Chapter 280 Great Change

The Emperor suddenly fell unconscious, creating waves in Capital City comparable to a magnitude 10 earthquake.

Soon, rumors began swirling throughout Capital City, and gossip about The Emperor spread like wildfire.

"Have you heard? The Emperor is critically ill; he's on his deathbed."

"What critical illness? I heard it's due to excessive indulgence, draining his body."

"Yes, yes, I heard that too. They say he took some medicine and collapsed after spending the whole night with the Thirteenth Grand Princess."

"Heh, Emperor, a man so wise and mighty, I wonder how he ended up choosing this person as his successor."

"Who knows? Sigh, I wonder what will happen to Da Qian now."

"Forget it, it's not something we commoners need to worry about anyway."

"That's true. Instead of worrying about this, we should think about how to earn more money and food."

Perhaps due to the chaos caused by The Emperor's sudden coma, the secret agents in Capital City neglected to monitor the commoners.

Otherwise, given these remarks, they would surely be charged with discussing state affairs and lese-majeste, punishable by the execution of their entire clans.

At this moment, the imperial bedchamber was filled with the scent of medicine, and a group of gorgeously dressed women sat or knelt by the dragon couch, wiping away tears.

The Emperor had no sons, only two daughters, which left these women panicked, completely unsure of what their future held.

Outside the main hall, a group of high-ranking court officials was discussing how to respond.

"A country cannot go a day without a ruler. I believe we should immediately select a suitable person from the imperial clan to succeed to the throne."

"Be careful with your words. His Majesty is only in a coma; is it not too early to discuss a successor?"

"Given the current situation, we must prepare for the worst."

"Exactly, it is better to be prepared. If His Majesty recovers, all will be well; if the worst happens... the court will not be left without a leader."

"Chancellor Xiao, Cui You, you two are the heads of the officials, please make the decision."

Xiao Yu and Cui You did not speak, but instead cast their gaze toward a military general.

This person was Yang Dingguo, who currently commanded the Left and Right Gate Guards.

The Left and Right Gate Guards had the same number of personnel as the Qianniu Guard among the Sixteen Guards, with the two guards totaling only three thousand men.

However, the Gate Guards and the Qianniu Guard were both The Emperor's personal troops and the main force defending the palace.

If Yang Dingguo did not agree, it would be impossible for them to change the dynasty.

Yang Dingguo cleared his throat, looked at Xiao Yu, and after exchanging glances, he spoke.

"I believe it is too early to enthrone a new ruler. We should first nominate a virtuous and respected member of the imperial clan to manage state affairs together with the two Chancellors."

"If His Majesty recovers, we can naturally return power to him; if heaven does not bless him, he can then ascend to the throne."

Xiao Yu and Cui You frowned; Yang Dingguo's opinion was clearly different from what had been discussed.

However, the two of them soon realized that many other civil and military officials in the court would not agree.

If they were to force the enthronement of a new ruler now, it would not only fail to convince the masses but also easily incite chaos.

The plan proposed by Yang Dingguo was quickly approved by the vast majority.

The Empress was in a state of panic and, without much consideration, agreed as well.

Soon, after a perfunctory discussion, everyone nominated the sixty-plus-year-old Prince of Zhongshan, Zhao Changluo, to serve as the Secretariat Director.

The Prince of Zhongshan, Zhao Changluo, was the younger brother of Emperor Zhao Che, and he was well-versed in all forms of hedonism.

He was completely ignorant of governing the country, and crucially, he only had one son, the simple-minded Zhao Xun.

Therefore, for those Powerful Families, this was simply the perfect choice.

Zhao Changluo never expected that after a lifetime of debauchery, he would have the chance to be a quasi-Emperor in his old age.

When he stepped onto the dais and sat beside the dragon throne, he suddenly felt as if he were ruling the world.

At that moment, all he could think about was enjoying the pleasures of being an Emperor.

Therefore, Zhao Changluo's first order was:

"I have never touched state affairs and need some time to familiarize myself with them. Before that, all military and political matters are to be decided by Xiao Yu, Cui You, and Yang Dingguo."

After issuing this order, he announced the end of the court session.

It is said that that very night, Zhao Changluo slept with three palace maids, and the news spread quickly.

The rumors in Capital City began to swirl again.

"Hahaha, it seems our Prince of Zhongshan is planning to father another son."

"Who's to say? I don't know if he can still perform at over sixty, hahaha!"

"I bet that old man can manage three times in the time it takes us to drink a cup of tea."

"Hopefully he doesn't produce another fool, hahaha!"

Upon hearing these rumors, whether stimulated or wanting to prove himself,

Zhao Changluo really did hole up in his temporary bedchamber all day, trying to conceive a child.

That's right; seeing the opportunity to become Emperor, he desperately hoped to produce a normal heir.

After all, he knew his own capabilities; how could he possibly control a country?

Even if this country was already in its twilight years, it was not something he could control.

Well, one could understand it as him knowing he couldn't fly, so he could only lay an egg and let it try to fly.

The situation in Capital City was treacherous, but the front lines were advancing like a hot knife through butter.

Lu Heng voluntarily abandoned Xuzhou, Sizhou, and Haizhou, withdrawing his forces to the Qingzhou area.

Lu Heng's plan was simple: if you want to seize territory, then I will yield it.

He didn't believe that, faced with the temptation of one and a half provinces, Northern Liang and the Great Qian Imperial Court wouldn't start fighting each other.

As long as he was given some time, Lu Heng could reorganize his forces to deal with the aggression of the Northern Liang Army.

Just as Lu Heng had planned, Gao Long, having successfully taken Yanzhou, was not satisfied and led the elite forces of Northern Liang to invade Yizhou.

Yizhou was primarily mountainous and not a particularly fertile or wealthy land, but it was an important gateway into the Lu region.

Therefore, the Qian Army, wanting to continue expanding northward, could not allow Yizhou to fall into the hands of Northern Liang; otherwise, the Northern Liang Army could rely on the mountains to take whatever it wanted.

Thus, General Ma Zhiyuan led an army of twenty thousand into Yizhou, forming a standoff with Gao Long.

Meanwhile, Lu Heng rapidly redeployed his defensive lines, conscripting a large number of new recruits from the Yan region to reinforce his army.

With Lu Heng's day-and-night training, the new recruits soon formed a certain level of combat capability, and the defensive line stabilized.

In Yizhou, neither side seemed to have any intention of launching an offensive, and thus, the north fell into an eerie silence.

In the south, ever since Gao Yuan rejected the conditions of the A-San brothers, the Pugan Circuit had been making preparations.

Especially after receiving Gao Yuan's letter, Gao Yao began preparations in full swing.

On one hand, he recruited a large number of young men for daily military training; on the other, he sent more agents into the Mughal territory to gather intelligence.

On the other side, Liu Rengui in Chengdu also received a secret letter from Gao Yuan, telling him to prepare early.

If The Emperor really couldn't hold on and kicked the bucket, the Great Qian Imperial Court would inevitably fall into chaos.

Then he would have to look for an opportunity to see if he could fish in troubled waters and gain some benefits.

Gao Yuan was even drafting plans in his mind.

"Which reason for sending troops is better: 'Clearing The Emperor's side' or 'Pacifying the nation on behalf of Heaven'?"

Since ancient times, China has placed great importance on having a legitimate justification, especially when sending troops to war.

Look at Zhu Laosi; he racked his brains and exhausted his wits to find a reason for his northern expedition.

In the end, he almost tore the history books apart before finding a bizarre reason—avenging the Han Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang for being besieged at Baima Mountain.

Such an absurd reason could only serve as self-consolation for Zhu Laosi.

But for Gao Yuan at this moment, he would have to use a reason, no matter how ridiculous it might be.

Thinking about it really gives one a headache!