On the first day of the grand court assembly, all factions were stirring restlessly.

Today is the day!

Prince Liang, Zhao Yao, and Prince Han, Zhao Shuo, outwardly united, jointly inciting the Zhao Family Clan.

In secret, each harbored their own plots, each believing they had a better chance—

One is the Emperor’s uncle, the other his brother.

To pull the Emperor down, both have the potential to be the next successor.

Wang Yuan and other noble family officials seemed less active than the Imperial Relatives, yet they didn’t miss any manipulations.

The rejection and suppression from Emperor Yongcheng towards the noble families were evident to them.

Undoubtedly, this little Emperor has long stood in opposition to the noble families.

Before his wings have even hardened, he’s already trying to weaken the noble families.

If they wait until he’s fully fledged, won’t these noble families be at the mercy of the little Emperor?

Furthermore, Wang Yuan and other magnates were fed up with Emperor Yongcheng’s stupidity and willfulness.

After all, as ministers, encountering a fool or a dim-witted Emperor is not entirely unacceptable.

The stupider the Emperor, the easier he is to manipulate, giving noble families more room for maneuvers.

But Emperor Yongcheng is different; he’s not simply stupid, he’s also clever by half and self-righteous.

Such stupidity combined with willfulness is truly deadly.

His words and actions follow no predictable patterns.

Noble families, or rather, the court officials find it hard to gauge his intentions or predict the Emperor’s judgments.

Like the current "mystery of origin," no matter how adept Wang Yuan and Feng Shou are at strategy and calculation, they couldn’t fathom that Emperor Yongcheng would pull such a bold move!

"Truly worthy of the title ’Saint’! For ordinary men like us, it is indeed difficult to discern his thoughts!"

In private, Wang Yuan, full of mockery, shared these sentiments with his confidants and subordinates.

In those days, the Emperor cared little for his dignity and, to flaunt his wisdom, liked the court officials to honor him as a "Saint."

But this "Saint" was not the same as the sages Confucius and Mencius, rather it was just flattery by the officials towards the Emperor.

Wang Yuan seldom addressed the Emperor as a Saint, yet suddenly saying so now reveals his "amazement" at Emperor Yongcheng’s bizarre thought process!

Such a "peculiar" Emperor seated on the Dragon Throne, is no good for the court officials or the awakening common people.

In scarcely a year since taking power, he’s already caused such upheaval within the court and turmoil in Nanzhou, with public resentment surging.

If left unchecked for long, allowing Emperor Yongcheng to continue his antics, the Dayuan Dynasty’s Jiangshan would truly be doomed!

Noble families may not mind a change of dynasties, but if peaceful development is an option, who would willingly live in a constant state of war and unrest?

Though Prince Liang and Prince Han aren’t outstanding either, surely they cannot be worse than Emperor Yongcheng, right?

Moreover, the esteemed Empress Dowager has already returned from Daming Palace.

She surely has made her decisions.

For Imperial Relatives of maturity like Prince Liang and Prince Han, Empress Dowager He is unlikely to consider them.

She’s expected to adopt one of their sons or grandsons and support another little Emperor.

Before the little Emperor matures and can personally rule, the court shall once again be jointly controlled by the Empress Dowager, Assistant Ministers, and the Political Affairs Hall, forming a delicate balance to prevent chaos in the Dayuan Dynasty.

Still—

Empress Dowager He and Prince Liang have deeply rooted grievances, thus it’s unlikely she’ll easily choose a successor from Prince Liang’s Mansion.

Meanwhile, Prince Han, with his ambitions, if made the "Supreme Emperor," would certainly stir trouble.

Sigh, the Zhao Family remains sparse in numbers, making it so difficult to choose a suitable little Emperor appeasing all sides.

Emperor Yongcheng: ...Where is your civility? I am still seated on the Dragon Throne, yet you have already begun considering the next Emperor’s candidate?!

Indeed, it’s not only the noble families, accustomed to manipulating the court and deposing emperors, that plan in advance— even the martial artists have their own calculations.

Outwardly, they appear unsophisticated and loyal only to the Emperor.

But in truth, after over a decade of development, they too possess their own families and interests.

In some respects, their interests seem not to clash with their loyalty.

They share a certain perspective with Feng Shou— 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

They are indeed loyal to the late Emperor, having pledged in his presence to guard Zhao’s Dynasty.

However, the late Emperor had more than just Emperor Yongcheng as a son.

Topping Zhao Gui and promoting Zhao Yao wouldn’t actually breach their oath to the late Emperor.