If you die, you die too.

Just after the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the palace gates opened wide. As the court bell rang, the civil and military officials who had been waiting in line outside the Taihe Hall entered the court in an orderly manner, performed the curtsy, and stood in their designated positions.

Before the court assembly officially began, Xu Zheng stood wearily among the civil officials, secretly yawning when the Censor-in-Chief wasn't looking.

After the birthday banquet last night, Prime Minister Su kept him behind to talk and asked him about the Seventh Prince. He was kept there for most of the night and didn't get home until very late. He was called to court after only two hours of sleep and was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open.

I wonder how Xiao Lu is doing in the palace, whether she has angered the Emperor. I hope the Emperor can be more tolerant because the child is still young.

Xu Zheng's mind was in a daze, but he still couldn't help but care about You Lu. While he was worrying about something, he looked up and saw two eunuchs carrying someone into the hall. He looked closely and realized that it was none other than You Lu!

Before he could even express his surprise, the head eunuch above him shouted, "The Emperor has arrived!"

All the officials stood solemnly, and as Emperor Wulong strode onto the dragon throne, they all knelt and shouted, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Emperor Wulong raised his hand: "All of you, rise."

After standing up, Xu Zheng had a chance to look at Youlu, who was being supported. The child was still sleepy and clearly hadn't woken up yet; poor thing.

Prime Minister Su, who was standing at the head of the civil officials, turned around. Their eyes met, and both were surprised.

The entire court was equally surprised, with many officials secretly observing the suddenly appearing young man and whispering among themselves.

The Minister of Rites stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty..."

Emperor Wulong raised his hand to interrupt, "Minister Qin, my seventh son has been found. You and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices should discuss it and make preparations as soon as possible to hold the sacrificial ceremony so that my son can be brought back to the palace."

Minister of Rites Qin Tan: "..."

The officials were in an uproar. So this is the recently found seventh prince?

In an instant, everyone's attention was focused on the young man in the middle of the hall.

The young man standing in front of the military officers on the left smiled slightly and cast a friendly glance at the boy, while the man standing in front of the civil officials on the right gritted his teeth, looking as if he wished he could get rid of him as soon as possible.

You Lu was heartbroken and aggrieved. It wasn't even dawn yet, and he was sound asleep when he was suddenly kidnapped. And the kidnapper was none other than his own father. What's worse, he was tied up in the imperial palace and made to be shown off like a monkey by so many people. Didn't You Lu have any dignity?!

Unable to continue sleeping, Youlu broke free from the two eunuchs holding him, straightened his clothes, and calmly bowed, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty and all the officials."

This statement directly confirmed his identity.

The civil and military officials began to whisper among themselves again.

Emperor Wulong, who hadn't seen his youngest son embarrass himself, curled his lip in displeasure and said, "My son, you may rise and stand aside."

He didn't say he was leaving, and even the deer dared not leave, so he could only bow and agree.

The problem was where to stand. Lu looked left and right, quite troubled, when the young man who had smiled at him earlier beckoned him over. He looked closely and saw a man in a moon-white round-necked brocade robe, with a gentle and refined demeanor. Every word and action was like a breath of fresh air. Most importantly, he seemed like a good person!

Although he only glanced at him briefly, Youlu knew that this was the eldest prince, Xiao Yunli, the eldest son of the empress, his elder brother, a kind, benevolent, and consistent gentleman.

Unfortunately, his eldest brother also met a bad end.

Shaking his head and sighing inwardly, Youlu no longer hesitated, quickly walked to the man's side, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Eldest Brother."

Xiao Yunli smiled gently.

A sneer rang out, and Youlu looked in the direction of the sound, seeing a young man dressed in a maroon brocade robe with tassels hanging down his sides. This man looked to be about the same age as Xiao Yunli, but his brows and eyes were full of hostility, his expression arrogant and conceited, with thin lips, high cheekbones, and narrow eyes; he was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

Xiao Yunli gently comforted him, "Seventh brother, please don't take it to heart. Third brother meant no harm."

You Lu raised an eyebrow; so this was the Third Prince, Xiao Yunheng.

In Shen Yuyao's future, the Third Prince was one of the causes of the destruction of Dayong. Now that she has seen his true form, Youlu can't help but want to see his past and future. And what she sees is quite fruitful.

Good heavens! I'm utterly astonished. My third brother will not only embezzle disaster relief funds and persecute loyal officials, but he'll also sell official positions and manipulate the imperial examinations. Any one of these crimes is enough to warrant his exile. With such a rotten apple in the book, it's no wonder that the officialdom of Dayong is becoming increasingly corrupt.

Youlu stroked his chin and muttered to himself.

[We're still in the early stages of the succession struggle. The Third Prince is focused on amassing wealth, and although his methods are ruthless and vicious, they're not enough to bring him down. I need to find a way to make him lose power, otherwise, once he goes so far as to sell official positions and manipulate the imperial examinations, the fate of Dayong will be sealed.]

However, the Third Prince has a very powerful backer; his maternal family were founding heroes and have deep roots in the court. He's not easy to deal with.

Emperor Wulong on the dragon throne felt a chill run down his spine. Xu Zheng had told him that Xiao Qi was a god descended from heaven to save the doomed Dayong. He had initially been skeptical, but now he had no choice but to believe it.

He had always known that his third son had great ambitions. Being born into an imperial family, having ambition was not a bad thing, but he hoped that his son would focus his ambitions on expanding the territory, rather than scheming to seize the throne and harm the people and shake the foundation of the country for it.

Clearly, the third son did not meet his expectations.

It's time to weaken the third brother's power, but as Xiao Qi said, the third brother's power is deeply entrenched and not easy to eradicate.

Emperor Wulong rubbed his temples and gave Eunuch Kang a wink.

Eunuch Kang announced loudly, "Speak if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned!"

The Third Prince immediately glanced back.

Upon receiving the Third Prince's gaze, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices stepped forward to the left, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say. This young master's appearance is suspicious. Has his identity been verified? If not, he should not be easily included in the Imperial Register."

"If I say so, then so be it." Emperor Wulong didn't want to listen to their nonsense and waved for them to leave.

The official behind the Third Prince stepped forward, saying excitedly, "Your Majesty, the royal bloodline is the foundation of the nation and must not be taken lightly. I am willing to die to remonstrate with you, Your Majesty, and beg you to reconsider your decision. It is not too late to perform the sacrifice after verifying the identities!"

Emperor Wulong was in a bad mood and showed no mercy upon hearing this, saying, "Then go and die."

The official choked, his old face turning red with embarrassment.

If one wasn't enough, then two—a whole host of officials offered their advice. The court was abuzz with refutations, the historians were writing furiously, and the Emperor Wulong, in a fit of temper, kept uttering phrases like "You die!" and "You die too!" Finally, he roared in a rage, "All of you, die!"

"Guards! Drag these old bastards who don't want to live away!"

Too lazy to waste any more words, Emperor Wulong gave an order, and a group of imperial guards with swords rushed into the hall and dragged the officials who had offered their advice out of the hall.

The officials being held captive struggled and shouted loudly, creating chaos inside the hall.

Xiao Yunli pulled Youlu back two steps and said with concern, "Seventh Imperial Brother, be careful." He looked calm, as if he was already used to this situation.

Youlu stared dumbfounded at the chaotic court, finally understanding why his father was called a tyrant—he was truly irritable.

Things happened so fast that he didn't even have time to dig into those people's backgrounds.