The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 164 Ten Thousand People Kneel Before His Independence

"presumptuous!"

In the Mingtang Hall, the emperor was furious!
In an instant, countless court officials knelt down, shouting, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Among millions of people, only Shen Huaihe remained standing, holding a tablet, his posture upright, surpassing all others.

Among the countless kneeling ministers, he stood alone, neither dodging nor retreating.

Suddenly, Shen Huaihe remembered that long ago, Princess Zhaoming Jiang Jinshuang had sat in the courtroom of the Dali Temple, and the procession around the Dali Temple and the temple's officials and ministers knelt down to worship her.

He sat alone on the high seat in the courtroom, holding the gavel, his gaze cold and unwavering.

The young girl raised her voice and asked him, "Lord Shaoqing, are you not going to kneel?"

Shen Huaihe pursed his lips: "Your humble servant has no shame before Heaven, no shame before the people, and has lived up to the expectations of the nation and its people."

"Those who have made no mistakes need not kneel."

He clearly saw a fleeting glint in the girl's eyes.

"Alright, Shen Huaihe!" She smiled at him. "From now on, I hope you will remember this saying: those who have made no mistakes need not kneel."

So, at this moment, in this situation...

Shen Huaihe stood atop the grand hall where thousands knelt in worship, as elegant and upright as a pine tree.

He did nothing wrong.

He felt no guilt towards anyone.

Therefore, he had to stand.

As if remembering something, Shen Huaihe slightly moved his eyes and glanced at the group of court officials.

Look at the front of the crowd.

As expected, Pei Du was not there.

Otherwise, these court officials wouldn't have been so bewildered and panicked.

If he were here, he wouldn't be the only one in the court who refused to kneel.

But... where did Pei Du go?
He couldn't possibly have been completely unaware of Princess Zhaoming's imprisonment. Why didn't he come to court today to report on it?
All the problems were disturbed by the emperor's shouts.

Jiang Huayan rebuked sternly: "Shen Huaihe, are you questioning my decision?!"

Shen Huaihe said solemnly, "As the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, my thoughts and actions are all for the sake of the country and the people, and I have never been biased or selfish!"

"Then I think you've really messed up your position as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review!"

With that, Jiang Huayan spoke coldly: "The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review has offended the Emperor. He shall be confined to his quarters for seven days, effective immediately. Shen Huaihe, you need not attend court for the next few days!"

Dark clouds loomed, lingering for a long time.
-
Changping Prince's Mansion.

Jiang Zeyi examined the terrifying mask of a killing god in his hand, his eyes filled with greed and scrutiny.

He chuckled and said to his attendant, "Did you see clearly? Jiang Jinshuang really went to the mass grave and dug up the fake God of Slaughter mask?"

“Yes, I saw it clearly,” the attendant said coldly. “Every day, I find several corpses and wrap them in a straw mat. There’s one that’s not quite dead mixed in with them. That man saw it with his own eyes yesterday.”

Jiang Zeyi chuckled: "I never imagined that the God of Slaughter Mask that I retrieved from the well back then would actually be the Tiger Tally that commands 300,000 Black Armored Cavalry."

When he retrieved the mask of the god of death back then, he was just being cautious.

Jiang Zeyi has always been meticulous. Now, thinking about it carefully, apart from that good-for-nothing Jiang Jinshuang, the people who followed Ruiyang King the longest were the 300,000 black-armored cavalry and this mask of the killing god.

If the tiger tally is indeed not a tiger-head iron artifact in the traditional sense, then it is very likely that it is this mask of the god of war.

Jiang Zeyi's fingertips stroked the rough and terrifying mask, which was covered with bloodstains that could not be wiped off. Upon closer inspection, one could even see many knife marks and scratches.

Legend has it that when Prince Ruiyang wore this mask of the god of war, he could kill enemies as if they were nothing, and was invincible in every battle.

Jiang Zeyi clicked his tongue, squinting as he examined it: "Do you think this God of Slaughter mask truly possesses divine power?"

Otherwise, why would Prince Ruiyang wear it every time he went into battle?

Back then, he feigned friendship and even befriended Prince Ruiyang, Jiang Buhuo, and he once asked him this question.

What did he say back then? Oh, he said that what protected him might not be the mask of the god of death, but his faith.

Ha, that sounds profound, all nonsense.

Jiang Zeyi was proud and arrogant, so he naturally disliked things related to the dead.

He wiped the mask clean again and again, but was still reluctant to put it on and try it on.

He had never actually witnessed Prince Ruiyang using force.

At most, he was seen holding a long spear, directing troops on the training ground, sweating profusely.

He seemed to be wary of everyone, not letting anyone know his true abilities.

Jiang Zemin didn't often have opinions about Ruiyang Wang Jiang Bu Huo.

Jiang Buhuo is a fool. He spends most of his time guarding the border of Wanjin, following those 300,000 black-armored cavalry, eating and sleeping with them, and has no royal demeanor at all.

Jiang Zeyi hated him.

Consequently, he also disliked Jiang Jinshuang, who was by Jiang Buhuo's side.

A bunch of fools, completely manipulated by him.

Looking at the mask, as if he had finally made up his mind, Jiang Zeyi snorted coldly and slowly said, "I want to see what kind of divine power this God of Slaughter Mask has."

Finally, he pinched the surface of the mask, took a deep breath, and slowly brought the mask close to his face.

With his view restricted, Jiang Zeyi's vision was somewhat obstructed when he tried to look around.

He turned his head with some difficulty and looked at the attendant beside him.

The attendant cautiously inquired, "Your Highness, how are you feeling?"

Does it possess any divine power?
After a long pause, Jiang Zeyi gave a cold sneer and took off the mask.

"What kind of supernatural power do you have?"

Jiang Zeyi looked grim, as if he had been tricked.

He asked in a cold voice, "Has Jiang Jinshuang made any moves while in prison?"

"Your Highness, the jailer didn't say anything. The Imperial Guards brought her back from the Imperial Observatory. Should we keep an eye on the Grand Preceptor's unusual movements?"

Jiang Zeyi scoffed lightly: "The Grand Preceptor has always remained neutral. He believes in the Way of Heaven and will not interfere in these matters."

"My subordinate understands."

Jiang Zeyi stared at the mask of the god of death, his greed undisguised.

"My good brother, I will take good care of your 300,000 black-armored cavalry and this tiger tally for you."
-
Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

"Absurd! Has Pei Du gone mad?!"

Jiang Huayan flew into a rage and smashed all the priceless inkstones and writing implements on his desk onto the ground.

The document in his hand was crumpled beyond recognition, Jiang Huayan's knuckles turned white, and his face was gloomy and cold.

Eunuch Kang knelt on the ground and cried out urgently, "Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down!"

"Calm down? Hmph! Today in court, Shen Huaihe openly defied me, and now Pei Du has submitted a memorial and gone to Baiyujing without a word to resist the Beihuai army!? Do they even respect me as the emperor?!"

Kang Gonggong's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

This morning, when Lord Pei did not come to court, Eunuch Kang felt something was amiss.

Just now, someone from Wenshan Pavilion delivered a memorial saying that the Grand Secretary left the capital last night to guard the border in Baiyujing!
"You, immediately send messengers from the post stations along the way to intercept them and bring Pei Du back to me, even if you have to tie him up!" Jiang Huayan said sternly.

"Old slave obeys!"

Eunuch Kang lowered his head.

But he knew in his heart that since Lord Pei dared to submit this memorial, even if His Majesty had a net of heaven and earth, it would probably be difficult to bring him back!

This Grand Secretary has always been self-disciplined and respectful of propriety, never disobeying orders. What is he trying to do now?