Chapter 0003: Absurd Ascension to the Throne

As they approached closer, a tall and robust man, holding a curved knife in his right hand, stepped forward. In his other hand, he held a flag that was a muddy gray color, making it impossible to discern its original hue. Scrawled in a crooked manner on the fabric were the words: "This road was opened by me, this tree was planted by me. If you wish to pass this road, leave behind a toll for passage"

Li Xuan has come to understand that among this group of people, only his mother, Lady Bai, retains a clear mind; the others are either foolishly ignorant or madly insane, with very few normal individuals among them

Only Li Xuan and Madam Bai, mother and son, wanted to part ways with Liu Bagou and his group of fools after a few days. However, the next day, Liu Bagou and Fang Dongquan found Li Xuan and announced that a coronation ceremony would be held today

This is nothing; what truly left Li Xuan speechless was the astonished expression on the face of the burly middle-aged man across from him: "Is he really the Crown Prince?"

The tall, thin man known as Old Nine said: "It must be that he has been frightened these past few days, and the journey has been too exhausting, leading to a surge of blood to the heart. However, I have already administered a needle to His Highness, and with a few more doses of medicine, there should be no major issues!"

Li Xuan felt a surge of anxiety in his heart: "Is it the officials and soldiers?"

Meanwhile, inside a house outside, five or six people were gathered together. Prime Minister Liu Bagou was speaking to a tall, thin man with a similar long robe and a handlebar mustache, saying: "Old Jiu, is His Highness alright?"

When Li Xuan slowly awakened from the darkness, he found himself in a dilapidated room. Upon opening his eyes and seeing the state of the place, he realized that he had not yet returned to the world of the future, but was still trapped in this world filled with absurdities. Consequently, his gaze was filled with profound despair, devoid of any anger, resembling that of a person suffering from severe depression.

Upon witnessing this scene, Li Xuan's heart erupted with exclamation: What the hell!

Before his eyes, everything turned black ... he had suffered from heatstroke

Fang Dong's expression also became serious: "Not to mention that I was sworn brothers with the late emperor, just the fact that the government has forced us to the point where we can't even afford to eat, we have to fight back!"

What kind of grudge do they have against themselves, that they would rather drag themselves down to death as well!

He had not yet reacted when he was pulled into a hall and made to sit down. Immediately afterward, a group of people surged in from outside, led by Liu Bagou. Without saying a word, they all knelt down in unison and shouted: "Long live!"

In an instant, Li Xuan's face turned ashen!

Then, following Liu Bagou's declaration of "Ceremony concluded," Li Xuan, unable to voice any objections, had already become the emperor in their eyes

At this moment, although Li Xuan was awake, his body still felt somewhat heavy. After Madam Bai helped him to sit up halfway, he spoke up, saying: "What Mother said is true"

It is said that his sworn brother actually rebelled. When he ascended the throne and established a nation, he also wanted to lead people to seek refuge, dreaming of becoming a founding hero. However, unfortunately, before he could arrive, the 'Great Tang' was already suppressed by the authorities. He arrived too late and was unable to save even his sworn brother.

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Xuan felt a surge of discomfort in his chest, as if there were a clot of stagnant blood within him that could not be expelled, leaving him feeling unsatisfied, and then...

I did not expect that before the plan to escape this place, which my mother, Lady Bai, and I had devised, could even begin to be implemented, these people were already so eager to have me 'ascend the throne'.

If they had tens of thousands of troops and a population of one million subjects, there might still be a glimmer of hope for rebellion. However, this group of theirs consists of only a handful of people. If they are not discovered by the authorities, they can still hide in the ravines and amuse themselves.

Although his sworn brother has died, his ambition to rebel and become a founding hero has not ceased

However, they have already been discovered by the authorities, and it is likely that the government is currently searching for them. If they are found, once the imperial army arrives, it would be a miracle if they manage to survive

Then he straightened his expression and said: "Although the late emperor has passed away, the crown prince is still here. We will hold a grand ceremony tomorrow to support the crown prince in inheriting the throne. You, Fang Dong, are a close friend of the late emperor, so I believe you will have no objections, right"

Is it really so enjoyable to establish an empire and rebel? This is a path that leads to certain death

Before his vision went dark, only one thought remained in his mind: "Heaven, this is too much to bear, there isn't a single normal person in this world, I want to go home"

Butcher Chen let out a cold grunt, revealing an unmistakable aura of ferocity characteristic of a pig slaughterer

If Li Xuan did not voice any objections, it would be akin to draping him in a yellow robe, adorned with a crooked pattern that resembled either a snake or a dragon.

As soon as his voice fell, a cloud of dust rose ahead. Before long, Li Xuan saw at least a hundred individuals, dressed in even more tattered clothing than his own group, carrying various iron tools, wooden sticks, and an assortment of makeshift weapons appearing before him. Upon seeing these people, Li Xuan couldn't help but wonder: "Are these bandits? They clearly resemble refugees even more than we do!"

Liu Bagou's expression turned serious: "It is the late emperor!"

Next, that towering bandit leader actually knelt down, he truly knelt down, and then he said: "I, a mere commoner, have offended the esteemed presence of the Crown Prince, a crime deserving of a thousand deaths, a crime deserving of a thousand deaths"

However, before Li Xuan could voice any objections, Liu Bagou had already completed the grand bowing ceremony with the dozens of people below, even finishing the chant of 'Long live, long live, long long live'.

Zhuang Ding shook his head: "It is a bandit!"

Hello, Xuan'er, take good care of your health. In a few days, the three of us will leave this dreadful place. " While saying this, Madam Bai did not forget to complain about Liu Bagou and the others outside: "Those people outside are seeking death; we cannot let them drag us down with them "

Li Xuan had already suspected that the world he had come to was not a normal one, and after seeing these few words, he was even more certain that this was not a normal world, but rather a world filled with lunatics and clowns

What left Li Xuan even more dumbfounded was that he saw Chen the butcher brandish the pig-killing knife in his hand, stride forward, and with a loud shout, declare: "The Crown Prince of the Great Tang is here, do you dare to be disrespectful? Hurry and kneel to welcome him!"

However, just as they were discussing the coronation ceremony for the next day, the 'Empress' Lady Bai quietly entered Li Xuan's room

This Fang Dongquan was a bandit. In his early years, he was pursued by the authorities and ended up in Lijia Village, where he received kindness from Li Erbi and formed a brotherly bond with him due to their shared interests. Later, he also recruited some other refugees and once again engaged in acts of robbery and plunder.

At this moment, the robust man whom Li Xuan had encountered, holding the phrase "This road is opened by me" and a circular-bladed knife, spoke up: "I say, Prime Minister Liu, you should have written to us earlier. As soon as I received your letter, I took people to provide assistance. If I had gone two days earlier, my brother would not have met a tragic end at the hands of the officials!"

Liu Bagou finally breathed a sigh of relief: "This is good, otherwise it would be troublesome if the coronation ceremony were delayed"