The late Crown Prince Qin Yunchen was a man of exceptional talent and brilliance.

The eldest princess died young, and the second prince was born with congenital defects and did not survive past the age of six.

Qin Yunchen was born to the Empress, thus possessing the qualities of both the eldest son and the legitimate heir, making his ascension to the Eastern Palace a popular choice.

He was a man of both literary and military talent, and enjoyed a great reputation among both scholars and military officials.

Those were the best years of the old lunar calendar's major reforms.

The late emperor worked diligently to govern the country, and Qin Yunchen devoted himself to assisting him.

But as time went by, everything changed.

Seeing that the Crown Prince was gaining power in the court, the late emperor also promoted two outstanding princes, thus instigating factional strife.

However, given Qin Yunchen's foundation, even if the two of them were to restrain him, they would not pose a significant threat.

The turning point came when the late emperor fell seriously ill, became bedridden and unable to govern, and the crown prince took over the reins of government.

After being ill for more than a month, when he resumed his duties, he found the court to be very peaceful.

He handled state affairs with great efficiency, and all the officials, both civil and military, praised the crown prince highly, as if his presence or absence made no difference.

During this sudden illness, the late emperor's health deteriorated rapidly, and his mindset underwent a complete change.

He began to become paranoid, believing that the crown prince was challenging his imperial authority.

Especially since even the military merits are not on his side, this shows that if the Crown Prince wants to, he can completely take over!

From the moment he resumed power, the late emperor began to spare no effort in suppressing the power of the crown prince.

He cut off his influence in the army, and then frequently reprimanded him in front of officials in court.

Confinement to the Eastern Palace was a common punishment at the time.

Policies implemented by the Crown Prince were either rejected or left unfinished for other princes to reap the benefits of.

In just one year, the Crown Prince's support base had dwindled significantly, while the two princes were at the height of their power, locked in a fierce and evenly matched struggle.

Everyone understands that following the Crown Prince at this time will not bring any benefits.

Anyone who dared to express their stance met a bad end; even if the late emperor hadn't reacted on the spot, they would have been transferred later.

Even the Grand Censor, a veteran of two dynasties, who petitioned the emperor with the righteous argument that "the crown prince is the foundation of the state," ultimately ended up retiring to his hometown.

Qin Yunchen, who was once unparalleled, seemed to have become a rat crossing the street, and no one wanted to get involved with him.

Within two or three years, he had become nothing more than a figurehead in the imperial court.

Aside from holding the title of Crown Prince, Qin Yunchen accomplished nothing else.

People who were once cheerful and amiable have become increasingly taciturn, and smiles have disappeared from their faces.

The Eastern Palace used to be frequented by learned scholars, but now it has fallen silent and no one cares about it anymore.

Moreover, the birth mothers of two princes in the harem were successively promoted to Imperial Noble Consorts, which greatly weakened the Empress's power.

The Empress's maternal relatives also fared poorly, with none of the younger generation rising to prominence.

The old man suppressed those who were in power, and transferred the rest away from Fengjing.

Rumors of deposing the crown prince were already circulating in the court.

It was thought that the late emperor would choose one of the two princes to replace him, but the rumors remained just rumors, and there was no progress for several years.

The late emperor learned from his mistakes and would never repeat them.

He wanted Qin Yunchen to hold the title but do nothing, while the two princes fought each other openly and covertly, thus ensuring his stable position on the throne.

Although Qin Minghuang couldn't stand it at the time, what could a princess do? She couldn't even interfere in court affairs.

She was busy changing husbands, having children, playing games, and preparing to form an cuju (ancient Chinese football) team, which was already taking shape.

However, Qin Minghuang did not do nothing.

Since the Crown Prince lost power, the Eastern Palace faction has been ruthlessly suppressed, including his sister Qin Mingyue.

The late emperor didn't even like the crown prince, let alone the thirteenth princess, who was also born to the empress.

A bunch of opportunists, they even dared to bully the princess, making her lose face in front of everyone.

Qin Minghuang couldn't stand it anymore, so he brought Thirteen Sister to his residence.

She has a very high reputation in Fengjing.

Anyone who dares to whine or act coy in front of her, whether they are a prince, a relative of the emperor, or an official of any rank, is someone who would dare to kill.

No one would be willing to offend this madman for the sake of a useless crown prince's younger sister; it would be a losing proposition.

And so life went on.

Qin Minghuang has already found her sixth husband and given birth to a daughter, bringing her one step closer to her dream of forming a children's football team.

That late autumn, the late emperor fell ill again.

This time, the illness struck even more violently. He vomited blood in front of all the civil and military officials during the morning court session and fell into a coma before he could even tell them who would be in charge of the government.

Logically, at this time, the crown prince should have been in charge of overseeing the country and governing on behalf of the people.

However, Qin Yunchen's influence had waned, and he had long since drifted away from the core of power, so no one dared to bring it up.

There was no other way; those who supported the crown prince in the past met with such tragic ends that even being dismissed from office or retiring was considered a peaceful death.

The two princes, who were at the height of their power, didn't take him seriously at all, and were arguing fiercely over who should oversee the country.

The late emperor had been in a coma for three days. The head of the Imperial Medical Academy diagnosed that his days were numbered and it was uncertain whether he would wake up.

The two parties' struggle has reached a fever pitch; neither side is putting on a show anymore and is using every trick in the book.

Because of the late emperor's principle of balance, the two men in the court could not be determined to win or lose, and neither could occupy the moral high ground.

No one dared to gamble on whether His Majesty had left an imperial edict, given how sudden his illness had been.

As a result, the factional strife instantly reached its most intense stage.

The gates of Fengjing were closed, the streets were blocked, and a curfew was imposed.

The Imperial Guards, led by the Meng family, maintained peace in the capital region, but resolutely refused to get involved in the struggles between the princes.

No matter how great the benefits the princes offered, the old master of the Meng family remained unmoved and dutifully fulfilled his duties.

Because the Meng family has been rooted in the capital region for so long, no matter who ascends the throne, they cannot do without the Imperial Guards, so why get involved in factional strife?

Two days later, the northern and southern borders, having received the news, pressed forward one after another, and the situation in Da Gan was already in grave danger.

Everyone knew that a decision had to be made immediately, initiated by the prime minister, to propose the abolition of the crown prince.

They soon discovered that Qin Yunchen was nowhere to be found in the Eastern Palace. When they interrogated the palace servants, they only said that His Majesty had disappeared without a trace after falling into a coma.

Ironically, the crown prince disappeared for five days without anyone noticing.

The two parties had reached a point of life and death, unable to mobilize troops, and with the Imperial Guards firmly guarding the capital region, the only option left was assassination.

This move disrupted the previous balance, as it involved not only the two princes but also other princes.

On that very night, almost all of His Majesty's sons were assassinated.

When Qin Yunchen led five hundred elite warriors through the Vermilion Bird Gate, he left behind the heads of his younger siblings, his face as sinister as a demon.

Civil officials abandoned him, his influence in the military was wiped out, and his maternal relatives and in-laws were suppressed...

Over the years, he has long been all alone.

Qin Yunchen appeared dejected, but he had not given up completely.

He devoted all his energy to training assassins, emptying the Crown Prince's coffers to cultivate eight hundred assassins.

Just as the battle was about to be decided, three hundred elite soldiers slaughtered the emperor's younger brother and sister.

Oh, they didn't kill them all; they spared Qin Minghuang and Qin Mingyue.

Leading the last five hundred elite warriors, he stormed into the palace, killing gods and Buddhas alike!