Chapter 313 Chaos! Chaos! Chaos!

Zhao Changluo collapsed at dusk. The ministers and Imperial Relatives were having dinner at the time, but upon receiving the news, they dropped their bowls and rushed to the imperial palace.

The commotion lasted until dawn, when two white-bearded imperial physicians walked out of the bedchamber, looking dejected.

Everyone's eyes immediately locked onto the two of them. Xiao Yu walked quickly toward them.

"Chief Physician Hu, how is the situation?"

The elderly man leading the way looked up at the gathering crowd, sighed, and shook his head.

"His Majesty has long been taking potent drugs and overindulging in lust. His body has been hollowed out, and now even medicine cannot cure him..."

"This... this..."

"Chief Physician Hu, you are a famous doctor; no one in the world surpasses your medical skills. Can you find a way to make His Majesty wake up for a moment? Otherwise..."

What Xiao Yu, Cui You, and their group wanted most right now was for Zhao Changluo to wake up briefly to arrange his affairs; otherwise, they would have no legitimate way to support Zhao Xun's ascension to the throne.

The two imperial physicians glanced at each other and ultimately shook their heads.

"Forgive this old man for his lack of talent; the situation is beyond recovery..."

Knowing there was no hope, the crowd could only let the two imperial physicians leave.

As soon as the two left, the atmosphere in the square before the bedchamber immediately became strange.

Although every face showed extreme grief, as if they had lost their own parents, everyone knew that their thoughts had already drifted far from the palace.

As everyone dispersed to return home, this undercurrent quickly spread throughout Capital City, soon reaching all of Hangzhou, the entire Jiangnan Circuit, and even the whole Great Qian. There were even rumors in the South of the Ranges and Jiannan.

A dignified emperor had actually died on a woman's belly due to drugs and lust. When this news broke, the world was in an uproar, and the people's contempt for the Great Qian imperial family and the Zhao clan was beyond words.

As for the candidate for the new emperor and the power struggle between the two major factions, it quickly became the talk of the town over tea and meals.

"Have you heard? Chancellor Xiao and Chancellor Cui want to support the Crown Prince's succession."

"The Crown Prince? That Zhao Xun?"

"Yeah, who else could it be?"

"Hahaha, I heard that Zhao Xun is in his twenties and still wets his pants. He can be the emperor? Hahaha!"

"Exactly. I can't understand why the two Chancellors would make such a choice. It's an unwise move!"

"Unwise? Those people might not have fur, but they're smarter than monkeys. They want a foolish emperor so they can easily control the court."

"True, but I doubt the Imperial Relatives will agree to it."

"Sigh, it seems Great Qian is going to be in chaos again. I really don't know when it will end!"

"Don't think about it; no matter how much you think, it has nothing to do with us. Hurry up and eat. After dinner, go buy rice; if you go late, the price will go up again."

"Life is truly unbearable... Sigh..."

This turmoil soon evolved from court debates into substantive actions. The first to jump out were the first batch of people who had sided with the Powerful Families.

After receiving orders from Xiao Yu and others, Xiao Heng, the Military Governor of Jiangnan West Circuit, led ten thousand troops from their station and entered the territory of Mu Prefecture, which bordered Hangzhou.

The Imperial Relatives were not to be outdone. They mobilized twenty thousand troops from Yuezhou, Ming Prefecture, Taizhou, and other places to station in Wuzhou. The two sides confronted each other, neither willing to take a step back.

In Capital City, Yang Dingguo controlled the Yulin Guard, tightly gripping the imperial palace. Outside the palace, the Powerful Families and the Imperial Relatives each controlled half of the Patrol Battalion. The two sides were at each other's throats, like a pile of dry wood that would explode with just a spark.

The various families in the city also gathered their house guards and escorts, closing their gates tightly for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

Song Yehong, Zheng Ting, and many other families used illness as an excuse to stop attending court. They moved their families out of the troubled Capital City and stayed in their estates outside the city.

The only thing that surprised Xiao Yu, Cui You, and others was that Zhu Song did not immediately lead his troops south after receiving the order. Instead, he stayed in the Huaibei region, citing urgent defense matters.

"Brother Zheng, what do you think of the current situation?"

"What do I think? I'm watching with my eyes."

"Uh... I mean, how long do you think the chaos will last?"

"Who knows? I think it might just keep being chaotic."

Zheng Ting flicked his sleeves, picked up his wine cup, and drained it in one gulp.

"Anyway, I've already prepared. At worst, I'll take my whole family and fly far away. Our two families have thin arms and legs; we can't afford to get involved."

The Zheng Clan of Xingyang was once a top-tier clan, but they were suppressed and divided because of their marriage alliance with the Gao Family. Now, the Zheng family was fragmented and had long lost its former glory.

Struggles at the top like this were no longer something the Zheng family could participate in. So, Zheng Ting's thoughts were simple: if there was no hope here, he would go to the State of Yue to find his brother-in-law.

Although Gao Yuan was extremely wary of the Powerful Families, he would ultimately show some sentimentality. No matter what, he would give them a dignified path.

Staying in Capital City would surely make them a focus of contention for all parties. If handled well, he could profit by playing all sides, but it was more likely they would become fat meat in the eyes of all parties, eaten until not even bone fragments remained.

Song Yehong looked toward Capital City with some reluctance.

"After so many years of hard work, to have it ruined in a single day... I'm truly a bit unwilling!"

"The survival of the family is what's real. As for those things, they'll be back sooner or later. I heard that Xiaowan and Yaoyao have already given birth to sons for Gao Yuan..."

Song Yehong immediately understood Zheng Ting's thoughts, and his face turned pale with fright.

"You... you don't want to... But Gao Yuan has a legitimate eldest son!"

"Heh, does the legitimate eldest son always succeed the throne?"

Song Yehong suddenly realized and said no more. The two of them sat there silently drinking wine.

If Gao Yuan knew what they were thinking, he would surely scoff. Who did they think they were, trying to play the succession struggle game with Crown Prince Zhao Cheng, who was modeled after Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin?

Who was Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin? He was the General of Heavenly Strategy, the Heavenly Khagan, the Governor of Asia, the spokesman for the Eastern Hemisphere, and the strongest carbon-based life form of the seventh century.

Daring to play succession games with him? Even when he had no title and was at a huge disadvantage, he dared to fight at the Xuanwu Gate, let alone Crown Prince Zhao Cheng, who was legitimate and held every advantage.

At this time in Panyu, Crown Prince Zhao Cheng, unaware he was being watched, was following Gao Yuan to practice martial arts. Today, Gao Yuan was teaching him archery.

Historical records state that among all of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin's martial skills, his archery was the strongest. The "Book of Tang" records: "Taizong was crusading against Liu Heita. Heita often formed ranks at Feixiang, and Taizong personally led his attendants to attack."

"There was a Turkic general of extraordinary bravery who charged straight at Taizong. Just as the blades were about to meet, Taizong shot him with a large arrow of the General of Heavenly Strategy. It pierced through his heart and out his back, and he fell dead at the sound of the bowstring. This arrow was then passed to the Northern Fan. The Turks were amazed and sighed when they saw it."

"He also often went out with light cavalry and encountered three enemy riders, all famous for their bravery, who advanced with spears. His attendants asked him to avoid them, but Taizong did not comply. He waited for them to arrive and fired three arrows in succession, killing them one after another. The enemy was terrified."

Trying it today, Gao Yuan knew the rumors were true. His son, who was only just over ten years old, could draw a one-dan bow and hit the bullseye every time at a hundred paces.

Unfortunately, the system's evaluation of him was only a comprehensive B+ rank. However, Gao Yuan roughly assessed that the boy's archery was at least A-rank. One should know that Gao Yuan's A+ rank was already considered that of a divine archer.

The little fellow hit ten targets in a row and turned to look at his father with pride, expecting a round of praise.

Unexpectedly, what came was a harsh scolding from Gao Yuan.

"What are you so proud of? You hit a few stationary targets and you don't even know your own name anymore? Get back to practicing. If you don't practice well, you're not allowed to eat."