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Chapter 4 - This Official Swears to Death, Will Not Hand Over the Imperial Seal!
Chapter 4: This Official Swears to Death, Will Not Hand Over the Imperial Seal!
Ji Mingyue lowered his head.
The crown hung down, strings of bright pearls covering his angry eyes.
He had never been so angry before.
Since ascending the throne, his pursuit of pleasure and reckless indulgence had all been pretenses.
In reality, he harbored great ambitions.
But he knew that the more outstanding he appeared, the more he would be targeted.
Only by appearing incompetent could he possibly lull the Immortal Sect into complacency and secretly gather strength.
But today, he sadly discovered that he was still too naive. Even if he appeared more incompetent, the Immortal Sect would not slow down its steps to destroy Great Zhou.
Every concession made only invited more aggression.
Secretly accumulating strength could result in ruin before the strength was fully accumulated.
Now, of the nine continents in the world, Great Zhou had lost six. If a seventh kingdom were established, the fortune would inevitably flow away in large quantities.
With better luck, military and popular morale would plummet, and the prestige of Great Zhou would be tarnished.
With worse luck, the national luck might shatter as a result!
Once the national luck shattered, chaos would surely reign.
By then, he would also lose his legitimate position.
Without the protection of the national fortune, it would be easy for the Immortal Sect to kill him.
“I have no more room to retreat!” Ji Mingyue’s figure was slender, his broad dragon robe concealing his thin body, and his delicate white fingers were tangled up in his sleeves.
He absolutely could not agree!
Although establishing a seventh kingdom might not necessarily lead to the shattering of the national luck, he could not gamble with the national luck!
Since ascending the throne, Ji Mingyue, who had always been obedient, for the first time spoke against the will of the Immortal Sect.
“What if, I refuse?” A word stunned the entire hall.
He Yuan raised an eyebrow lightly, a hint of coldness in his eyes.
“Your Majesty refuses?” Ji Mingyue was a good actor. Over the years, he had been as gentle as a lamb, successfully deceiving the world.
Naturally, He Yuan was the same. He hadn’t expected Ji Mingyue to dare to refuse!
“If Your Majesty is unwilling?” Ji Mingyue found a reason, trying to refute. “The people of the world?”
He Yuan sneered. “Who does Your Majesty refer to as the people of the world?”
Before Ji Mingyue could answer, he stood up with a proud attitude, embracing the feather duster. “If it’s the Immortal Sect, then my meaning is the same as the Immortal Sect’s!”
Ji Mingyue gritted his teeth. “The Immortal Sect cannot represent the people of the world!”
He Yuan sneered. “If the Immortal Sect cannot represent the people of the world, then who can? The nobles and officials, or the literati and warriors?”
His cold eyes swept across the court.
The civil and military officials trembled and prostrated themselves one after another.
“The Li family of Jinyang has made outstanding contributions and deserves to be ennobled as kings. We have no objections!”
“The Li family of Jinyang has made outstanding contributions and deserves to be ennobled as kings. We have no objections!”
“The Li family of Jinyang has made outstanding contributions and deserves to be ennobled as kings. We have no objections!”
—
They seemed to have rehearsed, their voices uniform, continuously shouting, with an overwhelming momentum.
The six kings also echoed one after another.
In the entire court, not a single person stood by the sovereign.
Ji Mingyue, sitting high on the dragon throne, at this moment, only felt endless coldness and despair.
His face was pale, filled with anger and sorrow.
“Ministers who share the joys and sorrows with the sovereign, do you know what it means to be loyal to your sovereign?”
Great Zhou, which had endured for thousands of years, had it really reached its end?
Surrounded by external enemies and internal strife, Ji Mingyue’s emotions at this moment were indescribable.
He had reached the edge of collapse, to the point where even his voice sounded sharp, like that of a woman’s.
“Despicable, treacherous officials, not a single one has integrity!” Liu Jin gnashed his teeth in anger in the shadows.
Ye Ning, seeing him red-faced, knew he was truly angry and curiously asked.
“The Emperor has been in power for so many years, aren’t there a few close confidants? Not a single official in the court speaks for him, isn’t this failure too much?”
Liu Jin nodded vigorously, saying fiercely.
“Of course, the Emperor naturally has close confidants, and the treacherous counselor Liu Shen is one of them!”
Ye Ning raised an eyebrow. “Treacherous counselor?”
Liu Jin nodded vigorously, saying fiercely. “The Emperor is blinded by Liu Shen’s deceit. He extorts the people for wealth and is corrupt. Despite countless accusations against him, His Majesty still favors him… Unexpectedly, when the situation is dire today, he is feigning illness and not attending the court, and even his minions are absent!”
Ye Ning understood.
Got it. He saw the situation wasn’t good and feld first.
But this is normal, treacherous officials acted to benefit themselves. When they encountered danger, of course, they would run as far as possible.
But it didn’t matter if they didn’t attend court, it was just unfortunate for the young emperor.
Alone and helpless, how could he contend against the Immortal Sect?
“Does Your Majesty have anything else to say?” He Yuan’s eyes were full of disdain.
The civil and military officials?
The nobles and dignitaries?
Ants!
In front of the Immortal Sect, who dared to be so arrogant?
“You are still unable to represent the people of the world. The world belongs to the people of the world, and only the common people can represent them!” Ji Mingyue refused to back down, attempting to fight alone.
“Ridiculous! How many common people are there in the world? Do you intend to ask each of them for their opinions?”
Chu Wangcaomeng retorted from below the stage.
“No need to ask, I have already sent people to Jinyang in advance to gather the opinions of the local common people.” Ji Mingyue was well-prepared, and with a wave of his hand, several eunuchs brought up thick scrolls.
“These are the ten thousand-word petitions written by the people of Jinyang. Their thumbprints are also marked on them!
“The Li family of Jinyang, abusing and oppressing the people, seizing fertile fields, forcibly taking young women, committing all kinds of atrocities, making the people of Jinyang suffer!
“All of these are recorded, how can such a person be worthy of being ennobled as a king?”
Ji Mingyue’s words were powerful, like thunder, causing everyone to freeze.
No one had expected that this incompetent monarch had secretly made preparations.
“Good, let’s see what else you have to say!” Liu Jin, seeing this scene, pounded his chest excitedly.
The sight of everyone frozen made him feel exhilarated.
However, Ye Ning shook his head.
It was futile.
The truths of the world were all hollow.
The only truly effective one was one: power.
If reasoning worked, Great Zhou would not have fallen so low.
As expected, after a brief silence.
King Cao Meng of Wei stepped forward proudly, striding forward, kicking away the young eunuch carrying the box.
With a snap, he drew the sword at his waist and cut down.
Flames burst from the blade!
This was the immortal sword bestowed upon him by the Immortal Sect.
The flames burned, instantly reducing the ten thousand-word petitions to ashes.
He held the sword, a ferocious smile on his dark face.
“Unfortunately, there was an accidental fire. The ten thousand-word petitions collected by Your Majesty are gone!”
An accidental fire!?
Ji Mingyue, sitting on the dragon throne, stood up suddenly.
“You!” He stared at Cao Meng fiercely.
However, Cao Meng showed no fear at all, his eyes full of provocation.
Ji Mingyue’s chest heaved violently.
His gaze swept across the crowd. The numbness of the civil and military officials, the disdain of the six kings, and the arrogance of the Immortal Sect were like thorns stabbing his heart.
Today’s events, undoubtedly, were a great shame for the sovereign.
But what could be done?
He couldn’t say a complete sentence.
Because he found that whatever he said might be futile.
“Please, Your Majesty, confer the kingship.” He Yuan glanced approvingly at Cao Meng, coughing lightly, lazily saying.
“Please, Your Majesty, confer the kingship!”
“Please, Your Majesty, confer the kingship!”
“Please, Your Majesty, confer the kingship!”
Everyone shouted in unison, their voices like thunder, converging into a wave.
Ji Mingyue felt as if he was pushed by a tremendous force, his body tilting backward, sitting down heavily.
But his eyes reddened in an instant.
It was too much bullying!
Endless bitterness made him want to cry out loud.
“Traitors! Traitors…” Liu Jin was so angry that his body kept trembling.
Today’s events completely shattered his worldview.
The supreme sovereign actually being humiliated like this!
The magnificent Great Zhou, was there really no one with integrity?
“Your Majesty has already tacitly consented.”
King Cao Meng of Wei ignored Ji Mingyue altogether, pressing his long sword and turning his back on everyone.
“Prepare the edict!”
Immediately, someone brought the prepared imperial edict.
Cao Meng sneered, placing the edict on the desk.
“Where is the imperial seal? Why hasn’t it been presented? Your Majesty, please use the seal!”
Today’s events had evidently become a foregone conclusion!
However, no one had expected that this final step would encounter a problem.
They saw a young official holding a wooden box emerge from one side of the great hall. He was about twenty years old, with rosy lips and white teeth, and looked extremely handsome.
However, at this moment, his handsome cheeks were filled with anger. Instead of presenting the imperial seal, he tightly held the box in his arms and shouted in a harsh voice.
“Traitors! This official swears to death that he will not hand over the imperial seal!”