Li Mu smiled.
He snapped his fingers.
Swoosh.
A streak of golden light flashed by.
Prince Zhen, who was roaring hysterically, stopped abruptly. He covered his neck with both hands as blood oozed out. Then, golden flames spurted out from his body.
"You … You dare to kill me?"
He stared at Li Mu in disbelief before he turned into a puff of ash.
In the hall, there was a dead silence in an instant.
Although the terrifying scene had ended, the aftermath was still like a hurricane, madly attacking everyone's nerves over and over again.
Did Prince Mu really kill someone?
Did he really do it?
Killing a prince with the blood of the royal family flowing in his veins right here in the main hall?
He dared.
He really dared.
All the officials felt their bodies turn cold as if they had fallen into an ice cave.
Before this, everyone knew that Prince Mu's strength was terrifying. He was strong enough to sweep through the Extreme Emperor Cliff. But because of Li Mu's previous performance, everyone naturally thought that no matter how strong Prince Mu was, he was still just a subject.
That was the rule of the game.
And Prince Mu seemed to be a man who abided by the rules.
But now, with the death of Prince Zhen, a cruel and naked truth was presented before the eyes of every official —
Prince Mu did not follow the rules completely.
When someone who could tear apart the rules suddenly did not play by the rules, the destruction would be so great that the officials could not think of any way to stop Li Mu.
And the cruelest part of the truth was that if Prince Mu did not play by the rules, not only Prince Zhen, but every one of them could turn into a puff of ash at any time.
Zheng Yuan's body trembled violently out of fear.
Gao Shengwei reacted the same way.
The two of them were horrified to find that they seemed to have misjudged the situation.
The Empress stood up and staggered. No one knew if she wanted to escape or say something, but she dared not move. She didn't say a word. She didn't know whether to sit or stand.
Prince Son looked at his master in shock.
For the time being, he could not figure out what it meant for his master to kill Prince Zhen so easily. But there was no doubt that the aura his master exuded made him feel extremely safe.
Unprecedentedly safe.
At the entrance of the grand hall, Servant Yin's mind went blank.
When the surprise was too big and sudden, many people would be like this poor mother. For a moment, they couldn't react, and their minds would have a feeling that it was unreal.
It was only after witnessing Prince Zhen's death that she snapped out of her shock. Prince Mu had really accepted her son as his disciple.
The air in the hall seemed to have frozen for a few dozen breaths.
Silence.
Silence.
Deathly silence.
No one dared to break the deathly silence.
The scene in the hall was like a movie that had been played halfway and someone had suddenly pressed the pause button.
It was not until Li Mu slowly stood up from the silver throne that everyone was stunned.
The still image was broken.
Everyone subconsciously looked at Li Mu.
Meanwhile, the look in Li Mu's eyes suddenly became piercingly cold.
Cupping his hands together, he spoke in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, you just asked me what I think about Prince Chen as the Crown Prince. After thinking about it for a moment, I suddenly feel that Prince Mu's nature is mellow and kind, filial and reasonable. He is a suitable candidate to be the next Crown Prince because I agree with your Majesty's decision."
An incomparably powerful pressure filled the entire palace.
Before, before Li Mu spoke, every official felt as if there was a mountain pressing down on their hearts.
They thought that this was already the pressure of a top-notch expert.
But now, they realized that Prince Mu didn't release any pressure at all. Now, the suffocating atmosphere in the hall was the true pressure of a top powerhouse.
The emperor slowly sat down on the dragon throne.
He finally let out a long sigh.
The poison in his body was still spreading.
He was barely able to speak.
"Brother Mu … … Very well then, Prince Son will be the heir apparent. The day of my death will be the day of Prince Son's ascension to the throne … …" He was gasping for air so much that it was difficult for him to speak. Pausing for a second, he continued: "I'm not feeling well. Today … … The court will be presided over by Prince Mu … … Prince Mu's words are my will.
After saying such a long speech in one breath, the emperor was already so tired that his vision was turning black.
"Your majesty's meaning, I understand."
Li Mu cupped his hands.
He turned around and stood next to the dragon throne, overlooking the officials in the hall.
"Zheng Yuan, what do you have to say?"
Li Mu's eyes were the first to fix on Zheng Yuan.
Zheng Yuan's heart trembled as he hurriedly said, "Your highness, I do not understand what you mean."
Li Mu continued, "You fabricated the matter between Madam Yin and the guard to slander Prince Chen's bloodline. Do you still not plead guilty?"
"This … … I am wronged, I dare not." Zheng Yuan cried out.
Li Mu coldly smiled, "You dare not? You've got guts, eh? "
Zheng Yuan replied, "I am afraid."
Li Mu continued, "So you don't want to admit? I advise you to think carefully before you answer. "
Zheng Yuan's heart was on the verge of collapse.
Facing the powerful Prince Mu, he simply did not have the qualifications to fight back.
Hold on?
That is courting death.
Admit to fabricating a false accusation against Prince Chen and his mother?
That is also death.
How the fuck am I supposed to play this game?
Zheng Yuan felt very wronged.
If he knew this was Prince Mu's stance, he would've obediently followed the emperor's will. How could he do this? Isn't this the same as voluntarily jumping out to die?
He simply wanted to cry.
At that moment, Li Mu sneered and said, "The second prince's only son, Prince Zhen, was killed 15 years ago on the day he was adopted by the empress. The one who just died under my sword was a man surnamed Zheng. He was just an impostor with the blood of a different surname."
Li Mu's words were earth-shattering.
All the officials in the hall were immediately alarmed.
The meaning behind these words was not only to deal with Zheng Yuan, but also to hammer the Zheng clan and the empress to death.
Kill them all?
Zheng Yuan's body trembled in fear, and he subconsciously wanted to defend himself.
Li Mu said directly, "According to my investigation, the masterminds behind this are Zheng Yuan and the Empress. The two of them conspired to replace the bloodline of the Imperial Family with the Zheng Family, subverting the dynasty. Their evil intentions are hard to redeem."
This time, it was clear.
Countless gazes turned to look at Zheng Yuan in unison.
Zheng Yuan could not hold it in any longer. "Slander! This is a false accusation! Prince Mu, I have no grudge against you. Why are you framing me like this? Your Majesty, I'm innocent, I'm innocent …"
His heart was on the verge of collapsing.
Because he knew very well that the Prince Zhen who was killed was not a fake. He was the real son of the second prince of the Huangji Cliff. There was no impersonation at all.
But he was already dead.
He had turned into ashes.
How could he prove it?
Li Mu stared coldly at Zheng Yuan.
He was just making things up.
"When you framed Maid Yin and the guards for adultery, you should be able to imagine it. Now you know how terrible it is when the same thing happens to you."
"Do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you."
Li Mu did not have much sympathy for such a schemer.
"Guards, banish the empress to the cold palace. Gao Yingyuan, take some men to confiscate Zheng Yuan's house. If anyone resists, kill him."
Li Mu said.
"No …" Zheng Yuan let out a cry of despair. He looked at the emperor and shouted, "Your Majesty, save me, save me …"
He rushed to the emperor.
Li Mu raised his hand.
Swoosh.
A golden sword light flashed and directly killed Zheng Yuan on the spot.
Seeing that, the empress no longer dared to resist, but just wailed and begged for mercy.
But the emperor did not show any sign.
Soon, the empress's cultivation was completely sealed and she was dragged out by the ferocious palace guards.
The wails came from afar, causing the officials in the royal palace to shudder.
Li Mu looked at Gao Gongwei again.
The latter's legs softened, and he knelt on the ground with a thud.
"Gao Shengwei colluded with Zheng Yuan and betrayed the emperor's kindness. He will be executed immediately. The imperial guards will confiscate the Gao family. If anyone resists, kill him."
Li Mu's voice, like a judgment, sounded in the hall.
No doubt.
No resistance.
No criticism.
Not only because the emperor said that Li Mu's will was his decree, but also because of Li Mu's invincible strength.
In this state, Li Mu made the officials tremble and obey more than the emperor in a healthy state.
A series of orders were given.
Gao Shengwei was directly dragged out and beheaded.
The Gao family and the Zheng family were completely finished.
No one dared to speak for these two families.
"Boy, come here."
Li Mu waved to Prince Son.
The little boy obediently came to Li Mu's side.
"Go, bring your mother here." Li Mu said.
The little boy's face immediately lit up with joy. He dashed over and hugged Maid Yin. Then, holding his mother's hand, he led her to Li Mu.
"Thank you, your honor. I will never forget the prince's life-saving grace." Maid Yin gratefully bowed to Li Mu.
Li Mu shook his head and said, "Don't thank me. This is the emperor's decree. His Majesty sent someone to me secretly last night. Everything I did was in accordance with the emperor's will. "
In the hall, there was a boiling discussion.
Many officials came to a sudden realization.
So that was it.
No wonder Prince Mu, who had always had no interest in the affairs of the court, suddenly changed today. Not only did he accept Prince Son as his disciple, but also made a decision to push Prince Son to the position of crown prince.
It turned out that this was the emperor's decree.
Prince Mu was just acting in accordance with the emperor's decree.
It made sense.
Prince Mu had always followed the emperor's lead. Naturally, no matter what, he would always stand by the emperor's side. Even if the emperor's days were numbered, he would not waver in the slightest.
Under Li Mu's guidance, Maid Yin sat in the place where the empress sat before.
On the other hand, Prince Son sat beside the emperor.
The emperor raised his hand with great difficulty and gently held the little boy's palm.
An incomparably wonderful feeling of blood connection came to him.
This was his own son.
When a man was about to die, his words were kind. At this moment, the Emperor's heart was filled with guilt and debt toward this son of his. Especially today, he had almost lost control of the situation and was almost about to watch his own son be killed.
Fortunately, he still had a sworn brother, Mu Mu.
He turned the tide.
Soon, everything was settled.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, extremely tired and vaguely felt the arrival of death.
He looked at Li Mu and after a long while, he reluctantly said, "Mu … Brother, Son is slow-witted and may not be a wise ruler. If he becomes wise in the future, you can support him. If he becomes muddle-headed, you can replace him."
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