobedient officials.

Most of the remaining officials remained silent, while a few stood still, trembling with fear.

They never expected that the King of Liangzhou would rebel!

At this moment, the King of Liangzhou stood with his hands on his sword, feigning sleep, as if unaware of the arrival of the crowd.

"Welcome, Your Majesty!"

Upon seeing the group arrive, someone immediately jogged forward to greet them.

This young man had a goatee on his chin.

He held a booklet in his left hand and a vermilion pen in his right, looking just like a judge.

This man's surname was Wu, his given name is unknown, and he was known as Judge Wu.

Along with Night Owl and Shadow Serpent, he was known as one of the three most trusted confidants of the King of Liangzhou.

Emperor Xuan felt extremely uncomfortable, but he quickly adapted to his original identity.

With Judge Wu's help, he walked step by step up to the dragon throne and sat down.

"Your Majesty has suffered!"

"Your Majesty, please!"

On the dragon's desk lay a newly drafted imperial edict, its ink still wet, along with the imperial seal.

The imperial edict stated that Qin Li had imprisoned his father and forced him to abdicate, which was an unforgivable crime.

This is also a proclamation condemning traitors!

"Are you really going to build it?"

Emperor Xuan turned his head and asked.

Judge Wu was taken aback. Was this the Xuan Emperor?

Logically speaking, shouldn't Emperor Xuan have decisively stamped the imperial edict with his jade seal, thus confirming Qin Li's guilt?

How come Emperor Xuan was reformed after living in the Cold Palace for a while?

"Your Majesty, you have suffered these past few days!"

"My lord is late! The traitor must be executed to restore peace and justice to the land!"

Judge Wu continued.

In fact, even without him saying it, Emperor Xuan understood.

He had to affix the imperial seal, whether he wanted to or not.

Judge Wu was a pawn in the hands of the King of Liangzhou, as was the deposed emperor.