Chapter 541: The Thousand-Year-Old (62)

The subsequent purges caused significant losses for the princes. Ministers who had attempted to take sides, if they hadn't yet committed offenses, were marginalized, while those who had were dismissed. Concubines were also purged, and the rule that the harem should not interfere in politics was not just empty words. Not long after Consort Rong was released, she was imprisoned again, and her maternal family's influence was also greatly diminished, leaving them severely weakened.

And so the emperor's illness was cured.

Everyone realized it too late, but it was too late for regrets.

Wen Wan escaped unharmed thanks to a salted fish, and even gained the emperor's special favor, receiving a large amount of gifts.

They were even occasionally entrusted with important tasks.

These were things that the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince could do before, and Wen Wan had always been marginalized. Who would have thought that those two would die and now all the benefits would be in her hands?

Wen Wan wanted to get rid of him.

But the emperor wouldn't allow her to get rid of him.

Wen Wan could only take the cakes the emperor had given her to Gu Li. Gu Li was clever; he was sure she had a way to solve everything.

It has to be said that without the male lead, Wen Wan, with her brains alone, would definitely not survive more than three days in the palace intrigue.

This seemingly doting affection is actually full of pitfalls, and she can't escape them no matter how hard she tries.

In the end, Gu Li taught Wen Wan how to do things, and Wen Wan did exactly that, perfectly resolving these issues without drawing too much attention to herself, and even occasionally making a few small mistakes.

Thankfully, we made it through safely.

Another half year passed peacefully, and Wen Wan secretly tried to go out and have some fun again. However, after only half a month of going out, the emperor was assassinated.

Wen Yan: "..."

This time it wasn't a pretense; they had really encountered an assassin and were even on the verge of death.

Wen Wan wanted to hurry back and ask the system for a solution, but she was stopped by someone sent by the emperor.

"Why?"

"His Majesty has said that the Second Prince should not return to the palace for the time being."

Wen Yan: "..."

Is the emperor playing chess again? Isn't the country busy enough? Why is he always scheming against this and that? And this time he's even using himself to scheme. He's ruthless, I must say.

Wen Wan just didn't expect things to escalate to this extent.

When the emperor was on the verge of death, he issued an imperial edict and then appointed the second prince as the crown prince.

The imperial decree was intercepted before it even left the palace. Subsequently, the third prince raised an army to force the emperor to abdicate and was imprisoned.

He then gained control over most of the court officials.

They even sent people to hunt down Wen Wan, who then spent some time hiding and running away, her head constantly on the line.

Gu Li asked Wen Wan, "What if the Third Prince becomes emperor?"

Wen Wan had no idea what to do.

"Father must have a plan, right?" Isn't this the emperor's scheme? Surely he wouldn't send himself away too? This cunning old emperor can't be that fragile, can he?

However, as the days went by, the situation became increasingly tense.

Seeing that the Third Prince was about to ascend the throne, Wen Wan could only rely on Gu Li, "I will listen to you, the Third Prince absolutely cannot take the throne."

If the Third Prince really succeeds in taking the throne, she will be the first one to be punished, right?

Wouldn't that be just like the original plot, where I would still die at the hands of the Third Prince?

"But what can I do? I have no right, no power, no army. Even if I wanted to stop it, what could I use to stop it? I should have known better than to give the two thousand soldiers that my father gave me to General Chen."

Regret, that's the main theme right now.

Gu Li: "Actually, it's not that there isn't one."

"What?"

Then Wen Wan met General Chen and his strategist, and she was stunned.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you at the border?" Wen Wan asked in shock.

General Chen: "We actually arrived secretly three months ago, but we haven't shown our faces yet."

Later, from the strategist's explanation, Wen Wan learned that the emperor had long since discovered the Third Prince and Consort Rong's wolfish ambitions, as well as their secret stockpiling of troops and alliances with foreign enemies.

Therefore, he secretly ordered General Chen to lead his troops to infiltrate the imperial city.

Meanwhile, his two thousand soldiers had already quietly gone into hiding.

Wen Yan: "..."

Looking at Gu Li, "Don't tell me you've always known?"

Gu Li remained silent, which was tantamount to an admission. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Gu Li: "Your Highness has told me countless times that you don't want to be the Crown Prince and don't want to get involved in these struggles. If I had told you earlier that I was working for the Emperor, you would definitely have objected."

Wen Yan: "???"

"So you were doing something behind my back?"

Wen Wan looked incredulous. She knew the male lead was secretly pursuing a career, but she didn't know it was such a large one. "When did you get in touch with the emperor?"

Gu Li: "It started the moment I came to Your Highness's side."

So you still want to kill me?

Wen Wan almost blurted these words out, after all, when she transmigrated, the male lead was just about to kill the original owner of this body.

If he is the emperor's man, and has been from the beginning, then wouldn't I have no secrets at all?

Wen Wan was a little scared, and even subconsciously took a step back.

Gu Li saw this and then reached out to pull Wen Wan back, "Your Highness."

Wen Wan knew that now was not the time to deal with their relationship. She kept the matter to herself and continued to discuss with General Chen how to handle the next steps. They had planned everything. As for Wen Wan, she was just a pretext for sending troops. After all, if General Chen sent troops directly, he would be a traitor with no legitimate reason to attack.

However, things are different with the addition of the second prince, Wen Wan, since everyone knows that the emperor intends to make her the crown prince.

"The news of my father making me the crown prince has spread so widely, it was intentional, wasn't it?"

General Chen: "I think so."

Wen Yan: "..."

He could also see that the second prince was unusually angry and was currently suppressing his anger.

He also felt that the emperor was extremely wicked, scheming against his own son in this way.

What followed was the affairs of General Chen, the strategist, and Gu Li. She was merely a mascot, a reason for sending troops. Everything was pushed along by her, and she was pushed to the forefront in a daze, even helplessly.

Wen Wan was utterly helpless.

Finally, General Chen sent troops to surround the Third Prince's men, then cut off his reinforcements. In the end, with the help of the Emperor's troops stationed in the palace, they directly controlled everything. Consort Rong was arrested, and the Third Prince was destined to fail.

Wen Wan saw the Third Prince sitting on the throne.

Her eyes were filled with hatred and despair.

"Second brother, I thought you really had no interest in power, but I never expected that among all the people, you were the one who hid it the most deeply."

Wen Yan: "..."

She wanted to say that this was a high-level game, and she had somehow ended up in this situation without even realizing it.

She had no intention of doing anything, but she was pushed or guided to do everything. She thought it was due to her constitution, but it turned out that all the mystical theories about her constitution were actually a scheme by the emperor and her husband.

I really... don't know what to say.

“I lost, but not to you, but to my father.”

Wen Wan: Isn't this quite sober?

"Father is too biased. You are clearly the most stupid. Even though the Empress's lineage has been cut off, he still likes you. What is it about you that makes you so much less of a fool?"

Wen Wan: Just say what you want to say, why resort to personal attacks?

"Give up. Your father has given you so many chances. If you had given up just one of them, you wouldn't be like this now."

She now understood that while the emperor could be truly heartless, it was impossible for him not to love his children; he knew from the beginning what Consort Rong and the Third Prince had been doing.

He tested the waters time and time again, watching the Third Prince fight and struggle, even using himself as a bargaining chip, but unfortunately the Third Prince still made the wrong choice.

“My father never gave me a chance, never. Do you think you’ve won now? My father is so ruthless. He won’t allow anyone to escape his control. I hope you don’t have any secrets, otherwise my fate today will be yours.”

Wen Yan: "..."

Finally, the third prince was arrested.

This palace coup is finally over, but the emperor is injured, and seriously so. According to the system, even if he recovers, his lifespan will be halved.

Wen Wan was speechless. Why is the emperor making such a fuss?

She was really tired.

...

After that, Wen Wan became the crown prince and acted as regent for the emperor.

Following the emperor's orders, a large number of officials, both high and low, involved in the Third Prince's affair were purged. The Third Prince was demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum for life.

She went to keep the eldest prince company.

As for Consort Rong, her maternal family's influence was completely wiped out, and she was stripped of her title and banished to the Cold Palace.

The Third Prince's Consort, who is also the female lead, went to the imperial mausoleum with the Third Prince, and the children were scattered and raised under the care of various consorts.

As for the fourth prince, he was rescued but lost his eyes. The third prince was truly ruthless.

By this point, almost all the princes who were capable of competing for the position of crown prince had been demoted, imprisoned, or crippled.

Wen Wan, the former crown prince, has become the crown prince again.

Then he was pushed into this position.

She hadn't expected it, but the emperor and the male lead certainly had.

Wen Wan started ignoring Gu Li; she was angry. Who wouldn't be angry in that situation? Being kept in the dark by your lover from beginning to end, knowing nothing, makes you feel like a complete idiot.

Moreover, she has already stated that she does not want to be the crown prince and does not want to fight for power.

But Gu Li still pushed herself forward.

That's outrageous.

She was furious. If this matter couldn't be resolved, she really didn't know how to forgive Gu Li.

Gu Li knew that she had really made a mistake this time, but if it came to regret, Gu Li didn't regret it.

If Wen Wan knew that Gu Li actually thought that way, she would be even angrier.

Gu Li hadn't entered Wen Wan's room for several days, and the system, seeing this, knew it had to quickly persuade her! So it said, "[Host, actually, you don't need to be too angry, because our mission is almost complete, and the male lead's career is progressing exceptionally well.]"

[Think about it, the Third Prince is incompetent, the female lead has been possessed, so the male lead definitely can't help the Third Prince ascend the throne, right? The First Prince is no good, the Fourth Prince is incompetent, and the male lead only likes you and is willing to assist you; you can't force him to change his mind, right? Besides, who knows if the Fourth Prince is just all show and no substance? What if he becomes a second Third Prince who discards you after using you?]