A lazy bum transmigrates and marries a eunuch – it's awesome!

Chapter 208 The Treacherous Minister and the Tyrannical Emperor

Zhang Zhongyi and Xiao Yuan really do seem to have a telepathic connection.

Just as Supervisor Xiao thought, the old man couldn't possibly miss such an important event.

The path to the throne is ever-changing, and even if Zhang Zhongyi was very confident, he would not dare to stay in his mansion and wait peacefully.

A small leak can sink a great ship; a tiny change can lead to complete failure.

He had prepared for so many years, and now it all came down to this. If the Third Prince, with his brilliant but sudden inspiration, made the wrong decision, he would be furious.

Unfortunately, despite all the precautions, this fool revealed his identity.

There was no point in saying more, so Zhang Zhongyi had no choice but to remove the cloth from his face and step forward.

Seeing the ruddy complexion and high spirits of the old emperor Zhang Zhongyi, what else could he not understand?

The so-called assassination attempt was just a staged act, designed to make him break his own sharpest weapon.

Without a doubt, Chen Kuo, who later succeeded him, was probably one of this old guy's men. Those who were suspended from their posts because of Xiao Yuan's involvement were the ones who were truly on his side.

Unfortunately, he realized it too late; it's easy to masturbate but hard to get back up.

After Xiao Yuan's death, he only had time to reinstate Ye Xiao and He Zhang to their positions after Xiao Ling reminded him; he didn't even think about the other minor figures.

Even if you remember it, it's not very useful.

A snake cannot walk without a head, and a bird cannot fly without a head.

Xiao Yuan's godson was not capable of taking over his remaining power, and Chen Kuo's rise to power was dishonorable and many people were dissatisfied with it.

The Eastern Depot is probably already split into several parts, and whoever comes to power next will be in chaos for a while.

The Eastern Depot is no longer effective, which explains why its control over the court has weakened recently.

Zhang Zhongyi smiled slightly as he saw the old emperor glaring at him angrily, knowing that his old master had figured everything out.

So what?

Hindsight is 20/20; his reign as emperor is over.

"Your Majesty, further words are useless. You shall choose whether to write a dignified imperial edict and be buried in the imperial mausoleum or to be killed by the rebel army and have your body mutilated."

This old minister has waited for so many years and no longer wants to wait.

If you do not write the imperial edict within the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, then this old minister will offend you.

Don't waste your time cursing. We are traitors and you are no wise ruler either.

Let posterity judge whether it's good or bad.

Hiding in the shadows, Jiang Xinyu nodded in agreement. Although they had different stances, this old guy was still quite handsome.

That's just how it is. If you're going to rebel, just rebel. Why bother with all the high-sounding principles? Everyone has their own self-interest, right?

It's just unknown whether the old emperor has any other tricks up his sleeve.

Now that the mantis has emerged, if there isn't a major reversal, it'll be their turn to show off.

The old emperor looked at Zhang Zhongyi, who seemed to have victory in his grasp, and then at his third son, whose lips were bluish and who looked like a sickly ghost, and sneered repeatedly.

"Fool, there is no antidote for Forget-Me-Not. It can only be removed little by little with detoxifying soup."

That process was both long and painful, and many people died before the toxins were completely cleared.

He put you on the throne so he could control the government.

Jin Zexuan believed the old emperor's unwavering conviction.

But he dared not look back at Zhang Zhongyi now, for fear that Zhang Zhongyi would catch the dissatisfaction in his eyes.

Now he knows he's been tricked by this old man, but at least he's able to sit on the throne.

Even if he's bedridden, so what? Now that he's the emperor, is he afraid of not finding a divine physician to treat him?

However, letting Zhang Zhongyi handle the affairs of the court these past few years is a worthwhile deal.

He thought it was a good deal, but Zhang Zhongyi didn't. He sneered as he watched the old emperor, on his deathbed, still trying to sow discord.

"Your Majesty is mistaken. The Second Prince has rebelled and killed his brothers."

Except for the twelfth prince, who was only three years old and escaped death, all the other princes met their demise.

As he spoke, Zhang Zhongyi waved his hand, and a sharp blade pierced through Jin Zexuan's chest.

Same place, same assassin, same familiar formula: the same knife that pierced the Second Prince also sent the Third Prince on his way.

Jin Zexuan was already physically weak, and this time he was stabbed right through the heart and died instantly, dying even more quickly than the Second Prince.

Zhang Zhongyi's smile remained unchanged. "Although the twelfth prince is young, he is already His Majesty's only heir. This old minister will do his utmost to assist the new emperor."

Your Majesty, begin writing. Don't let the imperial mausoleum, which you've been working on for over twenty years, go to waste.

That's quite expensive!

The old emperor looked ashen-faced, and his hand holding the pen was trembling uncontrollably.

He knew Zhang Zhongyi was telling the truth; this man could really do something like replacing a corpse so that his soul could return to a mass grave.

That's enough. Almost all the sons are dead. Even if one escapes the net, it's fine. Even if he becomes a puppet, at least he can live.

At this time, the old emperor did not know that Zhang Zhongyi's choice of the twelfth prince was not solely due to his youth.

Instead, he had already switched the person with his own grandson.

Three-year-old children are all chubby, round, fair-skinned, and tender. None of the court officials had ever seen them. As long as all the wet nurses and palace maids were executed, no one would know the truth.

He didn't make such a big show of things to become a powerful minister; he wanted to ensure that all future rulers of the Jin Dynasty would be of his blood.

The old emperor trembled as he wrote a stroke of his pen, and even Zhang Zhongyi, who was pretending to be calm, revealed a greedy glint in his eyes.

Although he could have succeeded without the imperial edict, he ultimately lost out.

Those idle princes of the imperial clan and the nobles who didn't get involved are a bit of a problem.

With this imperial edict, the matter would be much more legitimate, and the history books a hundred years from now would look a bit better.

Jiang Xinyu nudged Xiao Yuan, "Isn't it about time? Should we kill this old bastard?"

Xiao Yuan chuckled as he grasped her mischievous hand.

"Wait a little longer. It's just an imperial edict; we can tear it up later."

That's true. Reversals always happen at the last minute. Since we've waited until now, we might as well wait a little longer.

They hid here partly to watch the excitement, and partly to wait for Jin Zekang and the people from the Eastern Depot to break in.

They didn't really care about the old emperor's life or death, so there was no need for them to fight so many people all by themselves.

To put it politely, that old geezer doesn't deserve it.

It seems... when she came, Jin Zekang begged her to save his father first. Oh well, it's not important.

Jin Zekang: Plastic best friend, we're breaking up!

They were waiting for a reversal, and the old emperor was also stalling for time. Although he had no more tricks up his sleeve, he hoped that some of his favorite ministers would descend from the heavens to save the emperor.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he delayed, the edict was eventually written, and the old emperor finally showed some backbone and threw the edict down.

Zhang Zhongyi didn't care at all; he was the victor and had no reason to regret the rabbit's last kick before it died.

The subordinate picked up the imperial edict, spread it out, and showed it to his master. Zhang Zhongyi nodded in satisfaction, and a porcelain vase was tossed onto the imperial desk.

"Your Majesty, please depart. This old minister will send your concubines and those young princes to the imperial mausoleum to accompany you."

After he finished speaking, the people around Zhang Zhongyi raised their steel knives.

"May Your Majesty return to heaven."

Zhang Zhongyi's arrogant laughter, the low sobs of the eunuch in front of the imperial desk, and the chorus of urging from the heavily armored soldiers.

The old emperor's vision blurred, and as he looked at the porcelain bottle on the table, his blood surged.

There was no need to waste this bottle of poison; he felt he was already at his limit.

Xiao Ling broke out in a cold sweat, wondering why Xiao Yuan hadn't arrived yet.

I hope his old buddy won't mess things up; he doesn't want to die alongside the old emperor.

He's already served him enough while he's alive; if he has to die with him, he'd rather his soul be scattered to the winds.

Just as the chants for his return to heaven were being heard for the third time, a sudden commotion arose outside.

There's a turning point! There really is a turning point!