Mid-July, Galactic Calendar 3033

A week has passed since the Third Prince's fleet suffered a defeat in the battle of the Xiaolong system.

However, during this period, the princes' faction seemed to have received no news at all and remained completely silent.

The various factions within the Starry Empire fell silent, awaiting the next move of the Prince Party.

They acted as if nothing had happened, continued to consolidate their power as princes, and waited until the second prince ascended the throne before seeking revenge.

Or should we assemble a massive interstellar fleet now to launch another expedition into the Xiaolong system, even at the cost of breaking ties with the Chuhe and Beifeng star regions?

Regardless of the method used, this will trigger a series of chain reactions.

What no one expected was that the Second Prince Qin Ming would choose the most extreme method next.

Imperial Capital Star

The residence that Chu Changhe acquired here.

Every day, rain or shine, Chu Changhe would visit the Empress at a separate courtyard within the mansion.

The Empress was still somewhat delirious, but now she was mostly silent and no longer talked to herself as she had at the beginning.

Like a soulless puppet.

"Report! His Highness the Second Prince has sent someone to inform us."

"His Majesty has regained some of his senses and now wishes to see you and the Empress," the steward reported, standing beside Chu Changhe.

"I understand. I'll go pick up the Empress. Prepare the carriages," Chu Changhe asked.

"yes."

The butler left.

Chu Changhe looked up at the various magnificent and advanced buildings located in near-Earth orbit of the Imperial Capital Star.

His gaze was deep.

After standing there for a few minutes.

Chu Changhe arrived at the empress's temporary residence and informed her that the emperor had requested a meeting with them.

The Empress merely glanced at Chu Changhe silently, without saying a word.

It wasn't until Chu Changhe instructed a maid to help the Empress that this happened.

With the help of her maids, the Empress finally left the villa.

A car was parked outside the gate of Chu Changhe's residence.

Chu Changhe personally opened the back door for the Empress. After closing the door, he glanced at the old Chu family residence, which was a mansion bestowed upon the Chu family ancestors after they had rendered meritorious service and been awarded honors.

The courtyard is in the style of ancient times, with a plaque hanging above the gate, bearing only one golden character.

'Chu'.

These words were personally written by the late emperor of the royal family.

From then on, the golden character "Chu" became the fleet emblem of the Chu family's legion fleet for generations.

Very flamboyant.

But no one dared to raise even the slightest question about it.

Because the Chu family has been a royal family for generations, and their contributions to the Starry Empire are worthy of this title.

It is no exaggeration to say that the entire Chu family was loyal and valiant.

Chu Changhe took one last look at the golden "Chu" signboard, then walked around the car and sat in the front right seat.

The car started, the levitation system activated, and the car hovered in the air like an airplane, speeding towards its destination.

A dozen minutes later, the car landed atop a mountain peak, where a magnificent palace and castle stood.

That was the residence where Emperor Xingyao usually lived, and it was also where he recuperated during this period.

The palace and castle were heavily guarded, with a large number of interstellar mechs on the ground, several T2-class interstellar warships hovering in the air, and T3-class and even T4-class interstellar warships stationed in near-Earth orbit at a higher altitude.

It can be used to deal with any emergency at any time!

After the car was parked, Chu Changhe personally opened the car door for the Empress. The Empress stepped out, no longer needing the help of her maids, but her eyes still looked vacant.

"Your Majesty, please," Chu Changhe said.

The Empress remained silent and followed Chu Changhe into the palace.

Although there are many guards outside the palace and castle, there are very few people inside the castle, and the number of servants is also very small.

After walking for more than ten minutes, a servant blocked Chu Changhe and his group's way in front of the last gate.

"Governor Chu and the Empress, please wait here for a moment," the maid said.

Chu Changhe stopped and looked around. It was extremely quiet.

They waited for a long time, but no one came to summon them.

"Are there any personal attendants present? Chu Changhe and the Empress have come to pay their respects to Your Majesty," Chu Changhe called out.

There was no response.

Chu Changhe called out a few more times, but there was no response.

Chu Changhe frowned slightly.

Just then, he heard a crashing sound coming from inside the house ahead.

Chu Changhe told the Empress to follow him and quickly walked into the house, saying, "Chu Changhe has come to pay his respects to Your Majesty on orders. Please forgive me for any rudeness."

Stepping through the gate and into the house, you are greeted by a huge screen, behind which lies the bedroom of the Star Emperor.

Chu Changhe walked around the screen and saw a large, floating bed made of gold thread. There were curtains around the bed, and he could vaguely see someone sitting on it.

And around the bed, there were shards of a porcelain vase scattered everywhere.

The sound Chu Changhe heard outside just now was probably the thud from that fall to the ground.

"Chu Changhe has come to pay his respects to Your Majesty by imperial decree," Chu Changhe said, placing his hand on his chest.

The figure behind the curtain did not answer.

Chu Changhe frowned slightly and stepped forward slowly: "Chu Changhe has offended you."

He slowly pulled back the curtains, and perhaps because of his movement, all the curtains around the bed automatically closed.

Only then was the figure on the bed fully revealed.

He was a gaunt old man with white hair, completely lacking the regal aura of the legendary Star Emperor.

Some purplish-black spots can be seen on the skin of the body and cheeks.

Chu Changhe knew about this; it was an extremely rare pathogen that the Star Emperor had contracted during his expedition due to an accident.

It was also because of this that Emperor Xingyao's health deteriorated as he got older.

After the news of the Crown Prince's death broke, Emperor Xingyao's old illness relapsed, and he fell seriously ill and never recovered.

Unexpectedly, it has spread to such a serious extent.

Although medical technology is advanced now, there are still some special diseases that cannot be treated, and the Star Emperor is one of them.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?" Chu Changhe called out several times.

But the old man on the bed remained motionless.

Chu Changhe keenly sensed something was wrong and placed his fingers on the old man's neck.

Chu Changhe's expression changed drastically. He immediately lifted the blanket covering the old man and saw a dagger piercing the old man's chest, the blood already staining the gold-threaded nightgown on his chest.

The dagger had a golden character "Chu" on it.

Chu Changhe recognized the item; it was one of the daggers he kept close to his body, a hobby that was well-known throughout the Star Glory Empire.

Chu Changhe immediately realized the mystery behind it, and at the same time he heard the commotion outside.

The door was pushed open, and the Second Prince Qin Ming led a squad of armed soldiers in.

When Qin Ming saw his father lying on the bed with a dagger stuck in his chest, his expression changed drastically, and he angrily pointed at Chu Changhe: "Chu Changhe, how dare you!"

My father summoned you and the Empress, and the two of you actually attempted to assassinate him.

Men, seize Chu Changhe and this woman!

I now suspect that this woman not only has an affair with that guy from the Cangyue Star Region, but also has an affair with Chu Changhe.

The two men attempted to assassinate the emperor, plotting a rebellion!