Chapter Two: Seizing the Throne, Hailing Me as King

Gao Changsheng was not the cowardly Sixth Prince who had died of fright. If someone offended him and he could not avenge himself on the spot, he would be restless, unable to eat or sleep. Making Zhang Youzhen run thirty li was merely the beginning. The sixty li from Gao Changsheng’s residence to the imperial palace would be equally arduous for the Assistant Minister of Justice.

Panting and drenched in sweat, Zhang Youzhen followed behind the sedan chair. He had thought that once Gao Changsheng was delivered home, his ordeal would be over. Who could have predicted that Gao Changsheng would claim there was no sedan chair at his residence, thus continuing to borrow Zhang Youzhen’s. If it was just the sedan chair, Zhang Youzhen need not accompany it, but Gao Changsheng insisted he had caught a cold.

After all, Gao Changsheng was of royal blood, the sixth son of the mighty Emperor Shenwu. Should anything happen to him in the sedan chair, Zhang Youzhen feared he would be directly demoted to a criminal. Helpless, Zhang Youzhen could only, even at the risk of exhaustion, accompany Gao Changsheng all the way to the palace.

“Minister, your sedan chair is truly warm. Guess what? My cold is cured!” Gao Changsheng, grinning, addressed the half-dead Zhang Youzhen. To prove his vigor, he bounced twice in place.

Not only did he infuriate others, he struck at their hearts! What a cruel character!

“You… I…” Zhang Youzhen’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot from anger and fatigue.

“Oh dear, the minister must be exhausted. Quickly, take him home to rest!” Gao Changsheng feigned concern, instructing the carriers to lift their master into the sedan chair. Watching Zhang Youzhen depart, the hint of mockery at the corner of Gao Changsheng’s lips slowly faded.

Behind him, the imperial palace loomed, majestic and solemn, but in Gao Changsheng’s eyes it was fraught with peril. Even now, he could not fathom Emperor Shenwu’s true intentions, nor could he gauge the depth of the Crown Prince Gao Changling’s suspicion toward him. Setting foot in this dragon’s lair, a single misstep could spell eternal doom.

“If only I could find someone to probe the situation first.” Gao Changsheng glanced around, seeking a hapless soul to question. Just then, a lavish sedan chair arrived at the palace gates, from which emerged an elderly man of distinguished bearing.

“Minister of War, Chu Jiangnian.” Gao Changsheng recognized him instantly.

The Minister of War was a high-ranking official. Even the former wastrel Sixth Prince could not fail to know such a figure. Yet as he saw Chu Jiangnian, another name surfaced in Gao Changsheng’s memory: Chu Yunyan.

Chu Jiangnian’s eldest legitimate daughter, eighteen years of age. She had two older brothers, both serving in the military, thanks to their father’s influence. But it was Chu Yunyan who was truly formidable. Rumor had it she managed all the affairs of the Chu household, and even Chu Jiangnian himself was wary of her. Sometimes, he would seek her counsel when undecided, and her solutions were always elegantly executed.

A few years ago, the army reform plan lauded by Emperor Shenwu was said to be her work. In Jinyong City, the most notorious figure was undoubtedly the Sixth Prince Gao Changsheng, but the brightest young talent was none other than Chu Yunyan, the Minister of War’s daughter.

“Your servant greets Your Highness, Sixth Prince!” Before Gao Changsheng could approach, Chu Jiangnian stepped forward to offer his respects. Though the Sixth Prince’s reputation was infamous, he was still royalty, and propriety demanded a show of deference.

“Minister, you are too kind. If you are not pressed for time, perhaps we could enter the palace together?” Gao Changsheng extended the invitation, knowing Chu Jiangnian dared not refuse.

“Certainly.” Chu Jiangnian’s face showed a hint of reluctance, but as expected, he agreed.

“Recently, I have been in prison and am unaware of what has happened outside. Now my father summons me to court, and I am all the more confused. Could you enlighten me, Minister?” Gao Changsheng bowed respectfully.

“I dare not!” Chu Jiangnian quickly waved off the gesture. “Your Highness, you may not know—the rebellion of Lord Liang has unsettled the realm. Suppressing the traitors has cost the Yong Dynasty dearly in money, grain, and troops. Should a foreign enemy take advantage now, disaster would surely follow. Unfortunately, Northern Qi has seized the opportunity, launching raids on our northern frontier while we are distracted. The emperor has called the ministers to court to devise a strategy against Northern Qi’s incursion.”

Chu Jiangnian spoke at length. As Minister of War, troop deployments were his responsibility. If the court were to go to war with Northern Qi, his ministry would be the first to sense it.

Thus, Chu Jiangnian’s conjecture was the most convincing.

“Northern Qi!” This was the most useful information Gao Changsheng had received since leaving prison. In Jinyong City, Emperor Shenwu reigned alone, while the Crown Prince Gao Changling wielded control over the royal family, and two Seven-Pearl Princes suppressed the other princes. Not only was Gao Changsheng, infamous and scorned, powerless, but even the talented princes had little hope of rising in this city.

Since he was unable to show his worth in Jinyong City, why not seek glory and cultivate his own power at the frontier? Even if the throne suddenly became vacant one day, as long as Gao Changsheng held military command, he would have a chance to contend with the Crown Prince for the empire.

In short, avoid the sharp edge, slip through the shadows, and bide his time for the right moment to seize the throne and proclaim himself king—a most delightful prospect!

“Your Highness?” At that moment, Chu Jiangnian’s voice grew tense. “The Crown Prince and the two princes are approaching. It is not convenient for me to enter court alongside Your Highness; I must take my leave!”

Chu Jiangnian’s face was grim—he clearly feared that the Crown Prince and the two princes might suspect him of colluding with Gao Changsheng and hastily found an excuse to slip away.

Gao Changsheng understood perfectly and did not blame Chu Jiangnian. What concerned him more was the relationship between the Crown Prince and the two Seven-Pearl Princes.

The Second Prince, Gao Changwen, and the Third Prince, Gao Changfei, were both born of the Empress. Because they were born a few months after Gao Changling, they were forced to rank below him and could only gaze at the Crown Prince’s position from afar. It was impossible for them not to covet the throne. With the Empress as their support, neither would willingly submit to Gao Changling.

Moreover, Emperor Shenwu was a master of imperial balance and would never allow the Crown Prince’s faction to dominate. Thus, he promoted the two Seven-Pearl Princes to counter the Crown Prince, setting them against one another to consume each other’s strength.

“Old ginger is the spiciest!” Gao Changsheng thought, seeing the situation clearly. Today, the three rivals had united for once, clearly to target him as the emerging wild card.

Now, two paths lay before Gao Changsheng.

One: admit defeat.

Two: regardless of whether they were crown prince or prince, fight them to the end—even if he died, he would die like a man.

“Defeat is impossible. The word ‘defeat’ does not exist in my dictionary. So what if they’re princes? I’m a prince too. Let’s fight!”

Gao Changsheng removed the hairpin from his topknot and hid it in his sleeve.

“I want to see which unlucky soul will dare to be the first to pick a fight with me!”