Upon hearing the tolling of the death knell, the Third Prince immediately led twenty-five thousand troops from the Five-City Military Command to attack the Imperial City.
"The Second Prince Han Feiyu has shown no respect for the Emperor, committing regicide to seize the throne. Everyone, follow me to kill the traitor and restore order!" shouted the Third Prince Han Yuan.
"General Lu, General Fang, break into the Imperial City with me and kill the traitor to avenge my father."
Generals Lu Jian and Cheng Li led their troops to assault the Imperial City, staking their lives and fortunes for the chance to rise with the dragon.
"Kill!"
"Soldiers, follow me to restore order and kill the traitors."
"Kill!"
"Hold off these rebels! We can't let them into the city—they're attempting treason!" shouted Deng Xing, leading his troops to defend against the attacking army outside the Imperial City.
The clash of battle cries echoed through the night, ensuring that Luo Capital would not see peace tonight.
Many ordinary courtiers hid at home, trembling with fear.
With the princes rebelling, the Capital City was bound to be drenched in blood.
Sixth Prince's Residence!
"Your Highness, the Second and Third Princes are fighting. Should we intervene?" asked one of the Sixth Prince's advisors.
"No rush. Whoever jumps in first dies the fastest," replied the Sixth Prince Han Shang, shaking his head.
The first to act is the first to fall.
Besides, his patient eldest brother hadn't made a move yet.
The Ninth Prince also harbored the same thought of waiting like a mantis stalking the cicada, letting the Second and Third Princes weaken each other before dealing with the victor.
The rebellion for the throne threw Great Wei into chaos.
The Second Prince sat confidently on the dragon throne in the Chaotian Hall, waiting for dawn.
At dawn, he planned to produce an imperial edict proclaiming his ascension to the throne, announcing it to the world.
The First Prince Han Che had fled Luo Capital to gather troops to suppress the rebellion.
In the rush of the night, despite the Third Prince Han Yuan's efforts, he couldn't breach the Imperial City.
The Second Prince's generals, Xu Wei and Deng Xing, held the city walls, naturally holding the advantage.
At dawn, the Third Prince sought out his allies, the Sixth and Ninth Princes, convincing them to join forces to capture the Imperial City and kill the regicidal traitor, the Second Prince.
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"Sixth Brother, Ninth Brother, what are you waiting for? If we don't act now, once Second Brother's army arrives, it will be our end. Are you waiting to die?"
"Second Brother has taken the palace and likely forged an imperial edict. Once his army reaches Luo Capital and announces it to the world, we will have no way out."
"Isn't Eldest Brother still inactive? Why should we be in such a hurry? If we pave the way for him, wouldn't it be for nothing?" said the Ninth Prince.
"Eldest Brother has fled Luo Capital to gather his supporting troops. By the time he returns, it will be too late," said the Third Prince.
The Sixth and Ninth Princes agreed, deciding to first capture the Imperial City and kill the Second Prince, then join forces to resist the First Prince.
The three princes combined their forces, leading sixty thousand troops to attack the Imperial City. The atmosphere of war in Luo Capital soared to the heavens, and ordinary people dared not leave their homes.
After a day of fierce fighting, they finally breached the Imperial City and slaughtered the Second Prince's forces.
The Second Prince Han Feiyu was defeated and killed in the Chaotian Hall, his awaited army never arriving in time.
The Third, Sixth, and Ninth Princes captured the Imperial City and the palace, but immediately began to guard against each other, fearing a stab in the back.
After all, they were competitors, only temporarily allied.
The First Prince Han Che led an army of 150,000 to suppress the rebellion, clashing with the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Princes.
Facing the First Prince's 150,000 troops, the three princes gathered a coalition of 100,000, battling for ten days.
In the end, the First Prince won a pyrrhic victory. The Third Prince was killed, the Sixth Prince went missing, and the Ninth Prince died in battle.
Just when the First Prince thought he had won and was ready to ascend the throne, the seemingly ordinary and quiet Fifth Prince emerged to steal the victory, defeating the First Prince.
The First Prince Han Che fled to Da Li with his remaining loyalists.
No one expected the throne struggle to be so turbulent and convoluted.
The victorious Fifth Prince Han Feng, with the throne in sight, turned his attention to the harem, indulging in debauchery with his father's concubines.
This act enraged the Martial Saint Ancestor of the royal family, who killed the Fifth Prince Han Feng with a single palm strike.
The true winner, the Sixth Prince, also died.
The courtiers were confused, and the common people were stunned.
The Great Wei royal family, with princes either dead or fled, finally saw the victorious Fifth Prince, who turned out to be an immoral debauchee, killed by the royal ancestor. Who would the throne go to now?
Just when people thought the courtiers would let the young Twelfth Prince ascend the throne, Old Eunuch Wei produced an imperial edict prepared by the late emperor, proclaiming the Seventh Princess Hazel Han as the new Empress.
Many courtiers opposed a woman ascending the throne, but the royal Martial Saint Ancestor supported Hazel Han's ascension.
Far away on the southwestern border, the imperial marshal, Martial Saint Xiao, also announced his support for Hazel Han's succession.
With the backing of two peerless powerhouses, the Empress smoothly ascended the throne, and a new emperor was established!
This outcome was beyond anyone's imagination.
Empress Hazel Han took the throne, styling herself as Emperor Wu of Wei.
This unprecedented title, taken by a woman, was a first in Great Wei's history.
After her ascension, Hazel Han mourned the late emperor and, with the support of the Left Minister, began handling state affairs.
Wearing a red dragon robe and an imperial crown, she sat on the dragon throne in the Chaotian Hall, her flawless face exuding an aura of majesty that made people dare not look directly at her.
The emperor's majesty overshadowed her peerless beauty.
"Present your matters; if none, court is dismissed!" Old Eunuch Wei shouted in his raspy voice.
The Empress was the third emperor he had served.
"Your Majesty, the Huns have invaded the Northern Border, three provinces have fallen, and the common people are fleeing, suffering terribly. I implore Your Majesty to dispatch troops to drive out the Huns and reclaim our land, preventing a repeat of the River West incident," reported the Minister of War, Gavin Wang.
"I second the motion!"
Left Minister Quentin Fu immediately stood up in support.
Seeing Quentin Fu's support, other courtiers also voiced their agreement.
"Approved. Mobilize 200,000 troops to the north, under the command of the General Who Guards the North, to encircle and annihilate the Huns. Order General Li to drive out the Huns quickly, then proceed to the southwestern border to assist Marshal Xiao in resisting the demon tribe," Hazel Han commanded.
"Your Majesty..."
Various accumulated state affairs were brought up, with the Left Minister actively participating in resolving them. Those officials who wanted to obstruct and bicker dared not show their faces.
Only then did everyone realize that the cunning old fox, the Left Minister, had been supporting the Seventh Princess Hazel Han all along.
"Old Fu, you've hidden well. Did you know all along that the late emperor intended to pass the throne to the Seventh Princess?" whispered the Minister of Revenue, Jasper Zuo, after court.
"You sly old fox, watching the world's storms from the sidelines," whispered the Minister of War, Gavin Wang.
Left Minister Quentin Fu glanced at Jasper Zuo and Gavin Wang without speaking, standing with his hands behind his back, as if saying, "Whoever becomes emperor, I will assist them."
Unlike you treacherous ministers, jumping up and down.
Right Minister Xie Yan, who participated in the princes' rebellion, was dismissed and imprisoned. Jasper Zuo and Gavin Wang had not been involved; they had merely been invited by the princes as guests, which had provoked the Second Prince.
The Second Prince Han Feiyu, having committed regicide, was stripped of his royal status, his descendants demoted to commoners.
Generals, ministers, and aristocratic families involved in the rebellion were dismissed, imprisoned, or executed. The Black Robe Guards couldn't arrest people fast enough.
The dungeons of the Supreme Court were almost overflowing.
With the Empress ascending the throne and handling state affairs, the chaos in Luo Capital gradually subsided after nearly a month.
Great Wei welcomed a new emperor!