With the passage of time, batch after batch of civil and military officials gradually faded out of the imperial court. Some resigned, some went into seclusion; a handful of those who were reluctant to leave their positions and power were quietly stripped of their positions; some were transferred away and given an idle post, while some were charged with a crime and died. In short, most of the old officials were no more.
"I can't even see any familiar faces …"
The last time Qiu Jianhan came to the imperial court was three days ago.
This was the only time he had come in this half a year, but he was shocked to realize that no one in the imperial court knew him anymore.
"Even His Majesty is happy to see this happen. Apart from surrendering, we can only protect ourselves. The world of Yutang is no longer ours. "
This was what Leng Daoyin said before he left.
"Old Qiu, you'd better get out of here while you still can. This is no longer our world! "
This was what Old Fang said before he left.
"Teacher, it's not wise to sacrifice oneself to preserve one's usefulness."
This was the secret letter that Tie Zheng had sent before he left.
"With King Yun's current cultivation base and the manpower, resources, and financial resources that he can mobilize, what force in this world can go against him? The only one who can hide from King Yun's eyes and ears is Yutang's imperial family. The so-called change in the School of Nine Supremes is only a self-directed farce by the imperial family."
These were the words that Old Mistress Shangguan had left for him before she left.
"What a great tactic!" Qiu Jianhan was filled with melancholy. "First, they mobilized the people to destroy the Nine Supremes. The law does not punish the masses; even if they wanted to pursue the matter, they couldn't. Then, they destroyed all possibilities of divine authority, ensuring that Yutang's imperial family is the highest authority, the only authority. There will be no more restraints from then on, and they have even destroyed their own origins."
"With such a tactic in front of them, there was no need to force them. The old officials were disheartened and left dejectedly. When one of them left, one of their own would be replaced. The emperor would be a mere figurehead with his own tacit consent, leaving no room for maneuver. "
"Then, from the military to the government, they would take care of them one by one. Those who didn't know what was good for them and didn't resign on their own will be transferred away. It's like a giant net that falls from the sky, leaving nothing behind wherever it passes. "
"What a decisive method, what a vicious heart!"
"As for the current imperial court, from the inside to the outside, from the top to the bottom, they are all the crown heir's men. It has only been a short four years …"
"In the current situation, even if His Majesty recovers and wants to do something, I'm afraid he may not be able to turn the situation around!"
"Is this still a sixteen or seventeen year old child?"
"No wonder His Majesty didn't do anything. This kind of successor to the throne, this kind of emperor's schemes, is indeed qualified. As an emperor of a generation, he is indeed worthy of this position. But … such ruthlessness, such ruthlessness, and such treachery, where did he come from?"
"The first thing he destroyed was Supreme Cloud and the reputation of the Nine Supremes, whom he was indebted to. Is he leaving himself with no way out?"
"Now that the situation is like this, the emperor is helpless. There is only one heir, the only one, and Yun Xiaoyao is helpless as well. No matter how much he hates him, he is still the person Supreme Cloud entrusted to him before he left … The reason why we can't go all out against him is because … Supreme Cloud entrusted him to inherit the throne."
"But … Supreme Cloud, Yun Yang, do you know what you've left behind?"
"He's not a wise ruler, he's a tyrant! And it's an unprecedented level of brutality! "
"How long more can this world remain peaceful and stable?"
…
In the palace.
Bao'er … the current crown heir, His Highness Yu Qiankun, was sitting on a chair, high and mighty.
He was no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, but he was handsome and had a pair of eyebrows so thick that it was surprising, but there was no trace of childishness between them.
At this moment, he held a memorial in his hand as he slowly recited, "… deranged. His victory in massacres far surpasses that of his ancestors … Great rivers and mountains were destroyed by the crown heir in one day. Countless capable officials and good generals were expelled and abandoned … This old man is unable to serve such a ruler. Thus, I hereby submit a memorial and leave."
"This Wu Lie, what a righteous man he is … He had nothing to do with the military or political parties, nor did he have any desire to compete with them. I wanted to keep him around, but I didn't expect this fellow to submit a memorial to resign. It's fine that he resigned, but he even insulted me with so many words. He only mentioned resignation in his last sentence. Rather than calling it resignation, it's more like he's venting his resentment at the last moment …"
Yu Qiankun snorted and said with a chuckle, "His words are nonsensical, and his literary talent is even worse. I don't need such an official."
With a wave of his hand, the word "approved" appeared on the memorial.
"Your Highness, this servant has something to report."
"Come in."
"The arrangements at Tianxuan Cliff have been made …"
"Hmm …" Yu Qiankun slowly raised his head and looked at the eunuch with a vulture-like gaze. He said indifferently, "Why are you speaking so loudly? Are you afraid that this prince won't hear you, or are you afraid that others won't hear you?"
The eunuch was stunned when he heard that. My voice isn't that loud …
Yu Qiankun raised his voice and asked, "Who is at the door? Come in. "
Four guards and two palace maids knelt on the ground, trembling with fear. "Greetings, Your Highness."
"Hmm. Who among you is the spy?" Yu Qiankun's gaze was like an arrow, cold as ice.
"Ah?" The four of them were baffled, as if they didn't understand what the person in front of them meant.
"Hmm? You don't know? Then you don't need to know! "
Yu Qiankun laughed coldly and said, "Men, drag these seven people out and beat them to death!"
Amidst the pleading, the seven of them were dragged out.
With a flash, an old eunuch appeared in front of Yu Qiankun like a ghost. "Your Highness, this is …?"
"Hmm, it's like the voice you're using right now. You're only talking to me, but it definitely won't reach the ears of the guards at the door. This is a normal voice … Do you understand?"
"Just now, when that servant spoke, he clearly raised his voice on purpose. Did you see that? Did you understand?"
The old eunuch hesitated for a moment and thought about it carefully. It was indeed a little too loud.
"Since he's right beside me, I can hear him even if he doesn't have to speak so loudly. So where did he come from? It's just that he wanted to let others hear about this matter at the same time and spread the news as soon as possible. This is because he knows that the information he reports will immediately be sent to the Secret Bureau and will only be released after at least half a month. "
"So, if he wants to spread the news, he can only do it after he's escorted back to the palace. The route into the palace has been set up and there's no way he can take advantage of it. If he wants to spread the news, he can only come to me …"
"So, that servant must be a spy, and at least one of the palace maids and guards at the door is his accomplice. Naturally, she's also a spy."
Yu Qiankun said indifferently, "What's wrong with killing them?"
The old eunuch bowed slightly and said, "Even if there's a spy hiding, we should still investigate it. Perhaps we can find out who's behind it … Seven people were beaten to death in one go, and there are even more innocent people …"
"I don't have that much time to waste. There's no point in interrogating them."
Yu Qiankun said indifferently, "We must ensure that this matter succeeds. This is the most important task right now … At such a crucial moment, it's better to kill the wrong person than to let the wrong person go. Everything else is insignificant."
"Bring me all the information related to Tianxuan Cliff. Bring me three copies of the secret reports that accompanied the trip as well and compare them."
For a full two hours, Yu Qiankun stood in front of the window with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked outside and did not speak for a long time.
His eyes flashed with countless struggles and changes.
Finally, he closed his eyes and said indifferently, "Proceed according to plan."
…
A piece of news came out of nowhere, very abruptly.
The content of the message was that Tie Zheng's tracks had been found at the old site of Tianxuan Cliff, and that he was there to pay his respects to the Nine Supremes.
Countless experts from the imperial court were mobilized to capture him.
They were also going to raze Tianxuan Cliff to the ground, completely ending the legend of the Nine Supremes, the starting point of the legend of Supreme Cloud!
The news spread like wildfire.
Lao Mei's expression changed the moment he heard about it.
Tianxuan Cliff.
The last sacred place related to the Nine Supremes should not be desecrated, let alone destroyed!
"Big brother!" Lao Mei did not address Yun Xiaoyao as "Your Highness" this time, but used the form of address that they used to address each other as brothers. "This matter is unusual."
Yun Xiaoyao smiled faintly and said slowly, "Of course it's unusual. The goal of this matter … is to eradicate me!"
He chuckled, but his smile was bitter and bleak.
"This poisonous hand is finally going to extend to my body. Bao'er, you're my good child, hahaha … "
Yun Xiaoyao laughed into the sky. "Whatever you want to do, I don't care, I don't give a damn. But today, you've finally found my weakness – Tianxuan Cliff!"
"You can trample on any other place, you can destroy, you can destroy, but not Tianxuan Cliff!"
"You can ask Bao'er to withdraw his order. Big brother, why do you have to go to Tianxuan Cliff yourself?"
"Bao'er is long gone. Saying that a general is outside and not obeying the emperor's orders is enough to shut everyone up. I believe that he must have left for more than a day. It's too far to hope for him to withdraw his order. The only way to stop him is for me to rush over through the night and protect Tianxuan Cliff personally. At the same time, I'll ask him to withdraw his order. Only then will I be safe. "
"In other words, I have to go. Otherwise, Tianxuan Cliff will be destroyed."
"And this move is the only way to lure me out!"
Yun Xiaoyao smiled faintly. "You're indeed the descendant of the Nine Supremes. You're resolute and extreme enough to make this place your final destination. I have nothing to say, nothing to say …"
"Big brother, you can't go. You know that the trap is right in front of you. Why walk right into it?"
"No, that brat has already calculated it. Even if I know I'm going to die, I'll still go!" Yun Xiaoyao said, "This is a trap for me. He knows that this is the only place I care about in this world! As long as someone makes a move, I'll definitely go! "
"The trap has already been set up there. If you really go, it's no different from digging your own grave. How can you escape unscathed?" Lao Mei said anxiously.
"Don't you understand? Everyone has something that they can't give up. Tianxuan Cliff is something that I can't give up in this world. It's the last trace my son left in this world. Either it lives with me, or it dies with me. That's all there is to it! "
Yun Xiaoyao said coldly, "That brat has calculated that I'll go no matter what. That's why he laid this trap."
"I'll go with you!"
"No way."
Yun Xiaoyao tapped a finger on Lao Mei's chest and fixed him in place. He then placed him on the bed and said faintly, "Brother, I'll go alone. My chances of escaping are slightly higher. If you go, you'll only drag me down. You'd better watch the house. Perhaps, I'll be back soon. "
Lao Mei's eyes were wide with anger. He wanted to speak and struggle, but he could neither speak nor move.
It was too dangerous!
They knew that Yun Xiaoyao was the Unrivaled Expert of this world, the strongest person, but they had still laid a trap. Then, they must have a high degree of confidence that they could keep Yun Xiaoyao there.
It was too dangerous for Yun Xiaoyao to go alone!
Lao Mei was well aware of this.
However, he was restrained by Yun Xiaoyao. Not only could he not move, he could not even speak.
He could only watch as Yun Xiaoyao slowly put on his long robe, unsheathed his treasured sword, and left through the window. The sound of hooves thundered at the door as he galloped away.
Yun Xiaoyao's departure from the city was not a secret at all. Too many people had seen it.
Qiu Jianhan was the first to know about it. Then, ignoring his body's pain, he forced himself up and went to the palace to look for the emperor.
"Yun Xiaoyao has left the city. Do you know about it, Your Majesty?"
The emperor's face was filled with a strange expression. It was like he was comforted, but it was also like he was chilled. He looked at Qiu Jianhan and said, "Old Qiu, speak your mind."
"Before this, Tianxuan Cliff had always been well-protected. Even when the world was destroying the Nine Supremes' statues and erasing Supreme Cloud's traces, no one had touched Tianxuan Cliff. "
Qiu Jianhan's gaze was cold. "Initially, we thought that it was the last sanctuary reserved by the royal family for the Nine Supremes. After all, it was the beginning of the legend of the Nine Supremes and the legend of Supreme Cloud. It was only today that I realized that the reason why no one had touched Tianxuan Cliff and was so tightly protected was because it was not the time to move. Tianxuan Cliff was actually a huge trap that had been set long ago. A trap that we had no choice but to fall into despite knowing that it was a trap!"
The emperor's expression did not change. "Oh?"
"The one this trap wanted to bury was … Yun Xiaoyao!" Qiu Jianhan said word by word, "All these years, we have done nothing in the face of the eldest grandson of the emperor. We have allowed ourselves to be divided and oppressed. Many of our old brothers have left. You've given away the entire imperial court, the entire world. Your Majesty, isn't that enough? "
The emperor was silent for a long time.
"We all know that your body can't take it anymore, but is it necessary to let Yun Xiaoyao die as well? Is it even necessary to use such a despicable method? "Qiu Jianhan pressed.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
