Autumn was bleak, and a gust of wind blew past, bringing with it the chill of autumn. The trees gradually withered and turned yellow.
The Emperor leaned against his bed and looked outside. Not far from the window, the leaves had withered and the atmosphere was bleak. After staring for a long time, the Emperor sighed, "It's autumn again."
"Back then, when I was at Huai River, it was autumn as well. Xing Zhinian, Li Duoke and Zhang Shaoyu were all by my side …" The Emperor's Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke.
Xing Zhinian had been sentenced to death, Li Duoke had been stripped of his title and handed over to the local officials to be strictly controlled. Zhang Shaoyu had been in seclusion.
The Emperor was on high alert. He was getting weaker and weaker. The more he thought about it, the more emotional he felt. "I'm getting old …"
Eunuch Huang served the Emperor and spoke softly, "Your Majesty, you are the Emperor. You can live for another few thousand years."
"Haha!" Hearing these words, the Emperor laughed, "Living for ten thousand years is just the thought of an official. Since ancient times, there has never been a dynasty that lasts for a thousand years, nor a Son of Heaven that lasts for a hundred years. I have been blessed by the Heavens and have lived for ten years. I am already satisfied and do not dare to hope for more."
"It's just that the Crown Prince is filial and I am not at ease. I have something I need you to write."
"Yes!" Eunuch Huang immediately asked for a brush and ink. Although he was a eunuch, he was known for his agility in writing. The moment the Emperor spoke, he had already prepared a draft. After some thought, he dipped the brush and ink into the paper. The Emperor looked at it carefully and ordered, "Affix the imperial seal."
"Your Majesty, isn't it too early to prepare now?" Eunuch Huang asked softly. The Emperor laughed bitterly, "The Crown Prince cannot bear to do so. I am prepared."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Eunuch Huang was about to speak when a eunuch crawled into the room and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, this servant is here. It says that there is an urgent military matter and there is no need to report it."
As he spoke, he took out a document and presented it with both hands. Eunuch Huang paused and knew that something was wrong. He hurriedly took the document and presented it to the Emperor.
The moment the Emperor saw this, his hands turned cold, and his entire body trembled. Seeing that something was wrong, Eunuch Huang was about to help him up, but the Emperor's body had already gone limp, and he fainted.
The eunuchs were shocked and quickly surrounded him. Eunuch Huang was still able to hold on. His hands trembled as he took out a glass bottle from the cabinet. He drank a mouthful and offered it to the Emperor.
After giving it to the Emperor, Eunuch Huang then ordered, "Men, quick, summon the Imperial Physician."
"Go and inform the Crown Prince. Tell him to come to the palace to see His Majesty."
Although they were anxious, the arrangements were done in an orderly manner. Everyone immediately obeyed the order and left. After a while, the imperial physician rushed over. When he saw that the spiritual medicine for emergency treatment had been used, he quickly began to massage the patient.
The Emperor breathed heavily and woke up. He felt much more comfortable. He opened his eyes and then closed them again. Tears slid down from the corners of his eyes.
Seeing that the Emperor had awoken, the imperial physician continued to massage the Emperor before bowing and retreating. In just a few moments, the Emperor's face had turned pale. His eyes had turned blue, and his lips were slightly purple. He then ordered, "Pass down the decree. Count Zhong Qin has lost his teacher and humiliated the country. He shall be stripped of his title and title. Bring him to the capital immediately."
"Yes!" Immediately, someone acknowledged the order and went to prepare the Imperial Edict.
"Father, there's no need to be anxious. Take care of yourself." The Crown Prince hurried over. When he heard these words, he hurriedly stepped forward and spoke.
The Emperor waved his hands, "This matter cannot be delayed. It has to be done quickly. I have a feeling that I don't have much time left."
Seeing that the Crown Prince was about to decline, the Emperor waved his hands at the eunuchs and doctors, "All of you can leave. I have something to say to the Crown Prince."
"Yes, your Majesty." The eunuchs and serving girls retreated out of the room. The Emperor then leaned against the bed and took in deep breaths. He then spoke to Eunuch Huang, "Go and bring me the Imperial Edict I asked you to prepare."
As he spoke, he felt a tightness in his chest as he clutched at it.
The Crown Prince looked on as he knelt down beside the Emperor. He then stretched out his hands to soothe the Emperor's breathing and patted his back. He didn't know why, but tears started flowing down his cheeks.
Eunuch Huang retrieved the Imperial Edict as the Emperor panted and read it out loud.
"The Edict states: My body is slowly recovering, but I can no longer bear the strain. The Crown Prince is intelligent and has received my guidance. He is able to handle matters well. My decision has been made, and I shall appoint him to oversee the country.
Thus, the Emperor! "Hearing this, the Crown Prince was appointed to oversee the country. The entire situation was different. The Crown Prince was overjoyed, but at the same time, he was filled with fear and unease. He hurriedly kowtowed and said," Your son wouldn't dare, your son wouldn't dare. Father, please retract your orders... "
The Emperor waved his hands, "Don't decline. I have other orders."
"Yes, your son shall obey your orders."
The second order was the same as the last time. Cheng Shun was appointed as the commander of the army. Pei Zi Yun would be the one in charge, but this time, Cheng Shun didn't even need to leave the capital city.
Seeing the confused look on the Crown Prince's face, the Emperor didn't speak for some time. After some time, he finally spoke, "Out of all my sons, only these few have survived. Of course I love him, but I cannot allow him to follow King Lu's footsteps. Hence, I cannot allow him to lead the army, even in name."
The Crown Prince hurriedly smiled and said, "Cheng Shun Prefecture Prince is a gentle man, he wouldn't do this..."
The Emperor smiled and nodded his head. He then instructed the Emperor to continue reading the third edict. Eunuch Huang read it out slowly, "The Edict states: True Lord Qi Ning was originally an insignificant Daoist. After receiving the Emperor's favor, he didn't think of repaying it. Instead, he tried to understand my intentions. He should have been executed.
The Crown Prince didn't expect the Edict to be like this. His body trembled as he broke out in a cold sweat. His expression changed as he knelt on the ground and argued, "Father, Pei Zi Yun is extremely talented and has accomplished many great deeds. If we were to kill him like this, it would be detrimental to the country."
Seeing the Crown Prince pleading for Pei Zi Yun's life, the Emperor laughed and stared at the Crown Prince, "Do you know what the greatest taboo for a ruler is? It's to make the ruler feel that he needs him, and that he can't leave him for even a single step. With this in mind, he would be able to manipulate the ruler. This is called the Tai Ah Reversal. Many Daoists have used this method to cause chaos in the country. "
"Pei Zi Yun is a Daoist. Not only is he skilled in martial arts, he's also extremely scheming. This time, Uncle Zhong Qin's plan failed because he wasn't talented enough. But on the other hand, Pei Zi Yun clearly had a good plan, yet he didn't say a single word. Instead, he watched coldly from the sidelines. It's clear that he doesn't have a single shred of respect for the Emperor. This person cannot be allowed to live."
"Once he's done with King Lu, I've already arranged for him to die."
"Besides, I wasn't cruel and heartless. I didn't harm his family, and didn't even strip him of his title as a True Lord. After he dies, he'll still be protected by the Imperial Qi."
"Even if you don't like it, you can give him a posthumous title. After all, he's dead. I don't care if you give him a posthumous title."
"Father!" The Crown Prince shouted out. He didn't know if he should be happy that the Emperor had arranged everything for him, or if he should be sad that his father was going to kill his most trusted official. He choked on his tears and was speechless.
"Crown Prince, the empire of the Xu Dynasty is now in your hands." The Emperor spoke as he looked at the Crown Prince kindly, "If you don't manage to kill Pei Zi Yun, you can push all the blame onto me."
As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, he gasped for breath and fainted. The Crown Prince hurriedly stood up and sobbed, "Father, the imperial physician. Summon the imperial physician."
As he shouted out, his face was covered with tears.
Jin Prefecture, Prefecture City
"Long live King Lu." After defeating Count Zhong Qin, hundreds of officials gathered outside the city gates. The Marquis of Cloud Sun, Li Duo Ke, knelt down and paid his respects. The Marquis of Cloud Sun was one of the founding generals of the Xu Dynasty. He was also the one who took the initiative to submit to the Emperor. He kowtowed and shouted out, "Your Majesty, now that the Emperor is surrounded by treacherous officials, the country is no longer a country. Your Majesty, it's a great fortune for the country, a great fortune for the people, and a great fortune for the world."
"This humble general is willing to follow the Emperor's lead. Please accept me, your Majesty."
King Lu was full of smiles as he helped Li Duo Ke up. He then laughed out loud, "Li Duo Ke, you're my elder. Now that the treacherous officials are around, they have spread rumors about me and caused my uncle to lose his title. It's truly a misfortune for the world. If I succeed, I will restore your title."
The Marquis of Cloud Sun's title had been stripped away by the Emperor. Seeing King Lu's generosity, he was filled with emotion as he shouted out, "Long live King Lu, long live him."
Eunuch Liao walked closer and shouted out, "Your Majesty, something big has happened. Something big has happened!"
Hearing Eunuch Liao's words, King Lu frowned, "What's the big matter? Hurry and report it. "
Eunuch Liao's face was filled with joy, "Your Majesty, the four prefectures around the prefecture have all surrendered."
"What?"
Hearing this, King Lu was overjoyed. He then ordered, "Hurry, hurry. Summon them here. I want to see them personally."
When the Marquis of Cloud Sun heard this, his heart was filled with joy. He then thought to himself, 'King Lu is indeed the chosen one. Now that the four prefectures have surrendered, I shall have half of Jin Prefecture under my control.
A residence.
The blind Daoist spat out a mouthful of blood, as the demonic energy around his body became unstable. The scholar then conjured the image of a venomous snake as he asked in shock, "Demon Emperor, what's wrong?"
The blind Daoist sat down, as though he was regulating his breathing. After some time, he stood up and spoke, "We've infiltrated the human race, and yet we can't see the light of day. King Lu initially relied on us, and we allowed him to do so. Now that he's gained the support of many people, the fate of the human race has surpassed ours. That's why I'm suffering from the backlash."
"This blind Daoist was meritorious in raising the dragon, and thus had some Imperial Qi to protect his remnant soul. Once he had the chance, he wanted to cause trouble. Now that the Imperial Qi is burning, he wants to revive himself."
"What? Didn't we infiltrate King Lu's Imperial Qi? How can it be suppressed? This blind Daoist deserves to die. "The scholar spoke out in shock.
"There's no need to care about this remnant soul. When the time comes, we can destroy it." The blind Daoist waved his hands and laughed coldly, "We only managed to infiltrate King Lu's body when he was young. Now, we're rejecting him and burning the bridge after we've outlived our usefulness. If King Lu were to become the Son of Heaven, not only would our efforts be in vain, we would also suffer the backlash and enter the next cycle of reincarnation.
"Then what should we do?" The scholar panicked.
The blind Daoist laughed coldly, "It's very simple. We'll suppress King Lu a little more, and he can become the Son of Heaven. However, he has to follow our tempo. We can then slowly erode King Lu's power."
"This Xie Cheng Dong is too powerful. He's plotted so many times, and caused King Lu to develop too quickly. He has to die!"
"This time, we'll make our move against him. We can't think of anything else. Only the Demon Race can achieve victory." As he finished speaking, he smiled, revealing his sharp teeth.
He then spoke out, "Since I've entered this world, I can sense that the Imperial Court and Dark Altar Sect both want to kill Xie Cheng Dong. Let me add fuel to the fire. Don't forget, Xie Cheng Dong borrowed our strength to rise to this stage. Although he's very cautious, he's still left us a secret door. In a short period of time, it won't be a problem to cause him to lose control of his Imperial Qi."
"When Xie Cheng Dong dies, hehe." The blind Daoist laughed evilly, "King Lu can only rely on us."
The scholar was overjoyed as well, "When that time comes, we can slowly kill off the generals and ministers of the human race. Then, our Demon Race can slowly rise up and control the Imperial Qi. Our Demon Race is the future ruler of this world..."
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