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

Gu Yannian ignored Zhu Qijun's surprised and uncertain gaze.

He walked straight to the dragon bed, glanced at Zhu Qizhen who was covered with yellow silk, and sighed softly.

"His Majesty has lived a frugal life, and in the end, even the threshold of the Qianqing Palace has been worn down by people. I'm afraid this debt will be attributed to the Ministry of Revenue again."

Gu Yannian shook his head, turned around, and his deep gaze finally fell on Zhu Qijun.

"Your Highness, have you brought so many people to the palace to offer condolences? But the rules for offering condolences seem a bit off."

"Instead of wearing mourning clothes, they're dressed in armor with mountain patterns. Could it be that they intend to go to the underworld to expand the territory for the late emperor?"

Gu Yannian spoke casually, but his words were laced with undisguised sarcasm.

Zhu Qijun's face flushed red from the sting of his words. He forcibly suppressed his fear and transformed it into a desperate madness.

"Gu Yannian! Stop playing tricks on me!"

Zhu Qijun gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and shouted sternly.

"I know you wield immense power, and all officials fear you. But today, the nine gates are sealed, the capital garrison is in your hands, and I am the one who calls the shots within the Forbidden City!"

"If you are wise, then draft an edict of accession for me. If you are willing to submit, I promise you that the position of Grand Secretary will never be changed, and I will also bestow upon you ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand acres of fertile land!"

In Zhu Qijun's view, Gu Yannian was nothing more than a civil official.

No matter how powerful someone is, they're still afraid of the steel blade at their neck.

If you offer him a large reward, this old fox will surely assess the situation and side with you.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yannian couldn't help but chuckle softly.

The laughter sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet, warm room.

"Ten thousand taels of gold? Thousands of acres of fertile land?"

Gu Yannian opened his folding fan as if he had heard some huge joke.

He walked slowly to the desk beside him, leisurely rolled up his sleeves, picked up a piece of fine Huizhou ink, and began to gently grind it on the Duan inkstone.

"Your Highness, you've been living in your fiefdom for years, so you probably don't know the prices in the capital of the Ming Dynasty. When the late Emperor was alive, he would point his finger at the Vice Minister of Works and berate him for an hour just to save a few hundred taels of silver in transportation costs."

"You're something else, you can just casually mention ten thousand taels of gold."

While grinding ink, Gu Yannian said without looking up, "Your Highness, do you know that ten thousand taels of gold is equivalent to one hundred thousand taels of silver? This amount of money is enough to feed the border troops of Datong for half a year."

"You've used the life-saving money of Ming soldiers to buy an imperial edict from me. Do you think I've made a profit or a loss in this deal?"

Zhu Qijun was taken aback by the question, and became somewhat embarrassed and angry.

"I possess the wealth of the entire world. Once I ascend the throne, all the silver in the imperial granary will be mine! What is a little reward to you?"

"wrong."

Gu Yannian stopped grinding the ink.

He raised his head, and a chilling pressure instantly erupted from his once gentle eyes.

"The silver in Taicang is the blood and sweat of the people of the Ming Dynasty, the swords and spears of the soldiers on the front lines, and the bricks and stones used to build the dikes. It is not your private money for squandering and enjoyment."

Gu Yannian tossed the inkstone in his hand onto the table with a crisp sound.

"Prince Xin, you can't even do basic accounting, yet you dream of ruling this kingdom?"

Zhu Qijun was intimidated by Gu Yannian's imposing manner and unconsciously took a step back.

He immediately realized that he held considerable military power, so why should he be afraid of an old man!

"Gu Yannian! You're asking for it!"

Zhu Qijun completely abandoned all pretense of civility, raising his long sword and pointing it at Gu Yannian.

"Since you refuse to write, I'll kill you first, then write it myself! Chen Dayuan, seize him!"

Chen Dayuan gritted his teeth, mustered his courage, and charged forward with his knife in hand.

At this critical moment.

"Report!!!"

A piercing and heart-wrenching scream echoed from outside the Qianqing Palace, instantly shattering the tense atmosphere within.

A rebel captain, covered in blood, scrambled through the gate and collapsed at Zhu Qijun's feet.

His helmet was nowhere to be found, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were filled with undisguised fear.

"Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! Outside the city...outside the city..."

The captain was panting heavily, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows.

"What's the panic! Explain yourself! What's happening outside the city?!"

Zhu Qijun's heart sank suddenly. He grabbed the captain by the collar and demanded an explanation.

"Cavalry... cavalry everywhere! They're all border troops from Datong!"

The captain screamed in agony.

"They...they arrived outside the capital city without warning, and directly blasted open Desheng Gate with cannons!"

"They've already stormed into the city and are heading straight for the imperial capital! Our men... they can't stop them at all!"

"What?!"

Zhu Qijun felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he froze on the spot, his long sword falling to the ground with a clang.

The cavalry of Datong?

How is that possible!

The journey from Datong to the capital was a full three hundred li, with several checkpoints and beacon towers along the way.

Even if an army had wings, it would be impossible for them to appear at the gates of the capital without anyone noticing!

unless……

Zhu Qijun turned his head sharply and stared intently at Gu Yannian, who was standing behind the desk, slowly wiping the ink stains off his fingers with a silk handkerchief.

"It was you...it was you who did this?!"

Zhu Qijun's voice trembled, his eyes filled with disbelief and despair.

Gu Yannian threw the silk handkerchief into the wastepaper basket, opened his folding fan, and a cool smile appeared on his lips.

"Your Highness, what makes you say that? I am merely a civil official who only knows how to do accounting; how could I possibly mobilize troops on the border?"

Gu Yannian walked slowly toward Zhu Qijun, and with each step he took, the invisible pressure intensified.

"However, Your Highness just said that the late emperor had pushed all the officials too hard, causing the people's hearts to turn against you. Then I will calculate the score for Your Highness in terms of the people's hearts."

Gu Yannian stopped in front of Zhu Qijun, his tone calm, yet every word was piercing.

"The late emperor was stingy, but that was because he stingy with the money from you corrupt officials and princes. Every penny of the silver in the imperial granary was distributed to the soldiers on the nine borders."

"His Highness Prince Cheng spent four years surveying land in Datong, reclaiming rations for those low-ranking military households. Just imagine, if someone in the capital were to rebel and cut off their hard-earned military pay..."

"Will those 30,000 Datong cavalry rush back tonight and chop you, this traitor, into mincemeat?"

Zhu Qijun's face turned ashen, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

He finally understood.

This was not a premeditated power grab or coup attempt.

From beginning to end, this was a deadly trap set for him by this seemingly mild-mannered civil official!

Gu Yannian deliberately allowed him to rebel, and even deliberately extinguished the beacon towers along the way.

This was so that the Prince of Cheng could lead his border army back to the capital with a legitimate reason.

Use the blood of the Prince of Xin's faction to sacrifice for the new emperor's throne!

"...You old bastard..."

Zhu Qijun muttered to himself in despair.

The rebels outside the palace also heard the thunderous sound of horses' hooves.

The sound was like rolling thunder, and even the floor tiles of the Qianqing Palace trembled slightly.

This was the terrifying momentum of the elite cavalry charging from the Nine Borders, something these pampered soldiers in the capital could never withstand.