...

When Qi Jiu returned to the side hall, he found that the palace maids and eunuchs serving him were all standing there dumbfounded, not moving at all.

Zhengzheng was jumping around on Ye Xianya's shoulders, seemingly very happy.

"How did it get here? Are these people... frozen in place?" Qi Jiu asked curiously.

“Zhengzheng was already hiding nearby. After shrinking, it was smaller than a person’s palm. The palace is so big, it’s easy for it to hide. As for these four people…” Ye Xianya smiled: “They were ordered to monitor us. I couldn’t stand their sneaky appearance, so I froze them.”

"I see." Qi Jiu suddenly realized.

"Father, it's getting late, let's go outside and watch a play," Ye Xianya said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiu quickly followed.

It was already dark when Qi Yanping's men stood outside, each holding a torch, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.

The second, fourth, fifth, and seventh princes have all arrived.

The Crown Prince is dead, and the Third Prince and the Sixth Prince died young.

The emperor had nine sons, and now six remain.

"Eighth Prince, what exactly did you do to Father?" Fifth Prince Qi Yansheng stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.

"Look at what Fifth Brother is saying. I am also Father Emperor's own son. Of course, I would never do anything to harm Father Emperor. Father Emperor's old ailment has flared up again. This time, he is coming in a fierce manner. Even the imperial physicians are helpless. I specially summoned you to the palace so that you could see Father Emperor one last time."

"You're lying. Father was perfectly fine at the morning court session this morning. How could he be in such a state after only a few hours?" Qi Yansheng said with a sneer. "Let's not beat around the bush. Eighth Prince, do you even deserve to ascend the throne?"

"Whether you are worthy or not is not up to you to decide; everything is decided by Father Emperor," Qi Yanping said with a calm smile.

"You held the Emperor hostage, forced him to abdicate, and forced us to submit. Aren't you afraid that one day your crimes will be exposed and everyone will have the right to kill you?" the Second Prince Qi Yanqing couldn't help but say.

After the Crown Prince died, he was the eldest among the princes. However, he was mediocre and never had any ambitions. He only wanted to live a peaceful life, but the Eighth Prince still refused to let him go.

Don't be fooled by Lao Ba's ever-smiling demeanor; he's actually the most ruthless of all.

"Everyone has the right to kill him?" Qi Yanping laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "In my opinion, Second Brother is not stupid, but ignorant. As long as I kill all those who deserve to die and all those who are not convinced, who else can kill me?"

"I don't care who becomes emperor, I just want to be a carefree prince. If anyone refuses even that, I'll fight them to the death," Qi Yanqing shouted.

“That’s right!” The seventh prince, Qi Yanxing, standing next to him, also shouted loudly, “Like my second brother, I have never coveted the throne. Whether it’s the fifth brother or you, the eighth prince, who ascend the throne, just let us continue to be idle princes. If you are unwilling, then I will have to fight to the death.”

The fourth prince, Qi Yanxiang, standing to the side, also said with a dark face, "Eighth brother, if you don't let us leave, then blame us brothers for being impolite."

"Now that you've all entered the palace, do you have any other choice?" Qi Yanping said with a smile, "For peace of mind, and for the sake of my throne, I have no choice but to send my brothers to the Yellow Springs."

"Qi Yanping, do you think that my second brother, fourth brother, seventh brother, and I, who dared to enter the palace late at night by imperial decree, would not have left no backup plan?" Qi Yansheng said with a sneer, "If you dare to lay a hand on us, I guarantee... you won't be able to escape either. At that time, we will all die together."

Qi Yanping frowned deeply upon hearing this.

The fifth prince not only wields great power, but is also cunning and treacherous. This bastard dared to enter the palace; he must have a backup plan.

“Our men have surrounded the entire palace. If the four of us brothers don’t get out in an hour, the people outside will set the palace on fire and not let a single one of us out. Eighth brother, you’d better not threaten us. Think things through before you speak,” Qi Yansheng said in a deep voice.

How could he have entered the palace without preparation?

He commanded 40,000 troops, and as soon as he entered the palace, those 40,000 troops surrounded the palace.

Moreover, the second, fourth, and seventh brothers also control some troops, totaling about 20,000.

Old Eight is ruthless. If they have no one to rely on and no backup plan, they will only face certain death.

Qi Yanping's face darkened upon hearing this.

Ultimately, it was the old man's favoritism. Of the 100,000 troops in the capital, he only allowed the fifth son to control 20,000, while giving the lion's share to the fifth son.

Otherwise, the fifth brother wouldn't be able to threaten me now.

However, he also had a backup plan.

"Burn down the palace? What a brilliant plan!" Qi Yanping sneered. "Do you think I'm afraid?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the servant standing not far away suddenly rose into the air and transformed into a giant wild goose, hovering around him.

"With him here, even if someone wants to burn down the palace, I have nothing to fear," Qi Yanping said with a smile.

"Qi Yanping, you actually keep demons!" Qi Yansheng's eyes widened suddenly.

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiu, who was watching the commotion with Ye Xianya from a distance, quickly said, "He himself is already considered a demon, let alone raising some monsters? Second Brother, Fifth Brother, you probably don't know, but Consort Yi is a half-demon."

Qi Yansheng and the others were shocked when they heard this.

“Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts. The blood of a demon flows in the veins of the myna bird. If he ascends the throne, none of us will survive.”

Following Ye Xian's instructions, Qi Jiu loudly proclaimed, "Brothers, if Eighth Brother doesn't even spare a nobody like me who has been demoted to a commoner, what chance do you have?"

“I, Qi Yanchang, am just a commoner, with little influence and little power. Unlike my brothers who hold troops, I have no choice but to submit. But you are different. You have troops. If you wait to die like me, when you reach the King of Hell, you can only say that you were killed by stupidity and have no one else to blame.”

“How can a monster become the emperor of our Great Yan Dynasty? Ninth Prince is right, those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts. He didn’t even spare Ninth Prince, who had no power or influence, let alone us?” The Second Prince said urgently, “Fifth Prince, let’s fight him, we can’t just wait to die!”

"Yes, Fifth Brother, we're all on your side. We'll do whatever you say," Qi Yanxing said loudly.

Qi Yansheng was exceptional from a young age, and among all the princes, he was the most outstanding. However, because he was not born of the legitimate wife, he was not qualified to inherit the throne.

The emperor has been relying on him for many years, entrusting him with the task of helping the crown prince stabilize the situation.

With the death of the Crown Prince, Qi Yansheng gained more and more supporters, most of whom were the Crown Prince's men.

Qi Yansheng had men under his command and was very decisive. He made a decision immediately and raised his hand to signal his men guarding outside the palace.

A moment later, the sound of drums booming came from outside.