Upon entering, he was taken aback, discovering that not only Sang Hong was present, but also several other high-ranking officials, such as Bi Qi, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Liu Guang, the Emperor's father-in-law, and Zhao Yi, the Prince of Liang…

Without exception, they were all core members of the emperor's faction.

Upon seeing him enter, the emperor said, "Take Lord Sang back and let him rest properly. Also, I grant you permission to have twenty Imperial Guards personally protect him."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Despite his injuries, Sang Hong bowed and expressed his gratitude.

It should be noted that the Imperial Guards were the imperial guards in the palace, and they were usually only responsible for the safety of the palace. Occasionally, some of them would be assigned to imperial envoys.

They are rarely sent to protect an individual.

Although the number of twenty Imperial Guards was small, it demonstrated the emperor's attitude, and in doing so, no one dared to defy the world and touch him.

Zu An was also happy for Sang Hong, as his life was saved. He couldn't protect Sang Hong all the time by himself, and with the emperor's open protection, it was impossible for Prince Qi and his men to harm him again.

After the two left, the emperor frowned and subconsciously looked up. There was clearly nothing on his head, so why had Zu'an been secretly glancing at the top of his head several times?

Moreover, there seemed to be a hint of pity in his eyes, which was really unpleasant.

Just then, Prince Liang, Zhao Yi, interrupted his thoughts: "Your Majesty, Prince Qi has openly used assassins to carry out an assassination attempt in the capital. This is an unforgivable crime. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely!"

Liu Yao also stood up and said, "King Qi is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and his crimes are far more than this. He secretly plotted a rebellion in Yunzhong County, and after the plot failed, he surrounded and killed the delegation in an attempt to destroy the evidence. In addition to all the crimes he has committed over the years, he deserves to be executed!"

The others also stood up and recounted the crimes of the Prince of Qi, urging the emperor to take action against him. They argued that their side now had the upper hand and this was the best time to deal with the Prince of Qi.

However, Zhao Hao remained silent, then looked at Bi Qi and Meng Yi: "What do you two think?"

Bi Qi and Meng Yi exchanged a glance, and finally Bi Qi spoke, "I believe..."

...

"King Qi is finished." After leaving the imperial study for a while, Sang Hong whispered to Zu An.

Zu'an was startled: "Is the Emperor going to make a move this time?"

“That’s not necessarily true,” Sang Hong shook his head. “Although Prince Qi’s power has declined significantly recently, he still has a strong foundation. If pushed too far, he might resort to desperate measures. The Emperor probably won’t take any drastic measures, but Prince Qi has nowhere to go in the capital.”

Unlike ordinary vassal kings, the Prince of Qi was vying for the throne. Once he left the capital, the center of power, he would completely withdraw from the struggle for the throne, and his forces would gradually disintegrate.

At this moment, a gathering was also taking place in a secret room in the Qi King's mansion, and the person in charge was none other than the Qi King himself.

“Your Highness, things have come to this point, why not launch an attack?” one of them said.

Half of King Qi's face was obscured by shadow. After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly: "Very well!"