im. Just because the Ninth Prince died suddenly and the Imperial Hospital was helpless, this alone is enough to have all of you beheaded."Zhong Nanjin and all the imperial physicians knelt and said, “...Chapter 5 Your Highness, please spare me.

Li Chen laughed heartily.

Everyone fears the power and ruthless methods of the Dongchang, but the imperial family is not afraid. Their authority comes from the emperor, and they are his most loyal servants.

As the Grand Commandant of the East Factory, who all the ministers and officials wanted to get rid of quickly, he would inevitably be the first one willing to pledge allegiance to me.

This strength will inevitably also become a great help to itself.

"Very good."

Li Chen threw the knife in his hand in front of Sanbao eunuch and said, "Your Majesty once gave you a knife. Now that knife is rusted, so now this palace gives you this knife. Do you want it"

The eunuch, Sanbao, knelt respectfully and picked up the fallen sword. He gripped it tightly and said, "When His Majesty entrusted the imperial decree to me, he said that from now on, I would be the blade in Your Highness's hand."

Having glanced at the tightly shut Gate of Heavenly Purity, where the emperor lay on his dragon bed, still clinging to life, it seemed as if he had already made arrangements.

Of all the princes, the ninth prince is the youngest. Previously, the Empress asked my father to allow her to raise him and even requested the prime minister, who is also our father-in-law, to personally tutor him. I want to know everything about the ninth prince's daily activities.

Although he is now regent, he is still the prince. As long as the emperor does not die, he will not ascend to the throne. Therefore, there will always be a possibility of change for the throne. He believes that whether it is his younger brothers, the ministers in court, or even those princes who have already gone to their fiefdoms, there must be some who are still coveting the throne.

This power struggle within the royal court has only just begun.

The Eunuch Sānbǎo said respectfully, "I will deliver to the East Palace every day everything that Your Highness wishes to know."

Having taken a deep look at Sanbao eunuch, Li Chen waved his hand and said, "Let's depart, return to the Eastern Palace."

Back at the East Palace, Li Chen originally planned to change into a new set of clothes, but thinking of Zhao Rui's charming and alluring appearance, he felt his heart pounding.

Having just finished a struggle in the Qianyuan Palace, his blood was still hot and he urgently needed to vent.

Thus, with a shift in his steps, he hurried straight to the bedroom.

However, as Li Chen just walked past the gallery corner, he saw Chen Zhi standing at the gate of Zhao Rui's dormitory.

Chen Zhi, who hadn't noticed Li Chen arriving, was looking at Zhao Rui in the bedroom with a face full of pity and anxiety. "Rui'er, did that dog prince do something to you Let me go in and take a look. I just want to see you properly! Don't worry, I will kill that dog prince sooner or later and avenge you!"

"Presumptuous!"

From within the palace, came Zhao Rui's scolding.

“As a consort of the prince, according to the hierarchy, you should address me as 'Consort,' not by my given name. Who gave you permission to call me by such familiar terms”

Standing at the entrance to the bedroom, Chen Zhi's face turned pale with a mix of anger and fear.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll call you Crown Princess. Crown Princess, since you entered the East Palace, why have you changed so much Have you forgotten the past, when I took care of you"

Zhao Rui flared up and said, “Don't talk nonsense. I was at the Chief Minister's residence at the time. When did it become your responsibility to take care of me At that time, I only saw you as a distant relative of the Chief Minister like myself, so I chatted with you a bit more than usual. That's all there is to it. Don't slander me.”

Chen Zhi's face was twisted with excitement, he growled: "No, you've always known I like you. I've liked you for a long time! Rui'er, tell me, is it that dog prince who threatened you Did he force himself on you today Just say yes, no matter what, I will take that dog prince's head off to avenge you!"

"Get out!"

Zhao Rui was suddenly furious, her voice rising several octaves. She hurled a teapot from the inner chamber, which shattered into pieces with a bang at Chen Zhi's feet.

"My business is none of yours, and I don't want to see you again. Don't come looking for me in the future, or else don't blame me for turning cold!"

Chen Zhi looked at the shattered teapot at his feet, feeling his own heart shatter along with it.

My sincere heart was trampled upon by Zhao Rui.

This taste, it made him want to rage with fury.

He blamed everything on Li Chen, his eyes bloodshot as he growled: "No matter what you say, I know it's all because of that bastard prince that things have become like this. You wait, I will get revenge!"

Before he could finish his words, Chen Zhi suddenly discovered a pair of exquisite and beautiful golden silk cloud-patterned boots beside the shattered pieces of the teapot.

A chill ran down Chen Zhi's spine. He instinctively followed the line of those boots upwards, his gaze inching slowly until it landed on Li Chen's impassive face.

"You call me a dog, Prince And you want to take off my head"

Li Chen wore a bland expression, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk as he looked at Chen Zhi and said.

Chen Zhi took a deep breath and said with difficulty, "My subordinate... my subordinate..."

"Come in."

Li Chen wasn't in the mood to hear Chen Zhi's explanation at all.

No matter what he said, the moment Li Chen found him standing before Zhao Rui's palace door, his fate was sealed.

Behind Li Chen, walked two guards wearing double-winged swallowtail robes.

Seeing the attire of these two guards, Chen Zhi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"East, East Factory's Jinyiwei!"

Since its establishment, the Dongchang Jinyiwei has only obeyed the orders of the emperor.

Before, Chen Zhi had followed Li Chen and the Empress to the Qianyuan Palace, but he was not qualified to enter. He didn't know at all that in just a short hour, huge changes had taken place in the Qianyuan Palace, even throughout the entire Daqin Empire.

Chen Zhi's expression changed drastically. He knew very well that if he fell into the hands of the Dongchang, he would face an utterly hopeless situation.

"I am a distant relative of the chief minister Zhao and the leader of the Empress's palace guards. You cannot hand me over to the Dongchang!" Chen Zhi roared.

"Hand it over to the Dongchang You're dreaming."

Li Chen sneered and said, “Put this insulting thing to the palace in front of the hall and punish it with a hundred strokes.”

Hearing this command, Chen Zhi was terrified out of his wits.

A hundred strokes of the rod might not seem as shocking as beheading, but within the Qin Dynasty's punishments, this rod was no ordinary tool. It was a full human length, two palms wide, and its striking end was covered in a layer of fine nails. The executioner was required to strike with all his might.

This kind of punishment, with just ten lashes, would be enough to disable an ordinary person.

One hundred lashes would be enough to turn Chen Zhi's lower body into a pulp.

"Li Chen! You dare kill me The Empress and Zhao Da Ren, will never let you get away with this!"

Two Dongchang guards escorted Chen Zhi, who struggled and cursed incessantly.

"The Zhao you speak of is nothing but a subject of the royal family. This palace represents the royal family. Even if I were to kill you, what could you do What could Zhao Xuanji do"

Li Chen sneered and waved his hand, "Drag him down and beat him thoroughly. Be careful and make sure he receives at least a hundred lashes. If he dies from the beating, the rest of you two will take his place."

Li Chen's words made the eyes of the two executioners turn cold. Then, one covered Chen Zhi's mouth while the other dragged him to an open space in front of the hall. The guard covering Chen Zhi's mouth sneered: "I'm sorry, Your Highness's orders are beyond my disobedience. I can only let you enjoy this hundred lashes properly."

Screams of agony from Chen Zhi echoed outside, Li Chen had already stepped into the side hall.

Zhao Rui could clearly hear the conversation outside and knew what had happened.

Chen Zhi's cries made Zhao Rui's face pale.

"Scared"

Li Chen raised his hand and gently caressed Zhao Rui's soft cheek, and asked.

Zhao Rui pursed her lips, fear making her instinctively retreat, trying to avoid Li Chen's intimate, invasive palm.

But she dodged, which seemed to pique Li Chen's interest.

He reached out and grabbed Zhao Rui's wrist, pulling her gently. Zhao Rui fell right into Li Chen's arms.

"Ouch!"

In Zhao Rui's exclamation, Li Chen's big hand pressed against her tender waist and slowly slid down, chuckling lightly: "Your answer just now pleased this palace very much, so this palace has decided to tell you some good news."

Zhao Rui's whole mind was now on Li Chen's big hand that was mischievously behind her. Hearing this, she instinctively asked, "What news"

"Just now, the Emperor bestowed upon me the title of Crown Prince Regent. From this moment onward, I am no longer a figurehead prince with no real authority. I shall be acting on behalf of the Emperor, wielding his power and upholding justice throughout the land as the heir apparent."

"Chen Zhi, who is screaming outside, is just the beginning. If Zhao Xuanji wants to overthrow the dynasty, he will eventually meet the same fate."

His fingers pinched Zhao Rui's chin, forcing her to look up at him. Li Chen said, "Well Is it good news"

Zhao Rui's face was full of surprise and astonishment, but before she could speak, the hand Li Chen had placed on her back became restless.

"Yes, yes, that's good news, Your Highness, please... your servant, your servant is a bit afraid."

"Rest assured, this time, I promise, it's just a hug, nothing else."

Li Chen swore solemnly, his finger pulling at the drawstrings at her waist.

"Your Highness, you say nothing shall be done!", giving the bones was fine, but the meat had to be all in his own bowl.This time, with such a good opportunity, Li Chen was going to take complete control, firmly grasping the entire court in his han...