I, Xiao Chengchen, Have Returned
Seven days later,
Rainy night,
A secluded residence within the Capital.
It was windy and rainy outside.
The candlelight flickered inside the room.
The Imperial Eldest Grandson, Xiao Chengchen, sat in a chair, his face flickering in and out of the candlelight.
It's being said outside...
He was rejected by the Immortals and lost his right to the throne.
He spent his days hiding in the Crown Prince's Residence, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
Disheartened and giving up on oneself.
But those were all illusions.
He hasn't given up; he hasn't given up hope.
He was waiting.
Waiting for an opportunity.
It's not about proving how great he is.
Instead, it's about telling the whole world,
What he lost
I must take it back myself.
These days,
He has been biding his time and accumulating strength.
They are waiting for an opportunity to turn the tide.
Now the opportunity has finally arrived.
Grandfather is dead.
Immortal in seclusion
The Duke of Qian was stationed in Yunnan, personally led an army of 100,000 and besieged the city.
The entire Capital was gripped by fear, and the court and the public were terrified.
The Divine Pivot Battalion, stationed in the Outskirts, was completely wiped out, and most of the troops in the Capital had been transferred to the city walls to defend against the enemy.
Imperial City
The city's defenses were weak and its defenses were poor.
This is a golden opportunity to turn the tide and reverse the situation.
He did not lose.
He still has a chance to win.
As long as we lead our troops into the Imperial City and capture the usurper Xiao Zhaohuang...
He could then use the Eldest Princess to command the army to open the city gates, and then, in the name of the late emperor's grandson, welcome the Royalist Army into the city.
The Duke of Qian was the adopted son of the late emperor, receiving his favor and remaining utterly loyal to him.
They will definitely support him, the rightful Imperial Eldest Grandson inheriting the throne.
At that time,
He was the one who turned the tide and saved the collapsing edifice.
A great hero who restored order and stabilized the nation.
And the Liang Kingdom would then return to the hands of the Xiao Household men.
This is truly deserved, this is only right and proper.
As for Immortals,
He was simply attracted to his aunt's beauty.
Otherwise, why would I help her or support her?
Besides gender,
In what way is Xiao Chengchen inferior to Xiao Zhaohuang?
Since Immortals like beautiful women,
Then he would give all three thousand beauties of the imperial palace to the Immortal.
If not enough,
Then let's add all the princesses and noblewomen of the royal family.
As long as the Immortals are willing to support him in becoming emperor
He's willing to grant any request.
Besides, Immortals had no other choice.
Once Xiao Zhaohuang dies, who else in the entire Xiao Household besides him is qualified to sit in that position?
Xiao Chengchen's breathing was heavy.
The gentle elegance that once filled his eyes was gone.
Only desperate madness and ruthlessness.
He was at his wit's end; if he didn't seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...
Then he would be completely ineligible for the throne.
He wanted to be emperor.
I want to die.
He waited and prepared for so many years for that position.
But in the end, he watched helplessly as he missed out on that position.
He has already missed an opportunity.
We absolutely cannot afford to lose this opportunity again.
Even if it means death
He too will die on that dragon throne.
Your Highness.
As Wang Zitao walked in, he saw the Imperial Eldest Grandson, whose expression was wild and insane under the lights. He felt a chill run down his spine.
Is everything ready?
Xiao Chengchen's manic expression vanished instantly, replaced by his usual gentle and refined demeanor.
"Everything is ready. Eight hundred elite soldiers are already waiting outside. As soon as Your Highness gives the order, we can storm the Imperial City, capture the traitors, and punish the rebels."
Wang Zitao answered respectfully, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
In fact, it's not just His Highness who has reached a dead end;
He was the same.
His Ministry of Rites has been completely stripped away, and now he has nothing left except for the title of Presented Scholar (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).
This was unbearable for him, who had already tasted the power of authority.
These past few days,
The Eldest Princess not only quickly stabilized the court and the country, but also purged many court officials.
The Vice Minister of Revenue was dismissed from his post, investigated, had his property confiscated, and was imprisoned to await further punishment simply for asking a question about the true cause of His Majesty's death.
Not only that,
The Eldest Princess even openly moved into the palace and convened a court assembly in the Hall of Heavenly Worship to discuss matters related to the national mourning.
Although he has no immediate intention of ascending the throne and becoming emperor,
However, he had already exercised the emperor's power.
Yet, none of the officials in the court dared to question it in the slightest.
If it weren't for the Duke of Qian suddenly leading Royalist Army to attack, he would probably have been the next target of purges.
Either sit and wait to die, offering your neck for slaughter.
Either take a risk and gamble everything,
He chose the latter without hesitation.
They lost.
The entire family was executed, and nine generations of relatives were exterminated.
But if we win,
That would be the merit of following the emperor, being granted a title and becoming a high-ranking official.
Rather than merely eking out a living and living a meaningless existence,
It's better to take a gamble and go all in, make a spectacular bet.
Let alone exterminate his entire family,
Even if it means exterminating ten generations of his family, what does it matter?
"Only eight hundred people? Isn't that too few?"
At the crucial moment, Xiao Chengchen's indecisive nature resurfaced.
"Your Highness, eight hundred men is not a small number. When the late Emperor fought against the Prince of Qin at Xuanwu Gate, he only had eight hundred men, but in the end, he still won the throne and ruled the world."
Seeing the hesitation in the eyes of the Imperial Eldest Grandson, Wang Zitao quickly spoke up to encourage him.
"The Imperial City is now poorly defended, and I've already bribed the commander of Xuanwu Gate. As long as we storm the palace and capture the Eldest Princess alive, our mission will be accomplished."
"But my aunt is very strong; I'm afraid she won't be so easy to capture alive."
Xiao Chengchen still had some worries.
Upon hearing this, Wang Zitao's beard trembled with anger.
I'll fucking take my entire family and go all in with you!
You're still standing here, hesitant and indecisive.
Wang Zitao, suppressing the urge to vomit blood, continued to encourage:
"Your Highness, rest assured, I already have a plan."
Then he clapped his hands confidently.
Two men suddenly walked in after hearing the noise outside.
He was a tall, imposing man with a square face, a broad nose, and a full beard, exuding an intimidating aura.
A man dressed in rough, worn clothes, with a nonchalant expression but a hint of wildness and unrestraint in his brows, carried a long, narrow Miao Saber.
Both men possessed Jianghu and untamed spirit,
Upon entering the room, he immediately bowed to the Imperial Eldest Grandson.
"Iron Palm Gang: Qiu Qianyue greets His Highness the Imperial Eldest Grandson."
"Jianghu Rogue Person: Ding Buxiu greets Your Highness."
Unlike Qiu Qianyue's obsequious respect, Ding Buxiu appeared very casual, with a cynical and nonchalant attitude.
Xiao Chengchen frowned.
These two were clearly a bunch of lowly thugs from the streets; how could they possibly be a match for their aunt, who was highly skilled in martial arts and had been through many battles?
"Your Highness, don't let their unassuming appearance fool you; they are renowned martial arts masters in the Jianghu."
Seeing the doubt and dissatisfaction in the eyes of the Imperial Eldest Grandson,
Wang Zitao quickly explained.
"This Chief Qiu Innate Divine Strength and practices the incredibly powerful Iron Sand Palm martial art. He ranks second on the list of Jianghu arts masters, and his martial prowess is definitely no less than that of the Eldest Princess."
"This Master Ding possesses unparalleled martial arts skills, unmatched bravery, and his swordsmanship is sharp, fierce, and masterful. He ranks third on the list of Jianghu masters."
After listening to Wang Zitao's introduction,
The Imperial Eldest Grandson was half-believing and half-doubting, but then suddenly uttered a soul-searching question.
"Then why not find the number one on the leaderboard?"
Wang Zitao's lips twitched.
He wanted to find it too.
But he didn't even know where Ximen Changhai, who was known as Swordsmanship, was.