Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 145 The Last Days of the Emperor

Emperor Xu sat on his throne. At this moment, he had returned to his domain, which he was adept at. Destiny had endowed him with the ability to foresee crises, and as each threat he sensed was dealt with, he began to relish this sense of control.

The Imperial Attendant carefully handed him the list of those to be executed. The Emperor glanced at it and casually picked up a pen. He didn't select any of the "minor offenders" but instead drew a large X on each one, meaning that all the hopes of those in the prison awaiting His Majesty's wise and discerning judgment had been dashed.

Outside the Meridian Gate, heads rolled under the executioner's blade. These were all people implicated in the "treasonous ministers' plot" case, including their students and servants. The real officials, however, were taken outside the palace, struck with golden maces, and died spitting blood.

…The clouds surrounding the suspended nine palaces were stained with blood…

Having moved out of the Eastern Palace and residing in his former residence, Prince Zhou trembled as he awaited the imperial decree; everything he had in the capital this month had vanished almost instantly. Before the Emperor's return, all information in the court revolved around him, but now, his every move was confined to his small residence. Only a very few individuals with deeply intertwined interests with him were still secretly passing on messages for him.

Today, news of the new imperial decree ordering the execution of Goujue arrived, causing him to feel a tightness in his chest.

Because the emperor's chosen people for execution included his close attendants, the families of his two principal wives were also taken down.

Just as he returned to his room with a sigh, a wooden phoenix descended. This was the message from the wooden puppet that Sukang's soul had possessed; Sukang himself had already become a wooden figure in the prison. However, this wooden figure was like a black hole, absorbing the wronged souls in the prison and turning them into incantations.

He glanced around and quickly put away the wooden phoenix. Then he opened the secret letter, and his expression faltered slightly.

The letter was brief: "The number of ghosts in the prison is increasing."

Because it involved a conspiracy of witchcraft, King Zhou burned the wooden kite after reading it. His heart pounded. In fear, his mind was buzzing with chaotic thoughts. In his worry, he seemed to see "Emperor Xu sitting on his throne, smiling at him, fully aware of his little tricks." He quickly splashed his face with cold water, but a wisp of blue seeped into his pupils.

The current Zhou King's faction is actually a very broad concept. It refers to all the families who submitted letters to curry favor with the Zhou King during his regency, and they are now under the strict interrogation of the Embroidered-Robe Envoys.

In other words, when the Embroidered-Robed Envoys were carrying out their campaign to eliminate the Zhou royal family, they did not act directly according to the concept of "capture the king first to catch the thief." Instead, they started with the less powerful families, interrogating them step by step to uncover their weaknesses, eventually dragging down larger families and bringing them down.

This is a very typical way of handling cases by cruel officials in the feudal era, which is to expand the scope of the crackdown "from the outside in".

For Zhou Wang's faction at present, most of the marginal members of their own faction have been taken down on a large scale. Although this has brought Zhou Wang the fear of being slowly tortured to death, it has also given him time for a final desperate attempt.

In any struggle, the priority is to eliminate the opposing leader, then take down the core members of the enemy, and finally hide other involved personnel in a marginal position.

For example, in the event of a coup, only the ministers involved would be dealt with. As for those promoted by the ministers, such as section chiefs in the civil service or second lieutenants in the military, their careers would simply be brought to an end. The aim was to minimize the impact; they would never do something like this: first arresting the minor officials who implicated the Zhou king, then interrogating them to extract evidence, and finally expanding the case upwards.

From Xuan Chong's perspective, far away in Bohai, the way the emperor instigated this "major case" was definitely an immature approach; but there was nothing he could do, that was the old era. The upper echelons could exert influence over the lower echelons, which meant that once a faction fell, such collective punishment was inevitable.

When the Zhou royal lineage began to give hints to the troops of Da Yao and made arrangements in the court to "attempt to bypass Emperor Xu in the deployment of relevant troops," Emperor Xu had in fact made up his mind to purge the civil official group.

The embroidered-robed envoys continued their vigorous search, dragging those implicated into the imperial prison one by one. The prison's smooth, mirror-like steps occasionally reflected nonexistent figures.

The hexagrams all accumulated intense resentment. — This had already made the Zhou king's faction realize the situation and consider uniting for a desperate fight.

But now, the Emperor is keeping a close watch on things, and no one dares to make a move.

That evening, Lady Li took the initiative to serve the agitated King Zhou. After King Zhou vented his anger in a violent and torrential manner, Lady Li gently wiped away the sweat from his brow.

When King Zhou regained his senses, he looked at the bruises on Consort Li's body left by his violent outburst and asked with some remorse, "Does it hurt?"

Lady Li delivered the decisive blow: "Your Highness, compared to the birth of Ying'er last month, this is nothing."

This Li woman was naturally the same woman he had abducted from the "Prince of Beijing's Mansion" a year ago because of his lust.

In the past few months, with his fall from power, the other two concubines in the Prince's residence were implicated because their families had committed crimes. Therefore, under the supervision of the eunuchs sent by His Majesty, these two concubines also had to be imprisoned in the Prince's residence.

Originally imprisoned in the Zhou Prince's palace, Lady Li was released. However, she did not distance herself from this place of trouble. Instead, she used her cunning to win over the Zhou Prince's now-vacant heart, so much so that her son was also recorded in the imperial genealogy.

In the capital, royal families could verify bloodlines; however, the son born to Lady Li passed the monitoring within the Zhou royal palace.

This is thanks to the "cuckoo borrowing a nest" technique taught to Li by the Daoist. The cuckoo chicks can make the owners of other nests believe that they are their sons. Li has now successfully used this method, which has even made the King of Zhou feel more affectionate towards the children born to Li.

This was also because the imperial family's fortunes were exhausted after the emperor's defeat in the west, which allowed the emperor to take advantage of the situation.

Upon hearing Li's words, King Zhou's gaze shifted from hesitation to a strange, fanatical ambition, blue and purple shimmering in his eyes. Yes, to prevent his son from being imprisoned for life, he had to take a gamble.

After putting on his clothes, King Zhou went to his study, opened a box, took out a wooden puppet, hesitated for a moment, then took out a needle and pricked his fingertip to draw blood, using the blood to inscribe the Emperor's true name and birth date.

Inside the prison, on the back of the dazed Sukang, runes of witchcraft appeared. At the very core, Sukang's previously dull eyes regained their luster. Then, as if relieved, he let out a long sigh and collapsed to the ground with a thud, his head facing the direction of the palace.

Meanwhile, in the barracks outside the imperial prison, Mu Xingyu looked at the sky, where the atmosphere was unusually gloomy; sensing the turmoil in the court, he sighed.

…Fate is twisted…

In Yaodu, within the central Ziwei Palace of the floating palace complex, Emperor Xu smashed his jade cup. What enraged him so much was Princess Xiasheng, his rebellious daughter.

After returning to the capital, he was busy consolidating his power in the inner court, but he always felt that he had forgotten something. However, something happened later that reminded him of this key point.

A few days ago, he summoned Mu Xingyu, this promising young talent from the capital who was now heading towards the imperial prison. This greatly concerned him, as Mu Xingyu was in charge of the capital's armed forces. At this time, was she about to defect?
Therefore, after inquiring, he learned that Jupiter's words were related to the daughter of a certain official imprisoned in a royal prison. He couldn't help but mutter, "Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman." Consequently, he issued an edict to release the convicted official and his family from the death row.

Jupiter, the former playboy of the capital, is now a "hero," so what about Wu Fei, who brought out this group of heroes?
Emperor Xu suddenly remembered: the daughter who was supposed to be married off to Wu Fei had not yet been married off.

Wu Fei was at the border and had been busy with border battles and outwitting the great general of Hao Kingdom, so he didn't mention this matter.

However, just as Emperor Xu was about to proceed with the matter, the eunuch beside him hesitated and stammered. This made the "benevolent ruler" realize that something was wrong.

After further questioning, he was furious. The news that Xia Sheng had seduced an astrologer from the Imperial Observatory had already spread among a small group, leaving the Imperial Observatory with no choice but to send the young astrologer back to his mountain retreat for solitary reflection. Even so, Xia Sheng was still making a scene, wanting to secretly leave the capital to confront her lover and demand an explanation.

The emperor slammed his hand on the imperial couch: "How dare this rebellious daughter!"

As the supreme ruler of a dynastic state, Emperor Xu never considered the possibility of allowing his daughters to freely choose their romantic partners; as a father, he needed his children to fulfill their emotional needs; but as a ruthless imperial family, he would not consider his children's emotional needs.

In the emperor's eyes, Wu Fei was crucial to the current power structure. However, Wu Fei was remarkably oblivious when it came to "how to ingratiate himself with the imperial family."

After learning from his secret guards that Wu Fei had diverted his rewards and the money sent by Wu Hanluan to military use, and hadn't even sent Xia Shengfa a single letter during holidays, Emperor Xu couldn't help but feel annoyed with Wu Fei: "My daughter doesn't want to get married, so why don't you urge her?"

…The Phoenix seeks its mate, but the Vermilion Bird will ignore the silly, naive chicken…

Little did they know, Xuan Chong (Wu Fei), who was fighting on the front lines, was frighteningly realistic: "For people who enter a society where interests clash, the so-called free love is a false proposition. Middle-class men and women will not freely fall in love with village girls and men; instead, they yearn for the romance in idol dramas, projecting themselves into the role of those striving for upward mobility, and freely fall in love with young ladies and gentlemen." Rather than waiting for "high-class men and women to be blind and willing to compromise and freely fall in love with them," it's better to focus on doing your best.

Xuan Chong remained silent about the turmoil in Yaodu and did not actively seek any connections; instead, he painstakingly cultivated a local faction in Bohai, similar to the Beiyang clique.

Moreover, this faction is not limited to the area from Bohai to Yaodu. In places where they once conscripted men and issued military bonds and IOUs, Xuanchong is now giving back. Relying on the prestigious name of the future Imperial Guard, they have infiltrated local areas, providing a protective umbrella for local gangs and chambers of commerce, and creating an interest group that extends beyond the scope of "military and political" affairs.

Xuan Chong: "Tsk tsk, clowns who use love as a pretext for speculation are the most ridiculous. We can learn from Baldy's political and military skills, but his experience of pursuing Miss Song is something we can just spit on, no, we should piss on before we leave."

Xia Sheng now looks down on Wu Fei's background, but Xuan Chong also despises Xia Sheng.

In this world, cultivating immortality cannot directly destroy the heavens and the earth; all sects and schools are subject to the strong constraints of the human realm.

Born into one of the most prestigious imperial families in the mortal realm, she was revered by the masses. She disregarded her own base, treating those who contributed to the Great Dao with contempt and disdain, while conversely fawning over the so-called transcendent immortal disciples.

Xuan Chong complained: "Marrying her is like marrying Princess Gaoyang. In the end, the once prosperous family will be ruined and everyone will die."

Therefore, Xuan Chong did not urge Princess Xiasheng to get married. — Because it was an exchange of political bargaining chips, and even without the princess, the emperor would have to compensate him for his current achievements in other ways.

…You only realize how little kindness you have when you need it…

Therefore, Emperor Xu is currently troubled about how to give Wu Fei in the north enough "bargaining chips".

Wu Fei already holds the title of Marquis of Ting (he was already Marquis of Yuanbu Ting when he was in the Southern Frontier). If he were to be enfeoffed again, he could only be enfeoffed as a County Marquis. However, such an enfeoffment would only be possible after Wu Fei had resolved the war in the north and handed over his military power.

Emperor Shu knew that a capable and young general like Wu Fei would eventually be exhausted from being promoted. If left unchecked on the frontier, he would become more dangerous than other northern vassal states. Only after this campaign ended, by bestowing upon him a generous title and keeping him under his control, could he be kept in check. Sending Wu Hengyu there now was, in fact, an attempt to share in Wu Fei's glory.

In this way, the imperial court also gained a deterrent against the northern warlords. For example, if a warlord like Zhu Dali showed any rebellious intentions, the court could subdue him by releasing Wu Fei.

Emperor Xu was already preparing to promote Wu Fei to a full-fledged general after bestowing the marriage, but his own daughter was completely ignorant.

Narrator: Emperor Xu did not believe that Wu Hengyu could snatch the title of General of the North from Wu Fei. The order to break through Gu Shou Pass first to become the General of the North was just to release a "catfish" to the Eastern Market Army to urge them to work faster.

Returning to the present, Emperor Xu reflected on his control over Wu Fei. It wasn't just that the sparrow wasn't caged; it was that he hadn't even put a leg band on him. What was even more critical was that Emperor Xu had heard that Wu Fei's original fiancée had been taken as a concubine by the Prince of Zhou. This was tantamount to plucking a feather from the rear of Wu Fei, the sparrow that had escaped its cage.

If it were a year ago, King Zhou would have accepted the marriage without hesitation. Wu Fei was merely a hostage sent by the Wu family of the Southern Territory, and he would have had to endure any injustice he suffered.

According to the Jupiter language: Wu Fei's conflict with King Zhou has somewhat shaken the morale of the frontier troops. Since the soldiers are unaware of this, it's uncertain whether it will affect His Majesty's judgment of the Eastern Market Army's achievements.

Emperor Xu felt a sudden surge of irritation for no apparent reason, but before he knew it, it had become dark.

He looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

A palace attendant standing nearby said, "Your Majesty, there has been a solar eclipse."

Emperor Xu waved his hand: "Hmm, have the Astronomical Bureau Chief analyze the celestial phenomena."

However, before he could finish speaking, with a snap, a hole was blown open in the chest of the eunuch, and a wooden puppet crawled out of it.

Then the emperor heard the sound of many footsteps outside the palace, and the palace gates were being urgently closed.

Immediately afterwards, an unprecedented sense of crisis enveloped Emperor Xu—he had a vivid vision of himself being beheaded. And this time, there seemed to be no solution.

…The insidious influence is about to spread in all directions…

The perspective shifts to the other side, where Wu Hengyu is now teleporting his troops from the Great Cave Heaven to the north via mountains and rivers.

Compared to Wu Fei, who was favored by the City Gods, Wu Hengyu was now favored by the immortal sects and regarded as the chosen one. Various sects sent disciples to join Wu Hengyu's ranks and follow him to open up the water network in the Great Cave Heaven.

Wu Hengyu can now freely lead his troops across the Five Lakes because the Five Lakes are extremely large. With the current chaos and disorder, the governors' control over lakes, marshes, mountains, and rivers far from the prefectures has decreased, so Wu Hengyu can now travel freely.

However, if the Great Yao is strong, the state government can perfectly mobilize the power of mountains and rivers to perform Yao calculations, and the Great Cave Heaven with the "Five Lakes" as its entrance will be closed to Wu Hengyu.

And since it can be closed, it can be opened. Now, as long as the people controlling the prefecture allow it, Wu Hengyu can use the Great Cave Heaven Water Network to travel to the smaller waterways of the prefecture beyond the Five Lakes.

For example, in Juyeze in the southern part of Bojun, a large amount of water vein power has accumulated due to spring thunderstorms. Wu Hengyu, holding the emperor's gold medal, arrived here with three thousand troops and tens of thousands of refugees under the mobilization of the governor's water vein power, and formed a large camp.

Zhu Liqiang, who was in Dai County, sensed the arrival of the new Wu family army and set up a banquet. However, Wu Hengyu did not attend the banquet. After arriving here, he went north alone to meet Wu Fei.

Here in Huangyucheng, the flow of water has changed slightly, and Wu Xiaoque, who was repairing the irrigation ditch, noticed it immediately.

Wu Fei now possesses a pair of discerning eyes, enabling him to sense the distortion of the southern space through changes in the sky's flow field indicators. The concave flow field in the sky indicates the appearance of a huge channel on the corresponding ground.

Furthermore, due to its own Vermilion Bird bloodline, it also sensed the ghost carriages brought by Wu Hengyu.

Wu Fei knew his own men had arrived. So, he gathered all the officers and sergeants together, preparing to introduce their "humanoid Gundam" in order to facilitate coordinated operations in the future.

An hour later, Wu Fei met Wu Hengyu riding a phoenix. Why didn't he ride a peacock?

That thing (the peacock) is so flashy. Every time I ride it to meet someone, the peacock will immediately spread its tail feathers, making a powerful appearance that is in no way inferior to the others.

However, Wu Hengyu's black horse was not one to "bow its head," and Wu Fei was afraid that his mount would fight with Wu Hengyu's.

The meeting took place in the sky. After seeing Wu Hengyu, Wu Fei said, "I didn't expect it would be you who came to lend me a hand."

Wu Hengyu: "The Emperor invited me here."

Wu Fei paused slightly, then quickly said, "Don't talk nonsense."

Wu Hengyu didn't care at all: "It's nothing serious, there's no one else here."

Wu Fei: "Well, you and I, brothers, shall hold up the sky to the north of Da Yao."

However, just as Wu Fei uttered his heroic words, a flash of light appeared in the southern sky. Wu Fei frowned, turned his head to look, calculated for a moment, and was stunned. That was the direction of Yaodu.

(End of this chapter)