I Don't Want to Be Emperor

"Princess, the situation is urgent, there's no time for explanations," Li Chen Zhou interrupted her. "If you shout now, no one will believe me, and it will ruin everything. I can only act in secret now, without alerting the enemy."

Li Chen Zhou explained, "We can discuss personal matters later. Right now, I need an identity to get close to Tai Xuan Hall. I suspect the final battle will take place there."

Princess Xuan Yi frowned slightly and snorted dismissively, "There's no rush. If Prince Jin really intends to rebel, you alone can't do much." She then called a young palace maid and whispered a few words in her ear before the maid left.

Princess Xuan Yi looked Li Chen Zhou up and down again, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said with a half-smile, "The official matters are settled. Now, let's discuss personal ones."

Li Chen Zhou was bewildered. "Things are so urgent right now, can't personal matters wait?"

Princess Xuan Yi crossed her arms, her expression stubborn and unyielding. "No, you must give me an explanation today. Where do I fall short compared to Nangong Yue, that you would call off our engagement for her?"

Li Chen Zhou felt dizzy. "There was such a thing?"

Princess Xuan Yi's face immediately turned red with anger, and she roared furiously, "You scoundrel, you can forget something like this?"

Li Chen Zhou said solemnly, "I believe I must have been bewitched at the time. Once this matter is resolved, I will definitely give you an explanation, Princess. How about that? Right now, I've infiltrated Prince Jin's ranks and need to proceed according to plan. If the plan is delayed, it could even endanger your precious life, Princess."

Princess Xuan Yi thought for a moment, then pouted and bit Li Chen Zhou's arm.

Li Chen Zhou gasped in pain, but didn't dare to use his powers to break free. Just as he was about to scold Princess Xuan Yi, he heard her say, "Consider this as interest. You go first. After this is over, I'll settle the score with you."

Seeing the anxious yet determined look in Li Chen Zhou's eyes, the Princess fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Then what do you want?"

"I hope you can lend me a hand and arrange for me to be as close to His Majesty as possible," Li Chen Zhou pleaded earnestly.

"Impossible. I won't help you get close to my father until I'm sure of your true intentions."

Just then, a dazzling flare streaked across the night sky.

Li Chen Zhou heard the sound and exclaimed, "It's over, the operation has begun."

Princess Xuan Yi asked with her face close to his, "What operation?"

Li Chen Zhou didn't answer. Instead, he asked Princess Xuan Yi, "Do you have any secret passages or rooms here?"

Princess Xuan Yi nodded.

Li Chen Zhou placed his hands on Princess Xuan Yi's shoulders, his voice deepening. "From now on, you hide in here. No matter who calls you, do not come out. I will find you after this is over."

It was the first time a man had touched her. Her face was already flushed with shyness, but she just nodded woodenly.

After speaking, Li Chen Zhou opened the door and walked out. Princess Xuan Yi immediately came to her senses and shouted, "Be careful!" Then she fell back into her own thoughts.

The moment he opened the door, Li Chen Zhou's appearance had already changed into that of a young eunuch, and he headed towards Tai Xuan Hall.

Following the signal flare, Prince Jin could no longer hold back. He led the rebel army, which surged into the imperial palace like a tide.

Prince Jin had secretly colluded beforehand, causing nearly a third of the imperial guards to defect on the spot. The rebel army advanced like a hot knife through butter, conquering all resistance and quickly reaching the Xuan De Gate, just one step away from the Emperor's residence.

"Kill—"

The roar shattered the silence of the palace walls. The river of fire from the rebel torches instantly engulfed the white marble steps.

Li Chen Zhou watched the bloody scene from afar, his fingers gripping the dragon pillar in front of the hall, shedding flakes of red paint from between his fingers.

At the critical moment, Liu Xi, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Depot, led the experts of the Eastern Depot out in full force. Like an impenetrable wall, they fiercely defended the entrance.

The Embroidered Spring Blades of the Eastern Depot experts gleamed coldly under the moonlight, a stark contrast to the rebel torches.

The Capital City garrison, upon hearing of the turmoil in the imperial palace, rushed to the capital to reinforce the Emperor, but they were too far away to help immediately.

"Protect His Majesty!" Before the commander of the imperial guards could finish speaking, blood bloomed from his throat.

The imperial guards fought desperately, but they were annihilated under the fierce onslaught of the rebels.

The rebels, blinded by bloodlust and disregarding their own lives, broke through the defenses and charged into Tai Xuan Hall like wolves and tigers.

Prince Jin strode into the main hall, stepping over shards of glazed roof tiles, his python-patterned battle boots crushing the yet-unclosed eyes of the imperial guard commander.

"Everyone stop," Prince Jin shouted. Both sides halted their actions, entering a state of confrontation.

Candlelight flickered in the deep night, casting long and short shadows of the memorial tablets on the dragon desk.

Inside the hall, the Emperor's expression was calm. He sat on the dragon throne, casually flipping through the memorial tablets on the desk, seemingly unfazed by the rebellious Prince Jin. He simply said faintly, "You're here?"

Prince Jin looked at the Emperor before him with an air of inevitable victory and didn't bother with pleasantries. "Imperial Brother, you've sat on this dragon throne for thirty years."

His sword swept past everyone and stopped, pointing towards the Emperor. "It's time for a change."

The Emperor didn't respond and continued, "Do you know what I regret the most?"

Prince Jin chuckled mockingly. "Are you going to say you regret not eliminating me completely?"

The Emperor tossed aside a memorial tablet and leaned back, saying helplessly, "What I regret most is becoming Emperor. I wake earlier than the chickens and sleep later than the dogs, and I can't handle all the world's troubles."

Prince Jin sneered. "Is Imperial Brother joking?"

The Emperor said, "When the Former Emperor was still alive, I never wanted to be Emperor. The burden of being Emperor is too heavy, and I didn't want to bear it. Back then, I suggested to the Former Emperor that he pass the throne to you. Do you know what the Former Emperor said?"

Without waiting for Prince Jin to speak, the Emperor continued on his own, "He said you weren't suitable."

Upon hearing this, Prince Jin interrupted him with a flick of his hand and cursed, "Nonsense! How did he know you were more suitable than me?"

The Emperor chimed in, "Yes, that's what I said too. So the Former Emperor made a bet with me."

Prince Jin asked, "What was the bet?"

At this moment, a glint flashed in the Emperor's eyes: "I'll bet on how far you'll go for this ambition of yours?"

Finally, the Emperor said with a sense of loss, "In the end, I lost. Therefore, I am the Emperor."

Prince Jin roared upon hearing the Emperor's words, "What kind of bullshit logic is that?"

The Emperor stated, "You colluded with court officials, and to make them stand with you, you covered up any crime committed by their disciples, no matter how serious. You harbored evil cultists from the martial world, trafficked people, causing the common folk to suffer immensely. What I cannot accept the most is that for your own selfish desires, you actually colluded with the enemy and sold out the country, intending to hand over the vast lands left by our ancestors, all to seize the throne for yourself. Your heart only holds selfish desires. An emperor driven solely by selfish desires ascending the throne would be a great disaster for the world."

Prince Jin said in exasperation, "These are all your excuses. If I were in that position, I would naturally do better than you. But now it's no longer necessary, I'll take it myself."

The Emperor sighed with eyes full of disappointment, "To think you are still so deluded at this point, sigh... Make your move!" He waved his hand.

Prince Jin thought the Emperor had resigned himself to fate. Who would have expected that a flare would suddenly shoot up outside, followed by the sounds of fighting?

At the same time, a figure slowly emerged from the side hall – it was Duke Zhen Guo, Li Qing Shan, clad in armor and carrying his sword.

Prince Jin's eyes widened instantly, his eyeballs nearly popping out: "How can it be you?"

The Emperor chuckled slyly, looking like he was saying, "Little brother, you've fallen into my trap?" "Did you really think I was senile? Believing that the Duke Zhen Guo of the Great Qian Dynasty would rebel?"

Li Qing Shan quickly cupped his hands upon hearing the Emperor's words, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."

At this moment, a look of madness appeared in Prince Jin's eyes: "No, no... I haven't lost yet. As long as I kill you before the others break in, I'll succeed, hahahaha, attack!"