Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

After giving his final instructions, Zhu Qizhen closed his eyes wearily, his breathing becoming increasingly weak.

Gu Yannian stood quietly by the bed for a moment.

Seeing that the emperor had fallen into a deep sleep, he quietly turned around and left the East Warm Pavilion.

Pushing open the palace door, a gust of autumn wind carrying fallen leaves rushed towards me.

Gu Yannian stood on the white marble steps, looking up at the gloomy sky.

He knew that Zhu Qizhen wanted to pass the throne to Zhu Qiyu smoothly.

This was nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of this calculating emperor.

The struggle for imperial power has never been about being thrifty or managing finances effectively.

Before the throne, there is only desire and killing.

Zhu Qiyu was thousands of miles away at the border of Datong.

Meanwhile, within the capital, several ambitious princes and their brothers, each with their own ambitions, were lurking, eyeing the dragon throne with covetous intent.

A bloody power struggle has quietly begun in this desolate late autumn.

Night falls, south of the capital city, at the Prince Xin's residence.

Prince Xin, Zhu Qijun, was the half-brother of Zhu Qizhen and the third son of Emperor Xuande.

There was no such person as Prince Xin in history; it was only because Gu Yannian plucked the strings of history that the timeline subtly changed.

Zhu Zhanji lived many years longer, and therefore had more than two sons, Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu.

Zhu Qijun was naturally unruly and possessed considerable martial prowess.

I've secretly cursed Zhu Qizhen's accounting-based governance style countless times over the past few years.

The secret chamber of Prince Xin's mansion was dimly lit at this moment.

Several heavily armored military officers, along with several richly dressed members of the imperial family, were sitting around a long table in a secret room.

The atmosphere was heavy yet filled with an undisguised excitement.

"Your Highness, there's definite news from the palace. The Emperor hasn't been able to even drink water for the past two days. The Imperial Hospital has prepared ginseng to keep him alive, but he probably won't make it past the end of the month!"

A spy planted in the palace reported in a low voice.

Prince Xin, Zhu Qijun, sat at the head of the table, holding a white jade wine cup in his hand, his eyes flashing with a wild light of greed and ambition.

"Great! Heaven is on my side!"

Zhu Qijun downed the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp and slammed the glass down on the table.

He glanced around at the crowd and sneered:

"The emperor prided himself on being shrewd and stingy with money his whole life, but he ruined his health and didn't even leave behind any offspring."

"It's time for the Ming Dynasty to change its way of life!"

An elderly prince from the imperial clan beside him stroked his beard, his brows furrowed, and said with concern.

"Your Highness, although the Emperor has no heir, Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, is the rightful heir to the throne. Moreover, the Emperor has always valued Prince Cheng and will surely leave a will bequeathing the throne to him."

"Zhu Qiyu?"

Zhu Qijun spat out a contemptuous remark.

"That idiot who's digging mud with an iron shovel in the Nine Garrisons? If he becomes emperor, the lives of us princes and nobles will probably be even harder than they are now!"

"That brat is more ruthless than the Emperor when he investigates accounts and kills people at the border. If he gets into the capital, how can we possibly keep the income from our fiefdoms?!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the royal family members and military generals in the secret chamber all changed slightly, deeply agreeing with it.

They have been suffocating under the pressure of Zhu Qizhen's schemes for the past few years.

The stipends from their fiefdoms were repeatedly withheld, and any slight transgression would result in the confiscation of their property by the Imperial Guards.

They desperately need a new ruler who is kind and generous, so that everyone can live a good life.

"Your Highness is right! We absolutely cannot let that little devil Zhu Qiyu ascend the throne!"

A military officer from the Beijing Garrison slammed his fist on the table and stood up, gritting his teeth.

"We must strike first!"

Zhu Qijun stood up, placed his hands on the table, and looked at Zhu Qijun with a cold gaze.

"Zhu Qiyu is far away in Datong. Even if he receives the news of his death, it will take him more than half a month to rush back to the capital. This is our opportunity!"

He walked up to the military officer in charge of the Beijing garrison and gave him instructions in a low voice.

"General Chen, tomorrow you must immediately contact those former subordinates in the Beijing garrison who are dissatisfied with the reduced pay. I will offer 300,000 taels of silver as a reward for the uprising!"

"The moment the death knell tolls for the Emperor, you shall immediately lead your troops to take control of the nine gates and seal off the capital!"

A ruthless determination flashed in Zhu Qijun's eyes.

"All we need to do is bribe the eunuchs in the palace to destroy the edict that passed the throne to Zhu Qiyu and replace it with my name! Once I sit on that dragon throne, the deed will be done."

"Even if Zhu Qiyu leads his troops to the gates of the capital, he will only be charged with treason!"

The crowd was filled with excitement, as if they could already see the glory and wealth that awaited them after the mission was accomplished.

"We are willing to die for Your Highness! Let us join in this grand undertaking!"

Inside the secret chamber, the traitors raised their wine bowls, drank them down in one gulp, and smashed the bowls as a pledge.

A meticulously planned palace coup is about to unleash its deadly fangs as the ailing emperor takes his last breath.

However, they did not know.

In this seemingly impregnable capital city.

No mouse's movement could escape the eyes that looked down upon all living beings from above.

The following morning, the Grand Secretary was on duty.

The floor heating inside the house remained warm and cozy.

Gu Yannian sat upright behind his desk, flipping through a copy of "Zizhi Tongjian" in his hand.

[Ding! Today's attendance complete. Attribute point gained +1.]

"Prime Minister."

Zhao Si bowed deeply, his tone filled with a suppressed chill.

"Last night, a private gathering took place in the Prince Xin's residence. Prince Xin, Zhu Qijun, the Capital Garrison Commander Chen Dayuan, and several princes of the imperial clan were present."

"They plotted to seal off the nine gates, forge an imperial edict, and seize power on the day the emperor passed away."

Zhao Si raised his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"I have the list in full. Should we immediately dispatch the Imperial Guards to wipe out these traitors?"

Gu Yannian turned a page of the book, making an extremely faint rustling sound.

He picked up the hot tea on the table, took a slow sip, and looked serene.

"To capture them all?"

Gu Yannian put down his teacup, a playful smile appearing on his lips.

"If we arrest them, wouldn't this Ming Dynasty stage lose a lot of its charm?"

Zhao Si was taken aback, his face full of confusion.

"Does Your Excellency mean to let them rebel?"

Gu Yannian stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open a crack.

The cold autumn wind, carrying fallen leaves, blew into the house.

"The Prince of Xin and his ilk are nothing but clowns driven to desperation by the harsh accounts of the past few years. They think they can control the world by sealing off the nine gates; they are utterly foolish."

Gu Yannian gently waved his folding fan, his deep gaze fixed on the direction of Datong.

"His Highness Prince Cheng has spent four years surveying the land at the border. Although he has honed his skills, his imperial mind and decisiveness in killing still lack a true baptism of fire."

"If he wants to secure his position on the throne and keep the powerful princes and arrogant generals in check, the late emperor's edict alone is not enough."

Gu Yannian turned around, looked at Zhao Si, and gave a chilling order.

"Pass down the order: the Embroidered Uniform Guard shall secretly withdraw its surveillance of the Prince Xin's residence. As for the Beijing Garrison, if Chen Dayuan wants to mobilize troops, let him do so. Along the way, no checkpoints are allowed to obstruct any weapons or letters being sent to the Prince Xin's residence."

Zhao Si gasped in shock. The Prime Minister was about to unleash a ferocious beast himself!

"At the same time, the most elite imperial guards were dispatched to travel day and night, making an urgent journey of eight hundred li to the General's Mansion in Datong."

Gu Yannian's voice gradually became low and cold.

"Tell the Prince of Cheng that something has happened in the capital; the Prince of Xin is plotting a rebellion. Tell him to bring back the Datong cavalry, which he personally surveyed..."

"Suppress the rebellion!"

Zhao Si was deeply shaken.

He instantly understood the Grand Secretary's terrifying scheme.

Prime Minister Gu is using Prince Xin's rebellion to pave a blood-stained path to the throne for Prince Cheng!

Let the Prince of Cheng lead the border army back to the capital.

With the might of suppressing the rebellion, all the restless forces in the court were completely crushed!

"Your subordinate obeys! I will carry it out immediately!"

With deep reverence, Zhao Si bowed and withdrew.

Silence returned to the duty room.

Gu Yannian sat back down at his desk and picked up the copy of "Zizhi Tongjian".

He turned the yellowed pages that recorded the usurpations, power grabs, and massacres of dynasties throughout history.

It's like flipping through a play script that you already know by heart.

"If there is no bloodshed in the succession of this empire, how can the new emperor sit securely on the dragon throne?"

He spoke softly and picked up his teacup.

The tea was slightly cool, yet it carried a somber and bitter taste.

This late autumn of the fifteenth year of the Zhengtong reign was destined to end tragically amidst a bloody storm that swept across the Ming Dynasty.