Meng Ran's armor was stained with blood, and he showed no trace of the grandeur he once displayed when he entered the capital as the Grand Marshal of Yizhou.
Zhao Shi'an has already dealt with Meng Ran, so what are these small fry in Zhao Shi'an's eyes?
Fear gripped them, and some put down their weapons.
Princess Wu'an was so angry that she roared at these people.
"Useless trash! Pick up what you're holding! To surrender without a fight is not the act of a man!"
"Anyone who dares to surrender, I will kill you all!"
Princess Wu'an was gradually going mad; she picked up a sword from the ground and swung it at these people.
She had learned the art of governing a country and how to win people's hearts, but she had never learned martial arts. Even if she held a sharp blade in her hand, she would not pose any threat to the Imperial Guards.
More and more people ignored Princess Wu'an and laid down their weapons.
At that moment, the Crown Prince's sorrowful cries of "Father!" suddenly rang out in the Emperor's palace.
The Emperor has passed away.
Princess Wu'an froze, then staggered toward the palace, sword in hand.
No, she must kill the crown prince, otherwise how can she ascend the throne?
"Take her down."
"yes."
Xiao Liu leaped to Princess Wu'an's side, disarmed her in a few moves, and knocked her unconscious.
Zhao Shi'an entered the palace. The Crown Prince was kneeling in front of the Emperor's window, and the Emperor had already passed away.
"Your Highness, the traitor has been captured. We request Your Highness to make the final decision."
The crown prince slowly rose and turned around; there was no trace of grief in his eyes.
At this moment, he was no longer the incompetent crown prince hampered by various forces, but the monarch of a country.
He had finally waited for this moment.
*
Princess Wu'an was captured, and Zhao Shi'an's assembled troops entered the city and quelled the rebellious imperial guards.
All the officials who conspired with Princess Wu'an in the rebellion were arrested and imprisoned, awaiting their fate.
With the emperor's death, the country cannot be without a ruler for even a day, so some people proposed to select a new emperor.
But then the people who originally supported the Third Prince reappeared, saying that the Third Prince was the Emperor's favorite prince during his lifetime and had done many things for the court, so he could be made the new emperor.
The Crown Prince's supporters were unhappy, saying that the Crown Prince was the rightful heir.
The two groups argued back and forth, but in the end, the eldest princess went to court and said that the emperor had already issued an edict to pass the throne to the emperor.
Zhao Fen took out the imperial edict and read it aloud in the main hall. When someone questioned it, Zhao Fen then took out the Imperial Seal of the State.
Princess Wu'an tried many times to find it, but in fact, they never took it out of the emperor's bedroom; it was hidden in a secret compartment under the emperor's bed.
With this edict of succession and the imperial seal, the crown prince's position was legitimate.
The crown prince walked toward the high chair in front of all the officials in the court.
"It's fake!" the Third Prince exclaimed, disbelieving.
Fortunately, the official next to him tugged at his sleeve.
"Third Prince, have you gone mad? We should pay our respects to the new emperor."
The third prince was resentful and unwilling to accept that the crown prince had taken the throne he had always dreamed of.
The crown prince happened to turn around and look at him. When their eyes met, he realized that the gentleness in the crown prince's eyes was gone, replaced by the imposing presence befitting someone who deserved to sit in that position.
The Third Prince took a deep breath. Even though he was unwilling, he didn't have Princess Wu'an's guts to try and seize the throne.
"What, Third Brother, do you not acknowledge me as the new emperor?"
The Third Prince wasn't stupid; he knew that if he behaved improperly in the main hall today, the Crown Prince would have a reason to punish him.
Only at that moment did he clearly realize that he had lost.
He gritted his teeth and reluctantly knelt down.
Besides dealing with the rebellion, there was also the national mourning for the emperor's death, and it was a month before the emperor's enthronement ceremony was held.
The imperial court had just experienced a catastrophe, and with so many things happening at once, all the officials were extremely busy.
The Crown Prince... no, he should be called the Emperor now.
He knew that he was able to get this position thanks to Zhao Shi'an's planning, so among the newly promoted officials, Zhao Shi'an was promoted to the cabinet, where he could directly handle some government affairs on behalf of the emperor.
Even the congratulatory address at the enthronement ceremony was intended to be read by Zhao Shi'an, but when Zhao Shi'an was summoned to the palace, he wanted to resign from his post.
The emperor was trying on the ceremonial robes he wore on his coronation day when he heard Zhao Shi'an's words and thought he had misheard.
"What did you say?"
"I have done everything I was supposed to do, so I wish to resign and return to my hometown."
The emperor almost laughed in anger.
"Zhao Shi'an, you've only been in office for less than two years, and you're already content to go back to your hometown and farm?"
At this point, the emperor seemed to remember something, waved away the eunuch serving him, and angrily pointed at Zhao Shi'an.
"Is it because of Fang Qing?"
Zhao Shi'an remained calmly seated on the low table, brewing tea, without even raising his head.
"Zhao Shi'an, you're increasingly disregarding me!"
"Your Majesty, I dare not. I am determined to resign from this official post."
The Emperor stared at Zhao Shi'an with a deep frown.
Now that he has just ascended the throne, it is the time when he needs people. If Zhao Shi'an resigns, how many people in the court can he trust?
"Zhao Shi'an, resigning is impossible. I can allow you to take a leave of absence to go home and visit your family. However, it's almost Chinese New Year, so you can rest for a few months, and I will have someone bring you back to the capital after the New Year."
Zhao Shi'an remained silent.
The emperor was getting anxious.
"How about I bring you and Fang Qing back to the capital so I can attend your wedding?"
Zhao Shi'an's gaze then fell on the Emperor.
"This is inappropriate. Given Fang Qing's and my status, how could His Majesty possibly attend our wedding?"
The emperor's eyes widened in anger.
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