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

After Emperor Nanqi fell asleep, Nangong Wu sent him into her spatial dimension.

"What do you need me to do?" Bei Chenyan asked her.

"No need, Eileen and Aiqi are enough." Nangong Wu glanced at the bedchamber. "The dialysis will take more than two hours, let's go do something else first."

"I understand!" Bei Chenyan nodded.

"Yu'er." Nangong Wu squatted down and said to the three children, "Mother and Father have things to attend to. You all go back to your space and practice your calligraphy, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy, we'll be very good."

All three children nodded in agreement.

"Good children." Nangong Wu kissed the three children on the cheeks and sent them into the space.

She stood up and said, "Let's go check on those death row inmates first."

"Alright, I'll have someone arrange it immediately." Bei Chenyan went to open the door to the bedroom.

Zhang Qing, Li Shuang, Li Ke, and several other guards were standing guard at the outer door of the sleeping quarters. When they saw them come out, they came up to greet them.

"Your Highness! The Medicine King and the Prince Jing came by just now. When they heard that you had ordered that no one was allowed to see His Majesty, the Medicine King went back first. As for the Prince Jing..." Zhang Qing paused here.

"Ignore him." Bei Chenyan raised his hand. "We have to go out for a bit. If anyone else comes to see Father, just say this."

"Understood, Your subordinate." Zhang Qing bowed and stepped aside.

Bei Chenyan suddenly shouted, "Where is Commander Deng?"

"Your Majesty, I am here!" The commander of the Imperial Guards stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and saluted. "Please give your orders, Your Highness."

"Your Majesty is unwell and needs rest! No one is allowed to enter and disturb you without my permission. Anyone who dares to trespass will be punished for treason," Bei Chenyan ordered.

"Your Highness, please rest assured, I will guard Yikun Palace well and ensure that no one disturbs Your Majesty's rest." Commander Deng solemnly accepted the order.

After news of His Majesty's critical illness spread, the political landscape shifted dramatically, with several factions secretly plotting their moves.

Prince Jing's supporters even submitted a memorial, jointly impeaching Bei Chenyan for being a crown prince but spending several years idly in the martial world and ignoring court affairs. They said he was immoral and unworthy of being crown prince, and demanded that His Majesty depose him from his position as crown prince.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince returned in time, and His Majesty immediately issued an edict appointing him as regent, with the Privy Council assisting him in managing all government affairs.

The crown prince stood in the court assembly with the imperial edict in hand and dismissed the ministers who had jointly submitted a memorial requesting his removal.

"Hmm." Bei Chenyan nodded, stepped out, and called to his guards, "Wei Yang, Cao Li, prepare the horses."

"Yes!" Wei Yang and Cao Li went down to prepare the horses.

"Let's go!" Bei Chenyan led Nangong Wu toward the palace gate.

As the two were walking, a eunuch hurried towards them, saying, "Your Highness, please wait."

Bei Chenyan frowned upon seeing the eunuch. "Eunuch Chu, what brings you here?"

Eunuch Chu bowed and relayed Empress Wan's decree, "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress wishes to see you. Please also invite this divine physician to come along."

Nangong Wu recalled Empress Wan's arrogant demeanor, and a feeling of displeasure welled up in her heart.

Bei Chenyan turned to her and said, "Then let's go to Luanfeng Palace to pay our respects to the Empress Dowager!"

Nangong Wu didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

She had a premonition that Empress Wan's invitation to go there was definitely not a good thing.

Bei Chenyan turned and walked down another road.

The two arrived at Luanfeng Palace, where the palace servants greeted them.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

A middle-aged palace maid came out from the main hall to greet him, "Your Highness, please come in. Her Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Thank you for your trouble, Aunt Min!" Bei Chenyan stepped into the main hall.

Nangong Wu followed him around a huge screen with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, and saw about ten people sitting in the vast palace.

Empress Wan was still dressed in a magnificent phoenix robe, wearing a phoenix crown, and her face was covered with exquisite makeup. She looked very young and sat in the main seat. Shi Peiqiong stood next to her, and several concubines and princesses sat in the lower seats.

But Shi Peiqiong, who was kicked so hard by Bei Chenyan last night, is standing here perfectly fine today? She's really resilient!

And she didn't seem to learn her lesson, her gaze still fixed on Bei Chenyan.

Bei Chenyan stepped forward slowly, bowed, and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

"This humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty the Empress!" Nangong Wu clasped her hands and performed a traditional Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world) salute.

"The Crown Prince has arrived!" Empress Wan looked at her son and nodded in satisfaction. Her gaze then shifted to Nangong Wu, and her expression turned cold.

She really disliked people with such江湖 (jianghu) habits.

"Rise, all of you! Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Mother!" Bei Chenyan stood up.

Shi Peiqiong stepped forward with small steps, curtsied to him, and said, "Qiong'er greets her cousin, the Crown Prince."

Bei Chenyan ignored her and said to Empress Wan, "Mother, I will not sit down. My father is unwell and I need to accompany Physician Huo to find medicine for him."

"Crown Prince!" Empress Wan's voice was authoritative. "The Medicine King is a universally acknowledged divine physician, and the medicine from Medicine King Valley is the best. Even he says that your father is beyond medical help. Are you sure this divine physician, who is only in his early twenties, can cure your father's illness?"

"Replying to Mother Empress," Bei Chenyan's voice also turned serious, "No matter what, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, your son will not give up searching for medicine for Father Emperor. Your son believes that Father Emperor is blessed with good fortune and there is still hope for him."

"Crown Prince, are you anxious now? If it weren't for your recklessness, you would have been gone for years without a trace. Your father, the Emperor, was busy with state affairs day and night, and had to worry about you, his unfilial son, which is why his health was ruined." Empress Wan's face was full of displeasure.

Nangong Wu was speechless. Was this Empress Wan stupid?

Emperor Nanqi was clearly poisoned, but Empress Wan blamed it on her own son. If this got out, people who didn't know the truth would think that Emperor Nanqi fell ill because of the Crown Prince.

What good would it do for Bei Chenyan to be branded as unfilial and disrespectful?

Bei Chenyan's gaze also turned cold, but he did not argue with Empress Wan. "Mother, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

"What? You're leaving after I've said a few words to you?" Empress Wan knew that this was just her son's nature; she couldn't tolerate a single word from him.

Bei Chenyan pursed his lips and remained silent.

"I summoned you here to discuss your marriage to Peiqiong," Empress Wan said, her tone softening slightly.

"You're already twenty-six this year, and the youngest, the Sixth Prince, is eighteen and already has children. If you don't get married soon, do you want your father to leave this world in peace?"

"Mother, be careful what you say!" Bei Chenyan's voice suddenly rose. "I will not let anything happen to Father."

After he finished speaking, he took Nangong Wu's hand and started to walk away. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped. "Also, I will not marry a woman like Shi Peiqiong. Mother, you don't need to worry about that."