My father is a Confucian sage, but the system forces me to be a crude warrior

Chapter 447 A Sudden "Declaration Against Zeng"

The Great Sage is on his way to the capital.

The Grand Secretary's office.

Sandalwood curls.

Outside the window lies the bustling and vibrant city of Kyoto.

Inside the window, however, it was like an ice cave.

Grand Secretary Li Zhen was an old man whose students and old friends were all over the country.

At this moment, however, he sat stiffly behind his large rosewood desk, like a lifeless walking corpse.

His face was ashen.

His hands, covered in age spots, gripped the armrests of the armchair tightly, his knuckles white from the excessive force, and he trembled slightly.

An imperial edict was spread out on the table.

That was the imperial edict announcing the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne in Qinghai City!

This imperial edict entered the capital.

In a short period of time, batches of people died in the capital of the Great Sage Dynasty.

These people were all ministers who supported the legitimacy of the royal family.

The source of all this was sitting right across from him.

Master Xu, dressed in a faded yet spotless Taoist robe, sat quietly in an ordinary yellow pearwood armchair.

He still maintains a youthful appearance, with smooth skin.

Only those eyes were as deep and still as an ancient, icy pool.

The seemingly ordinary whisk in his hand had silver threads hanging down.

It exudes an invisible, deadly threat.

"Chief Minister Li."

Master Xu finally spoke, his voice flat and emotionless, yet utterly cold:
“Jianhong is immoral, and the mandate of heaven has shifted.”

"However, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Among the members of the imperial family, the Prince of Linchuan is intelligent and benevolent, and is capable of succeeding to the throne. You, draft the decree."

Li Zhen wanted to laugh out loud three times, then stand up and look down at the traitor Xu, determined to die rather than submit.

But in fact, his expression was only slightly gloomy at this moment.

After pondering for a long time, his lips were dry:

"Celestial Master, the Crown Prince is still alive, and Duke Wenqing has enthroned him in Qinghai City."

"Such a method is tantamount to treason."

"I...I'm afraid I cannot comply!"

He tried to straighten his hunched back, to show a semblance of the dignity of a prime minister.

But under Master Xu's all-seeing gaze, this struggle seemed somewhat laughable.

"Treason?"

Master Xu's lips twitched upwards almost imperceptibly, his eyes conveying a disdain for the presumptuous words of ants.
"The Confucian sages changed the world in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people."

"My efforts to restore order are also in accordance with the cycle of Heaven."

"How could there be any treason?"

He leaned forward slightly, his calm, deep eyes locking onto Li Zhen:

"As for the Crown Prince... Zeng Shilin and his son, who use the young emperor to bolster their own power, are the real traitors and rebels! Do you understand?"

An indescribable chill instantly gripped Li Zhen's heart.

He felt like his blood was freezing.

Li Zhen opened his mouth: "But..."

"Li Zhen!" Master Xu's voice suddenly turned cold, and the temperature in the duty room seemed to plummet.

Do you think I'm discussing this with you?

Before he finished speaking, not even a glint of silver light flickered in the whisk in Master Xu's hand.

Li Zhen suddenly let out a shrill, distorted scream!
"Ugh—!"

Li Zhen suddenly clutched his left shoulder.

Those were old wounds he had sustained.

At this moment, the old scar that had healed for many years began to writhe violently as if it were alive!

A sharp, deep pain instantly swept through my entire body.

He rolled off the armchair and curled up on the carpet.

Large beads of cold sweat instantly soaked through his undergarment.

His face changed from ashen to deathly pale.

"You...what did you do to me?!"

Li Zhen's voice was hoarse and broken, filled with extreme fear.

"Just a little reminder. I've already planted something in your body."

"Normally there is nothing to do, but with just a thought from me, I can make you suffer the pain of ten thousand ants gnawing at your heart and ice shattering your bones."

"If I am willing, I can turn you into... an ice sculpture within three breaths."

He stated the facts before him in a calm tone.

Li Zhen's screams turned into desperate sobs.

The excruciating pain nearly made him lose consciousness, leaving him only with instinctive fear and the immense shadow of death.

at this time.

Outside the tightly closed window of the duty room, a very faint "fluttering" sound seemed to come.

A well-trained carrier pigeon is about to fly in and deliver a message.

Upon hearing this voice, Master Xu simply smiled calmly.

He didn't even turn around.

He simply and casually flicked the whisk towards the window.

There was no sound, no light.

The faint "fluttering" sound outside the window stopped abruptly.

Immediately afterwards, a faint smell of blood and burnt feathers drifted in through the cracks in the window.

Li Zhen's pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size!

That was the last carrier pigeon he had arranged outside the palace to deliver a secret message to the south!
It was crushed without any warning.

"look."

Master Xu's voice rang out again: "Even a tiny pigeon cannot escape the palm of my hand."

"Prime Minister Li, how do you think your Li family of over three hundred members compares?"

"How does your grandson, who is studying at Qilin Academy, compare?"

silence.

An eerie stillness permeated the entire room.

After a long time.

Li Zhen trembled and got up from the ground with a numb expression.

He staggered back to his desk.

He picked up the imperial brush, which was covered in vermilion, his hand trembling violently.

But he still wrote down, word by word, an edict that turned the world upside down:

"They supported the Prince of Linchuan as the new emperor, denounced the Crown Prince and Zeng Shilin and his son as traitors, and ordered the whole country to jointly punish them."

"Boom."

After writing, he trembled as he took out the Grand Secretary's seal, dipped it in ink, and pressed it down heavily.

For the first time, the bright red mark became incredibly glaring in Li Zhen's eyes.

Master Xu watched quietly.

He didn't speak again until the seal was placed down, his voice still calm.

He continued speaking without question:
"The second thing."

"The southern expeditionary army, ostensibly to quell the rebellion, was in reality a result of the traitor Zeng Shilin's self-importance and squandering of national funds and the people's hard-earned money."

"Order the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War to immediately cut off all supplies of grain, weapons, and silver to the Qinghai City area!"

"Not a single grain of rice, a single piece of armor, or a single coin may be transported to Qinghai City!"

"Anyone who disobeys this order will be considered a traitor and executed without pardon!"

"This order shall be personally signed by you, Grand Secretary Li Zhen, and stamped with the Grand Secretary's seal. It shall be immediately issued to the Six Ministries and all prefectures along the route!"

Each word, like a thunderbolt, shattered the last shred of dignity in Li Zhen's heart.

Cut off the food supply to the southern expeditionary army?!
This is tantamount to pushing 100,000 loyal and brave soldiers, as well as the Crown Prince, Zeng Shilin and others, into a desperate situation!
This is meant to starve them to death, to trap them in the blizzard that is currently raging in Qinghai City!

He suddenly looked up, a final struggle flashing in his eyes. He pursed his lips and murmured with all his might:

"Celestial Master! In the south, the Jiang Kingdom still looms large, and there are numerous strange demon races. This... is tantamount to destroying our own Great Wall..."

"Ok?"

Master Xu let out an extremely faint hum from his nose.

Human Holy Dynasty?

Destroy the Great Wall?

What does it have to do with me? Once I've gathered the materials and restarted the grand formation, when fortune reigns supreme, I will be the god!
The chilling energy within Li Zhen's body suddenly clenched!
His vision went black, and a mouthful of blood welled up in his throat, but he swallowed it back down.

He now fully understood that any dissent would not only kill him, but also wipe out his entire Li family.

………………

Zeng Anmin, Zeng Shilin, Shi Ze, and Liu Shishi rushed back to the city lord's mansion in Qinghai City.

The moment you step through the gates of the mansion, a sense of oppression hits you.

Qin Shoucheng, Lou Tong, and others looked grave.

"Duke! Dean! Young Master! Miss Liu!"

Lou Tong came forward, his voice low, and he tightly gripped a document stamped with a bright red seal in his hand.

"What happened?"

Zeng Shilin narrowed his phoenix eyes, keenly noticing the unusual situation.

Shi Ze also stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowed.

Lou Tong did not answer, but simply handed over the document.

Zeng Anmin frowned as he took the document.

My eyes swept over the eye-catching headline.

Proclamation against the Rebels

Marshal in Charge of Expedition, Garrison Commander of the Capital Region, and Head of the Celestial Master's Mansion

An edict was issued to the entire realm:

The Holy Dynasty was founded with strict laws and regulations; the fundamental principles of ruler-subject and father-son relationships could not be disregarded!

Today there are traitors Zeng Shilin and his son Zeng Anmin, who have received the country's favor for generations but do not think of repaying it; instead, they harbor evil intentions.

His crimes are too numerous to count, and he is aroused by both heaven and man!
Its first crime:

Deceiving the emperor and abusing power to depose and install emperors!
Zeng Guofan and his son, taking advantage of the national mourning period, used the pretext of protecting the emperor to abduct the crown prince from the capital, in reality to use the emperor to command the feudal lords!

They treated the sacred artifact as a mere toy, disregarding the great principles of loyalty between ruler and subject!
His second crime: colluding with evil spirits and causing chaos in Qinghai!
The southern expeditionary army was originally there to vanquish demons and quell bandits.

However, Zeng and his son, who were treacherous, secretly colluded with demons in the south and used sorcery to bring down a massive snowstorm, hindering our royal army and weakening our national strength. Their intentions are despicable!
His third crime: He amassed military power and plotted treason!
By stationing troops in Qinghai, privately forging official seals, issuing numerous proclamations, and inciting the border troops, their wolfish ambitions are blatantly obvious!

It was ostensibly to quell a rebellion, but in reality, it was a plot to rebel!
If the traitors are not eliminated, the nation will cease to exist!

By the mandate of Heaven, we hereby enthrone Prince Wang Qi of Linchuan as the new emperor to inherit the throne and restore order to the world!

All loyal ministers and righteous men of our holy dynasty, whether soldiers or civilians:
Whoever captures and kills Zeng and his son will be enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households and granted a certificate of merit!

Whoever presents the heads of Zeng Guofan and his son will be rewarded with 10,000 gold pieces and promoted to the rank of General!

People of Qinghai who abandon darkness and turn to light, and who bind and deliver the two Zengs, will be pardoned for their crime of colluding with the rebels and will be richly rewarded!

Those who stubbornly resist will be destroyed when the heavenly army arrives!

Wherever this proclamation reaches, it shall be obeyed as law! The might of Heaven is overwhelming; the traitor shall be beheaded!

Marshal Who Punishes Rebels (Seal of the Celestial Master's Mansion)

Grand Secretary Li Zhen (Grand Secretary's Seal)

Then came the seals of the six ministers.

And the seals of many important officials in the capital.

…………

I'll fuck your mother!

Zeng Anmin witnessed for the first time the truth being distorted and the deer being called a horse...

A cold smile appeared on his lips:
"He is the one who murdered the emperor! He is the one who colluded with evil spirits!"

"Now they're turning the tables and accusing us of being traitors?! And they're even supporting some damn prince..."

"That old dog Li Zhen, and these bastards with these signatures... are they blind?"

Liu Shishi also took a closer look, and then felt a tightness in her chest from anger.

Dean Shi took a deep breath, snatched the manifesto from Zeng Anmin's hand, and quickly scanned it.

When he saw the familiar signature and bright red seal of "Grand Secretary Li Zhen"...

The last glimmer of hope in his eyes was completely extinguished, replaced by overwhelming rage and chilling killing intent.

"Li Zhen, what a Li Zhen! The Grand Secretary's seal... has become a weapon to aid and abet evil!"

His voice was deep, yet it contained a storm:

"That wicked Taoist priest Xu has actually taken control of the capital region to this extent! Even the Grand Secretary has become his puppet."

"This proclamation, once issued, has completely branded us and the Crown Prince as traitors condemned by the entire world! It has cut off our path back to the capital and silenced all public opinion!"

Zeng Shilin is similar to Zeng Anmin.

At this moment, only the father and son remained calm in the entire house.

He didn't even glance at the manifesto a second time.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over everyone before finally landing on the direction of the inner hall—where the innocent figure of the chubby prince was.

"Good means."

Zeng Shilin's voice was eerily calm:
"They murdered the emperor, usurped the throne, installed a puppet ruler, turned the world upside down, falsely accused loyal officials... and even used the name of the court to cut off the supply lines of our army."

He suddenly flicked his sleeve, and an invisible pressure instantly silenced the entire hall!
"Did he think that by claiming a moral high ground, he could cover up everything?"

"Did he think that by supporting a puppet, he could represent the legitimacy of the Holy Dynasty?"

"Dean Shi!" Zeng Shilin's gaze flashed like lightning as he looked at Shi Ze.

"Yes!" Shi Ze replied solemnly, without the slightest hesitation in his eyes.

"Minister Qin!" Zeng Shilin looked at Qin Shoucheng, who was equally furious.

"Your humble servant is here!" Qin Shoucheng bowed, his voice resolute.

"Send the order!"

Zeng Shilin's voice resounded throughout the headquarters, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness and imperial majesty:

"One hour later, at the Qinghai City drill ground, the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony will be held! He will proclaim to Heaven and Earth and our ancestors that he has inherited the great lineage! The reign title will be Lide!"

"Minister Qin! You shall lead all officials in Qinghai City who still retain a sense of loyalty and righteousness, and jointly sign the 'Letter to All Subjects and People'!"

"Detailed account of Xu Huai's heinous crimes of murdering the emperor, usurping the throne, colluding with evil spirits, and wreaking havoc on the court!"

"We condemn his despicable acts of holding the Grand Secretary hostage, coercing officials, and acting against the tide of history! We declare His Highness the Crown Prince rightfully enthroned in Qinghai City, ensuring the continuation of the Holy Dynasty!"

"Yes!" Qin Shoucheng's gaze was extremely solemn.

"Dean Shi! You and I, together with An Min and Minister Qin, jointly issue the 'Proclamation to Punish the Traitor Xu'!"

"I will repay him in kind! I will nail Xu's crimes, one by one, to the annals of history!"

"He wants to punish the rebels? Then we'll fight him to the bitter end! We'll punish this real, biggest traitor!"

"Follow orders!!"

"at last……"

Zeng Shilin slowly raised his head and glanced indifferently at Lou Tong in the corner:
"Lou Tong, set off immediately for Fengqi Road and tell your father that he will do everything in his power to transport enough grain to Qinghai City for me!"

"We're already halfway through the southern campaign, and we absolutely cannot abandon it just because of a mere 'edict' from that traitor Xu!"

"Yes!!" Lou Tong straightened up, clasped his hands in acceptance of the order!
Zeng Anmin looked toward Lou Tong.

Lou Tong was someone he brought with him.

He had actually anticipated this day.

He believed.

The moment Lou Yingqi saw his son, he knew what choice to make.

Zeng Shilin took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on Zeng Anmin, his eyes filled with a resolute determination:

"Xu Huai wants to sever our legal ties and trap us with a single piece of paper? Dream on!"

"He's supporting a puppet emperor? Then we'll support the real emperor!"

"He issued a proclamation denouncing the traitor? Then we'll issue a proclamation denouncing him, the biggest traitor!"

"From this day forward, there is no Crown Prince! Only the Emperor Lide of my Great Holy Dynasty!"

"Qinghai City is a new starting point! The campaign to punish the traitor Xu and restore the capital will begin here!"

"Fellow citizens! Our nation is in peril, and evil influences are shrouding the sun! Only by using the most righteous cause and the sharpest blade can we cleave through these layers of calamity!"

"Yes!!!"

Shi Ze, Qin Shoucheng, and the others responded with a resounding "yes."

Zeng Anmin looked at his father.

At this moment, his father's figure grew even taller in his heart.

"My dad is so handsome!"

Remain calm and composed in the face of adversity; act with both courage and wisdom…

Tsk tsk.

He truly is my dad!

Follow my lead.

He was so excited at that moment that he also shouted:

"Old dog Xu! Wash your neck and get ready!"

As his voice rang out.