What a lucky world!

Chapter 274: I and the Aristocratic Family Share the World

Zhongjing, Prince Duan's Mansion.

Since the death of Emperor Chiyang, Prince Duan Sima Ji wrote a letter to the emperor to resign as the Crown Prince, and then took refuge in the Eastern Palace and returned to Prince Duan's mansion.

Even though the Cining Palace had already issued an imperial decree, appointing a date for Prince Duan to ascend the throne, Prince Duan still lived in his mansion, but he never missed visiting the palace to pay his respects every day. Rumors gradually spread among the people that Prince Duan was respectful and filial, and respected his stepmother as the Holy Mother.

The dark clouds that were originally floating over Zhongjing slowly dissipated.

But no one expected that just before the coronation ceremony, a piece of news would shock the world.

White Lotus, rebel!
The White Lotus Sect claimed that the great fortune of the country was dead, so Prince Duan, a side branch, usurped the throne. The Mother of No Birth took pity on the world and specially ordered the reincarnation of Buddha to establish the True Vacuum Homeland.

Actually, this is not a big deal.

Although the White Lotus Sect is known as one of the three major sects in the world along with the Righteousness League and the Qionghua Sect, its foundation is the weakest.

The Yiqi League has a Grandmaster Hall, which is full of masters; the Qionghua Sect has inherited the legacy of the super sect Qionghua Sect; compared with these two forces, the White Lotus Sect only confuses people with its doctrines.

The reason why the imperial court indulged the White Lotus Sect was simply to use it to suppress the wealthy families in the south.

After all, in the eyes of the imperial court, the White Lotus Sect is nothing more than a minor problem, while the world's powerful families in the south are the real threat!

But no one expected that at this juncture, the White Lotus Sect would rebel!
Logically speaking, the Sword Saint should have entered Yuezhou and killed the Saint of the White Lotus Sect with his sword, but unexpectedly, the White Lotus Sect actually had a backup plan.

I don’t know how long the White Lotus Sect has been preparing for this, but it has actually stirred up all over the world, with thirty-six rebellious flags waving in the grass!

At this time, in Prince Duan’s mansion, the future upstarts in the court and the country were discussing how to deal with this matter.

"The White Lotus Sect does have some tricks."

"Those who originally had no knowledge of martial arts suddenly had golden symbols reflected on their bodies, and instantly gained combat power comparable to those at the Tongmai Realm or even the Ningye Realm."

"I don't know what secret technique this is."

one person asked.

An old man twirled his beard and said, "My family has an ancient book that records something."

"Before the great war between humans and demons, demons ruled the world. Some demons called themselves gods and demanded that humans build temples and offer sacrifices to them."

"When that demon beast receives offerings of incense, its strength often increases greatly!"

"The evil methods of the White Lotus Sect have a lot in common with this method."

Another person asked, "Master Liu, may I ask if this method has any taboos? How effective is it? Can it help someone break through to the Grandmaster level?"

The old man called Liu Lao thought for a moment and said, "Ancient books record that incense is poisonous. Those who receive it often become mentally disturbed. After the war between humans and demons, it was banned by the human race."

"As for the effect... I don't know, but I think it's unlikely to be at the Grandmaster level."

"Even if it doesn't reach the Grandmaster level, it can still elevate ordinary people to the level of Open Meridians or even Condensate Fluids. Gathering tens or even hundreds of thousands of people would be terrifying enough." Crown Prince Zhan Shi, who sat at the head of the group, frowned and said, "I've received news that many prefectures have been captured by the White Lotus rebels. We need to send troops to suppress them immediately."

"Where should we send the troops?" Another person shook his head. "Let's not talk about the border troops defending the Northern Wilderness. More than half of those generals are related to Zhang Taiyue."

"What? They dare not obey the imperial order to mobilize troops?" someone asked angrily.

Prince Zhan Shi shook his head: "Of course I wouldn't dare to do that."

"How can you all sleep well if we just ask them to go back and suppress the bandits?"

Everyone suddenly became quiet.

If these armies stayed in their original locations, their interests would be intertwined and they would still exercise restraint. If they were placed in the heart of Kyushu, what would happen if someone suddenly felt the inland cold and wanted to put on more clothes?
Or what if they don't suppress the bandits but instead surround Zhongjing and ask Zhang Taiyue to come back?
"Mobilize the Demon Suppression Division!" someone said. "The White Lotus Rebellion was originally caused by the Sword Saint. How can the Demon Suppression Division stay out of it?"

Crown Prince Zhan Shi frowned slightly: "The White Lotus Sect was about to rebel. The Sword Saint killing the White Lotus Sect's Saint is like beheading the enemy commander in battle. It is a meritorious deed, not a fault. Your Highness has already made the final decision on this matter. Let's not discuss it anymore."

"As for the Demon Suppression Division taking action..."

"His Highness has already gone to the palace to discuss matters with the Empress Dowager and the Grand Chancellor." "But... even if all the Demon Suppression Division's personnel were deployed, I'm afraid it wouldn't be enough!"

"Then let the noble family come!" At this time, a cold voice came from outside the door. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man wearing a five-clawed python robe walking into the hall.

"Your Highness!" Everyone stood up and saluted.

The person who came was Sima Ji, the Prince of Duan, who was about to ascend the throne.

Although Sima Ji was crowned the Crown Prince, he was actually ten years older than the Chiyang Emperor and had already reached adulthood. While handsome in appearance, he lacked the aura of an emperor, and his eyes held a hint of frivolity that could not be concealed.

He slowly walked to the main seat, sat down, looked around at everyone, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Regarding the White Lotus Sect, I, my mother, the Queen Mother, and the Grand Master have already come up with a strategy."

"The Demon Suppression Division is in charge of this matter and is responsible for suppressing bandits."

"The wealthy families from all over the country are welcome to help us!"

When these words were spoken, everyone was stunned, and then they all looked surprised.

Because what Prince Duan meant was equivalent to allowing the wealthy families to recruit soldiers!

Since the founding of the country, wealthy families have always had a deadline, that is, the family size cannot be too large.

If it exceeds the royal permission, the family will be ordered to separate.

For example, the Five Surnames and Seven Families have actually been split into dozens of families, large and small.

But what Prince Duan means now is that this red line is scrapped!

Although it may be just a temporary measure to deal with the White Lotus Sect, with Dayun's current national strength, once a gap is opened, there is no way to take it back.

This is equivalent to giving the aristocratic families an opportunity to grow bigger.

Everyone present here is from a wealthy family, so how could they not understand this?

But soon, they also reacted.

Prince Duan's move was, firstly, to repay the noble families for their help in his previous bid for the throne, secondly, to show favor to all the families and bind their interests firmly to his, and thirdly, once the noble families became big, they would always have a status in the court, which meant that all the families helped him share the fortune of being an emperor!

As for suppressing bandits, it is just a side job.

Killing four birds with one stone!
Everyone looked at Prince Duan again, and their eyes became serious.

Regardless of whether this was Prince Duan’s own idea, he needed to report it to his family immediately.

"Alright, everyone should prepare for this early. After we destroy the White Lotus Sect, we, the emperor and his subjects, must work together to govern the country well." Sima Ji said with a smile, "Please, everyone, please tell your families a message for me—"

"I will share the world with the noble families!"

Everyone bowed and said they would obey your command.

……

Qianyuanwu Village.

Zhang Mu narrowed his eyes and looked at the new window of the Tianji Scroll in front of him, frowning.

"The troubled times have arrived."

"Although Qianyuan Wuzhai has begun to take shape, it still lacks a guarantee against the upcoming fierce battle."

"Explore the past of the people in Wuzhai, and perhaps you will find an opportunity."

Zhang Mu: Who are you looking for? Tell me clearly!
Even if you give me a price, it’s fine!

(End of this chapter)