Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 405 "General"

Yun Yi and Lu Ziwei, one is a strategist of the righteous path, and the other is the most cunning person of the "generation" in the demonic sect.

At this moment, you look at me, and I look at you.

The longer Yun Yi looked at Lu Ziwei's piercing eyes, the more pleasing they became to the eye, and he found them quite charming.

It is important to know that these purple eyes have brought Lu Ziwei a lot of misfortune. In her childhood, they even caused the death of her parents and destroyed her home. Therefore, she herself both loves and hates the Broken Eyes.

She felt a little embarrassed that Yun Yi had seen her, and frowned slightly, saying, "Haven't you seen enough yet?"

Yun Yi smiled and said, "I'm just curious how many tricks you have up your sleeve and how much chance of winning this time."

The two had already reached an agreement, so Lu Ziwei no longer held back and directly revealed the "best plan" she had come up with.

Since we have three Dao Integration Realm experts on our side, cutting off the source of all evil is the best strategy.

We need to act quickly to avoid a coup, and we also need to create a good opportunity.

Su Qing: "Even if Helian Haihai is estranged from the Great Yan, he is still protected by the Heavenly Dao and will not be easily killed."

Simply put, the emperor is protected by the Heavenly Dao, and all assassination attempts against him will encounter obstacles to varying degrees. These obstacles manifest in aspects such as timing, location, and popular support. Therefore, throughout history, cultivators who wished to assassinate the emperor had to pay a considerable price.

Even the person who poisoned and severely injured Su Chengqian paid the price by losing his entire Dao Integration Realm cultivation.

Moreover, Helian Haihai has Mu Lang and a Heavenly Puppet Dragon behind him. If they really fight, the outcome is still uncertain.

Yun Yi said, "Therefore, before we attack Helian Haihai, we need to find a way to separate the dragon energy from him, and the simplest way is..."

Lu Ziwei: "It's about finding a new emperor for the Great Yan Dynasty."

The two said in unison, "Helian Ran."

Yun Yi: "The problem is that dragon energy, like fortune, is mysterious and elusive. How can it be controlled?"

Lu Ziwei: "The Tian Shu Academy has done a lot of research on this. Ascending the throne and performing the Fengshan ceremony are equivalent to submitting a memorial to the Heavenly Way, which can directly attract the dragon's aura to one's body. However, in addition to this, if someone is highly popular and the emperor happens to be unpopular, then the phenomenon of the dragon's aura changing hands will also occur."

"What is Helian Ran's reputation like? Based on my understanding of him, it would be lucky if a warrior like him didn't end up with a notorious reputation."

"That was indeed the case in the past, but with my secret assistance during this period, he has accomplished some real things, and the Crown Prince's lineage has grown much stronger as a result."

Yun Yi pondered carefully and said, "Strictly speaking, with your death, the lineage of the Imperial Preceptor will fall, and the court struggle will then become a direct confrontation between the Emperor and the Crown Prince."

Lu Ziwei nodded: "That's right, so no matter what, Helian Ran will be the protagonist of this play."

"You've already made arrangements for him?"

"Of course, so we need to observe the show first, and then look for the most suitable opportunity..."

Yun Yi: "Slay the dragon."

Lu Ziwei raised her eyebrows slightly, already harboring murderous intent.

She gave Liang Shangjun and Ye Lan a look, indicating that they could start planning.

Although neither of them has yet fully grasped the Imperial Advisor's plan, they have decided to support Lu Ziwei without reservation, based on their trust in her.

As native people of the Great Yan, they all knew very well that the Great Yan absolutely could not go to war with the Great Xia, and that if Helian Haihai were to completely control everything, it would only be a disaster for this land.

……

As news of the Imperial Preceptor's death spread throughout Xijing, people from all walks of life gathered in the palace, intending to demand an explanation from His Majesty the Emperor.

Helian Haihai's actions were quite unexpected.

He actually ordered people to hang Lu Ziwei's "head" on a slender wooden pole and then place it in the center of the palace.

Its height allows one to see it at a glance as soon as one enters the palace gate.

A chill ran through everyone's hearts. They thought that no matter what terrible mistake Lu Ziwei had made, how could she be so humiliated after all these years of hard work as the Imperial Advisor?!
Whoever did this is absolutely unforgivable!
For a moment, everyone felt both sorrow for Lu Ziwei and anger on her behalf.

Is there any justice left in the Great Yan court?
Therefore, many people were determined to rebuke Helian Haihai today, even if it meant their own death.

However, when the group entered the court, they found His Majesty the Emperor already seated on the dragon throne, waiting for them. Seeing his haggard appearance, his expression a mixture of sorrow and resentment, the crowd's anger suddenly faltered, leaving them with a sense of nowhere to vent their frustration.

Why does the emperor's expression look exactly the same as everyone else's? Could it be that he is not the murderer who killed the Grand Preceptor?

Sure enough, as the officials from various departments arrived, Helian Haihai said in a hoarse voice, full of emotion, "You have all seen the Grand Preceptor's head?"

"Your Majesty, I have seen it!"

"Your Majesty, what exactly is going on?"

"Who killed the Imperial Advisor?!"

Helian Haihai gestured downwards with his hand to silence them, then continued, "Why don't you tell me what's on your minds?"

Silence fell.

"Speak out, and I will pardon you."

An old minister stepped forward, his cloudy, yellowish eyes fixed on the emperor, and said, word by word, "I believe that the emperor killed the imperial advisor."

Instead of getting angry, Helian Haihai laughed: "I'm afraid you're not the only one who thinks this way, are you? You, you, you, and you, your expressions tell me that you all believe that I killed the Imperial Preceptor."

The old minister replied neither servilely nor arrogantly, "Isn't it Your Majesty?"

"I have always been bold and responsible in my actions."

Who is the murderer?

"Hmph, those people who assassinated the Imperial Preceptor were of unknown origin, and they committed suicide after the mission was accomplished. Their methods were extremely cruel; they even erased the souls of the assassins, leaving no trace behind."

Helian Haihai countered, "Not only do the officials and people of Great Yan know how important Lu Ziwei is, but there is also a group of people who are very clear about this."

The old minister's face was grave: "Your Majesty means—that the Great Xia sent someone to kill the Imperial Preceptor?"

"Who else could it be but them?" Helian Haihai suddenly stood up, his voice rising sharply as he roared in fury, "They know my incompetence and believe that killing the Grand Preceptor is striking at the heart of the Great Yan Dynasty. They are truly despicable!"

The old minister said, "I have another question: why didn't they act before, but now they want to assassinate the Imperial Advisor?"

"Naturally, it's because Lu Ziwei secretly sent many soldiers to massacre the border towns of the Great Xia."

The crowd immediately erupted in discussion: "What?!"

Helian Haihai glanced at him and asked, "Was I not clear enough?" The old minister replied, "The Grand Preceptor has never issued such an order."

"So you all think that I disobeyed the Imperial Advisor and insisted on doing these things?"

“That’s right.” The old minister appeared resolute and unyielding, having already disregarded life and death.

Helian Haihai said, "But I have to tell you something: the disagreement between me and the Grand Preceptor has always been a facade! Lu Ziwei and I are just putting on a show to keep the Great Xia from figuring out what we really want to do. This is to confuse them and buy more time for the Great Yan."

Interestingly, Lu Ziwei then conjured another firefly and placed it on the court, thus allowing Yun Yi and the others to witness the entire farce.

Yun Yi couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your emperor is really good at confusing right and wrong."

Lu Ziwei: "It seems that some ministers have begun to waver."

"In my opinion, that old guy who took the lead was probably arranged by Helian Haihai. He was the one who was really working with Helian Haihai, asking some pre-prepared questions to elicit the emperor's answers, thus deceiving everyone."

“That’s right. This way, they won’t have time to think about who will be the biggest beneficiary after the Grand Preceptor’s death. Or rather, they will only think that the Great Xia is the biggest beneficiary, not Helian Haihai.”

Su Qing said helplessly, "In their view, the matter has become that Lu Ziwei sent people to massacre the towns of Daxia, and in the end, she was killed by Daxia in revenge."

Yun Yi: "So what Helian Haihai is going to do next is incite everyone to wage war against Great Xia?"

Lu Ziwei: "Mm."

"It seems that the Emperor of Great Yan is not stupid after all. He was able to think of using the death of the Grand Preceptor to make a big fuss and achieve his own goals."

As Yun Yi had predicted, Helian Haihai indeed began to list all the crimes of the Great Xia Dynasty.

He exclaimed excitedly, "I hung the Grand Preceptor's head up there so that all of you could see it. I ask you, do you still have the blood and spirit of the Great Yan people?!"

"Have!"

"Look into the eyes of the Imperial Advisor and tell me, do you want to avenge her?!"

"Revenge! Revenge!"

"The Great Xia has humiliated me too much. Not only did they kill the Imperial Preceptor, but they also sent me her head. I will repay this humiliation a hundredfold!" Helian Haihai became more and more agitated as he spoke, as if he himself had come to believe... those lies.

The old minister who had been playing a double act was moved to tears, saying, "The Grand Preceptor did not sacrifice herself in vain. With her head, she told everyone in the Great Yan what the Great Xia's ambition and shamelessness were. Faced with such an enemy, we must do everything in our power!"
"We must slaughter all the people of Great Xia to avenge the Grand Preceptor! I believe we should hang their heads in the most conspicuous place in Xijing City, so that the people can see them and feel grief in everyone's hearts. Only in this way can we ensure that a desperate army will prevail!"

The two men sang in unison, and the atmosphere in the court had already changed, with all the previous resentment towards the emperor vanishing.

This was exactly the effect Helian Haihai wanted. Before these officials could even react, he needed to finalize the attack on Great Xia. Once the arrow was released, there would be no turning back. Even if Lu Ziwei's death was overturned, it wouldn't change the fact that the two countries were at war.

He appeared resentful, but inwardly he was sneering.

His plan was indeed ruthless; it not only killed the Imperial Advisor but also instigated war and indirectly tested the Crown Prince's attitude.

Those who participated in the assassination attempt on the Imperial Preceptor's residence last night have all been dealt with by him, except for the Crown Prince.

Thinking of Helian Ran, his gaze swept over, and then his heart skipped a beat.

Helian Ran, as the Crown Prince, was unusually silent today. At first, Helian Haihai thought that the Crown Prince was not good at lying, which was why he was acting strangely.

However, it seems he has other preparations in mind.

The next moment, amidst the indignation of the assembled officials, Helian Ran suddenly strode forward, knelt down, and loudly proclaimed, "Your subject has something to say!"

At this moment, Helian Haihai felt a sense of foreboding. He wanted to tell his son to shut up, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, he could only let him speak.

Helian Ran said, word by word, "The one who killed the Grand Preceptor was not from Great Xia, but..."

Everyone was stunned.

"I am Helian Ran."

Enraged, Helian Haihai grabbed a golden cup and threw it down, hitting the prince squarely on the head. Blood streamed down his face, making him look utterly disheveled.

He roared, "Do you know what you're saying?"

Helian Ran said loudly, "It was your son who killed the Grand Preceptor. I am willing to bear all the blame. But Your Majesty must not rashly wage war against Great Xia and must stop harassing the border."

Seeing this, Yun Yi asked, "Did you arrange this?"

Lu Ziwei said, "Including the assassination of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion, it was I who asked Helian Ran to hint to the Emperor, so he took the opportunity to arrange for the Crown Prince to be in charge of this matter, which also allowed him to test the Eastern Palace's stance."

"Tsk, so Helian Haihai has been in your trap from beginning to end, but he doesn't even realize it."

Yun Yi was well aware that Lu Ziwei had the upper hand in this court struggle, because as long as she revealed her true identity, Helian Haihai's previous words would be proven false.

The reason she didn't directly defeat Helian Haihai was to test the strength of the man behind her.

Currently, this person seems focused on refining the Heavenly Puppet Dragon and has no interest in court intrigues. Or rather, the more chaotic the Great Yan Dynasty becomes, the happier he is.

Lu Ziwei stood up and said, "It's time for us to go to the palace."

Su Qing: "Confront the emperor face to face?"

"No need for that, he's not worthy to be our opponent."

Yun Yi wholeheartedly agreed: "That makes sense. From beginning to end, the person we've been dealing with is Po Jun of the Futian Pavilion."

……

In the imperial court, Helian Haihai was enraged by the Crown Prince's actions and shouted, "Can you bear the crime of killing the Imperial Preceptor?!"

Helian Ran slammed his head heavily on the ground, his voice trembling with sobs, and said, "The Imperial Preceptor has shown me boundless kindness. When I led men to assassinate Princess Su Qing in the Great Xia, it was the Imperial Preceptor who saved my life. After returning to the Great Yan, she gave me guidance and help on many occasions, and I am truly indebted to her as my teacher."

Upon hearing his words, the ministers reacted in various ways, and some of them gradually came to their senses.

Judging from his appearance, Helian Ran did not want to kill Lu Ziwei; his actions seemed more like he was being manipulated by someone else... So, who else in the Great Yan Dynasty could order the Crown Prince to do things?

Helian Haihai's face turned ashen. He naturally sensed the change in atmosphere, but couldn't think of a way to break the deadlock.

At this moment, the court had become Helian Ran's domain. He said sorrowfully, "There is something I know that even if I say it, you may not believe me. Last night, I did not intend to kill the Imperial Preceptor, but rather to spare her life and secretly help her leave Xijing City."

"But, but the Imperial Advisor told me that the estrangement between father and son would be a catastrophic disaster for the Great Yan Dynasty. She was unwilling to become a criminal and would rather die to ensure the stability of the Great Yan court."

"The Grand Preceptor had only one wish before his death: that the Great Yan must not start a war. Your son originally did not intend to say these things today, but seeing that Father Emperor was about to declare war on the Great Xia, I had no choice."

Helian Haihai was so angry that his legs went weak. He plopped back down on the dragon throne and glared at the utterly unfamiliar crown prince.

I thought to myself that you had no choice but to use a "checkmate" move!
(End of this chapter)