Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Li Hong’s Downfall (Please continue to read)
Translator: 549690339
Capital.
With the Grand General Li Hong entering the Sky Prison, the capital city became vaguely turbulent under the festive atmosphere of the New Year. However, the common people were not affected; instead, they all became “busybodies.”
Indeed, gossiping is the best way to socialize for humans. Old Zhang seemed like a real-time reporter, even reporting trustworthy information about what Li Hong ate in the Sky Prison.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Kaiping remained silent, which was surprising to the noble families of the capital. This was not his usual style.
However, some were dubious while others sneered. This was merely the calm before the storm since even killing a pig requires a prepared knife.
Liang Sheng was concerned about the cultivation clues in the Imperial City, so he kept an eye on the movements inside the Imperial City. The qi of the Innate Master Eunuch became weaker and weaker, making Liang Sheng more cautious, and he did not dare to take any reckless actions.
He would never forget the power of that mysterious little sword that night. No matter how many Innate Masters came forward, none could withstand it!
However, the high-ranking officials of the capital might not have as clear a view of the current situation as Liang Sheng. After all, whether they were truly just observing or participating, they were all part of the chess game.
Power can move people’s hearts, and greed always blinds people’s minds. If Liang Sheng’s lifespan were not long enough to wait for flowers to bloom and bear fruit, he might have become one of those fighting for dominance in the mortal world.
He watched the undercurrents surge in the capital; if Li Hong did not take the initiative to come out of Sky Prison, his fate would not be good. Thinking of this, Liang Sheng sighed helplessly.
Nevertheless, with Emperor Kaiping’s treatment of Li Hong, one could only say that he was either foolish or fearless. However, considering that an emperor would rather use military funds and provisions than burden the people and cause damage to maintain the stability of the world, it was difficult to see how he could be foolish. Thus, the only explanation left was that he was fearless.
Liang Sheng was still somewhat puzzled about this. The Eunuch Innate Master’s lifespan was already limited, so where did Emperor Kaiping get his confidence?
The Master of the Lifeless Sect spoke directly to Emperor Yan Jing during their secret discussion: if the current Heavenly Son’s virtue is not worthy of his position, then they would replace the emperor with someone else, as long as his surname was Ye.
Liang Sheng couldn’t understand what trump card Emperor Kaiping held that he dared to treat the National Pillar General so recklessly. Was he really going to rely solely on that Eunuch Master for a desperate move?
How would he deal with subsequent issues?
Emperor Kaiping must have felt a sense of crisis by now since the number of Lifeless Sect followers infiltrating the capital had been increasing ever since Li Hong arrived.
If Emperor Kaiping were unaware of this, Liang Sheng would be the first not to believe it. However, he was happy about this development. After all, the more chaotic the situation, the murkier the water, the more advantageous it would be for him. All he had to do was sit still on the Fishing Platform.
Imperial Palace.
Grand Temple.
At this moment, Emperor Kaiping was kneeling on the ground, facing the ancestral tablets of previous emperors of the Dayan Dynasty. Amid the curling smoke, an old eunuch in mourning clothes was coughing and chanting the scriptures on one side. This was the Eunuch Master who had beheaded Ye Min and Xuan Kong with a single sword stroke.
“Foster father, please help me eliminate the traitor Li Hong. He shows no respect for the king in his eyes. It is now necessary to remove him. Otherwise, my Ye family’s land will eventually be destroyed by him,” Emperor Kaiping pleaded.
However, upon hearing this, the Eunuch Master did not reply. Instead, he carefully flipped the paper money in the brazier so that no ashes would fly out.
He coughed from time to time, while Emperor Kaiping forcibly endured his impatience. He stood up and walked to the Eunuch Master’s side, continuing to complain about Li Hong’s great disrespect.
At this point, the Eunuch Master burned the last stack of paper money. He finally spoke, bent over, “Your Majesty, my duty is not to intervene in state affairs. This is the teaching left by the previous emperor. Moreover, 1 don’t understand the matters of the court.
However, my late master once instructed me – if you need my help, you must first meet someone and listen to their opinion before deciding whether you need my assistance.”
“What?”
The face of Emperor Kaiping turned ugly when he heard this. In fact, when he ascended the throne, he never imagined that the Lifeless Sect rebellion would turn out to be a play staged by the royal family for the world to see.
Who would have thought that they could meet the Sect Leader of the Lifeless Sect during the ancestral worship ceremony in the Grand Temple upon their enthronement?
Furthermore, they had to address the Sect Leader as Thirteenth Uncle. Fortunately, he did not give any orders in the past six months.
Upon seeing the old Eunuch’s steadfast attitude, Emperor Kaiping took a deep breath, nodded, and whispered: “Foster father, 1 will immediately contact Thirteenth Uncle. I’ll come back to you with the result.”
In the following days, the capital remained calm, with Li Hong still staying in Sky Prison. The cautious Old Zhou could only shake his head and smile bitterly as he diligently attended to the National Pillar General.
On the seventh day of the New Year, the festive atmosphere in the Capital began to fade. Liang Sheng looked in the direction of the Imperial City with a mysterious smile on his lips.
The Heavenly Son couldn’t help but make a move after all.
Chen Sheng’s stronghold had remained undisturbed all these years, and through him, Liang Sheng got first-hand information, reuniting with the Master of the No-Life Sect, who had infiltrated the Capital.
The No-Life Sect’s Master, who hadn’t been to the Capital in nearly a year, probably wasn’t just here for a simple appearance. Sure enough, as Liang Sheng carefully followed him from a distance, he saw the man enter a familiar hidden corner of the Imperial City.
But this time, it was Emperor Kaiping himself who had been waiting there. Upon seeing the Master of the No-Life Sect, he addressed him as Thirteenth Uncle.
“You called urgently for a meeting. Is it about Li Hong?”
Emperor Kaiping nodded. There was no need to hide the matter. After all, his intentions were clear to everyone by now. The No-Life Sect Master couldn’t help but shake his head.
“If Li Hong dies, there will be turmoil in the borderlands, and the price you will have to pay will be immense. Moreover, I can guarantee that Li Hong has no intention of rebelling. I think you know 1 would not be mistaken. Do you still want him dead?”
As the leader of the world’s foremost rebel sect, if the No-Life Sect Master said Li Hong had no intention of rebelling, then it was most likely true. But Emperor Kaiping’s face was still filled with a ruthless determination.
“That mere man no longer considers me in his thoughts. It’s only 30% of the grain provisions, and no one in the army is starving. Why has he gone to such lengths to embarrass me?
If he can’t be used by me, then what’s the point of keeping him alive? Once he’s dead, it will only be a brief period of chaos. There is no one under heaven who can disrupt my Ye Family’s Dynasty.
Instead, this will teach everyone, no matter who they are, that as long as they defy me, even if they are an Innate Nation Protector, they will only have one path: death.”
Emperor Kaiping’s face was filled with malice at this moment. The Master of the No-Life Sect looked at him, still calm. “You are the current Emperor of Dayan. All I hope is that you don’t come to regret your decision.
As for me, all that matters is that the world remains under the name of Ye. Everything else is of no consequence.”
Of course, Emperor Kaiping understood his meaning. But his heart was filled with supreme pride, how could he ever consider the possibility of something going wrong with Dayan’s rule under him?
His reign was named Kaiping, because he was absolutely confident that as long as he was in power, the nation would be as stable as Mount Tai.
That night, the Capital was once again plagued by a rebellion of No-Life Sect Followers. They began by launching a night attack on the Sky Prison, and their cries to save the No-Life Sect’s Mother resounded throughout the city.
Save Li Hong! Cleanse the Emperor’s side of treachery!
In response to this sudden turn of events, both the Capital’s Noble Families and high-ranking civil and military officials were caught off guard. They never thought that Li Hong would be involved with the No-Life Sect.
That night, the Imperial Army launched a powerful counterattack. Emperor Kaiping was both decisive and deadly. The small sword and Eunuch Master reappeared before the world.
The scene could not help but remind people of the night Prince Ping’an rebelled. Li Hong did not even leave a last will behind, nor did he fight back. Instead, he looked north and stood upright in death.
Old Zhou, the warden of the Sky Prison, returned to his home in silence. After a long time, he sighed deeply. There was no need for Li Hong to die, but at this late hour, what good would it do to make a stand?
He walked into the darkness…
After that night, the restless hearts of the Capital’s Noble Families settled once again. In the end, the rule of the world would still belong to the Ye Family.
But with Li Hong’s death, what would happen to the uproar among the northern border troops?
However, the news they received was that nearly all of Li Hong’s trusted subordinates had perished overnight, allowing Emperor Kaiping to smoothly take control of the border troops without any trouble.
Such tactics stabilized the Dayan Imperial Court and restored a sense of peace and prosperity to the world.
Emperor Kaiping, truly ruthless and decisive!
Most importantly, no one knew how he had accomplished it. So how could the nobility and officials of the Imperial Court, who were now uncertain about Emperor Kaiping’s hidden power, dare to make any rash moves!?
A month later, Liang Sheng sneaked out alone to the outskirts of the Imperial City, his eyes flashing with intense focus as he stared into the heart of the city.
Today would be the day the Eunuch Master would fall!
