How can you rule the world if I'm just a substitute for you?

The voice just fell.

Lin Xuan stepped forward and kicked out hard, causing Lin Fu to stumble and nearly fall to the ground.

"Is this never going to end? You've framed me time and time again!"

Lin Fu was somewhat stunned by the sudden kick.

He never expected that Lin Xuan would dare to kick him openly in front of his father and all the civil and military officials.

Moreover, the former crown prince had been indulging in wine and women for many years, and his body had long been hollowed out and he was extremely weak.

He had practiced martial arts since childhood and was physically strong, yet he was still caught off guard by a sneak attack.

Lin Fu instantly flew into a rage, stood up abruptly, clenched his fists tightly, his eyes bloodshot, and glared fiercely at Lin Xuan. He was already truly enraged and was about to step forward to attack.

Lin Xuan's heart tightened upon seeing this.

In his previous life, he was a top-notch special forces soldier with unparalleled combat skills.

But now his body is too weak to defeat Lin Fu, who has practiced martial arts for many years.

If a real fight breaks out, I will undoubtedly lose.

He immediately changed his strategy, directly sticking his head forward with a look of resignation.

"Come on, hit me, hit me all you want!"

"Having failed to frame me, they now intend to publicly beat the Crown Prince."

He deliberately glanced at Emperor Qian beside him out of the corner of his eye, his tone tinged with grievance.

"Anyway, I have no one to back me up now, and I'm all alone. You might as well just kill me today, go ahead and do it."

Emperor Qian instantly understood the meaning behind Lin Xuan's words, his face turned cold, and he sternly rebuked him:

"Third Prince! What do you think you're doing? You dare to attack the Crown Prince in public?"

Lin Fu was stunned and completely taken aback.

In every previous argument, the Emperor would always reprimand the Crown Prince and side with himself.

Why did he publicly rebuke him today?

He was unwilling, but dared not truly disobey the emperor's will. He could only glare fiercely at Lin Xuan, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Just wait and see how arrogant you can be!

He forcibly suppressed his anger and bowed to Emperor Qian.

"Father, please forgive me. I was worried about the safety of the Crown Prince and lost my composure, which is why I lost my composure."

He changed the subject, insisting again, his tone urgent:

"But this person is definitely a substitute! Your Majesty, I have one last method that can easily distinguish the real from the fake. I beg Your Majesty's permission!"

Emperor Qian waved his hand impatiently: "No need."

We've been investigating step by step since last night.

They sealed off the East Palace, searched the sleeping quarters, investigated the dungeons, and dug three feet into the ground to excavate the entire palace.

All searches yielded nothing.

Even if he wanted to depose the heir apparent, he couldn't let Lin Fu continue to press him and completely humiliate the Crown Prince.

Emperor Qian's expression was indifferent as he spoke again: "This matter ends here and should not be mentioned again."

Lin Fu became extremely anxious and stepped forward, pleading earnestly:

"Father! My method is foolproof and will surely distinguish the true from the false! I humbly request Your Majesty's permission!"

Emperor Qian's face turned completely cold, and he rebuked in a chilling voice:

"Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

Seeing that Emperor Qian was truly enraged, Lin Fu's heart sank.

He knew that if he persisted in arguing, he would only get himself into trouble and be punished by his father.

Just as Lin Fu was about to grit his teeth and give up.

A deep and authoritative voice rang out.

"Your Majesty, I humbly beg you to allow the Third Prince to give it a try!"

"This matter concerns the authenticity of the Crown Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, and the stability of the nation. Your Majesty, please consider this carefully!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man with broad shoulders and a powerful build, wearing a military general's robe and exuding a majestic and imposing aura, strode into the East Palace Hall.

Upon seeing this, all the officials bowed and clasped their hands in respect.

"Greetings, Duke Zhenguo!"

Lin Xuan looked up and instantly figured out who it was.

This man is named Qin Lie, the Duke of Zhenguo of the current dynasty, and is the maternal uncle of the third prince, Lin Fu.

Qin Lie had a distinguished military record and enjoyed high prestige within the army.

Previously, the number one soldier in the army was the Marquis of Zhenbei. After the Marquis of Zhenbei died on the battlefield, Qin Lie became the undisputed number one soldier in the Daqian army.

He held half of the nation's military power, and in the capital region alone, he commanded 100,000 of the 200,000-strong guard army.

He wielded immense military power and held sway over the entire court.

With his uncle personally backing him up, Lin Fu, who was almost giving up, instantly had a renewed spark in his eyes.

Duke Qin Lie stepped forward and bowed to Emperor Qian.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is the foundation of the nation, and cannot be treated carelessly in the slightest."

"The Third Prince's words are reasonable. With just one try, we can dispel all doubts in the court and the public and stabilize people's hearts. Please grant His Majesty's request."

Emperor Qian's expression changed several times as he weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

On one side is the Duke of Zhenguo, who holds a large army, and on the other side is the Crown Prince, whose personality has changed drastically despite his inability to find any flaws.

Finally, Emperor Qian slowly spoke and solemnly agreed: "Granted. We will do as the Third Prince says and test its truth."

Lin Fu was overjoyed and immediately looked up at Lin Xuan, his eyes full of confidence.

Seeing this, Lin Xuan immediately sneered, looked up and stared directly at Qin Lie, his tone sarcastic and unabashed.

"The Duke of Zhenguo has quite the air of authority."

"Even the Emperor has not yet made a decision, yet the Duke has already forced His Majesty to comply with your wishes."

"Now that Father Emperor is still alive, you dare to publicly pressure the Emperor."

"If Father Emperor passes away one day, who in this Great Qian Dynasty will be able to restrain the Duke of Zhenguo? Who will dare to discipline the Duke?"

These words were direct and sharp, reaching Emperor Qian's ears without missing a single one.

Emperor Qian felt a sudden jolt, and an intense sense of crisis arose within him.

In fact, he had already secretly planned to depose the eccentric Crown Prince Lin Xuan and replace him with the steady and sensible Third Prince Lin Fu.

It was precisely to pave the way for Lin Fu that he gradually indulged and elevated the military power and court influence of Duke Qin Lie, allowing Qin Lie to assist the new crown prince in consolidating the country.

But Lin Xuan's words directly woke him up.

As long as he lives, he can still suppress Qin Lie.

But once he passes away, will the young Lin Fu really be able to suppress Qin Lie, who wields immense power and controls half of the military?

If Qin Lie harbors disloyal intentions, amasses his own military power, and plots to usurp the throne, the entire Great Qian Dynasty will be plunged into catastrophe!

Emperor Qian's eyes flickered slightly as he looked meaningfully at Lin Xuan in front of him.

At that moment, he completely changed his mind.

He was originally determined to depose the crown prince and support Lin Fu to take the throne.

But now, he wants to keep Lin Xuan here.

Even if the heir apparent is still to be deposed, they should still use Lin Xuan to severely suppress and weaken the power of Duke Qin Lie.

At the same time, keeping Lin Xuan around will create obstacles for Lin Fu and hone Lin Fu's character and methods.

We cannot allow Lin Fu to become completely dependent on the Qin family, ultimately being completely coerced by them and becoming their puppet.

The art of imperial rule, the balance of power and checks and balances, can be formed in the blink of an eye.

Upon hearing this, Duke Qin Lie immediately stepped forward and replied with a respectful but not arrogant gesture.

"Your Highness's words are surprising. His Majesty is the supreme ruler, and no one in the world dares to coerce him."

"All my military power and titles are bestowed upon me by Your Majesty. If Your Majesty is unwilling, you may take back all the power in my hands at any time, and I will have no complaints whatsoever."

Lin Xuan clicked his tongue and sighed inwardly.

See? That's what you call shrewd and calculating.

As expected, experience matters.

Lin Fu, who was standing to the side, was too lazy to argue any further and immediately spoke up about the final method of verification.

"Father, my method is a blood test to determine kinship!"

"If the person before me is the true Crown Prince, his blood will surely mix with my father's. If he is a substitute, the two bloodlines will be distinct and will never merge!"

Lin Xuan secretly curled his lip, feeling speechless.

What era are we living in? How dare you use such an outdated method as irrefutable evidence?

Without hesitation, Emperor Qian waved his hand and instructed his personal eunuch.

"Li Fuquan, bring me some clean water and silver needles."

Chief eunuch Li Fuquan bowed and accepted the order. He quickly brought over a basin of clean water and stepped forward with two silver needles in his hand.

Emperor Qian extended his finger first, and a silver needle gently pricked his fingertip, causing a drop of blood to fall into the clear water.

Then the silver needle was handed to Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan calmly reached out, and his fingertip was pricked, and a drop of blood slowly dripped into the water.

Everyone in the room stared intently at the basin of water.

A moment later, the two drops of blood floated on the surface of the water, not mixing at all, clearly separated.

Upon seeing this, Lin Fu was overjoyed and pointed at the basin of water, shouting excitedly.

"Father! Look! The two bloodlines don't mix! This person has no royal blood at all; he's definitely a fake crown prince!"

Emperor Qian looked at Lin Xuan with a deep gaze, and the pressure around him instantly decreased.

The officials were in an uproar, all convinced that Lin Xuan was the imposter.

But Lin Xuan showed no panic, only nonchalance, and turned to look at the chief eunuch Li Fuquan, who was bowing and standing beside him:

"Chief Steward Li, I have a question for you."

"You serve His Majesty every day, living deep within the palace; must you be feeling quite cooped up?"

"Have you secretly fathered any illegitimate children outside? Have you secretly fathered any offspring without the Emperor's knowledge?"