Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

After a bout of mourning, Lin Ruofu suddenly sat up straight and wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve.

He stood up, walked behind Li Chengze who was still "crying," and bowed deeply.

"Your Highness, please accept my condolences!"

Although Lin Ruofu's voice was old, it was exceptionally loud, echoing across the empty ruins and instantly drowning out the cries of the other ministers.

Everyone stopped crying and looked at the prime minister in astonishment.

Li Chengze also stopped crying. He slowly turned his head, his eyes red-rimmed, and looked at Lin Ruofu, asking in a hoarse voice, "Prime Minister Lin, my father... my father was killed by the traitors from Northern Qi and Dongyi City while protecting Nanqing! My heart... my heart is breaking!"

Lin Ruofu, with a solemn expression, declared loudly, "Your Majesty is wise and mighty. To protect the people of the capital and the fate of the Southern Qing, you risked your life, the supreme ruler, to fight to the death against a Grandmaster of the enemy nation, ultimately perishing together with him. Your Majesty's heroic sacrifice is awe-inspiring and truly embodies the spirit of Southern Qing!"

Lin Ruofu first set an extremely lofty tone for the death of Emperor Qing, completely confirming the "truth" fabricated by Li Chengze.

Then, he changed the subject, his tone becoming extremely heavy and urgent.

"However, Your Highness! Now that His Majesty has passed away, although Ku He of Northern Qi and Si Gu Jian of Dongyi City are dead, neither country will let this go easily. Our Southern Qing is facing internal and external troubles, and is on the verge of life and death!"

Lin Ruofu stepped forward, staring intently at Li Chengze.

"A nation cannot be without a ruler for even a day! His Highness the Crown Prince is currently incapable of shouldering the great responsibility, and the capital is leaderless. Only Your Highness, of noble birth, is wise and decisive, and possesses an invincible cavalry to protect the capital. For the sake of the Southern Qing dynasty and the common people, this old minister humbly begs Your Highness to prioritize the greater good, inherit the throne, and ascend the throne!"

Lin Ruofu's words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploding in the ears of all the ministers.

The ministers were taken aback at first, but then quickly realized what was happening.

Lin Xiang is supporting a new emperor!

At this time, His Majesty died, and whoever had the army became the emperor.

The Second Prince wielded that terrifying white-armored cavalry, slaughtering the Imperial Guards like dogs; who dared to utter a word of dissent?

Moreover, Prime Minister Lin has already paved the way so well.

Your Majesty is a hero, and the Second Prince was appointed to the position in a time of crisis, which is perfectly legitimate!

"This old minister seconds it!" The Minister of War was the first to react, scrambling to Lin Ruofu's side and kowtowing heavily. "I humbly request Your Highness to ascend the throne and take charge of the overall situation!"

"We second that request! We humbly request Your Highness to ascend the throne!"

"We implore Your Highness to ascend the throne and save Southern Qing from this dire situation!"

In an instant, all the ministers on the ruins, both civil and military, knelt down and kowtowed frantically to Li Chengze, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

They weren't fools; they knew this was their only chance to survive and their only chance to preserve their wealth and status.

Looking at the ministers kneeling all over the ground, and at Lin Ruofu who led the way in supporting him, a hint of a smile flashed deep in Li Chengze's eyes.

At that moment, Lin Ruofu also raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze meeting Li Chengze's. The two exchanged a glance, everything understood without a word.

With the support of the officials, Li Chengze was no longer a usurper, but a savior appointed in a time of crisis.

However, a play must be performed in its entirety.

Li Chengze suddenly stood up, took several steps back, and showed an extremely shocked and frightened expression on his face.

"No! Absolutely not!" Li Chengze waved his hands repeatedly and shouted, "My father's body is barely cold, how can I speak of the throne at this time? Moreover, I am only a prince; there is a crown prince and an elder brother above me. The throne should rightfully be inherited by the crown prince or the elder brother. My lords, you are putting me in an unjust position!"

"Your Highness! You are mistaken!" Lin Ruofu crawled forward on his knees and cried out, "The capital is in chaos, and enemy states are eyeing us covetously. The Crown Prince is incapable; if he were to ascend the throne, the Southern Qing dynasty would be in jeopardy. Moreover, the First Prince's status is a hindrance; he is absolutely unfit to inherit the throne! The other princes are still young, and Your Highness, you command a large army and are a formidable force, truly the chosen one! If you refuse, you will disregard the lives of millions of Southern Qing's people and betray His Majesty's painstaking efforts to protect the country!"

In order to push Li Chengze to the throne, Lin Ruofu went all out, directly pointing out Li Chengqian's lack of ability and the problem of his status as the eldest prince.

He has truly given his all.

"Yes, Your Highness! For the sake of all the people, please do your best to inherit the throne!" the ministers shouted in unison once again.

Li Chengze closed his eyes, his face showing extreme pain and struggle.

He remained silent for a long time, letting the wind and rain lash his face.

The entire inner courtyard was silent except for the pleas of the courtiers.

Finally, Li Chengze slowly opened his eyes.

The grief and fear in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a majestic and domineering aura.

He looked at Lin Ruofu, then at the kneeling officials, and slowly sighed.

"My heart is breaking at the loss of my father. I wanted to follow him in death, but... Prime Minister Lin is absolutely right. The Southern Qing dynasty cannot be without a ruler for even a day. The people of the world cannot be without protection for even a day."

Li Chengze's voice became deep and powerful, and every word clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"Since you gentlemen have so earnestly requested this, in order to preserve the legacy my father defended with his life, and for the sake of the eternal prosperity of my Southern Qing dynasty, I... will temporarily assume the role of ruler of this land, vowing to annihilate the enemy and comfort my father's spirit in heaven!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruofu smiled, then slammed his head heavily into the muddy water, shouting with all his might:

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The courtiers followed closely behind, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

On the outer perimeter, tens of thousands of Snow Dragon Riders knelt on one knee once more, slamming their lances on the ground and letting out a deafening roar:

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The roar broke through the wind and rain, soaring straight into the sky.

Li Chengze stood on the ruins, beside Emperor Qing's corpse, receiving the homage of officials and the army.

He slightly raised his chin, looking at the dark night sky.

He's gone that far!

…………

The darkness before dawn shrouded the official road leading to Kyoto.

Thirty thousand Snow Dragon Riders moved silently along the muddy road, resembling a giant white steel dragon.

Apart from the uniform sound of horses' hooves and the occasional clanging of armor plates, the entire army made no other noise. This extreme discipline was more oppressive and suffocating than any deafening battle cry.

In the center of the procession were a dozen or so hastily arranged carriages. Inside the carriages sat the accompanying officials.

Li Chengze did not ride in a carriage.

He rode a pure white warhorse at the very front of the procession.

Yuan Tiangang was half a horse length behind him.

"Your Highness, the south gate of Kyoto is just ahead," Yuan Tiangang said in a low voice.

Li Chengze raised his head, looking at the massive city wall that was faintly visible in the night in the distance, his eyes deep and calm.

"General, do you think this throne is easy to sit on?"

P.S.: I compared the combat power of *Snow Sword* and *Sky Walker*, and *Sky Walker*'s combat power is slightly lower than *Snow Sword*'s. Since I want to write about both worlds, if I finish *Snow Sword* and then write *Sky Walker*, without lowering the combat power, it would basically be a one-sided affair, and there wouldn't be much to see. Therefore, I plan to write *Sky Walker* first, and then *Snow Sword*. I hope everyone will support me! (Some people say *Snow Sword* has more female characters, but *Sky Walker* also has quite a few beauties.)