Zhang Yunke took the military report and rushed to the palace to present it to Emperor Qi Tai. Emperor Qi Tai received him and gestured, "Open it and read it."
Zhang Yunke opened the report and read, "Minister Jiancong Yun reports a great victory for your majesty …"
He paused for a moment and glanced at the Qitai Emperor. Then, he began to recite in a clear voice, describing how he arrived in Hu Province, transferred troops to the frontline counties, and deployed troops to defeat the enemy.
"Your majesty is a saint, and the heavens have blessed me. King Lu has gone against the rules and massacred the entire city. He has lost the hearts of the people, and the counties along the way have surrendered …"
"There's no need to read the rest." As Emperor Qi Tai spoke, he noticed that Zhang Yun was taken aback. He then laughed, "Not only Jiancong Yun, Li Pan from Chu Prefecture and Huang Yuanzhen from Northern Plains Prefecture have also reported their victories. Some of them haven't arrived yet, but in a few days, they should be here."
"Ai … King Lu's power has crumbled. I don't know what to do. My father only has three sons … Back in the day, we were brothers." At this point, Emperor Qi Tai swallowed his saliva, "Let's not talk about this. I summoned you here not for this, but to discuss about True Sovereign."
"Pei … True Sovereign?" Zhang Yunke hesitated.
"Mm." Emperor Qi Tai looked at Zhang Yunke and said, "Men, let the Prime Minister take a seat and hand him the report."
Zhang Yunke thanked him and sat down. He then opened the report and saw that it was a report from Pei Zi Yun.
The gist of the report was that although they had killed the leader of the enemy, only a hundred of the original three thousand remained. They were asking for forgiveness and didn't mention anything about the overall situation.
When Zhang Yunke first read it, he was impressed by Pei Zi Yun's intelligence. As he continued reading, he felt a chill down his spine, 'This man's heart is as dangerous as a mountain!'
Zhang Yunke was the Prime Minister and understood the situation very well. The fact that they were able to win this battle so quickly was indeed due to Pei Zi Yun's merits. However, Pei Zi Yun was a Daoist. Even if he were a Grand Scholar, he would not be rewarded.
The process was like this. First, he would be rewarded heavily. Then, according to the Emperor's feelings for him, he would be rewarded for his actions. Half of it depended on the reaction of the person involved.
Some people might say that this was the time to defile oneself, but this was actually a road to death. If one were to defile oneself, it would have no effect if it was a small one, but if it was a big one, the Emperor or the court officials would be overjoyed. If a prince broke the law, he would be punished the same as a commoner. Kill kill kill!
Hence, it had to be a public scandal. What exactly was a public scandal? It was written on Pei Zi Yun's memorial. Firstly, he had to encircle and annihilate the traitors. This was a righteous act, and no one could find fault with it.
After that, although the matter was settled and the enemy's leader was killed, the losses were great, and they had to apologize to the imperial court. It was impossible to do things perfectly. If even this was harsh, then all the officials in the world would not do things.
Therefore, this memorial had paved the way for the imperial court and him. Even the Prime Minister had witnessed his ability to play mind games!
Another rumble of thunder could be heard. It wasn't loud, but it was very close. Zhang Yunke frowned and thought for a while. He then sighed and said, "True Sovereign Pei Qian is a loyal ruler. It's just that he pursued the enemy too fiercely, which resulted in him falling into an ambush. The losses were great. Since he's asking for forgiveness, there's no need to punish him. He can be rewarded with land and allowed to return home."
Emperor Qi Tai listened attentively as he pondered. He then bit his lips and said, "In the past, I felt that my father the Emperor was too harsh. But when I reached this position, I understood the difficulties."
"Sometimes, it's hard to satisfy both sides."
These words were without rhyme or reason. Zhang Yunke's heart sank, but at the same time, he was overjoyed. He was depressed because he knew that Pei Zi Yun had done a great deed. He was overjoyed because the Emperor's suspicions were obvious.
Zhang Yunke's eyes gleamed. Just as he was about to speak, Emperor Qi Tai slowly stood up and said, "Take a look at this memorial. There's a secret memorial from Pei Zi Yun, and an urgent letter from the Daoist Records Department."
Zhang Yunke paused as he picked it up and read it. The minute he saw it, he wanted to curse out loud, "Preposterous!" However, he managed to control himself.
When he took a closer look, his heart sank. After a long time, he finally regained his composure and frowned, "This matter is hard for me to believe. King Lu was in Jin Prefecture. Why would he suddenly bring his troops to Dong Yuan Mountain?"
"That's a distance of seven hundred miles."
Zhang Yunke paused before he continued, "Furthermore, there's a note stating that the corpses have disappeared. This means that there's no evidence."
"As for the demons, that's even more ridiculous."
"However, with so many secret memorials, I don't think that they would dare to join forces to deceive the Emperor. Besides, the loss of three thousand men proves that they've met a formidable enemy."
"This official doesn't dare to confirm the authenticity of this matter. Can we delay this matter for a few days, and let the Imperial Court investigate this matter thoroughly before we make a reply?"
"This is my intention as well. I don't dare to believe it, but I don't dare to not believe it." Emperor Qi Tai spoke expressionlessly, "You're the Prime Minister. This matter has to be reported to you. Go, on behalf of the Imperial Court, investigate this matter thoroughly."
"Yes!"
Seeing that Zhang Yunke had left, the Emperor turned around and looked at someone, "How's the matter regarding the Dao Sect?"
Eunuch Huang bowed, "Your servant has already sent a letter, using the matter regarding the demons as an excuse to gather everyone. Nobody can refuse."
Emperor Qi Tai nodded his head and didn't speak further.
Ying Ling Temple
The mountain range was filled with mountains and forests. The temple was built with the back of the mountain and the face of the water. At this point, the peak of the mountain was shrouded in mist. A Daoist was breathing heavily, as he inhaled and exhaled.
The wind blew past, causing the Daoist's robes to flutter. He looked like he was in his twenties, but had a few strands of white hair.
At this point, a Daoist hurried up to the peak of the mountain. He held a letter in his hands and looked at the Daoist cultivating.
After some time, he stopped moving. The Daoist then stepped forward and whispered, "Sect Leader, there's a secret message from the Dao Records Department."
"Hm, we're Daoists. We shouldn't be so close to the Imperial Court." The Sect Leader had a look of disgust on his face as he wiped his hands with a towel and was about to leave. The Daoist hurriedly said, "Sect Leader, it's regarding True Sovereign Pei. It's said that it's related to King Lu as well!"
Hearing these words, the Sect Leader's face fell as he turned around to look at the Daoist. The Daoist knew that the Sect Leader was moved and hurriedly handed the letter over.
He tore the letter open and read it. After a few glances, he said, "What? Steel body? Demon army? That's unbelievable. "
After pausing for some time, the Daoist then said, "Looks like I have to make a trip to the capital city. Send twenty disciples to follow me into the capital city."
"Yes, Sect Leader!" The Daoist who followed him acknowledged.
Similar things had happened in different Daoist sects as well. Some hesitated, some responded to the Sect Leader's summons, and some even tried to find out what was going on.
Fairy Palace
The Fairy Palace had a long history. It was built by the previous dynasty and had been preserved to this day. It was a place of worship and worship. Between the cracks of the green bricks, there were green moss and water droplets that looked like pearls. As they walked in, they saw that the ground was paved with green stones. Grass grew on both sides of the path, and the entire place was filled with life.
On the green stone path, ten Daoists were strolling leisurely as they admired the spring scenery. When the wind blew past, a chill could be felt. However, these Daoists didn't seem to mind. Their faces were flushed red as they chatted. From time to time, laughter could be heard.
"When the spring thunder booms, the flowers bloom and bear fruit. How wonderful. The Dao is within." A middle-aged man dressed in a white robe said as he shook his head.
The Sect Leader of Level Sky Sect was the exact opposite. He laughed coldly as he reached out and plucked a branch off a flower, "Fellow Daoist brothers, let's not waste our time. We don't have time to waste. True Sovereign Pei is extremely talented. He's only twenty plus years old and has already become an Earth Immortal. He's even passed the Tribulations. How terrifying. If we let him be, he'll be the next Dao Monarch.
What do all of you think? "The Sect Leader of Xuan Fa Sect immediately followed up, his tone was icy cold," Not only that, there's also news that not only did Pei Zi Yun pass the Tribulations, he's even about to attain the Indestructible Vajra Body. How envious. "
"We're all young and can't become an Earth Immortal. But how can Free Cloud Sect raise an Earth Immortal? It's unbelievable. What do all of you think? "
As the Sect Leader spoke, his eyes were filled with jealousy. However, his words were like a cat's paw scratching at the hearts of the Daoists.
The Daoists who were originally together quietened down. It was extremely difficult to become an Earth Immortal. Everyone present was extremely talented and talented. They didn't care about the riches of the world, they only wanted to become an Earth Immortal. However, none of them could overcome this hurdle. This had nothing to do with talent.
"Free Cloud Sect has an Earth Immortal. How can it still be considered a small sect? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it's the number one sect in the South. " Amidst the silence, the Sect Leader of Dong Hua Sect laughed out before changing the topic, "The Sect Leader of Xuan Fa Sect's Indestructible Vajra Body is just a rumor. It's not the truth. It's just that it's not true."
"The Daoist officials of the Imperial Court are despicable and despicable. They might be intentionally hiding the truth and provoking conflict between us. However, our sect has been passed down for a long time. How could these dogs of the Imperial Court know of it?"
Everyone stopped in their tracks and didn't speak for a moment. At this point, they were standing in front of a tree. Spring was coming, and the branches were hanging down. The flowers were emitting a refreshing fragrance. Everyone was admiring it. After a long time, the Sect Leader of Ping Tian Sect spoke, "However, the fact that the Sect Leader of Ping Tian Sect has such a performance means that he's very close to becoming an Earth Immortal."
Seeing that everyone was silent, he raised his voice, "Back then, when the Dao Monarch rose, Paradise was upgraded. There were even a handful of Earth Immortals. Everyone was envious of him. However, after that, the Dao Monarch fell into a deep slumber. The Heavens and Earth treated us Daoists more and more harshly."
"This person is extremely talented. However, it's not a blessing for Daoist Sect."
"That's right. The Dao Monarch fell, and our Daoist Sect fell into a deep slump. Now, we really can't afford to have another Dao Monarch." The Sect Leader of Xuan Fa Sect spoke before repeating, "We can't afford to have another Dao Monarch."
The Sect Leader of the Dong Hua Sect revealed a look of sarcasm before disappearing in a flash. From afar, a young eunuch led a red-robed eunuch over. All the Daoists stopped talking and didn't speak any further.
The Fairy Palace wasn't very big. However, the corridors were winding and winding. They went around a fake mountain and a pond, as well as a pine forest. The young eunuch supported the red-robed eunuch and spoke in a low voice, "I have something to report."
"Speak." Eunuch Huang spoke. The young eunuch retrieved a book from his sleeves and handed it over, "Godfather, twenty-four Sect Leaders have arrived. There are more than a hundred Daoists gathered."
Seeing that Eunuch Huang was reading the book, the young eunuch stepped forward and reported, "Godfather, True Lord Pei isn't a Daoist? Looking at these Sect Leaders, some of them seem to want to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Why is that? "
"Hmph hmph!" Eunuch Huang snorted coldly, "If you weren't my nephew and didn't acknowledge me as your father, I wouldn't have given you any guidance. We're both eunuchs. Are you willing to see Little Ping Zi climb higher than you and climb on top of your head?"
"No." The young eunuch seemed to have understood something.
"Daoists are humans after all. In fact, the Daoists are much better than I expected." Eunuch Huang patted the document in his hands, "Only forty percent of the Daoists want to kill Pei Zi Yun when he's down. Compared to some civil officials, the Daoists are considered to be rather decent."
As he spoke, the group of Daoists approached without speaking. More than twenty Daoists knelt down and said, "We pay our respects to Eunuch Huang."
"Please rise. Everyone here is a True Lord. I dare not accept such an honor." Eunuch Huang's face was full of smiles as he spoke in a shrill voice, "Everyone here has accepted the imperial edict to enter the capital city at night. This shows that you are truly loyal to the Emperor. I believe that in these few days, all of you will reap some benefits."
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