After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Although they had some vague suspicions in their hearts, the ministers were still shocked and their hearts sank when they heard these words from a prince of Liang.

I've been locked up in this unknown, godforsaken place for who knows how many days, completely unaware of what's happening outside.

With His Highness Prince Xin missing, the city must be under martial law, and the Emperor on the throne must be taking swift and decisive action.

Although everyone felt resentful, they also felt that their lives were not in danger.

Even if the Northern Dynasty were to take action, they would not kill them all silently without any attempt to persuade them to surrender.

Even if someone rebelled, they would likely be detained until August 29th to prevent Prince Xin from ascending the throne, thus allowing the emperor to change the heir apparent.

However, as soon as the King of Wu said these words, a chill ran down the spines of the ministers and straight to the top of their heads!

rebel?

The King of Qi? The King of Qi actually rebelled?!

The ministers' faces turned deathly pale.

Prince Xin's ascension to the throne was basically unsupported by the vassal kings, and the imperial clan had long held reservations about this woman's succession.

It is possible that the King of Qi took a risk and prevented the King of Xin from ascending the throne.

However... King Qi, King Qi actually dared to rebel directly?

Could it be that the emperor, in his grief and indignation, met with some misfortune? Has he already passed away?

The thought sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"Is what Your Highness said true?!" Chen Yuezhi asked in a trembling voice.

Overwhelmed with grief, the King of Wu nodded and said, "My brother, the King of Qi, has seized control of the palace guards and the royal palace... I am being blackmailed by traitors planted in the King of Wu's residence by my brother... They say, they say..."

"The Emperor is about to pass away... Prince Xin's whereabouts are unknown... The Northern Dynasty is eyeing us covetously. At this critical juncture, choosing a young successor is absolutely unacceptable... According to the patriarchal system, the Emperor's lineage has already ended... To protect the safety of Daliang and the Zhu family ancestral temple... they asked me... whether I would be willing to persuade Prince Qi to ascend the throne?"

"You bastard! You dog!"

An elderly, white-haired official with bristling hair and beard pounded on the railing and roared.

"His heart is despicable! His heart is despicable! As a prince, how dare he overthrow the state at this time! And yet he claims to protect the safety of the Great Liang and the Zhu family ancestral temple... Zhu Ensong is the culprit who overthrows the Great Liang!"

The old minister, his face flushed red, launched into a tirade of abuse!

The young man, who had lost his left eye, grinned maliciously, stepped forward, and thrust his scabbard towards the old minister's chest!

"Bang!"

Even though the other party was using a scabbard, the old minister was hit in the chest and immediately felt a pain in his chest. He cried out "Ouch!" a few times and staggered back several steps before falling to the ground.

"Old Qiu!"

"Lord Qiu!"

The prison officials on the left were shocked and rushed forward to support the nearly seventy-year-old minister. The old minister clutched his chest, his expression contorted in pain. The impact must have broken several of his ribs.

The crowd glared at the one-eyed young man with hatred, shouting, "You audacious scoundrel! How dare you treat a loyal subject of the Great Liang like this!"

The young man sneered and retreated back behind the King of Wu.

The King of Wu's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly asked Minister Qiu how things were.

The old minister surnamed Qiu had once served as the Vice Minister of Rites, so the King of Wu still used the old title of Vice Minister.

Although Old Qiu looked pained, he continued to curse King Qi incessantly.

The courtiers admired Qiu Lao's loyalty and righteousness, and while they outwardly expressed their anger, they were inwardly filled with unease.

If the crown prince is changed, our future will only be bleak. However, if the Prince of Qi usurps the throne, we, as ministers of the Prince of Xin... will likely face certain death!

Everyone looked around in fear.

"stand up."

The young man casually kicked the King of Wu.

"Get inside."

The young man kicked the King of Wu. Although the courtiers were uneasy, seeing the King of Wu being humiliated like this, they instinctively flew into a rage and shouted:

"Who is your name, you scoundrel? How dare you injure an old minister of my Great Liang, and even more so, dare to humiliate a prince of my Great Liang!"

The scar on the young man's left eye twitched, and his remaining eye coldly stared at the crowd:

"I am Xing Kaiyang. Remember this: when you get to the underworld, go and complain to your little emperor while you're chanting my name."

Xing Kaiyang ignored the pale-faced crowd who were cursing incessantly.

He grabbed the King of Wu by the collar and pushed him into the prison cell.

"You treacherous dog!" King Wu roared. "If I ever live, I will avenge the humiliation you have caused my loyal subjects of Great Liang!"

Upon hearing King Wu's words, everyone's eyes welled up with tears, feeling that this wise king of Liang was truly a man of unwavering integrity and unquestionable loyalty.

He refused to submit a petition to the King of Qi urging him to ascend the throne, and was imprisoned here by the traitors. Yet he did not lose his pride, preferring death to aiding and abetting the wicked. He even showed compassion to us loyal ministers. He truly deserves to be called a descendant of the founding emperor!

In an instant, the sounds of gratitude and angry curses against the thieves rose to a new level, echoing throughout the entire cell.

"Bang!"

Xing Kaiyang hooked his foot and closed the prison door in the inner room.

The noise outside has subsided a bit.

He leaned back, holding the knife, and silently rested against the door.

The oil lamp in the inner room flickered.

There were two prison cells on each side, holding about seven or eight female officials and maids.

At the end of the corridor is a window.

The wooden windows have been boarded up.

Only a few gaps revealed a patch of greenery outside, as if the place were nestled within a dense forest.

The wind howled and rushed in.

Several oil lamps placed around the inner room flickered in all directions.

The shadow of the King of Wu.

The shadow of the Kitchen God.

It moves on the floor as the lights move.

The two dark shadows sometimes lengthened and sometimes shortened.

Sometimes their shadows overlap, and sometimes they are very far apart.

The Kitchen God is dressed in black, and the glaze on his mask appears bright red and bloody.

He said calmly, "Greetings, Your Highness, King Wu."

The King of Wu gave a cold laugh but did not reply.

The woman behind the iron fence, wearing a bright red open-fronted jacket with dragon patterns, frowned slightly.

The door to the inner room was not closed just now.

She heard the noise outside, and while she was startled, many questions arose in her mind... How could this be? The Prince of Qi actually dared to rebel?

Wearing a beaded curtain on his head and a veil over his face, despite the turmoil raging in his heart, his almond-shaped eyes remained calm and composed, displaying the unwavering demeanor of a crown prince who would remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.

The Kitchen God turned his head and calmly said to the woman, "Your Highness Prince Xin, now that we have welcomed your esteemed uncle, it seems that the fate of your dynasty is about to change."

Prince Xin said, "This traitor of the Heavenly Principle Sect, please do not underestimate the Emperor of Great Liang."

The Kitchen God neither agreed nor disagreed, but raised his hand slightly.

Xing Kaiyang stepped forward and handed the long knife to the other party.

"Clang!"

The Kitchen God drew his sword.

The inner room was cold and chilly.

"Your Highness, I have given you a chance, but Your Highness did not accept my request. Therefore, I have no choice but to ask your dynasty to change its emperor."

Prince Xin sneered, "Daring to change the emperor, you truly are a fine commoner!"

King Wu was initially overjoyed to see King Xin there, but when he saw the thief draw his sword, seemingly intending to assassinate King Xin in prison, he was terrified.

"You treacherous dog! His Highness Prince Xin is the Crown Prince of our Great Liang! How dare you murder the Emperor?!"

The King of Wu, his face flushed, stepped forward and roared angrily.

The Kitchen God's gaze was deep and unsettling.

"Your Highness, I have no choice but to accept your life. If I do not lend you my head, the officials of the Eastern Palace will be uneasy, the officials of the Great Liang will be uneasy, and the new emperor will not be able to sit securely in the court."

Click.

Xing Kaiyang took out the key and opened the iron door of the cell.

The unpleasant sound of the door opening rang out.

The iron gate creaked and slowly opened outwards.

The ladies-in-waiting in the inner chamber were all greatly alarmed.

They pounded on the iron gate, cursing and crying, wishing they could take their place.

The two maids beside the woman also looked tense and stood up to protect her.

The Kitchen God drew his knife.

Thump, thump, thump, slowly walking into the cell.

The King of Wu's eyes widened in astonishment, his face filled with disbelief.

He cursed and shouted, "You scoundrel! How dare you!" while trying to rush into the cell.

Xing Kaiyang sneered, grabbed his collar, and pressed him to the ground.

The King of Wu was bound by ropes, and could only shout and struggle, his eyes wide with rage, but he could not move an inch.

……

If they try to harm you, just tear off your veil and reveal your true identity. Don't worry about ruining my plans. Well, it would be your death that would ruin my plans... The woman with the beaded veil sighed inwardly, as the voice of a woman in green echoed in her mind.

The woman was watching someone else draw her eyebrows while speaking to her coldly... "I'm not afraid of messing up your plans..." she thought to herself, secretly annoyed.

That's what she thought, but she also longed to see that terrifying Kitchen God mask actually step into the prison and raise a knife at her, and the two maids trembling with fear.

She removed the beaded curtain and tore off her veil, revealing a fair-skinned, stunningly beautiful face, yet filled with murderous intent. Her voice, clear and bright as ever, sneered as she spoke:

"You scoundrels! Do you think you can capture me, the Crown Prince of Liang, with your pathetic tricks?!"

The Kitchen God paused, his knife momentarily still.

The King of Wu, who was pinned to the ground, stopped cursing, his pupils contracted, and he suddenly looked up.

……

……

The lights are bright.

Zhu Cuiwei took a silent breath and gently placed the book in her hand on the desk.

After a long while.

He stood up from a sandalwood chair.

The stone chamber was not large. She got up, paced a few steps, and took a piece of golden soft armor from a wooden shelf.

I unfolded it and touched it.

There was originally a small hole in this soft armor, which was stabbed by the thief when the young doctor was attacked. It has now been repaired.

It was thanks to this soft armor that the young doctor's life was saved.

Unfortunately, the young doctor was not wearing this soft armor when he was attacked this time.

She sent someone back to the Ning residence that morning to retrieve the soft armor.

He opened a cloth bag, put the soft armor inside, and tied the bag around his waist, thinking that when the young doctor returned, he would have to carefully instruct him never to take off this life-saving item again.

He paced a few more steps and took a long sword from another wooden shelf.

"Clang!"

The sword is drawn.

A cold glint flashed inside the stone chamber.

She glanced at her reflection through the blade of the sword. Since learning of the young doctor's disappearance last night, she hadn't slept a wink, and she did look rather haggard.

This longsword is named Shishui, and it was left behind by the young and untimely Prince Consort Shangguan.

Unparalleled in sharpness.

She hung the Flowing Water Sword at her waist.

Then he patiently wrapped leather armor around his forearms.

She was wearing soft armor underneath her green clothes, so there was no need to worry.

All dressed.

She inhaled and slowly exhaled, her bright eyes showing a few lingering bloodshot veins, and her already thin oval face looked even thinner.

Turn around and slowly walk to a slightly recessed stone wall.

He reached out his fair right hand and pressed it against the stone wall.

With a gentle touch.

The stone wall, like a door, was slowly pushed open by her.

Bright light streamed in, and she squinted slightly. After a couple of breaths, she stepped out of the stone chamber.

In front of it was a rosewood desk, on which were scattered several piles of documents, several inkstones, and a row of short writing brushes.

Behind the rosewood desk sat an elderly woman with white hair. The old woman looked up at her with a slightly surprised expression. After a while, she seemed to understand something and sighed softly.

Qian Sijin was kneeling in front of the table, begging for forgiveness, when he heard the noise behind him. He turned around and his expression immediately turned to one of astonishment.

The elderly woman with silver hair, Yan Yuqing, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, said with a complicated expression:

"Your Majesty, it's not time yet."

Zhu Cuiwei shook her head: "The situation is already decided. Now that they've made their move, they can't turn the tables."

She slightly raised her chin, her cold eyes piercing like spears at the Jinyiwei commander who tried to dissuade her.

"I'm leaving the capital to you," she said. "I'm going out of the city."