With a warehouse full of supplies, I stood alone as king in this chaotic world, gun in hand.

In the Zichen Hall, all the civil and military officials stood solemnly on both sides according to their rank.

A quarter of an hour had passed since the start of court, but the dragon throne on the jade steps remained empty; Emperor Mingde had yet to arrive.

In the past, if His Majesty was unwell or something delayed him, he would first send Eunuch Hu to deliver a message. But today, His Majesty did not send any decree.

The ministers exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts pounding as they looked at the hall, which was much emptier than the day before.

Yesterday, Nangong Xun launched a rebellion in broad daylight, forcing the emperor to abdicate. Surprisingly, more than a dozen high-ranking officials in the court were members of Prince Rui's faction. Emperor Mingde ordered that all the rebels be executed along with their entire families.

Although the families of the rebels had been secretly sent out of the city and were not captured in time, nearly 30,000 people still died, and more than 1,000 of the imperial army died.

In just over a month, the Western Yan Kingdom seemed to be bewitched, with bloodshed sweeping through the court and the country. Misfortunes frequently occurred in the homes of court officials, and Emperor Mingde displayed unprecedented ruthlessness. Nearly 50,000 people were killed, equivalent to the casualties of a major war.

So many corrupt officials were killed that people died almost every day, and truckloads of corpses were hauled out of the city. Large numbers of people were also exiled.

Although those people deserved it, it still caused widespread panic in Kyoto.

The court officials were also living in fear.

They all had connections among themselves, and even formed marriage alliances to consolidate their positions in the court. If the Minister of War suddenly became a rebel, they might all be implicated if Emperor Mingde investigated.

The prime minister stood at the head of all the officials, looking at the empty dragon throne, his eyes filled with worry.

Last night, he received a secret letter from the palace informing him that the emperor was unwell and that Huo Jing would be in charge of the court assembly.

Now, we're just waiting for Huo Jing to arrive.

A moment later, the sound of wheels rolling and grinding on the ground came from the entrance of the main hall. Although it was not loud, it was particularly clear in the quiet hall.

The ministers turned around and saw that it was Huo Jing who had arrived, sitting in a wheelchair and being pushed into the main hall by Li Cheng.

"Why is he here?"

"His leg is broken, and he still comes to court?"

The courtiers began to whisper and murmur among themselves.

Huo Jing kept his eyes straight ahead until Li Cheng pushed him to the front of the imperial steps.

Nangong Yi and Nangong Heng stepped forward and bowed to him.

"Uncle Wang, you've arrived!"

After Huo Jing inherited the title of Prince of Zhenyuan, they started calling him Uncle. He commanded 300,000 Zhenyuan troops, and even princes had to show him respect.

"Your Highnesses need not stand on ceremony." Huo Jing nodded slightly to them before turning to the Prime Minister.

"Prime Minister, this is the imperial edict His Majesty issued to me yesterday. Please read it aloud." Huo Jing said, handing the edict to him.

An imperial edict from Emperor Mingde? The Prime Minister asked in confusion.

He stepped forward, took the imperial edict, slowly opened it, and read aloud:

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Huo Jing shall continue to serve as Prince Zhenyuan; Nangong Wu shall be restored to her title of Princess Runing; and Nangong Yu shall remain as Heir Apparent. My health is failing; therefore, from tomorrow onwards, Huo Jing shall oversee the state, assisted by Nangong Wu, Nangong Yi, and the Prime Minister…"

The Prime Minister was also shocked when he read this. Emperor Mingde had actually appointed Huo Jing to oversee the country, which meant that Huo Jing's condition must be very serious.

A commotion erupted in the main hall.

The court officials were also shocked and discussed the matter extensively.

"His Majesty is unwell, so he has appointed the Prince of Zhenyuan to oversee the state?"

"His Majesty was perfectly fine yesterday, how could he suddenly fall ill?"

Looking at the imperial edict in the Prime Minister's hand, Nangong Yi's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible shadow, and his hands under his long sleeves clenched into fists.

After finally getting rid of Nangong Xun and bringing down the Ruiwang Party, he is now considered the eldest son of the Emperor. According to ancestral rules, he is the future heir to the throne. Shouldn't he be in charge of such an important task as overseeing the country?

His gaze drifted almost imperceptibly to an imperial censor, wanting to know the emperor's situation before speaking.

The imperial censor immediately stepped forward and asked, "May I ask, Prince Zhenyuan, His Majesty only said that his health is not good, but did the imperial physician say what illness he has?"

Huo Jing looked at him coldly, "Your Majesty, His Majesty is unwell. Does he have to be suffering from some serious illness?"

The fact that His Majesty has been poisoned must not be revealed. Otherwise, the court will be thrown into turmoil again, and the maternal families of the princes will fight tooth and nail for the dragon throne.

Upon hearing this, the imperial censor became even more suspicious that Emperor Mingde's illness was suspicious.

"Your Majesty, although the rebel army attempted to force the emperor to abdicate yesterday, His Majesty's mental state is still good."

Yesterday afternoon, when we left the palace, His Majesty was perfectly fine and we didn't notice anything amiss. How could he suddenly appoint the Prince of Zhenyuan as regent after only one night?"

Even if Emperor Mingde was truly angered, he wouldn't have gone so far as to appoint an outsider to oversee the country.

Upon hearing his words, many ministers cast puzzled glances at him.

"Prince Zhenyuan, what illness has His Majesty contracted? Why was he suddenly appointed to oversee the country?" a minister asked.

"My lords! Please calm down!" The Prime Minister raised the imperial edict in his hand.

"Such a major event happened yesterday, and His Majesty was unable to bear it. He suddenly fainted in the Imperial Study yesterday evening. The Imperial Physician said that he needs to rest and recuperate for a few days and is unable to handle state affairs, so the Prince of Zhenyuan has been temporarily put in charge of the country."

"The Prime Minister is right."

Half of the courtiers nodded in understanding.

His own son and his own mother betrayed him, causing the deaths of so many people, and he himself almost lost his life. No one could bear such a thing!

"Since His Majesty is unwell, we should go and visit him," suggested one of the courtiers of the Li King's faction.

These court officials were all astute and realized that something must have happened to Emperor Mingde.

Otherwise, given Emperor Mingde's shrewdness, how could he possibly entrust a country to Huo Jing as regent?

The prime minister immediately retorted, "His Majesty is unwell, and the imperial physicians have advised him to rest and recuperate. If we were to visit him, wouldn't we be disturbing His Majesty?"

Huo Jing looked at the censor with a cold gaze.

It seems that many people were dissatisfied with Emperor Mingde's decision to appoint him as regent!

"The Prime Minister is right. His Majesty is unwell, so we should not disturb him," a courtier agreed.

"Gentlemen!" Huo Jing declared, "Those with matters to report, speak forth; those without, court is adjourned!"

The hall fell silent.

The ministers looked at each other and shook their heads.

Many people were dissatisfied with Huo Jing's appointment as regent, but since he had Emperor Mingde's imperial edict, they had no choice but to accept it, no matter how unwilling they were.

Huo Jing glanced at the officials in the hall, taking in the discontent in some of their eyes, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Since there is no merit, let the court adjourn! King Li, King Mu, and Prime Minister, please stay."

The courtiers bowed to him and withdrew from the hall.

"Your Highnesses, Your Excellency the Prime Minister, let's go to the Imperial Study!" Huo Jing said to them, then had Gao Cheng push him away.

Nangong Yi wanted to ask about Emperor Mingde's situation, but seeing Huo Jing's expression, he had no intention of talking about it, so he had no choice but to follow.