Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 88: Using Force to Replace Li

The capital city.

Princess's Residence, Lingni Hall.

Suddenly sensing something, the goddess looked up at Mount Song and felt a strange chill. She leaned closer to the big cat beside her, and the golden lion shrank back. Lu Chenyuan had been busy serving the rich woman lately, so he hadn't been able to pay much attention to the golden lion's zither playing. The big cat was already dissatisfied. If it weren't for the goddess being sent to play with it, it would definitely have scratched him!

The couple, one human and one pet, keep each other company and their relationship develops rapidly.

The goddess is reading a book.

She reads at a speed comparable to Lu Chenyuan, and has already finished learning the Four Books and Five Classics under the guidance of Zen Master Yunhe. Recently, in her spare time, she has begun to focus on novels.

"The Ghost's Wedding Dress", "The Book Under the Locust Tree", "The Mermaid's Lamp", "The Golden Carp Is No Mere Fish in a Pond"...

She wasn't interested in stories about normal people; the stories she read were becoming increasingly bizarre.

Human-ghost love, human-tree love, human-mermaid love, human-dragon love...

"Silly fox..."

She muttered something to herself, holding a copy of "The Jade Fox Knocks on the Moon" in her hand.

When she saw the fox demon use her thousand years of cultivation to restore the general's sight, the two planted peonies all over the hillside of Zhongnan Mountain. They embraced among the flowers, and she stared at the six words "From now on, year after year," her glassy eyes shimmering with a golden light.

"Year after year..."

She subconsciously looked toward the princess's bedchamber, her mind's core glowing faintly, her heart burning in her chest—an indescribable emotion was quietly brewing.

……

The next day.

Princess's residence was bustling with activity. Twenty-fourth servant had not returned all night. Yuan Qingshuang used a black eagle to send a message, and they were investigating the "underground palace" beneath the thatched cottage overnight.

Li Lingyue felt something was wrong, but looking at Yuan Qingshuang's handwriting on the letter, it seemed there was nothing wrong. After thinking about it, she still felt that Yuan Qingshuang shouldn't only send letters back.

Mount Song is only a hundred miles away. Even if the situation is really urgent and a thorough investigation is necessary, it is not appropriate to make decisions on one's own. At least someone should be sent to report back. Sending only a letter is neither in accordance with the rules nor with Yuan Qingshuang's temperament.

Something's not right...

Could it be that Yuan Qingshuang and the Twenty-Fourth Prince have both fallen victim to this?
This is incredible!

She believed that even if they were pursued by their master, Yuan Qingshuang and the Twenty-Fourth Division would definitely be able to escape.

There were a full twenty-five people, the weakest of whom were at least at the fourth realm, and Yuan Qingshuang was even at the fifth realm. She could even hold her own against a sixth-realm opponent, giving the others time to escape... The Twenty-Four Division had been through many battles, and each of them had undergone rigorous training. They were not ordinary flowers that had not yet weathered the storms, so there was no possibility of them being wiped out inexplicably.

Even if the enemy possesses the "Dan Ding Scroll," he's still just an alchemist...

Could the "Dan Ding Scroll" also contain some strange and mysterious cultivation techniques?

A locked room? Poisoning?
It seems there's only one possibility: to capture Yuan Qingshuang and all twenty-four members in one fell swoop. But... the rules of the twenty-four members dictate that someone must remain outside to guard against any unforeseen circumstances, yet there's been no movement at all...

"hiss……"

Li Lingyue frowned, her mind racing with thoughts, and the more she thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed.

The fact that Yuan Qingshuang can still reply to letters at the moment indicates that it is at most a matter of mind control, and we can take our time to plan ahead.

She immediately summoned a second group of people who were not afraid of poison or being ambushed in a secret room—the "Five Ghosts"—to be stationed at Xiaoxiang Pavilion to await orders.

Li Lingyue, as the commander of the Kite Guard, has the power of selection, which gives her ample opportunity to "line her own pockets" by taking advantage of her position.

She had no shortage of talented people under her command, but unlike Wu Chengsi, she had no bottom line when it came to hiring people.

Those she left behind were all kind-hearted. Even if they practiced evil arts, they would not break the rules. For example, the Four Dead Bone Fiends—as assassins of the Dead Bone Sect, they were able to obey orders and never committed murder in vain.

Such people know how to be grateful, know when to advance and retreat, are useful, but also rare.

Therefore, in order to have enough manpower to deal with emergencies, it is necessary to add some people at a slightly lower level.

—For example, “Five-way Ghost”.

Five people entered the hall and knelt on one knee, bowing deeply: "Your Highness, we pay our respects!" These five people had different appearances, but all of them exuded a sinister aura.

Li Lingyue first threw out an order, then threw out half of a secret manual: "The order is on the paper. Set off for Mount Song immediately and use the 'Corpse Control' technique to find out the situation of Qixia Caotang for me. I don't need you to go in person. I need information! This half of the 'Five Ghosts Transporting Technique' is your sect's secret technique. After the mission is accomplished, you will receive the other half. Go."

The five men bowed their heads in obedience and vanished like smoke.

—They are neither dead nor alive, existing as half-human, half-corpse beings, so even if they encounter highly poisonous substances, they can escape unscathed.

Li Lingyue's eyes turned slightly cold: "I want to see who's playing tricks behind my back!"

At the same time, he wrote another note and a travel token, and ordered his confidant to send it to the palace and give it to Shangguan Wan'er, asking her to look up detailed information about the "Dan Ding Scroll" in the secret library of Yingxian Palace.

This was also a reward for her overseeing the festival. Otherwise, even she would have to ask permission before she could enter the secret pavilion of the Welcoming Immortal Palace to read books.

Arrange these things.

She picked up another rather tricky document, feeling a bit of a headache. It read—"Petition to Establish Prince Wei, Wu Chengsi, as Crown Prince!"
On the morning of October 29th, a momentous event occurred that will be recorded in history.

Three days after Wu Sansi presented the "reclusive immortals," Wu Chengsi publicly proclaimed, "Even such reclusive immortals have come to submit, which proves that Your Majesty's succession to the throne is by the mandate of Heaven! It further demonstrates that the Wu family's rule is in accordance with Heaven and the people!"

Here comes the follow-up move, striking while the iron is hot!
Wang Qingzhi, a commoner from Luoyang, led more than a thousand people to present a petition in front of the palace gate, requesting that Wu Chengsi be made crown prince.

He was then summoned by the Empress.

"Wang Qingzhi, a commoner from Luoyang (as recorded in the *Tang Liudian* as 'a commoner submitting a petition, addressing himself as 'Your Majesty,') humbly submits this petition, even at the risk of death: Your Majesty, having received Heaven's mandate to restore order and establish the new Wu Zhou dynasty, yet the gods do not favor those of incompatible kind, and the people do not worship those of incompatible clans. Therefore, we request that Prince Wei, Wu Chengsi, be established as Crown Prince to solidify the foundation of the state. We, your humble servants, are filled with trepidation and trepidation, bowing our heads repeatedly, deserving death!"

At the morning court session, in front of all the civil and military officials, Wang Qingzhi presented the so-called "Letter to the People".

"Your Majesty the Holy and Divine Emperor, having received the mandate of Heaven and established the Great Zhou Dynasty, has laid the foundation for an everlasting dynasty and established a new rule for all ages. We, your humble servants, are but insignificant people and would never dare to presume to discuss the foundation of the state. However, considering the safety and well-being of the nation, we have no choice but to risk our lives to present this memorial, and humbly await Your Majesty's decision."

"I have heard of the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals: 'The gods do not accept offerings from those who are not of their kind, and the people do not worship those who are not of their clan.' Now that Your Majesty has replaced the Tang dynasty with the Wu clan and is ruling the world, the ancestral temples, blood offerings, and the inheritance of the empire should naturally be purely of the Wu surname. If the imperial heir succeeds to the throne, it will actually be Li Siwu, who is not of the same kind. I fear that the gods will not accept the offerings, and the ancestral temples will be without a master. How can there be a change of surname and revolution, ultimately leading to the return of the throne to another clan?"

"King Wu Chengsi of Wei is Your Majesty's nephew and the grandson of Emperor Taizu (Wu Shihuo). He is of pure blood and possesses both virtue and talent. If he is established as the crown prince, the foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty will be forever secure, and the world will submit to him. If a son of the Li family is still chosen as the heir, I fear that thousands of years later, people will yearn for the Tang Dynasty, the state will be shaken, and who will rule the world now, and who will choose the Li family as the heir?"

"Your Majesty, with your sagacious virtue, replaced the Tang dynasty and established the Great Zhou. If you were to pass the throne to the Li family, the revolutionary cause would be ruined, and the late emperor's ambitions would remain unfulfilled. In the past, traitors such as Xu Jingye and Li Zhen all used the pretext of 'restoring the Tang dynasty' to incite chaos throughout the land. If you were to establish Wu as the heir, then treacherous heroes would have no excuse to use, and the whole world would forever be free from any desire for power."

"King Wu Chengsi of Wei is loyal and filial, diligent and conscientious day and night, assisting the holy dynasty and making great contributions to the country. If he is granted the rightful position as the Crown Prince, he will surely be able to carry on the emperor's wishes and bring peace to the people, so that the foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty can be passed down for eternity."

"Your Majesty, we are foolish and ignorant, but we know only to be loyal to Your Majesty. We hope that Your Majesty will heed our wise words and establish a firm foundation for the nation as soon as possible. Then the world will be fortunate, and the Wu clan will be fortunate!"

"Your subject Wang Qingzhi and others bowed deeply and respectfully submit this memorial."

Wang Qingzhi's hoarse voice echoed in the hall as two strongmen carried the scroll of the Book of Ten Thousand People into the hall, trembling.

problem occurs!
All the civil and military officials stood solemnly, and several elderly ministers frowned in unison.

Wu Chengsi stood at the head of the princes, his face calm as an ancient well, his fingertips twitching slightly in the wide sleeves of his python robe.

"I second the proposal!"

Suddenly, Zhang Jiafu, a scribe in the Imperial Secretariat, stepped forward and said loudly, "What Wang Qingzhi said is absolutely right! The appearance of the Immortal Master has already proven that the Wu family's rule is in accordance with Heaven and the people! It is only right that a member of the Wu family be established as the heir apparent, so as to ensure the legitimacy of the dynasty and the mandate of Heaven! His Highness Prince Wei is the direct grandson of the founding emperor, and is unparalleled in loyalty and bravery. If he is made the crown prince, he will surely ensure that the imperial regalia is properly entrusted and that the dynasty will last a long time!"

As soon as he finished speaking, more than ten of Wu's henchmen immediately echoed in unison: "We second that proposal!"

The sound shook the roof tiles!

Wu Sansi then stepped forward, his purple robe and jade belt perfectly in place, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I beseech you to see that divine artifacts have always belonged to the rightful heirs. Prince Wei is a direct descendant of the Wu family, and his virtue matches that of Heaven and Earth. Now that a celestial master has appeared in the world, and the people are pleading for his life, this is truly the will of Heaven!"

Wu Youyi followed closely behind, his voice booming: "Your Majesty, I second your opinion! Your Majesty overthrew the Tang and established the Zhou, and the bloodline of my Wu clan should inherit the throne. Prince Wei is both loyal and filial, and is the perfect choice for the crown prince."

Emperor Wu Yizong also stepped forward, his voice brief and resounding: "In my opinion, the Prince of Wei should be enthroned!"

This was a huge spectacle.

Di Renjie frowned deeply, and Cen Changqian couldn't hold back any longer. Her hair and beard stood on end, and her voice boomed like thunder: "Absurd!"

The old prime minister took a step forward, causing the jade floor tiles beneath his feet to tremble slightly. He pointed directly at the Wu clan members and shouted, "The imperial heir is already in the Eastern Palace. His benevolence and filial piety are renowned throughout the land, and his virtue is known throughout the nine provinces. How dare you all presume to discuss the deposition and enthronement of the emperor today? Are you trying to shake the foundations of the nation?!"

He turned and kowtowed heavily to the throne, his forehead striking the floor tiles with a dull thud: "Your Majesty! The Spring and Autumn Annals says: 'The crown prince is the foundation of the state.' Now the heir to the throne has neither committed any misconduct nor committed any major offense. How can we lightly depose him because of the words of one or two sorcerers or the requests of commoners? If this precedent is set, treacherous officials in the future will follow suit, and the Great Zhou Dynasty will be in grave danger!"

(End of this chapter)