Jin Changge turned his face away and did not reply.

Seeing that she was not in the mood to speak, Jin Jiande continued speaking to himself:

"But now that we are weak, those foreign countries certainly won't help us for nothing."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Jin Changge suddenly spoke up:

"Second brother, don't you know the saying 'letting a wolf into the house'?"

Jin Changge turned around and looked directly at Jin Jiande's slightly surprised face.

——

"Well said!"

Jinling, outside the imperial city.

Faced with the crowd's curses against Jin Fengluan, Zhang Li nodded repeatedly, then said in a resounding voice:

"A tyrannical and unjust ruler, ruthless domestically but weak and incompetent in foreign affairs! Such a person is unfit to be the ruler!"

"If this great undertaking, built over a thousand years, falls into the hands of this incompetent ruler, it will surely crumble into a pile of loose sand! Even this vast land will likely be taken away by others!"

"And then, where should we go from here?"

He cleared his throat, then looked at Qin Ze and said:

"It was precisely because of that tyrannical ruler's perverse actions that the prince was forced to raise an army in rebellion!"

"Your Highness's journey to the capital this time is by the mandate of Heaven! To save the people from suffering!"

He pointed to the sky and shouted:

Today is New Year's Eve!

Tomorrow is the New Year!

"As the saying goes, there is a predetermined fate. On such an auspicious day, Your Highness's arrival in Jinling is surely in accordance with the will of Heaven!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, and their gazes toward Qin Ze changed noticeably.

Sudden!

Zhang Li knelt down before Qin Ze with a thud.

His gaze was devout, his expression solemn, and then he let out a loud shout:

"Your Highness! You are the chosen one of Heaven, so how can the millions of your people not follow the will of Heaven!"

"We should support the Prince to ascend the throne and forge—"

"A new dynasty in its golden age!!" he roared.

boom!

With that sound, it was as if a spring thunder had fallen from the heavens!

Everyone present, regardless of age or gender, kowtowed to the ground!

The cheers, like towering waves in a vast ocean, gradually spread outwards from the imperial city, rising higher and higher like a tide!

"A new emperor ascends the throne! A new dynasty is born, ushering in a golden age!"

From that moment on, the people's gaze toward Qin Ze changed from reverence to awe and piety!

This is a new emperor who has been appointed by Heaven, and all his actions are in accordance with the will of Heaven!

If one acts in accordance with Heaven's will, how can one not lead all people?

On New Year's Eve, as the old year gave way to the new, the new emperor, who had received the mandate of heaven, arrived in Jinling. This was undoubtedly the true ruler of the country!

As for Jin Fengluan, he was nothing but a villain who stole the throne!

At this moment, Qin Ze looked at the huge crowd.

Everywhere he looked, there were figures kneeling on the ground, and the cheers were so loud that they made his mind buzz.

This even made him feel slightly dizzy.

He opened his mouth, and finally spoke:

"How could I possibly shoulder such a heavy responsibility?"

But the excited crowd continued to kowtow and cheer, and not a single person responded to his words.

Qin Ze cleared his throat and said again:

"No, no, I only stormed into the capital because I saw that the emperor was incompetent and persecuting loyal officials."

The cheers continued, even growing louder, as more and more people joined in. Yet, still no one responded to Qin Ze's words.

"Ah...this..." Qin Ze looked around, unsure where to look.

However, he still opened his mouth and said:

"The matter of establishing a new emperor is too important and needs to be carefully considered."

"I am barely twenty years old; to ascend the throne, I fear..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Ze saw more and more people running towards the imperial city, shouting excitedly.

Undoubtedly, some quick-thinking ordinary people were already running around in Nanjing.

The people spread the word among themselves, attracting countless men, women, and children to flock to the capital.

Not all the people of Jinling were happy about Qin Ze's entry into Jinling. Some conservative and timid people were afraid that things would change drastically, especially since Qin Ze's army had killed countless people along the way.

Many people were terrified and frightened.

But at this moment, it's a completely different story for this "person of destiny who comes in accordance with the will of Heaven."

This is someone sent by God!

The world is vast, but is there anything bigger than this?

Naturally, everyone would submit, and even those who didn't would have to cheer and submit as well.

This is the unstoppable will of the people.

Seeing this, Qin Ze had no choice but to swallow his unfinished words.

Just then, Zhang Liao and the other generals looked at Qin Ze and said:

"My lord, things have come to this point, and I'm afraid you have no choice but to ascend the throne."

“If we continue to make excuses, we will go against the will of the people. Going against the will of the people will naturally not work.”

Qin Ze did not respond, but looked at the crowd of people, and finally his gaze fell on Zhang Li's face, Qin Ze looked embarrassed.

Zhang Li's gaze sharpened, and seeing the troubled look on his face, he shouted loudly:

"Your Highness?! Are you perhaps going to refuse?"

Qin Ze waved his hands repeatedly, about to speak.

Zhang Li, however, readily accepted the suggestion and followed up with:

"Your Highness! Look!"

He suddenly waved his hand, pointing towards the vast crowd of people, and shouted:

"Everyone! Everyone!!"

"Please hear me out!!!"

It's unclear whether Zhang Li's voice was too penetrating or if Qin Ze's voice was too soft when he declined earlier.

As a result, the people heard Zhang Li's shouts, but their cheers gradually subsided.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!