This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

A divine dragon soared into the sky, with Li Daoxuan and the other two standing atop its head, and flew towards the capital.

The members of the marriage alliance looked at each other in bewilderment.

The princess has left, how can we arrange a marriage alliance now?

The guards leading the team had no choice but to lead them back, their hearts already filled with despair.

With the princess kidnapped, how could these guards possibly survive?

However, if he were to flee, his family members left in Kyoto would surely die, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go back to report.

At this moment, all the civil and military officials, as well as all members of the imperial family, were present in the main hall of the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

Even the Prince of Jin has arrived.

No one dared to disobey Li Daoxuan's parting words.

The power of immortals has long transcended worldly imperial authority.

This is not cowardice, but a life instinct.

That kind of soul-piercing intimidation is incomparable to ordinary life-or-death threats.

The emperor sat on his throne in the center of the hall, staring straight ahead, seemingly lost in thought.

The Crown Prince stood at the head of the table, his hands hanging down, his lips pressed tightly together, and a fine bead of sweat on his forehead.

The Prince of Jin tucked his hands into his sleeves and closed his eyes to rest.

Besides the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin, the Emperor's other three sons also arrived.

After learning the background of today's gathering, the three princes, who originally had no chance of ascending the throne, couldn't help but feel a little more hopeful.

At this moment, none of the high-ranking officials paid any attention to the emperor; each was preoccupied with their own thoughts, trying to curry favor with the immortal and his disciple, Wang Yangming.

Because in their view, it was only a matter of time before the emperor stepped down.

The immortal had said long ago that someone else should sit in it.

As for who should sit next...

This issue is practically on the table now.

Looking back on Wang Yangming's past after arriving in the capital, the only person he was ever close to was Prince Jin.

Not only that, Princess Ping'an almost became Wang Yangming's wife.

The reason why Wang Yangming disobeyed the emperor and broke with him was also because of this lucky princess.

Given the relationship between Princess Ping'an and Prince Jin, it's almost a no-brainer who will ultimately sit on the throne.

"Aww..."

As the iconic dragon roar resounded, everyone in the hall couldn't help but tremble.

On the throne, the emperor's lifeless eyes suddenly brightened, then quickly dimmed again.

The Prince of Jin slowly opened his eyes and turned to look at the doorway.

The remaining civil and military officials also turned around. Without any greeting or leadership, they all knelt and kowtowed in unison, shouting:

"Welcome, esteemed immortal..."

Seeing this scene, the emperor on the throne gave a silent, bitter smile.

What is the supreme ruler, what is the so-called ...

Li Daoxuan led Wang Yangming and Jiang Ping'an in. He frowned subconsciously when he saw the civil and military officials and members of the royal family kneeling on the ground.

He didn't like this feeling, and Li Daoxuan never thought of subduing people by force. But things had come to this point, and only force could make a difference.

"Get up, everyone."

Li Daoxuan said calmly.

"Thank you, Immortal..."

Hearing these perfectly synchronized slogans, Li Daoxuan even suspected that these people had rehearsed beforehand.

He was too lazy to waste words with these people and went straight to the point:

"Emperor of the Great Zhao Dynasty, do you have anything else to say?"

The emperor smiled faintly, rose and walked down from the high platform, step by step approaching Li Daoxuan.

"Our Great Zhao has been blessed by Heaven, as an immortal has descended to interfere in the affairs of the court."

"Things have come to this point, I have nothing more to say."

"I just wanted to make a bet with the immortal..."

Li Daoxuan smiled slightly and said:

"What are we betting on?"

The emperor raised his finger and pointed at Wang Yangming.

"Anyone in this hall could say what he said, but I'll bet you that no matter who sits on that throne, even if it's you, the disciple of the Three Excellence and the First in Righteousness, you will eventually become the very thing he despises."

"Because...that's human nature..."

Li Daoxuan nodded and did not refute.

"You're right, that's human nature..."

"Everything in the world is in a cycle. After this incident, perhaps the next monarch will remember this lesson, constantly reflect on himself, and strive to govern well."

"But after the second and third generations, things might turn out as you said."

"This is a cycle, a law, and even if I intervene, it will not change."

The emperor looked astonished.

Unexpectedly, Li Daoxuan agreed with what he said.

Li Daoxuan didn't look at him, but instead focused his gaze on the golden throne in the center of the hall.

"But so what?"

"What dynasty in this world lasts forever?"

"If you give in to corruption because you know you will be corrupted by power, you are just making excuses for your own corruption."

"What the future holds is a matter for the future; what we need to do now is to identify problems and correct them."

"The Great Zhao has many problems, and you, the ruler, are the source of these problems."

"To cure a serious illness, one must take strong medicine. Only by eliminating the root cause can the other symptoms be gradually resolved."

Li Daoxuan turned to look at Wang Yangming, his eyes gentle and smiling.

"Furthermore, I have faith in my disciples."

These words shocked everyone present.

Throughout history, no one has ever made usurpation so natural and confident.

It was these words that completely broke the emperor's defenses.

"Do you think that by overthrowing me, this empire will be yours?"

"After news of what happened today spreads, loyal and righteous men from all directions will raise the banner of righteousness and cavalry to serve the emperor."

"The princes and dukes of my Jiang royal family, who have been enfeoffed in various places, will surely stand up against your illegitimate and tyrannical act."

"At that time, the world will be in chaos, and the number of dead will be far more than ten million."

"How could you possibly stop this catastrophe by yourself?"

Wang Yangming's expression changed slightly; he had also thought of this.

If local officials were to learn that the emperor had been forced to abdicate, they would likely no longer obey the court's orders, regardless of whether it was out of loyalty or personal motives.

The civil and military officials in the hall began to whisper among themselves; this problem was indeed difficult to solve.

Seeing this, Li Daoxuan smiled, then looked at the princes standing at the very front of all the court officials and said:

"The royal family of the Great Zhao Dynasty is surnamed Jiang, and that will not change."

"You've been in power for over twenty years; it's long past time for you to step down and hand over the reins to a more capable person."

"Your own son will succeed you to the throne, and your Jiang family will still be the legitimate royal family, which is reasonable and legal."

"Are you sure that the vassal kings and generals across the land would offend me, an... immortal, because of you, the now-unimportant former emperor, even though the throne has not yet fallen to the other side?"

The emperor was startled and subconsciously looked at Wang Yangming.

He had always thought that Li Daoxuan would let his disciple inherit the throne.

Unexpectedly, when Li Daoxuan mentioned replacing someone, he meant replacing someone from the Jiang family.

The emperor gave a bitter smile and said nothing more, only weakly stating:

"If that's the case, then grant me three feet of white silk as a final act of decency..."