Claiming the throne

If he didn't abdicate, he would suffer the same fate as the late emperor. Emperor Yongxing's mind was buzzing, and the tragic scene of Emperor Yuanjing's death without a complete corpse floated into his mind.

The Golden Palace fell silent instantly, becoming completely still.

A flurry of gazes fell upon Xu Qi'an, brief and silent, without anyone scolding or protesting.

In the present-day Great Feng, if anyone dares to commit regicide and keeps their word, Xu Qi'an is one of them.

After a long while, Prince Yu came out with a stern face and advised:

"Xu Qi'an, the Great Feng in dire straits, beset by internal and external troubles, and cannot withstand further turmoil. Considering the past favors the court has shown you, please show leniency."

Prince Yu knew that although he had not promoted Xu Qi'an, he had helped him a few times, so he stepped forward to offer advice.

"That's right!"

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review swallowed hard, mustered his courage, and said loudly:

"Xu Qi'an, you are a trusted confidant of Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan is wholeheartedly devoted to serving the country and bringing peace to the people of the Central Plains. How can you betray his last wish and personally push the court into an abyss of no return?"

With the two of them setting the precedent, Wen Cheng, a nobleman who supported Emperor Yongxing, offered his advice.

In their eyes, Xu Qi'an was indeed a lawless martial artist, but he was by no means a bloodthirsty madman. On the contrary, everyone could praise his past deeds as chivalrous.

Therefore, they believed that as long as they were in the right and had the moral high ground, they could put pressure on Xu Qi'an.

Even a virtuous person can be deceived in a skillful way!

Emperor Yongxing, like a cornered beast, suddenly leaped up from his throne, pointed at Xu Qi'an, and roared maniacally:

"Are you trying to force me to abdicate?"

"Xu Qi'an, I trusted you so much, relied on you so heavily, and even bestowed Lin'an upon you in marriage. Is this how you repay me?"

"Aren't you afraid that if this gets out, your reputation, Xu Yinluo, will be ruined overnight! History will not remember you for this, and you won't be infamous for eternity!"

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone an emperor.

"If I want to marry Lin'an, I will naturally do so; why do I need your decree?"

Xu Qi'an grabbed the spear from Yang Yan's hand, flicked his wrist, and with a "bang," the spear flew out, piercing the throne behind Emperor Yongxing, along with the hem of his robe.

Emperor Yongxing collapsed to the ground, his pupils dilated and his body trembling slightly.

In that instant, he felt an intense killing intent; the spear felt as if it had pierced his chest.

He really wants to kill me. A tremendous fear exploded in Emperor Yongxing's heart.

"Don't want!"

An uproar erupted inside the hall.

Prince Yu and his entourage were startled. One of the princes, heartbroken and furious, rebuked them with all his might:

"Xu Qi'an, the emperor of my Great Feng, it is not your place to decide when to depose or install emperors."

Do you even have eyes for the imperial court? Do you even have eyes for the royal family?

The princes and dukes were all ashen-faced, feeling deeply humiliated and resentful.

Utter disgrace!

In the six hundred years since the Great Feng Dynasty, no one has ever dared to be so audacious. Even the Imperial Censor has never been so domineering and arrogant, treating the royal family like ants.

The late emperor could kill him at will, and the new emperor could depose him at will. While the late emperor certainly deserved to die, it also demonstrated the weakness of the royal family and showed that Xu Qi'an did not take the Great Feng royal family seriously.

They were even seen as puppets to be manipulated at will.

This scene was a tremendous humiliation for the members of the imperial family present.

What face do they have left?

Xu Qi'an slowly walked to the throne, looked at Prince Yu and other members of the royal family, and said:

"Yuan Jing was a foolish and tyrannical ruler who betrayed his ancestors and the people. Therefore, I killed him."

"After Yuanjing's death, the Great Feng was in turmoil, plagued by severe droughts, and the Yunzhou rebels seized the opportunity to rise up. Yongxing was weak and cowardly, and in order to protect his own position, he ceded territory and sued for peace, even betraying his ancestors. Do you really think that such an incompetent ruler can support a court on the verge of collapse?"

"Emperor Gaozu endured countless hardships to establish this empire. Can you bear to watch it be destroyed by Yongxing?"

"Why are the officials in the palace willing to help me purge the court of corrupt officials? Why are the Wang faction and the Wei faction, who are sworn enemies, willing to put aside their differences at this moment? Why are the soldiers outside willing to risk their lives to force Yongxing to abdicate? You should ask yourselves who is right and who is wrong."

Who exactly betrayed their ancestors?

Prince Yu was slightly moved. The princes and dukes beside him opened their mouths, as if they wanted to refute, but could not find the right words.

Xu Qi'an then looked around at the officials, sweeping over those who supported Emperor Yongxing, and said in a deep voice:

"In the Battle of Qingzhou, tens of thousands of soldiers died on the battlefield, barely managing to defeat the elite forces of Yunzhou. Yet, you gentlemen, with a single document, have rendered all their efforts futile. You receive salaries from the imperial court, but are you even acting like human beings?"

"The national treasury is empty, and maintaining military spending and the operation of the court is already difficult. Yongxing, for the sake of immediate peace, has cut off its own path to survival. Instead of admonishing them, you gentlemen are happy to see it happen and are pushing for peace talks. Have all your Confucian classics gone to waste?"

"Ceding over Yuzhou, rich in iron ore, and Zhangzhou, abundant in grain, to supply the rebels in Yunzhou with food and iron, are you afraid the Great Feng won't perish soon enough? Yongxing is deceiving himself. Are you all just as useless as him?!"

The angry shouts echoed throughout the hall.

The copper and silver gongs who followed Xu Qi'an in his rebellion, along with the guards and soldiers, gripped their swords tightly, filled with righteous indignation.

Recently, rumors about the peace talks between the imperial court and Yunzhou have spread throughout the capital, and anyone with a sense of righteous indignation is indignant.

Since ancient times, people have cried out against injustice.

Now, the civil officials, like the imperial family members, were also filled with shame after being rebuked.

But the civil officials were skilled in verbal sparring, and some, disagreeing, whispered:

"But even the supervisor is dead, what can we do? At this point, there is no other way but to negotiate peace. Who else can withstand the extraordinary experts of Yunzhou?"

All eyes were on Xu Qi'an, waiting to see how he would respond.

It wasn't that they lacked backbone, but rather that the Great Feng was already in a precarious situation, and their choice was forced by circumstances to refuse to acknowledge Xu Qi'an's words.

"Then let me do it!"

Xu Qi'an's tone suddenly rose:

"Let the soldiers who fight on the front lines come, let the men who are willing to shed their blood for the Great Feng come. Whether the Great Feng rises or falls is up to us, not to you weak scholars who only know how to argue in the court."

He then looked at the armored soldiers present. "Gentlemen, are you willing to fight and die on the battlefield for the Central Plains and for the Great Feng?"

Inside the hall, the armored soldiers, wielding their weapons, responded with a thunderous roar:

"I am willing to die on the battlefield alongside Xu Yinluo!"

Xu Qi'an glanced around at the surrounding civil officials and sneered mockingly:

"If I, the Silver Gong, am killed in battle, and the Great Feng soldiers are routed, then it will not be too late for you to surrender."

No one spoke again.

At this moment, Xu Qi'an extended his hand, his tone calm:

"Come!"

Outside the hall, a beam of golden light swept in and delivered itself into Xu Qi'an's hands.

The Sword of National Protection!

It still chose Xu Qi'an at this moment. The royal family, nobles, and officials in the palace stared blankly at the sword of the founding emperor, a legendary weapon that had suppressed the fate of the nation for six hundred years.

Their eyes held surprise, helplessness, reflection, and also relief.

Three months later, following the fall of the late emperor, the Sword of National Protection once again chose Xu Qi'an.

A deathly silence fell over the hall; no one dared to utter a word of rebuttal or rebuke.

Huaiqing's expression was aloof, his hands folded over his lower abdomen, and he said calmly:

"Please remain inside the hall and await my summons."

She immediately looked at Xu Qi'an and nodded slightly.

Xu Qi'an bent down, picked up Emperor Yongxing, and walked out side by side with Huaiqing.

As he passed the Yunzhou delegation, he glanced at them casually.

Ji Yuan, Xu Yuanshuang, and Xu Yuanhuai all felt a chill run down their spines at the same time.

After Xu Qi'an and Huai Qing left the Golden Palace, Ji Yuan lowered his voice very much:

"Yuan, Yuan Huai, are you confident you can break through?"

Xu Yuanhuai looked at him as if he were an idiot:

"There are three fourth-rank officials inside the hall alone, and there must be more outside."

Despair gripped the hearts of everyone in the Yunzhou delegation.

"Damn it, this brainless brute! Wasn't Xu Qi'an supposed to be incredibly resourceful, repeatedly defeating the Imperial Advisor?!" Ji Yuan's eyes were bloodshot, and veins bulged on his forehead.

"Is he insane?!"

He believes that given the current situation in Great Feng, "compromising for the sake of the country" is a wise choice that a sage should make, and then gradually work towards finding a way to turn the tide.

Ji Yuan believed that Xu Qi'an possessed such wisdom, which gave him the confidence and assurance to enter the capital for negotiations and to swagger around as a victor.

But Xu Qi'an's current choice is completely inconsistent with his past actions.

He was as reckless as a complete brute.

Ji Yuan was afraid; a chill ran through him.

Xu Qi'an, who was courting death, would have no qualms whatsoever.

The Yunzhou mission is in grave danger!

Inside the Imperial Study.

Xu Qi'an tossed Emperor Yongxing onto the large chair, looked at his brother-in-law who was dumbfounded, and said calmly:

Do you need me to grind it for you?

Emperor Yongxing's face turned pale, and he said unwillingly:

"If you don't want me to sue for peace, I can change my mind. If you want the court to continue fighting, I can grant your wish. Xu Qi'an, I bestowed my sister upon you in marriage, yet you repay kindness with enmity."

"You repay kindness with enmity!!"

Finally, he roared.

"I gave you a chance." Xu Qi'an picked up a piece of ink and gently ground it:

"You married Lin'an to me only to win me over. If someone else had been promoted to the third rank, you would have given Lin'an to him anyway. Lin'an is the girl I love, yet you treat her as a tool to win people over. What favor is that?"

"Yongxing, your biggest mistake was sitting in this position."

"Lacking ability but greedy for power, the peace talks are just the beginning. If the subsequent war goes against you, you will continue to make more decisions that betray the country to save yourself. In the future, you will be remembered in history as a monarch who brought about the downfall of his country."

"I am forcing you to abdicate, both to protect myself and for the sake of the Great Feng dynasty."

He dipped the brush in ink and handed it to Yongxing:

That's all I have to say. Take care of yourself.

Xu Qi'an then looked at Huaiqing:

"There are still a few battles raging in the palace. I'll go and suppress them first. I'll leave this place to you."

Huaiqing nodded.

After watching Xu Qi'an leave, she instructed the armored soldiers guarding outside:

"Go and invite Prince Li here, and also invite the princes and dukes in the palace."

Several armored soldiers obeyed and left.

Before long, several silver-clad guards and a dozen armored soldiers with swords escorted the princes and dukes into a side hall next to the imperial study.

King Li is old and did not attend court today; he arrived late.

Leaning on his cane, Prince Li crossed the threshold, his slightly cloudy eyes sweeping over the room.

Wearing a plain white dress, Huaiqing sat in the main seat, while Prince Yu and other princes, as well as the Prince of the Second Rank, sat in the guest seats, their expressions somewhat restrained, a stark contrast to Huaiqing leisurely sipping tea.

"Uncle, please have a seat."

Huaiqing gestured for him to sit in the second seat, next to her.

Prince Li, leaning on his cane, walked over unhurriedly and sat down beside Huaiqing. He turned his head to look at this unassuming junior and slowly said:

Tell me what happened.

Surprisingly, the old prince, who was known for his strong temper, remained remarkably calm.

Huaiqing laughed:

"The bigger the matter, the calmer Uncle remained. So Huaiqing spoke his mind."

He immediately gave a brief explanation of the situation.

"Force Yongxing to abdicate." King Li sighed.

"I am old and have no heart for power struggles. The Great Feng come to this point, and I can no longer figure out who is right and who is wrong. I know you invited everyone here because you do not want bloodshed."

"Just tell me straight, who do you want to install as your successor?"

All the princes and dukes present turned their gazes toward Prince Yan.

Prince Yan was born to the Empress Dowager, the true legitimate son, and also Huaiqing's elder brother. Huaiqing and Xu Qi'an joined forces to rebel, and it was impossible for them to help others.

They were determined to help their elder brother ascend to the throne.

They would have no objection if this prince ascended the throne, but Emperor Yongxing's decision to betray his ancestors and acknowledge the Yunzhou lineage as the legitimate one offended everyone in the royal family.

They would never risk their lives to protect Emperor Yongxing's throne.

Prince Yan's face flushed instantly as he heard his own heart pounding wildly in his chest, his blood boiling.

I couldn't help but recall the history of Zhou that Huaiqing had shown him—waiting for the right opportunity!

He knew that this day had finally come.

"Huaiqing, well done!"

Prince Yan took a deep breath, stood up and walked towards his younger sister, making a gesture as if to place his hand on her shoulder to show his appreciation.

Huaiqing raised his head, glanced at him coldly, and said:

"Fourth Brother, you are not qualified to sit on the throne."

She turned to look at King Li, then swept her gaze over the princes and kings present, and said, word by word:

"I wish to become Empress!"

P. S.: Updated first, revised later.