The King of Dingbian was also startled by Zhou Kun's gaze.

Blink again, and you'll see he's put on an obedient expression again.

The King of Dingbian thought he had misjudged the situation, after all, how could a child under seven years old have such a terrifying look in his eyes?

"What do you want from me?" Zhou Kun looked at him quietly.

The Prince of Dingbian laughed and said, "Does Your Highness know that the Empress is not your biological mother?"

Zhou Kun looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Everyone in the palace knows about this. Does this old man think he's a fool?

The Prince of Dingbian laughed again, "Since Your Highness knows that the Empress is not your biological mother, you should also know that once she has her own child, she will abandon you and even suppress you."

Zhou Kun asked, looking completely bewildered, "Why are you suppressing me?"

The Prince of Dingbian said, “Mothers only love their own children. If she gives birth to a prince, she will be even more worried that you, as the eldest prince, will compete with her son for the position of crown prince.”

Zhou Kun asked in confusion, "Then I'll just not steal it."

The Prince of Dingbian said, "Absolutely not, Your Highness. You originally had no maternal clan to support you. If the Emperor has another child, he will naturally no longer like you. At that time, others will see you as a thorn in their side and want to get rid of you as soon as possible."

Under his intimidation, Zhou Kun finally revealed a look of fear.

"I...I don't want to die!"

The King of Dingbian nodded in satisfaction: "This old minister can help Your Highness. Not only will others not dare to harm you, but you will also become the most honored person in the world. Then you can have whatever you want."

Zhou Kun looked at him with longing in his eyes: "Then how are you going to help me?"

The Prince of Dingbian bent down and whispered in Zhou Kun's ear, "This old minister can help His Highness ascend the throne."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Kun opened his mouth wide in surprise, and after a long while, he said, "Then what will happen to Father Emperor if I become emperor?"

The thought of the emperor flashed with disgust in the eyes of the Prince of Dingbian, but he continued to coax him, "Then the emperor will become the retired emperor and will naturally go off to enjoy his retirement."

"And what about Mother?"

"Do as you please."

Zhou Kun clapped his hands happily and laughed, "Then I'll make sure Father and Mother don't have any other children, so they'll only love me!"

The King of Dingbian smiled without saying a word, then bowed and took his leave.

He finally understood: he couldn't control the adults, but surely he could control this little brat?

And just by spouting a few empty words, the naive kid believed them.

He left satisfied, unaware that Zhou Kun's gaze as he watched his retreating figure grew increasingly cold.

"Go and tell Father and Mother about this," Zhou Kun calmly instructed the guards behind him.

The seemingly peaceful palace is actually a hiding place for spies from various factions.

The news that the Prince of Dingbian wanted to enthrone a new emperor quickly reached the ears of the second prince, Zhou Jing'an.

He was extremely angry.

He couldn't understand why the King of Dingbian could never see him.

They supported Zhou Jingzhi as emperor in the past, and now they want to support Zhou Jingzhi's son.

And yet, this grown man was repeatedly ignored by the King of Dingbian.

In what way is he inferior to a child not yet seven years old?!

Zhou Jing'an was unwilling to accept this.

Since no one else would help him, he decided to fight for it himself.

What belongs to him, he will take back sooner or later.

So on this day, Zhou Jing'an took the initiative to come to the Prince's residence and pay a visit to the Prince of Dingbian.

The Prince of Dingbian never liked him very much.

In his view, Zhou Jing'an was a smiling tiger.

Although she's always smiling, you never know when she might suddenly turn on you.

So he treated her with lukewarm hospitality.

"May I ask what brings the Second Prince to my residence so suddenly?"

Zhou Jing'an smiled and said, "To be honest, Your Highness, I already know that you want to put my imperial nephew on the throne."

Upon hearing this, the King of Dingbian's expression changed immediately, his eyes filled with vigilance and murderous intent.

"So, is the Second Prince trying to warn me?"

"No, no," the Second Prince said with a smile. "I just wanted to come and rely on Your Highness."

The King of Dingbian looked at him with suspicion in his eyes.

“A wise bird will choose a good tree to perch on, unlike my clueless third brother. I know that it is good to have the Prince's backing, so I naturally want to get closer to the Prince.”

The King of Dingbian quickly regained his previous calm demeanor.

He picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and said bluntly, "However, I will not put you on the throne."

Zhou Jing'an remained expressionless: "I have never coveted that position. I came to see Your Highness today only hoping that after things are settled, Your Highness will grant me the fiefdom in the Suzhou and Hangzhou area."

The Prince of Dingbian raised an eyebrow: "That's all you ask for?"

Zhou Jing'an nodded, then shook his head.

Under the sudden chill in the Prince of Dingbian's gaze, he continued, "I am fond of the current Empress, and I hope that Your Highness will bestow her upon me in the future."

The King of Dingbian was taken aback, then burst into laughter.

After he finished laughing, he said with a hint of sarcasm, "I didn't realize the Second Prince had such unusual tastes. Fine, I'll satisfy you. When things succeed, the fiefdom and the women will all be yours!"

Zhou Jing'an quickly clasped his hands in thanks.

Next, under the arrangement of the Prince of Dingbian, the Empress Dowager was placed under house arrest in Fuxi Palace, while Consort Yu, who had been confined, was released and took over the harem.

Many ministers from the previous dynasty also heard the news.

Those ministers with integrity stood up to resist, but the King of Dingbian arrested and killed them in droves.

Those with quick wits all clung to the Prince of Dingbian, hoping to secure a bright future for themselves.

More often than not, they remain silent and do not resist, adopting an attitude of indifference and detachment.

Everyone sensed the impending storm.

In a western border city thousands of miles away, the war had ended, and as the victorious nation, the emperor received King Uqturpan Khan of the Great Uqturpan Kingdom.

Although the two countries no longer clashed, Uqturpan Khan was still grieving the loss of his crown prince, so he naturally had no smile on his face.

The emperor was not angry, but solemnly said: "Today's meeting with Khan U is not only to discuss post-war matters, but also to show our country's sincerity. I am willing to send people to cooperate with your country to jointly investigate the true cause of Prince Ucha's death."

Before Uqa Khan could speak, the envoy beside him said with red eyes, "Hypocritical! You were the ones who killed Prince Ucha, and now you're pretending to investigate. How utterly hypocritical!"

The emperor was not angry, but patiently said, "You won't believe anything we say right now, so why don't we cooperate, find out the truth, and let the facts speak for themselves?"

Uqahan nodded expressionlessly: "Then so be it."

After seeing off the people from the Great Wu Kingdom, Jian Yang, who had been hiding behind the screen, came out.

"Your Majesty, the people of the Great Wu Kingdom do not trust us."

The emperor nodded and said, "Therefore we must find out the truth about Wucha's death and resolve the enmity between the two sides. Otherwise, once we leave, the people of the border town will become victims again."

Jian Yang laughed and said, "It is truly a blessing for the people to have an emperor like you. But we must hurry, or your throne will be in jeopardy."