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

Upon hearing this, the officials who were still standing in the hall all knelt down.

"Your Highness..." Prime Minister Xi couldn't help but look at Bei Chenyan, his eyes filled with worry.

Bei Chenyan shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't need to rush.

Empress Wan, dressed in a phoenix robe and wearing a phoenix crown, entered the main hall with the help of a palace maid.

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Bei Chenyan's lips.

I wonder if the Empress Dowager knows about the Wan family's underground palace.

To protect the parasites of the Wan family, she's even willing to cripple her son! If he's truly crippled, the Wan family might rebel on their own, seize the Beichen clan's throne and declare themselves emperors, or they might install a puppet crown prince to continue controlling the court.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects! May you live a thousand years!"

The shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" from civil and military officials resounded throughout the entire hall.

Empress Wan looked at Bei Chenyan standing there, her eyes filled with the same resentment as that of the Grand Tutor Wan.

Bei Chenyan remained composed, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

"The Crown Prince has been very arrogant lately, and he no longer regards me, his birth mother. He is unworthy of being called 'Mother' by you." Empress Wan looked at him coldly, as if he were a stranger.

"Mother, what makes you say that?" Bei Chenyan stood up, his voice also cold.

"Hmph!" Empress Wan snorted coldly, flicked her sleeves, and turned around.

This son has already become estranged from her and the Wan family; there's no need to keep him.

"Your Majesty, you've finally arrived! The Crown Prince is capricious and has imprisoned His Majesty, plotting a rebellion. If you hadn't come, the empire would have been doomed!" The Grand Tutor Wan cried and pleaded.

"Father-in-law, do you treat this imperial court as a stage for your Wan family's performances?" Bei Chenyan's tone was more authoritative than ever before.

"Mother, the late Emperor decreed that the women of the inner palace must not interfere in state affairs. This is the court assembly, a place for civil and military officials to discuss state matters. You should not be here!"

"Crown Prince!" Empress Wan suddenly raised her voice, her nail-painted fingers almost poking his nose: "Your father is seriously ill. If I were to step forward to preside over the court again, the Beichen Clan's empire would be destroyed in your hands sooner or later."

"Is that so? Ha!" Bei Chenyan sneered and asked, "I wonder how Mother intends to manage this?"

"Bei Chenyan, as the Crown Prince, you are immoral and unfilial, unworthy of the Eastern Palace!" Empress Wan said sternly. "Eunuch Wu, immediately issue the imperial decree!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." A eunuch following behind hurriedly stepped forward, stood in front of the officials, and opened a scroll of imperial edict from his robes.

When Bei Chenyan saw the imperial edict, anger rose from the bottom of his heart.

The eunuch Wu read aloud the imperial edict: "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

Crown Prince Bei Chenyan, having received the mandate of Heaven, should have upheld the principles of filial piety and brotherly love, diligently governed, and cared for the people. However, his nature is perverse, he is unworthy of benevolence and filial piety, he violates human ethics, and he has appointed treacherous officials, causing disappointment in the court and the public, making him unsuitable to inherit the throne. Therefore, he is hereby deposed as Crown Prince, and this is hereby announced to the world…”

"Unknown for his benevolence and filial piety, defying human ethics, how can he possibly inherit the throne? Hahaha!" Bei Chenyan laughed upon hearing these words:

"Mother, how dare you forge an imperial edict and falsely convey the emperor's will in order to depose me?"

"Bei Chenyan, how dare you! You actually question me! This is a secret decree His Majesty left for me before you returned to the palace, to prevent you from suffering this fate." Empress Wan allowed him no room for doubt or explanation.

"Bei Chenyan, His Majesty has appointed you as Crown Prince, entrusted you with important responsibilities, and placed high hopes on you. Yet you have shown no respect or caution, but have secretly colluded with villains and plotted treason!"

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Xi's face turned red with anger, and he couldn't help but retort, "Your Majesty, this is slander!"

"His Majesty has arrived!" Eunuch Yu's voice suddenly rang out.

"What... Your Majesty..." Empress Wan's face turned deathly pale, her expression one of disbelief.

She knelt outside the Yikun Palace for a day and a night, but the emperor did not summon her, nor did anyone come to deliver imperial meals to His Majesty.

The people she secretly arranged to keep an eye on Yikun Palace also discovered that no one had been bringing the emperor any meals in the past few days, and Eunuch Yu was also resting in his room, with no one coming or going.

Even Eunuch Yu was no longer serving the emperor, so they assumed the emperor was dead, since only the dead don't eat or need to be served.

But they didn't know that Bei Chenyan did this on purpose, to give everyone the illusion that the emperor was dead.

The sound caused a stir in the hall, and the courtiers looked at each other in bewilderment.

"It's His Majesty... His Majesty is still alive..."

The Wan family father and son, along with all of their cronies, had faces as grim as Empress Wan's, even more so than a dead man's. Their legs buckled and they knelt down.

"It's over!"

At the entrance of the main hall, Emperor Nanqi was carried in on a palanquin by several imperial guards, with Eunuch Yu accompanying him closely.

Nangong Wu followed behind the palanquin, her face still covered by the fake skin mask of the divine physician.

When Empress Wan saw the living Emperor of Southern Qi sitting on the palanquin, she swayed and was supported by the palace servants beside her to prevent her from falling.

The eunuch who had just proclaimed the imperial decree was so startled that his hand trembled and the decree fell from his grasp. He hurriedly tried to pick it up, but Bei Chenyan stepped on his hand.

"What are you afraid of?" A cold voice rang in my ears.

"This servant dares not..." The eunuch was so frightened that he banged his forehead on the ground.

Zhang Qing walked over and picked up the "imperial edict".

Besides Bei Chenyan, everyone else in the main hall, including the Prince Jing who was in a wheelchair, knelt down.

The once noisy hall fell completely silent.

The imperial guards carried Emperor Nanqi onto the imperial platform and set down his palanquin.

"Your Majesty, please sit on the dragon throne." Commander Deng and Eunuch Yu tried to help him sit on the dragon throne.

"No need, I'll sit here." Emperor Nanqi shook his head.

The wound is still very painful, and I don't want to move around too much.

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

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

The deafening shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" from civil and military officials echoed throughout the hall for a long time.

On the imperial platform, the Southern Qi Emperor looked down at the kneeling officials below, his face as cold and indifferent.

In the past, after the ministers shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times during court sessions, the Emperor would immediately follow up with "All ministers, rise!" But today the Emperor remained silent for a long time, and the ministers had no choice but to continue kneeling there.

The ministers who just impeached Bei Chenyan don't even dare to raise their heads now.

The emperor's silence was like an invisible mountain pressing down on them, making it hard for them to breathe, and their hearts were in their throats.

After a while, Emperor Nanqi finally spoke, his voice deep: "When I was still far from the main hall, I could hear the voices of my ministers discussing things. It was quite lively. Why are you all silent now?"

Or is it that my sudden arrival at court has prevented you from performing your duties?

The ministers were greatly alarmed.

"Your Majesty, we are terrified!"

"Fearful?" Emperor Nanqi's gaze shifted to Empress Wan. "Empress, why are you here?"

Empress Wan forced herself to raise her head, forcing a weak smile at the Emperor. "Your Majesty... I was worried about you..."