We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 819 Imperial Family

When Du Fuji heard Li Che's words, he was still shocked, but he also inexplicably felt a sense of heroism.

This is the demeanor of a heroic leader!

Judging from the ability of this young emperor, the Du family made the right bet!

He continued, "Your Majesty is so decisive and determined, and I admire you deeply."

"But...I wonder what Your Majesty needs me to do?"

"Although I am not talented, I still have some reputation in Chang'an City, and the Du family still has some power that can be used."

Li Che looked at Du Fuji and said directly: "I want you to help me enter the city and, in the name of your Du family, immediately gather all the Li clan members in Chang'an."

"I want to see them."

"What?!" Du Fuji almost jumped up in shock when he heard this.

He immediately disregarded etiquette and cried out, "Your Majesty! Absolutely not!"

"Most of the royal family members who remain in Chang'an today are not the direct descendants of the late emperor, but rather distant and collateral branches."

"They have been entrenched in Qin territory for many years and hold themselves very high. I'm afraid they don't have much loyalty or affection towards you, Your Majesty!"

He took a breath and continued his persuasion, "Besides, the royal family is now deeply divided. Some may be loyal to Your Majesty, but others, especially those closely allied with the major families in the imperial capital, are determined to support the false emperor."

"If Your Majesty gathers them all together now, and if one of them harbors evil intentions and suddenly launches an attack, the consequences will be disastrous!"

The more Du Fuji thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. He continued to persuade him earnestly, "Your Majesty, why don't we take a long-term view?"

"Let me first secretly contact those members of the royal family who are loyal to Your Majesty, and then slowly make plans. Once we have enough power, we can seize control of Chang'an and welcome Your Majesty into the city!"

Li Che listened to Du Fuji's words quietly, without any fluctuation on his face, and just shook his head slowly.

"Mr. Du, I understand your concerns."

"But I don't have that much time in Qin, and even less time to be in Chang'an and play along with these parasites."

He stood up and walked to the window: "On the northern front now, the main force of the Fengtian Army and the pseudo-emperor's army are constantly gathering, and a war is about to break out."

"I must seize the Qin and Jin lands as quickly as possible, stabilize the rear, and then join forces with the main force to attack from the east and west. A single battle will determine the outcome."

He turned around and looked at Du Fuji with a sharp gaze: "So, it's not me who should be afraid, but them."

"Thousands of my elite troops are just outside the city, and the follow-up army will arrive at any time. I am not begging them, I am giving them a chance—a chance to kneel down and surrender, and avoid annihilation!"

"If anyone is ungrateful and wants to take advantage of this opportunity to cause chaos..." Li Che sneered, "That's perfect. I will take this opportunity to clean up the rotten wood and roots in Chang'an City and save you from future troubles!"

Du Fuji was so shocked by these words that his mind was shaken and cold sweat broke out on his back.

Only then did he realize that the young emperor's methods were completely different from those of the previous emperor.

He even disdains to balance power, and instead relies on absolute strength to cut the Gordian knot!

"Those aristocratic families in the city..." Du Fuji asked subconsciously.

The aristocratic families are the backbone of the support for the imperial capital, and they are also a difficult problem that cannot be avoided in controlling the city of Chang'an.

Li Che said with contempt: "Since the aristocratic family has chosen the false emperor and stood on the wrong side, they must bear the consequences of standing on the wrong side."

"I don't need to give them a chance!"

Du Fuji was shocked and understood instantly.

In the eyes of His Majesty, those aristocratic families are not even qualified to be summoned.

Their fate has long been determined.

In comparison, members of the royal family were treated favorably.

Du Fuji understood that when His Majesty told him these words, he had no way out, and the Du family had no way out either.

This is a huge gamble, and the stakes are the fate of the entire family.

But looking at His Majesty's overwhelming momentum, the chances of winning... seem to be quite high!

He gritted his teeth, stopped hesitating, and bowed deeply again:

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best to ensure your safe entry into the city!"

"And I guarantee with the lives of the entire Du family that every member of the royal family in the city will be brought before Your Majesty without exception!"

"Good." Li Che smiled again. "The Left Prime Minister is a loyal minister to the Emperor. Lord Du and I also hit it off right away today. This will surely be a good story."

Hearing this, Du Fuji's heart was shocked, and then he was overwhelmed with ecstasy.

Li Che's hint was already obvious.

As an important official of the previous generation, Du Fuchen's identity became awkward as he openly stood on the side of the aristocratic family.

When the new dynasty is established, Li Che will definitely use his trusted ministers, and Du Fuchen will gradually retreat to the second line.

But Li Che pointed out another way for the Du family. Although he would not reuse Du Fuchen, he could use Du Fuji.

As long as one of the two brothers serves as an official in the court, the Du family will not decline.

Thinking of this, Du Fuji bowed again without hesitation: "Your Majesty, I bow to thank you for your great grace and am willing to serve you at your service."

. . . . . .

The gate of Chang'an was like the throat of a giant beast, slowly closing with a heavy creaking sound, leaving only a gap for one person and one horse to pass through.

The gatekeepers were impatiently urging the last few pedestrians to pass through the city gate quickly.

Just then, a seemingly ordinary caravan came by, with some cloth and medicinal herbs piled on the carts.

"Captain Wang, thank you for your hard work." The Du family's housekeeper handed over a small ingot of silver with familiarity. "I'm going to deliver something from the farm, so I've been delayed for a while."

The captain weighed the silver and glanced at the convoy.

Seeing that the people at the front of the convoy were all familiar faces, the captain didn't even look closely, but smiled and waved:

"Hurry in, hurry in, curfew is about to start."

The steward smiled and bowed, then ordered the convoy to slowly drive into the city gate.

At the same time, Li Che pushed aside the door curtain and glanced at the inner wall of the city gate corridor.

However, the inner wall was covered with traces of old and new swords and knives, and dark red stains seeped into the cracks between the bricks. I didn't know whether they were left behind a hundred years ago or added a few days ago.

Yue Yun and Qiu Bai were leaning on the shaft of the cart, one on the left and one on the right, seemingly lazily, but their hands were always on the hard object under their robes at their waists.

The rest of the guards were scattered in other vehicles. They all kept their heads down, but their muscles were tense, as if they would explode at any second.

After passing through the city gate, the street scene of Chang'an in front of me looks even more desolate.

On both sides of the once bustling Zhuque Street, many shops have their doors and windows closed and their signs crooked.

There were few pedestrians, and most of them were in a hurry with worried looks on their faces.

Occasionally, soldiers wearing colorful uniforms and holding weapons would parade through the streets, charging around recklessly, and the people would try to avoid them.

Piles of garbage piled up at the entrance of the alley and no one cleaned it up.

Li Che frowned slightly. The scene before him was completely different from the magnificent Chang'an City he had imagined.

Such a magnificent city with such a rich historical heritage has been reduced to this state due to internal strife. It is such a waste of resources.

The Du family villa is hidden deep in the winding alleys, with high blue brick walls and strict gates.

The courtyard was brightly lit, yet eerily quiet.

In the hall, more than a dozen nobles of the Li clan had already gathered.

They sat or stood, whispering to each other, and the topic always revolved around the army outside the city.

"What's Du Fuji up to? Calling everyone here at this time?"

"I heard that the Fengtian Army has reached the north bank of the Wei River..."

"Why so fast?!"

"This is a good thing!"

The Prince of Longxi slammed the table, causing the teacups to clink. He growled at the Prince of Huai'an beside him, "Did you see that? That brat has already broken free and is killing his way out of the city!"

"This boy cares nothing for blood ties and is even more ungrateful than his father. He's planning to wipe out all of us royal family members!"

The Prince of Huai'an frowned and shook his head slowly, saying, "My brother, please be careful with your words! The late emperor passed the throne to Prince Feng, so he is the legitimate heir."

"Now that the army is approaching, stubborn resistance will only lead to death. As members of the royal family, we should submit to the court. This is the only way to survive."

As the two most qualified members of the royal family, the positions of the Prince of Longxi and the Prince of Huai'an are completely opposite.

The Prince of Longxi and the Wei family not only have an alliance through marriage, but also have many business connections, so naturally he is inclined towards the aristocratic family.

The Prince of Huai'an is the cousin of Emperor Qing and has a closer relationship with him.

"Submission? Haha!" The Prince of Longxi sneered repeatedly, drawing the attention of the other clan members around him. "Didn't you see what he did in Jinyang? He didn't associate with the officials of the noble families, but instead mixed with a bunch of criminals, untouchables, and merchants."

"If we really allow such a heretic to ascend the throne, will there still be moral principles in this world? Will we, the royal family, still have a good life?"

The Prince of Huai'an frowned, but still tried to persuade him: "Brother Wang, you are wrong. Your Majesty is not..."

"Your Majesty? Which Majesty?" The Prince of Longxi interrupted sharply, looking around at the other clan members in the hall, all with different expressions. "The one in the imperial capital is the rightful Majesty. Li Che is just a remnant of the previous dynasty!"

"Relying on the might of his army and horses, and having obtained the imperial edict whose authenticity is unknown, he dares to usurp the throne and claim the throne! Do you intend to recognize this false emperor?"

An old clan member among the people spoke tremblingly: "But Prince Yan has always followed him, and Prince Fu was also saved by him..."

"That's bait, put on display for us!" The Prince of Longxi sneered. "Li Lin is a fool who only knows how to fight. Naturally, he's easy to control. Prince Fu has long lost his power. Keeping him around is just a show of benevolence and righteousness."

"What about us? We have been operating in Qin for many years and have deep roots. In his eyes, we are just a stumbling block."

"If you surrender today, he'll find a pretext to sever your fiefdom and seize your authority tomorrow! By then, I'll be at the mercy of others and it will be too late to regret!"

The Prince of Huai'an took a deep breath, his tone becoming a little harder: "Then what do you think, brother? Should we unite with those noble families and fight against Prince Feng's army?"

"Hmph, we don't necessarily need real swords and guns!" A fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the Prince of Longxi. "Chang'an is still in our hands. Although the troops in the city are mixed, if the royal family and I work together, we can always gather some strength."

"Then we can hold the city and wait for reinforcements from the imperial capital. At the very least, we can show Li Che that Chang'an City is not something he can just enter whenever he wants!"

"If you want us to surrender, you must show sincerity and come up with a set of rules!"

"Brother, you are threatening me..." The Prince of Huai'an looked shocked.

"So what?" The Prince of Longxi took a step closer. "If Li Che can take action against the aristocratic families today, he can take action against us tomorrow!"

"If we don't fight now, when will we fight? Should we wait until he puts the knife to our neck?"