"Huh? Why is your old man the one stepping forward?" Brother Red Chicken looked blankly at Guan Ya. Yang Zheng's sudden move had not only stunned the enemy forces, but even baffled their allies.
What did he mean by "old man"? Guan Ya lowered her voice. "I don't know. Leave him be for now. Go keep an eye on those assassins and be ready to launch a sneak attack at any moment."
Using eye contact paired with subtle hand gestures, she pointed out the seven assassins in the crowd one by one.
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, Xiao Yuan, and Xie Lingxi tacitly changed clothes, taking off their ornate, elaborate gowns and slipping into the attire of common folk.
Sun Miaomiao spat out the 6th-level wraith, Yin Chuanmei, then used a secret art to condense her spirit servants into a whip and lashed it heavily across Yin Chuanmei's body, commanding, "Drag them into an illusion."
The slender, charming Yin Chuanmei let out a soft moan and prostrated herself on the ground. "Thank you for the master's reward, thank you for the master's reward... Master, whip me one more time!"
The women inside the carriage all turned to stare at Sun Miaomiao, apparently never imagining that Sun Six-Waters was like this.
A blush crept onto Sun Miaomiao's cheeks. Flushed with embarrassment, she hurriedly explained, "Yuanshi Tianzun gave me this spirit servant! She won't work unless she's whipped! How does Yuanshi Tianzun being a pervert have anything to do with me?!"
While she was making excuses (explaining), Yin Chuanmei had already floated out of the carriage and begun secretly influencing the seven assassins.
Having finished changing, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, Xie Lingxi, and Xiao Yuan pushed open the carriage door and stepped down one after another, blending into the crowd to wait for an opportunity.
Aside from the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, Xiao Yuan and Xie Lingxi were merely Transcendents, whereas anyone lying in ambush among the crowd to assassinate the fatuous ruler was bound to be a Saint-stage (Minor Grandmaster) expert.
But that was fine. The advantage of Spirit Realm Walkers lay in their vast variety of props—they could launch an unscrupulous sneak attack with no regard for martial honor.
So long as Yin Chuanmei pulled the assassins into an illusion, unless the target was a Mountain God, they were all doomed.
At this moment, the crowd stirred. Seeing Yang Zheng step in forcefully to halt the Heaven-worshipping ceremony, the commoners, who had previously lost all hope, found their eyes lighting up with a gleam of longing, rekindling the fire of hope.
A city defense army commander at the Minor Grandmaster level stepped forward with three soldiers and cupped his fists, speaking in a stiff, unyielding tone:
"Chancellor Yang, please. Do not make things difficult for this humble general. The Imperial Preceptor and all these people are watching."
The implication was clear: with the Imperial Preceptor overseeing the scene, he had no hope of making waves; and with so many citizens watching, if he didn't want to lose all face, he should be sensible and back away.
Yang Zheng lashed out with a flying kick, striking the commander dead in the chest and abdomen. The kick was so swift and fierce that the Minor Grandmaster didn't have time to react before being sent flying backward like a sandbag, tumbling over and over across the ground for more than a dozen meters before finally coming to a halt.
Now, even the two rows of civil and military officials broke into a commotion. The city defense soldiers tasked with keeping the commoners at bay and maintaining order turned their heads in shock, watching their superior scramble up in disarray.
Clang!
The commander drew his saber directly, his face twisted in equal parts agony and humiliated fury.
Seeing this, Zheng Wenhan cast aside all restraint, dropping all pretense as he bellowed:
"Yang Zheng has defied the imperial decree and is plotting treason! Apprehend him at once! If he resists, kill him without mercy!"
The commander sneered coldly and charged forward leading two files of soldiers.
"What audacity!" Zhang Yuanqing gave his cheek a tug, tearing off a whole sheet of human skin thin as a cicada's wing, and shouted loudly, "We are the reigning Son of Heaven! How dare you commit regicide?!"
The commander charging forward with blades bared abruptly stopped in his tracks, glancing back at Zheng Wenhan.
"His Majesty?!"
The ministers erupted into an even greater tumult. Even these officials, who had weathered the turbulent sea of officialdom for decades, were completely baffled.
How had Grand Secretary Yang Zheng suddenly turned into His Majesty?
Among them, Zheng Wenhan's confidants exchanged glances and chose to wait and see, either keeping silent or playing dumb.
Zheng Wenhan yelled harshly, "Audacious scoundrel! How dare you impersonate His Majesty to disrupt the ceremony of sacrifice to Heaven?! Where is the dignity of the imperial family?! Men, slay this rogue immediately!"
These words were directed at the assassins outside the square, signaling that they could strike.
Zhang Yuanqing reached his right hand into his robes, opened his inventory, and retrieved a square, translucent, bright-yellow jade seal. Holding it high, he barked with an imposing aura that was not a whit inferior to Zheng Wenhan's:
"The Heirloom Seal of the Realm is here!"
With his other hand, he pulled out the Double Dragon Jade Pendant of identical jade from his "robes," glaring at the officials. "Do you not recognize the imperial seal, gentlemen? Do you not recognize Our personal jade pendant?!"
"It really is His Majesty?"
"Why is His Majesty here?"
After their shock subsided, the uninformed ministers began prostrating themselves one after another, shouting, "Hail to His Majesty!"
Zheng Wenhan's trusted officials had no choice but to kowtow along with them.
That left only Zheng Wenhan standing solitary and awkward, unsure whether to kneel or not, his gaze darting repeatedly toward the commoners outside the square.
Why hasn't the Shenrui Army acted yet?
There was also no sound from the assassins he had positioned.
Not good! As a master of political maneuvering, Zheng Wenhan knew that the fatuous ruler had unraveled his arrangements. If the assassins hadn't appeared immediately, they would never appear.
Huh? He actually disguised himself as Chancellor Yang to sneak in! Wang Beiwang had thought the foolish emperor had lost his nerve and didn't dare show his face in person, so he had commissioned Yang Zheng to intervene.
Just a moment ago, he had been internally cursing the emperor for being foolish—how could Yang Zheng stop this when he had neither the title nor the justification?
"Is that really that dog emperor?"
"Burning innocent children—such brutal depravity will bring down the wrath of Heaven!"
"Fatuous ruler! Dog emperor!"
At the perimeter of the square, an uproar broke out among the capital's populace. Curses and accusations rose incessantly, without the slightest fear of being punished for lèse-majesté—they were used to cursing him.
Ever since Zhao Shun ascended the throne, criticism and revilement from the populace had never ceased, while the court turned a blind eye and never punished anyone. The Imperial Academy even condoned students criticizing the emperor at banquets, poetry gatherings, and other public venues.
Young scholars regarded attacking the emperor as politically correct and a way to flaunt their own integrity.
Hearing the clamorous swell of voices and the brazen shouts cultivated through his deliberate indulgence, Zheng Wenhan had a sudden realization. Anti-imperial sentiment was running high right now; he could easily cater to public opinion, seize the momentum to denounce the fatuous ruler, and depose Zhao Shun from the throne.
So long as the Imperial Preceptor supported him, everything would fall into place naturally.
Whether to declare himself emperor afterward or prop up a puppet could be considered later.
However, if the ceremony of sacrifice to Heaven failed, the Imperial Preceptor might...
While he was hesitating, he heard Zhao Shun, holding the imperial seal in one hand and the jade pendant in the other, speak out in a clear voice:
"A few days ago, spies from the Northern Dynasty infiltrated the imperial palace. Using the art of disguise, they replaced Us and deceived the palace guards. Fortunately, Beauty Wan, Madame Ya, Consort De, and Songstress Wang were fiercely loyal and risked their lives to help Us escape the palace.
"For five days, We have wandered outside the palace. Failing to kill Us, those Northern scoundrels actually conceived the preposterous scheme of burning three hundred children alive to smear Our reputation and sow chaos among Our people. It is truly abominable!"
The site, previously boiling with clamor, suddenly went dead silent. The citizens were caught in shock and doubt, ceasing their protests and curses.
They began whispering to one another, murmuring in confusion.
Wang Beiwang, blending in among the commoners, was momentarily startled. He knew the root of the foolish emperor's plight was the Zheng family's assassination attempt, not Northern spies, and could not understand why the ruler didn't expose Zheng Wenhan's conspiracy on the spot.
Then, with a turn of thought, he realized: this was meant to steady Zheng Wenhan's mind, preventing the powerful Chancellor Zheng from leaping over the wall in desperation like a cornered dog.
Zhang Yuanqing continued in a ringing voice:
"This ceremony to sacrifice to Heaven was never Our intent! Burning innocent children flies in the face of human decency! Though the Northern Dynasty presses forward aggressively, the Son of Heaven guards the nation's gate, and the monarch dies for the altars of state! Why should innocent children pay with their lives?!
"Halt the sacrifice to Heaven! Send the children home!"
Silence fell over the square.
The two rows of civil and military officials stared dumbfounded at the emperor who delivered this impassioned speech. They could hardly believe such words had come from the mouth of a fatuous ruler who indulged in sensory pleasures and ignored the affairs of state.
Especially that line: "The Son of Heaven guards the nation's gate, and the monarch dies for the altars of state." It struck them with shuddering resonance.
Wang Beiwang felt his blood surge. If the monarch could die for the altars of state, so too could an ordinary man!
An uproar erupted once more. Unlike the cursing earlier, this time it was a mix of astonishment, shock, and exhilaration. In particular, the parents whose children had been chosen grew instantly overcome with emotion, their hearts pounding wildly; amid their excitement, they feared this was all just a dream.
Feeling the shift in the crowd's emotions, Zhang Yuanqing seized the opportunity to activate his Illusionist skills, stirring up the populace: "Any parents whose children were chosen for the sacrifice may step forward and take them back! Whoever dares interfere shall be deemed guilty of treason!"
Their emotions stirred, a pair of parents acted on impulse, forcing their way past the city defense soldiers and sprinting toward the raised platform.
Seeing this, the soldiers looked at each other in dismay, wanting to stop them but not daring to do so.
Bad! Zheng Wenhan felt a chill in his heart. He looked up at the Imperial Preceptor floating in midair, only to see that the Preceptor's gaze rested neither on him nor on Zhao Shun, but rather upon the gathered populace.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Zheng Wenhan, then raised his head as well, gazing at the lofty Imperial Preceptor before calling out loudly:
"Imperial Preceptor, you love the people like your own children, and you are Our elder. Do you believe what We have done is right?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt a powerful divine sense sweep across his body repeatedly, as though trying to scrape him bare layer by layer, inside and out.
The Imperial Preceptor remained silent, watching the commoners without responding.
The young parents rushed up the wooden platform and found their child among the dull-eyed children. Not daring to inspect the child closely or linger any longer, they embraced their child and fled back toward the crowd as if running for their lives.
Chasing after his wife who held the child, the father suddenly stopped midway. After a moment of hesitation, he turned around and prostrated himself:
"Th-thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty..."
With this precedent set, parents in the crowd broke through the defensive line of the city defense army in groups, running toward the platform in twos and threes to reclaim their children. As for children whose parents were not present, they were retrieved by neighbors or elder relatives.
In the crowd, a pretty young girl suddenly dropped to her knees and cried out:
"His Majesty is benevolent! Long live His Majesty! Long live His Majesty, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"
Having recovered their flesh and blood, the parents who had retrieved their children were filled with gratitude and joy. They were the first to respond, kneeling down and shouting their wishes for his long life.
Their actions triggered a mob effect. More and more people knelt, until ten thousand bent the knee in submission, crying, "Long live the emperor!"
Lingxi's teamwork is fantastic! Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed. At the same time, the Spirit Realm notification sounded by his ear:
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the side quest: Win the People's Hearts! Reward: Dragon Qi Protection!]
[Ding! Side quest activated: Win the People's Hearts.]
An ethereal, clear dragon roar echoed in Zhang Yuanqing's ears as wisps of pale yellow light drifted out from the tops of the commoners' heads, coalescing into an ethereal Five-Clawed Golden Dragon that crashed into his body.
Immediately following, a notification appeared in his mind:
[Name: Dragon Qi Protection]
[Type: Consumable]
[Function: Guardian]
[Description: Dragon Qi formed by condensing the will of the people. It can ward off gu poison, curses, and wraiths, and inherently possesses a concealment effect. Anyone who slays someone protected by Dragon Qi will suffer its backlash, falling into the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.]
[Remarks: Only the Son of Heaven and enlightened beings can wield Dragon Qi.]
The reward for winning the people's hearts was Dragon Qi Protection? What a powerful buff! It was practically the bane of Witch Doctors and Night Walkers! Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up.
Inside the private room of the restaurant a hundred meters away.
Elder Xu spoke with complete surprise: "I never expected the fatuous ruler would actually possess some courage and wit. Had he awakened a few years earlier, how could the Southern Dynasty have fallen to this? How could he have fallen to this? It is too late."
The Son of Heaven guards the nation's gate; the monarch dies for the altars of state... Gang Leader Duan stood by the window, gazing deeply at Zhao Shun's figure.
A few seconds later, he furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
The Gang Leader is starting to care about the fatuous ruler's safety? Perceiving the Gang Leader's thoughts, Elder Xu sighed:
"The fatuous ruler refused to expose Zheng Wenhan's plot because he didn't dare push him too far. Zheng Wenhan commands great power; if a cornered dog leaps over the wall, the situation will spiral completely out of control. But not exposing Zheng Wenhan's rebellion means he must feign civility with him, and Zheng Wenhan has plenty of ways to ensure His Majesty's death appears legitimate."
Gang Leader Duan punched the window frame, gritting his teeth in fury. "I am no match for the Imperial Preceptor."
On the square outside Tianji Tower, Zheng Wenhan's thoughts raced. Since the Imperial Preceptor had taken no stance, he had no choice but to bide his time.
Although today's assassination plan had failed, now that the fatuous ruler had shown himself, he could simply escort him back to the palace. If worst came to worst, he could stage another night raid—and this time, he would not fail.
Besides, the fatuous ruler had disrupted the Imperial Preceptor's sacrificial ceremony; the Imperial Preceptor wouldn't let this go easily.
"A monstrous disgrace!" Suddenly, a roar reverberated across the grounds.
Zhang Yuanqing looked out over the sea of commoners and bellowed at the top of his lungs:
"Our imperial palace was breached by Northern spies who came and went as they pleased! The eight thousand men of the Imperial City Division are utterly useless! Through this ordeal, We have awakened to the truth: atop the halls of state, rotten wood holds office; beneath the palace eaves, beasts gorge on stipends! Scoundrels with the hearts of wolves and conduct of dogs strut across the court, while obsequious sycophants take the reins of government, plunging the common people into misery and driving the nation to the brink of ruin!
"We hereby declare a three-year exemption from corvée labor and a general amnesty for the realm! Furthermore, seeing as there are traitors in the Imperial City Division colluding with the enemy, and court officials secretly in league with the North, from this day forth, We shall not return to the palace! We shall reside in Tianji Tower to conduct imperial affairs!
"The Imperial Preceptor possesses cultivation that rivals creation and comprehends the secrets of Heaven; he will naturally ensure Our safety. If We should die in Tianji Tower, then it can only mean the Imperial Preceptor wishes Us dead—and We shall die without regret!"
The moment these words were uttered, the Imperial Preceptor, who had never before shown a flicker of emotion, finally changed countenance.
Chapter 870