Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 380 Purge the Emperor's Corrupt Officials and Execute Xingzhou

The following morning, after a brief court meeting, a consensus was reached to have Long Lie, a general of the Dragon Clan, succeed the position of High Priest of the Holy Mountain.

This is a very strange appointment.

Long Lie has always been a brave, fierce, and hot-tempered dragon. He doesn't understand any superstitious things; he doesn't even have any faith and has never read a Buddhist scripture. You expect him to be invincible in battle, but to be a priest?
They didn't even know how to conduct the sacrificial ceremony.

Surprisingly, no one in the entire Demon Court, including Long Lie himself, objected to the appointment, and Long Qinghuang did not raise any questions. Everyone said so, so she decided to proceed.

Ironically, the biggest reason was that Long Lie had no family to burden him.

Then, after a brief court meeting, he personally stood up for Long Lie and escorted him to the Holy Mountain.

After all, the Demon Court's interference in the selection of priests for the Holy Mountain is unprecedented. The first time they have done so, it may lead to a war to subdue them.

This trip involved more than just Long Qinghuang herself; she brought along Long Ao, Long Zhan, and other dragon clan subjects, as well as their dragon clan imperial guards.

The Imperial Guards are not the troops that returned yesterday; they belong to the Dragon Court's own system, consisting of only three hundred dragons, all elites. As for the Southern Expeditionary Army that returned yesterday, they were all resting after drinking too much at the victory celebration last night.

Even with the Imperial Guards with her, Long Qinghuang's arrogance was still evident, showing that she completely disregarded the strength of the Holy Mountain.

I don't know if they underestimated the strength of the Holy Mountain, or if they thought that with their prestige the Holy Mountain wouldn't dare to resist, and that Pudu would obediently give up his position under their intimidation.

She even had the leisure to bring her lover along.

Yes, Lu Xingzhou was there too. Long Lie thought about it over and over but still couldn't figure it out. Why was Lu Xingzhou by his side? What business was it of his?

Incidentally, after Lu Xingzhou went back to fool around with the pregnant deputy envoy last night, he returned to the palace not long after. It is said that he slept with His Majesty and was still sleepy when he woke up this morning.

I also heard from a young couple who had come to Lu Xingzhou for treatment that Lu Xingzhou had boasted that he would have sex with His Majesty seven times that night, and His Majesty was very pleased.

Long Lie's face was pale the entire way.

He truly loved Her Majesty, ever since before she ascended the throne. Unfortunately, over the years, Her Majesty's trust in her subjects was merely superficial. After he subtly revealed his feelings, Her Majesty pretended not to understand and continued to behave as before.

Even the rough and boorish Long Lie knew that His Majesty was pretending not to understand, not wanting to hurt the pride of his generals by directly refusing. He suggested that everyone just pretend nothing had happened.

But sometimes Long Lie also felt that royal matters had nothing to do with liking or disliking. You may not like me, but sooner or later you'll have to find a royal consort to have a pure-blooded dragon, right? Or are you really going to have a bunch of subspecies to inherit the dragon throne?

It seems I still have a chance, until His Majesty truly desires the bloodline to be passed on.

That's why Long Lie has remained unmarried for so many years.

However, to be fair, Long Qinghuang couldn't be moved. The dragon race is known for its promiscuity, and a general like Long Lie, brimming with energy, is a prime example. Asking him to truly abstain from sex would be worse than killing him outright. Therefore, while Long Lie hasn't married, he's already fathered over a hundred children with his mistresses—no fewer than Pudu.

How can I be moved by you?

You're so touched that you reserved a wife position for me? That's hilarious.

This time, suspicions arose about an inside job. The narcissistic mother dragon had previously focused on the motive of "hatred born of love," and Long Lie wasn't the only one suspected. But after Lu Xingzhou arrived, with his constant tidying up and sorting, more and more problems were exposed, and now it seemed to be more than just a simple matter of love.

Amidst their differing thoughts, Long Qinghuang, accompanied by Lu Xingzhou, followed by Long Lie and three hundred imperial guards, arrived at the Holy Mountain.

This time, instead of landing at the foot of the mountain as a sign of respect, it flew directly overhead.

Long Ao, standing beside him, loudly proclaimed, "His Majesty has arrived! Why are the people of Holy Mountain not yet there to greet him?"

The sacred mountain was quiet for a long time before a few old monks stood in the empty square, bowing to the sky and saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Long Ao asked, "Where is Pudu?"

The old monk bowed and said, "The abbot is currently in seclusion and I have already sent someone to summon him. May I ask why Your Majesty has come here..."

Long Ao said, "Pu Du is unworthy of his position and can no longer serve as the High Priest of the Demon Clan. After public discussion in the Demon Court, His Majesty has decreed that he be removed from his post and that General Long Lie be appointed as the High Priest. Whether Pu Du comes out or not is not important. Do you all accept His Majesty's decree?"

The old monks all remained silent.

They had been informed of Long Qinghuang's move yesterday, and were all amazed by the Empress's shrewdness. When the matter was exposed the day before yesterday, she refrained from reacting on the spot, assuming she was considering the potential repercussions. Unexpectedly, just one night later, yesterday morning she had the Demon Court hold a public discussion and, with a perfectly legitimate reason, dismissed the High Priest.

This move is far more effective than turning on someone on the spot.

If they turn against each other on the spot, and the news of the Sacred Mountain's scumbag incident doesn't get out, the various races will feel that the Dragon Emperor has insulted the Sacred Mountain. If Pudu then stirs things up with his silver tongue, he can portray the incident as a case of monarchical power oppressing religious authority. This conflict between the Dragon Emperor and the Sacred Mountain will cause chaos in the Demon Realm.

But as soon as Long Qinghuang returned, she immediately took measures. First, she had people spread the word about the salvation ceremony as quickly as possible, and then she sent her personal guards to escort each woman back to her clan, making sure that the matter was well-known in all the clans.

Then, just one night later, she had a perfect excuse: "I don't care about the temple's rules; Pudu is still the High Priest of the Demon Court. If the High Priest of the Demon Court is unworthy of his position, the Demon Court naturally has the right to propose his removal. Your Holy Mountain isn't independent, is it?"

It's just a matter of changing the high priest; I'm not targeting the Holy Mountain, nor Buddhism, and in fact, I'm doing it for the sake of Buddhism's reputation… No matter which race you're talking about, Long Qinghuang is on the right track. Furthermore, for the Demon Court, this is a good opportunity to bring the Holy Mountain's rule under their control. This will garner collective political support for the Demon Court as a whole, not just a matter of Long Qinghuang's personal likes and dislikes. Even the Prime Minister can't openly refute this, otherwise, other high-ranking officials will question whose side he's on.

Then, on the morning of the third day, they pressed their troops against the sacred mountain.

This lightning-fast efficiency and ruthlessness fully demonstrates the domineering and shrewd nature of the Dragon Empress over the years. One can imagine the pressure her opponents have been under, including Gu Zhanting.

On the surface, she was still infatuated with men, having sex seven times a night, and she didn't miss a single thing she was supposed to do.

However, the sacred mountain was not unprepared.

Pudu's voice finally echoed from the mountains: "The Demon Court does not interfere with the Holy Mountain's autonomy. This was an agreement between my master and His Majesty. Therefore, my master, in the name of a priest, assisted His Majesty in sweeping through the Demon Realm, saving countless battles. Now, only ten years after my master's passing, His Majesty has brazenly overturned the agreement with my master and interfered in the selection of the temple's abbot. My master will find it difficult to rest in peace even in the afterlife."

Spokesperson Long Ao glanced at Long Qinghuang.

Long Qinghuang laughed: "When did I ever have such an agreement with your master? Is there any written agreement? Let me show it to you all."

Pudu: "..."

Damn you.

None of the emperors were human.

Of course there was an agreement, but it's impossible to sign a contract... Where would you find a written agreement? If you keep talking, I'll start to suspect that you colluded with Ye Tinglan back then, deliberately suffered a defeat, and let her burn down the Holy Mountain.

Yes, do you two still share a man?
He gritted his teeth and said, "It's not necessarily true that one's virtue is unworthy of one's position. The Buddhist path has its own way of finding joy, which outsiders don't know. If you say one's virtue is unworthy of one's position, Your Majesty indulges in male favorites and openly provokes and insults meritorious officials and generals at banquets. Does such virtue match one's position? We won't say anything about Your Majesty, so why is Your Majesty forcing us?"

Long Qinghuang looked at Lu Xingzhou, who smiled slightly: "I didn't tell you not to speak, so what do you want to say?"

Pudu shouted sternly, "His Majesty has always respected the Holy Mountain and would never do such a thing! He must have been bewitched by his male favorite's wicked words. This man is an envoy of the Great Qian Dynasty, who intends to incite conflict in the Demon Realm and stir up internal strife. Gentlemen, let us follow this old monk to purge the emperor's inner circle and kill this scoundrel!"

The moment the phrase "cleanse the emperor's inner circle" was uttered, the court was in an uproar.

Even Long Lie's eyes widened. He never expected things to develop to this point. The Holy Mountain actually dared to openly defy the Dragon Emperor!

Where did they get the guts?
"Not going to act anymore?" Long Qinghuang smiled lazily and waved to Long Ao beside her: "Control the Holy Mountain. Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy."

As she spoke, she moved with lightning speed, instantly arriving at the plaza below, and struck Pudu's bald head with a palm strike.

Golden light shone from the top of Pudu's head, blocking the attack.

Suddenly, a formation activated within the temple, causing sand and stones to fly.

The Imperial Guards followed in unison, and for a moment only Lu Xingzhou and Long Lie remained suspended in mid-air.

Long Lie suddenly turned to look at Lu Xingzhou, his eyes filled with barely concealed murderous intent.

"Stop trying to kill me, you idiot." Lu Xingzhou didn't even look at him and said calmly, "If you don't wake up soon, your emperor will really be forced off the throne."

Long Lie instinctively retorted, "Nonsense! His Majesty's strength far surpasses that of Pudu, and our Imperial Guards are not to be trifled with either. How could the Holy Mountain be His Majesty's enemy?"

"You've already shouted 'cleans up the court of corrupt officials,' do you still think the other side is only the Holy Mountain?" Lu Xingzhou sighed. "His Majesty had an excuse to replace Pudu, and Pudu certainly had an excuse to clean up the court of corrupt officials. Last night, I said so many insulting things in public. I'm afraid the Southern Expeditionary Army outside had already spread the word. They had just returned and didn't know many things, but they knew that I was trying to sow discord between His Majesty and the Holy Mountain, spreading rumors and insulting the soldiers... What a perfect excuse."

Long Lie's heart skipped a beat: "What you said yesterday..."

"Of course, it was a knife handed to him on purpose." Lu Xingzhou turned his head: "Look, here it comes."

Before he finished speaking, the sky behind him was filled with shadowy figures, all of them dragon bodies.

The dragon, leading the charge, roared, "Follow me to purge the court of corrupt officials and execute Lu Xingzhou!"

Long Lie turned his head in shock and saw that it was Long Yun.

“They all suspect you.” Lu Xingzhou patted Long Lie on the shoulder: “Who told you to be the most outspoken and the most foolish… But you’re lucky, at least you met someone as magnanimous as me, who not only doesn’t hold it against you, but also ruled you out first.”

Long Lie didn't know what to say, but Long Yun had already led his men straight at them.

Long Lie instinctively stepped in front of Lu Xingzhou and sternly asked Long Yun, "What are you doing! This is treason!"

Long Yun didn't even bother arguing with Long Lie, and directly attacked: "This man is blindly loyal, and he's even protecting his male favorite who's bringing disaster to the country. Take him down first!"

Long Lie couldn't understand why things had turned out this way, but Lu Xingzhou simply smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, have you replied yet?"

(End of this chapter)