10: Chapter 10 Who Else?

The thick scent of blood permeated the air.

Mixing with the sandalwood incense inside the Golden Throne Hall, it formed a nauseating and eerie odor.

Over a dozen still-warm corpses lay scattered across the floor. Their official robes were already soaked through with blood, and their faces still bore the remnants of their final moments of indignation or terror.

At this moment.

Everyone else remaining in the Golden Throne Hall was ashen-faced, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

They looked at Wang Chen as if they were looking at a god of slaughter from Hell!

Benevolence, morality, ancestral laws—in the face of absolute power and merciless slaughter, all of it was as fragile as glass!

They finally understood now.

This Fifth Prince had no intention of reasoning with them at all!

What he brought was iron and blood; it was a choice between life and death!

Those who submit shall prosper! Those who resist shall perish!!

He wasn't reasoning with them at all!

Whatever they said was useless because he simply wasn't listening!

Upon the imperial throne, Emperor Xuande had not uttered a single word from beginning to end, merely watching it all in silence.

He watched as Wang Chen used such brutal methods to suppress the court, watching those ministers who once spoke eloquently before him fall one by one. His gaze was complex to the extreme.

There was sorrow, shock, and even a flicker of joy, but in the end, it all dissolved into a single sigh.

Because he knew.

From the moment Wang Chen stepped into the Imperial Study last night, this court and this world no longer belonged to him.

“Who else has an objection?”

Wang Chen’s voice was not loud, but it fell upon their ears with infinite pressure.

One could imagine.

Who would dare to have an objection at a time like this?

Was it because they thought their lives were too long, or that the women at home were no longer desirable...

Therefore.

Aside from the sound of heavy, stifled breathing, no other sound responded to Wang Chen.

There was no other way.

The dozen or so corpses lying on the floor were the cruelest and most direct warning.

However.

Wang Chen had long anticipated this scene.

Why did he spare his brothers last night? Wouldn't it have been better to just kill them all?

One reason was that killing them all would be bad for his reputation, even if he didn't particularly care about it!

As for the other important reason, it was for this very moment!!

He needed these brothers of his to take the initiative and stand up in support of him.

If everyone from the Emperor down to all the princes raised both hands in favor of him becoming Emperor, then who the Hell would dare say his claim was illegitimate?

What was this called?

This was called being the Mandate of Heaven!

This throne was something everyone collectively urged Wang Chen to take.

The kind where he had no choice but to accept...

Just as the civil and military officials were drowning in fear, Wang Chen’s gaze suddenly shifted away from them.

“Boom...”

The princes standing at the very front suddenly felt a roar echoing in their minds.

Immediately following that,

A terrifying pressure descended directly upon them.

In just an instant.

It nearly crushed them all to the floor.

“This... this is?”

All the princes looked up in terror, only to meet Wang Chen’s gaze.

There was no anger in that gaze, no killing intent, not even much emotional fluctuation. It was like he was looking at several objects... waiting for his confirmation.

However.

It was precisely this extreme calm that made the princes feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, a chill rushing from their tailbones straight to the crowns of their heads!

None of them were fools.

Anyone who had received special attention from Wang Chen possessed at least some degree of shrewdness and wit.

What the meaning behind Wang Chen’s gaze was,

How could they not understand?

The reason the other party had spared their lives was definitely not out of brotherly affection.

The only explanation was that they were still useful!

Imagine this.

If they were in Wang Chen’s position, they would have unhesitatingly eliminated every brother who posed a threat to them!

And while Wang Chen hadn't done that,

However,

He had also explicitly stated last night that he wanted to see their 'performance' today!

What was this 'performance'?

Wasn't it exactly what they needed to do right now!

“Your... Your servant Wang... Wang Zhan!”

The first to react was the First Prince Wang Zhan!

He was, after all, the eldest of the princes. Having experienced the most, his Heart-Nature was also the most decisive!

He practically screamed it at the top of his lungs. His voice was full of tremors, but it rang out with exceptional clarity within the deathly silent Golden Throne Hall.

He no longer referred to himself as an 'elder brother'.

Instead, he directly used 'your servant' and his personal name!

“Pays... pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live! Long live for ten thousand years!!”

Before his words even finished, First Prince Wang Zhan had already fallen to his knees with a heavy 'thud'!

The sound was dull and forceful, showing he had no hesitation or reservations. His forehead immediately followed, slamming against the floor with a clear impact. His posture could be described as humble to the extreme!

The First Prince’s actions were like lighting a fuse.

The other princes all snapped to their senses in an instant, their scalps tingling!

One must realize.

This kind of opportunity to perform was fleeting!

If you performed proactively, there might not be a reward.

But if you were slow and made the other party feel you weren't 'proactive' or 'loyal' enough, then you’d be in trouble...

“Your servant Prince Wang Rui (Wang X/Wang XXXX) pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live for ten thousand years!!!”

“Thud... thud... thud!!!”

For a time.

A dense and frantic sound of knees hitting the floor and heads kowtowing echoed from the front of the Golden Throne Hall!

The speed.

It could truly be described as 'scrambling to be first'!

...

Among them, two individuals appeared particularly distinct.

One was the Third Prince.

He was currently in an extremely distorted posture, almost 'crawling' on the ground as he desperately tried to arrange his body into a kneeling position.

His forehead was like a pestle, frantically smashing against the ground with dull 'thud, thud, thud' sounds as he shrieked indistinctly.

“Your Majesty! Your servant... your servant Prince Wang Rui... pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live! Long live! Long live for ten thousand years! Your Majesty, I know I was wrong, I beg for Your Majesty's mercy... Your Majesty, just treat me like a fart and let me go...”

With every sentence he shouted, he kowtowed heavily. Blood soon began to flow from his forehead, yet he seemed completely unaware of it.

There was no choice.

Who told him to act so arrogantly in front of Wang Chen last night!

Although Wang Chen had already broken his legs, who knew if the other party's anger had subsided?

Just look at those dozen or so corpses lying on the ground.

They had merely slandered Wang Chen a few times and were killed on the spot. He didn't want to die, so he could only beg for mercy with everything he had!

And compared to the Third Prince,

The Ninth Prince appeared even more pathetic!

He lay sprawled on the ground like a maggot, unable to even maintain a basic kneeling posture.

He could only slam his head against the floor, tears and snot flowing freely, his voice filled with sobbing and extreme flattery.

“Your Majesty! Fifth Brother! No... Your Majesty! Your younger brother... no, your servant! Your servant was blind before! Your servant deserves to die! I beg Your Majesty for my life!

From now on, your servant will be a dog by Your Majesty's side! If Your Majesty tells me to go east, I will never go west! Whoever you tell me to bite, I will bite! Woof... woof... woof!!”

By the end, he actually barked like a dog twice.

This ludicrous scene felt exceptionally jarring and absurd within the killing intent-filled Golden Throne Hall.

At the same time.

It showcased the other party's inner fear and servility even more vividly...