Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 321 Some things need to be discussed.

Five days later, in the main hall, many civil officials gathered, dressed in court robes, their faces beaming with the reserved smiles of victors.

"Lord Wang, where are you planning to go later?"

"A new teahouse has opened at the entrance of Zhuque Street. The tea there is really good. I will invite Lord Li to try it when the time comes."

"I still have a lot of official business to attend to today, so I'm afraid I won't be able to accept Lord Wang's invitation."

The officials chatted and laughed merrily, and surrounded by them, the Third Prince smiled and talked with the people around him.

Beside them, a small group of people gathered quietly.

They were few in number and dressed in official robes, but compared to other civil officials, they displayed a haughty and aloof demeanor.

They are the stars of the civil officials, the strongest among them in terms of cultivation.

Compared to others, these people showed little joy on their faces, only glancing sideways at the distant throne and whispering among themselves:
"What's that old bald guy up to?"

"I don't know, but the eldest prince has passed away, so he probably won't make things difficult for us anymore."

"Not necessarily. Maybe that old bald man wants to sit in that position himself."

"You know his temperament. If you let him ascend the throne, he will definitely be extremely unwilling."

The group murmured a few words, but showed no excitement whatsoever.

For them, the situation wouldn't be considered settled until the Grand Preceptor personally informed the Third Prince that he could succeed to the throne.

Now?

At best, this can only be considered as eliminating the influence of the Southern Army.

The Northern Army is still around.

Just as they were discussing, footsteps suddenly sounded in the distance. Everyone turned their heads and looked up, and saw a bald man walking slowly from the direction of the long corridor behind the courtyard.

The Imperial Advisor stepped into the center of the main hall. He stood beside the throne, smiling gently as he looked at everyone.

Upon seeing the arrival of the main figure, the civil officials below unanimously bowed and clasped their hands in respect towards the Imperial Preceptor.

Zhao Hongyan also bowed respectfully, then asked with a smile:

"Grand Preceptor, is there something you wish to discuss with us that you have summoned us here?"

"Indeed, there are some things I would like to discuss with you all," the Grand Preceptor said, glancing down at everyone present before turning his head and looking directly at the "stars" among the civil officials.

When these people met the Grand Preceptor's gaze, a sense of unease involuntarily arose in their hearts.

What's going on? Why are you looking at us like that?
The group exchanged quick glances, and the leader, despite the pressure, stepped forward to face the Grand Preceptor directly.

"Grand Preceptor, please speak quickly if you have something to say. We still have many matters to attend to, and it would be bad to delay important matters."

"I do have something to tell you, but not everyone has arrived yet."

Not everyone has arrived?

As soon as he finished speaking, several figures quietly walked in from all directions around the hall. All the civil officials in the room turned to the newcomers, and their expressions changed slightly in an instant.

Approaching from the rear were the Venerable Wenzu and the Venerable Fazu, who stood silently to the left and right of the National Preceptor.

Besides them, there was another elderly man wearing a magnificent overcoat, but whose inner clothes were somewhat dirty and disheveled, who slowly walked forward with unsteady steps.

The civil officials also recognized this person.

Prince Zhao Yunxiang of Zhenbei!

What's he doing here?
The Third Prince's expression changed instantly when he saw his master.

This old man had claimed to have no interest in the throne, but the third prince always believed that the other party was lying.

How could anyone in the world not love being an emperor?
Now that he has appeared in the main hall, could it be that he intends to seize my throne?

Before the Third Prince could speak, another figure stepped into everyone's sight.

It was a dark-skinned young man, loosely draped in a yellow robe, who casually strolled to the throne.

He then plopped down, crossed his legs, and smiled as he surveyed the people below.

The numerous civil officials below were utterly astonished.

"Who is this?"

"He looks somewhat like His Majesty..."

"Could it be His Majesty's long-lost offspring?"

"No...I've seen him before! That's His Majesty when he was young, it's His Majesty when he was young!"

At this moment, Zhao Hongyan was also staring intently at the brown-skinned young man, whose eyes were wide open and mouth agape, like a stone statue.

After a long silence, he finally let out a gasp of surprise:

"Father?"

"You brat, you do have some eyesight, you actually recognized me."

Zhao Liulang looked at Zhao Hongyan with amusement.

Zhao Hongyan gradually regained his senses. Looking at his father, who had regained his youth on the throne, he pondered for a moment and then knelt down with a thud.

We have no choice but to kneel!
Everything he wanted to do to become emperor had one ultimate prerequisite: that his father could no longer control the affairs of the state.

Given the current situation, how could his father seem incapable of managing things?
She looks like she's regained her youth!
Moreover, there are three eighth-level and two ninth-level beings standing on this stage.

What is this concept?
The civil officials below, who were only slightly more skilled than those on the stage, were far less capable!

It is no exaggeration to say that the strongest forces in Daxing today are gathered on this stage!

"Father, you are well again! This is truly a joyous occasion! Now that you have recovered, Daxing has regained its leader, which is a blessing for Daxing!"

As soon as Zhao Hongyan opened his mouth, a string of flattery flowed smoothly from his lips.

The group of civil officials behind him also knelt down and bowed deeply to Zhao Liulang.
"This is a great blessing for my prosperous state!"

Zhao Liulang's sharp gaze slowly swept over the kneeling crowd, finally settling on his son.

Zhao Hongyan immediately felt a layer of cold sweat seep out from his back, which quickly soaked through his clothes.

"Hey mistress, do you want to be emperor?" Zhao Hongyan's head immediately began to shake violently, almost blurring into a shadow.
"Your subject would never have such a rebellious thought..."

"Tell the truth." Zhao Liulang's tone suddenly turned stern.

Zhao Hongyan's face turned deathly pale, and he stammered:

"It's just... just worried about the state of the nation... my eldest brother plotted a rebellion and brought about his own destruction, and my second sister is determined not to enter the capital. I am thinking of the country's well-being, so I plan to... temporarily share your burdens and take care of things for you."

He was so nervous that he could barely speak, and tears streamed down his face, dripping onto the ground.

"Your Majesty, the Third Prince meant well after all, please don't be so harsh on him."

Zhou Canshen, standing beside Zhao Hongyan, also spoke up for the Third Prince.

Zhao Liulang's gaze instantly fell on Zhou Canshen:
"I didn't tell you to speak."

With a flick of his finger, Zhou Canshen didn't even have time to react before his entire upper body vanished into thin air, leaving only his two legs standing upright in the main hall.

The clean cut was spotless, with no blood flowing out; only a dark scorch mark was visible.

Seeing the mangled body crash to the ground, the surrounding civil officials instantly turned pale.

No one expected the emperor to suddenly and ruthlessly kill them!
Before Zhao Hongyan could recover, a deafening roar filled his mind when he saw the corpses on the ground.

Finished!

Father is going to kill someone!

But now he didn't dare to move at all, and could only kneel on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

Several people's faces suddenly turned deathly pale, and some of them immediately turned to look outside the hall, as if searching for a way to escape.

Suddenly, a cicada's cry rang out from outside the main hall, as if the departed summer had returned in an instant. A wave of heat enveloped the few stars, causing them to be drenched in sweat.

The group's expressions changed drastically. They quickly circulated their internal energy, only to find it extremely difficult to regulate their energy, clearly indicating that they had been hit by a chaotic energy technique.

This spell was truly powerful; in the blink of an eye, even their illusory realm was completely suppressed.

Under normal circumstances, even if they were hit by this technique, they wouldn't be too afraid, since their lives and property were at stake, and even if they were trapped, they could still escape.

But... who are these people in front of me?

Even in their prime, they might not have lasted longer than an incense stick's time, yet now they have to fight against the Imperial Preceptor and his men.

Zhao Liulang could clearly see that the group below had been restrained, and a cold smile appeared on his face:
"My slumber has been quite long, so long that some people in the court have already forgotten why the Great Xing Dynasty was built. With so many such people, the court has become garbage. I really don't like garbage, so today I intend to take action and deal with it properly."

"My esteemed ministers, the area outside the palace is now enveloped by the Dharma Ancestor's protective barrier. Those who have a clear conscience may safely step out of Zhengyang Gate, return to their residences to rest, and attend court as usual tomorrow. Even if you have indeed done something wrong, there is no need to worry; you will naturally return to where you belong."

After Zhao Liulang finished speaking, the civil officials on the steps looked at each other, and for a moment no one dared to move.

"What? None of you want to leave? Do you expect me to see you off?"

Upon hearing Zhao Liulang's words, several senior officials in the civil service rose shakily and slowly walked out of the hall.

Where they went, no one knows.

Seeing that there were those who went ahead, the rest of the people also got up and followed.

Some people looked calm, while others looked ashen-faced.

After watching the assembled officials depart, Zhao Liulang turned his gaze to the few remaining officials in the hall.

He smiled broadly and said:
"Now, let's talk."

……

In a single day, the number of civil officials in the court was reduced by more than half. Of the six Star-level experts who mainly cultivated the Dao of Literature, only two remained, and both were confined to their residences, only allowed to leave by imperial decree.

The third prince was also confined to his residence, and it seems unlikely that he will be able to set foot in the mansion for many years.

Outsiders naturally had no way of knowing what was going on, but some people with extremely keen senses could vaguely detect the thick, lingering smell of blood in the air above the capital.

The following day, news spread quickly throughout the city that the emperor had awakened and Daxing had returned to peace.

Many who had assumed the Third Prince would inherit the throne were stunned, completely unprepared for the Emperor to wake up.

However, none of this had anything to do with Lin Jiang.

At this moment, he was in the imperial palace's rear garden, enjoying tea with Zhao Liulang and the Imperial Preceptor.

Zhao Liulang took a small sip of his fragrant tea, then immediately smacked his lips and shook his head.

"I still can't appreciate the beauty of this tea. From now on, I'd rather drink wine instead."

"Indulging in wine during the day might interfere with important matters," the Imperial Advisor said calmly.

"What are you saying? Do you think I could possibly get drunk?"

Even if you don't get drunk, you can still make mistakes.

Knowing he couldn't out-argue the Imperial Preceptor, Zhao Liulang turned to Lin Jiang instead:
"Master, are you going to travel around the world next?"

"Wandering is not necessarily the best option. The most urgent task is to travel west to find the immortal mountain that the first cultivator ascended. After that, we will consider going straight to the ends of the earth. If we cannot reach the western border, we will turn east and cross the sea with the help of the Great Yin."

Lin Jiang made no secrets and told the two of them everything about his trip.

After hearing Lin Jiang's arrangement, Zhao Liulang asked:

"Master, were you alone on this journey?"

"And the small ginseng. As for the others... we'll see how things go for now."

Gong Xuan definitely can't go with him for the time being. After all, he has to go to the Zhou Kingdom ruins alone to break through the bottleneck. Before this matter is accomplished, he can't go with Lin Jiang and the others even if he wants to.

Jiang Jinyue planned to go south to find Li Xinguang. After the last great battle, some cultivators from the Southern Army left Daxing and their whereabouts were unknown. Naturally, she had to find Li Xinguang, otherwise she might not be able to get over that hurdle in her heart.

As for the others, Lin Jiang really didn't plan to bring that many people.

"I always feel uneasy when Master goes out alone. It's a pity that we old folks have to stay in the capital to handle some matters and can't leave. I wonder if Master would be interested in taking a few people with him?"

"Who?"

“Yu Wenyunhe, one, two, three.”

(End of this chapter)