Douluo Continent: The Peerless Tang Sect, Angels and Rakshasa Return

Chapter 345 379380. Emperor, Empress, Duke, Xuanwu Gate

Upon hearing this, the old emperor was slightly taken aback, clearly shocked that his father had instigated his elder brother to order his death. However, he quickly recovered and retorted sarcastically:

"That's only because your father was too weak! He was neither a monarch who expanded the territory nor a monarch who maintained the status quo! He was the 'Eastern Hunting King' of my Sun and Moon Kingdom!"

"An emperor captured alive by an enemy nation, who had to crawl back through a dog hole to conceal his identity—looking back over thousands of years of history, he's probably the only one like him!"

"After returning to his country, he did not strive for progress or seek revenge. Instead, he thought of ceding territory to make peace in exchange for the support of the enemy country. Such behavior was truly absurd."

"To secure the throne and contend for supremacy, one must be ruthless! Now it seems my Sun Moon Kingdom is wealthy and powerful; my rebellion... was not in vain!"

"At least during my years in power, not an inch of my territory has been lost!"

"Our Sun and Moon Kingdom has never signed those shameful treaties of ceding territory to make peace with the other three kingdoms!"

Qian Lingyun did not object to her father-in-law's words; in fact, she quite agreed with them. Looking back at so many years of biological evolution and historical development, it all boils down to eight words:

The victor is king, the loser is villain; the strong prey on the weak!

pat!

The old emperor drew his sword from the wall and chopped off He Caitou's bald head with one stroke.

Qian Lingyun was startled to see He Caitou's bald head rolling around on the ground, with large spurts of blood spraying from his neck.

How could her father-in-law just start hitting her like that?!

The old emperor, in a fit of rage, hacked He Caitou's corpse to pieces; his ferocious appearance was a stark contrast to his usual calm and easygoing demeanor.

Throwing away his sword, the old emperor plopped down on the ground. Looking at the mangled remains of He Caitou beside him, he let out a hearty laugh and said:

"My greatest threat is finally gone, gone!"

"Your Majesty, I congratulate you on achieving your wish!" Qian Lingyun obediently squatted down to the side and used a silk handkerchief to wipe the bloodstains off the old emperor's face before standing aside.

She thought to herself: "I've already given you He Caitou, but what about my three hundred million, my marquisate title, and my fiefdom? When will they arrive? You're the emperor! You can't just renege on your promise!"

If you're going to renege on your debt... then I'll ask my mom to pay you back...

"Girl! You probably won't need this marquis title!"

"Huh?!" Qian Lingyun looked completely bewildered.

"Don't worry about that, you won't be shortchanged on your fiefdom!" The old emperor sat on the ground, smiling as he looked at Qian Lingyun, then added:

"I'm tired and need a good rest. In a few days, I'm going to find a place to raise birds and play with cats! I'm entrusting this Sun Moon Empire to you and the Crown Prince. From now on, as the Empress of Sun Moon, you must assist him well and give birth to several princes as soon as possible for the sake of the country!"

"Your Majesty is in good health, so why the sudden abdication in favor of the Crown Prince? Your son... is filled with trepidation!"

Qian Lingyun forced herself to exchange pleasantries with the old emperor. This wasn't just a normal ceremony; it was also because she was still somewhat incredulous: What the hell? I've been promoted to empress?

On the contrary, the old emperor was quite frank, giving Qian Lingyun a sharp rap on the forehead and urging her with exasperation:

"This is the first time I've seen an emperor and empress who aren't enthusiastic! Go, summon the crown prince first. I'm staying up all night to hand over some of my work to him!"

"I'll give some more instructions tomorrow, and the day after... he can attend court in my place! As for the auspicious day for the enthronement ceremony... you can handle that yourselves, I'm not involved!"

Qian Lingyun: "6. I earned the Empress's position ahead of schedule by making extra money!"

The following evening, the emperor's guards came to the small garden next to the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace and disturbed the couple's intimate moment:

"Your Highness, His Majesty summons the Crown Princess to the Imperial Study... Eh?"

The guards stared in disbelief as the two disheveled figures stumbled and staggered out of the flowerbed.

From his disheveled clothes, his dissatisfied gaze, and the lingering blush on his face, he seemed to understand something…

Are young people these days really that wild?

"lead the way!"

Qian Lingyun, annoyed that her good time had been ruined, glared at the guard and followed him back to the Imperial Study.

Inside the Imperial Study, besides the old emperor, stood more than a dozen high-ranking officials who held sway in the Sun Moon Empire's court, and Yuma happened to be among them.

Taking a deep breath, Qian Lingyun forced a humble, womanly demeanor, bowed to everyone, and said:

"Your subject greets Your Majesty and all Your Excellencies!"

"No need for formalities!" The old emperor waved his hand amiably and introduced her to the high-ranking officials, "This is the Crown Princess. You should all know her, but yesterday she eliminated a major threat to my life that I've had for so many years!"

After speaking, amidst the astonished gazes of his ministers, the old emperor tossed He Caitou's bald head onto the open ground in the crowd and slowly announced, "Yesterday, Xu He died! He was killed by me!"

"Ah! Great! That's wonderful!" ×n

The ministers looked at each other, their faces beaming with rare smiles.

Xu He, who escaped back then, was naturally a major threat to them. If Xu He hadn't died, the wealth, status, and prestige they gained after purging the court of corrupt officials would have been nothing but a rootless duckweed.

Who knows, one day it might just vanish like a mirage.

"And the one who brought Xu He back for me was the Crown Princess," the old emperor said meaningfully, looking at his loyal brothers who had rebelled with him. "In my opinion, my daughter-in-law deserves a reward. What do you gentlemen think?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" The marshal in charge of the western garrison was the first to speak, his words so obsequious that Qian Lingyun got goosebumps.

"No! My daughter is already the Crown Princess, and such a heavy reward would be inappropriate. Besides, the capture of Xu He is not something that can be discussed in court! In my opinion, other monetary rewards are fine, but let's postpone the bestowal of a title!"

Yuma's sudden remark quieted down the once bustling Imperial Study.

"It's alright, if we don't bestow titles upon the Crown Princess, we can bestow titles upon her relatives!"

Seeing his friends stammering and unwilling to speak, Marshal Lin Hai of the Southern Army Group stood up and proposed, "Since the Crown Princess is the daughter of a duke, why not have the duke pass on his title to her and also bestow upon her the title of duke? The duke's merits are already worthy of being a king, so why not add another duke to the list?"

Upon hearing this, the other ministers also expressed their agreement, which shows that the bond between these brothers who rebelled together was truly strong.

Even if they couldn't find a reason to bestow a title upon Qian Lingyun, they could still find a nearly reasonable one.

With the support of these important officials, Qian Lingyun inherited the title of Yuma, while Yuma received a new title of equal rank.

In any case, the favored ministers in the court are almost all the same group that purged the emperor's inner circle during the Jingnan Campaign. As long as they keep quiet, how many outspoken people would dare to oppose them!

Returning to the Eastern Palace with a reward of three hundred million, Qian Renxue scooped up the dazed Qian Lingyun in a princess carry, tossed her Crown Princess onto the bed, and while undressing, teased her in a low voice, "My dear consort! What did our Emperor summon you for? Is it to give birth to a prince for me as soon as possible?"

"If that's the case, we'd better put in a good effort!" Qian Renxue said with a mischievous grin, burying her face in the airbag and savoring the feeling of being pushed back in her seat and the comfort of the interior of the Fallen Angel luxury car.

After a period of exploration, Qian Renxue became increasingly familiar with her private sports car (the engine of a sports car is usually located at the rear).

She knew exactly how much to drive the engine at the rear of the car so that the horn would sound on its own.

The fuel line of the luxury car is not very good and may leak. In this case, she needs to patiently use special tools to repair it.

Although her hands and tools often get covered in leaked oil after repairs, she doesn't care.

Because once it's fixed, her sports car will unlock its autopilot mode, and then she'll be able to enjoy life to the fullest!

"No! He bestowed my mother's title upon me!" Qian Lingyun shook her head as she answered Qian Renxue's words, while also responding to Qian Renxue's slightly rough movements.

The next morning…

At the morning court session, the old emperor abdicated in front of all the civil and military officials, leaving the throne to his crown prince…

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Qian Renxue sat on the dragon throne, quietly watching the ministers kowtow to her, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

Ten thousand years ago, she was only a hair's breadth away from this goal, but ultimately failed. The reason... seemed to be that she made a blunder and was tricked by Tang San, revealing everything...

Thinking about this gave her a headache, and she was a little curious about what she was thinking back then.

He himself was a beloved crown prince at the time, while Tang San only had guesses.

It's important to know that at that time, Tang San had absolutely no evidence to prove that he was the young master of the Spirit Hall.

All she had to do was deny it and shift the blame for Jiu killing Xueye Laodeng onto Tang San.

By then, even if Tang San had ten mouths, he still wouldn't be able to explain himself...

Forget it, let bygones be bygones for this embarrassing thing!

Now that she has ascended the throne and become empress, the 2.0 version of her plan to seize the country is complete. Next, she only needs to develop slowly to help Qian Lingyun take over the entire Douluo Continent!

With the most advanced soul-guided technology combined with reckless evil soul masters, they will possess the most dangerous super army in the entire Douluo Continent.

After the court session, Qian Renxue habitually headed towards the East Palace. She had only taken a few steps when a guard beside her whispered a reminder:

"Your Majesty, you have already ascended the throne, there is no need to return to the Eastern Palace now..."

"Really?!" Qian Renxue was slightly taken aback, then asked, "What about the Empress and the Imperial Concubines...?"

"Her Majesty the Empress and Consort Lingyu have already moved into the Central Palace!" the guard replied.

"Alright, I...I understand!" Qian Renxue changed her address to "I" and jogged towards her new residence.

Unfortunately, Qian Lingyun was not in the central palace. Only Qian Lingyu, the incarnation of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, was lying on the bed watching the show while holding a pile of snacks.

"Little Yu'er! Where is the Empress?" Qian Renxue asked.

"How would I know? You're asking me, my wife?" Qian Lingyu glanced at Qian Renxue with annoyance, turned over and continued eating, leaving Qian Renxue standing there, her mouth twitching, at a loss.

Outside the palace…

"Crown Princess... How has the Empress been lately?" The Third Prince's wife took a sip of her fragrant tea and sighed with envy, "She's both an Empress and a Duke; even I'm envious!"

"That's right, that's right. When you become successful in the future, don't forget your younger sisters!" The Fourth Prince's wife echoed, sighing with emotion.

"My sisters, do you think it's better to be a princess or a concubine in the palace?" Qian Lingyun asked with a smile, subtly instigating the princes' wives.

"My informants tell me that my sisters' husbands seem to have some ulterior motives! Doing something like this could lead to the execution of their entire families! At that point, even if I wanted to plead for my sisters, it probably wouldn't be easy!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the princes' consorts froze. They put down their teacups and said softly, "Then what you mean, sister..."

"Naturally, we should abandon darkness and embrace the light!" Qian Lingyun stood up and used her soul power to isolate the room from all sounds in the surroundings, explaining:

"My sisters all come from quite distinguished families. If you are willing to put aside your own kinship and tell me about the illegal activities of the other princes, I can arrange for His Majesty to take you into the palace as leisurely concubines when the time comes to settle scores!"

"So, His Majesty intends to take action against his own brother?"

The Fourth Prince's wife looked somewhat bitter. She seemed to have never expected that the new emperor would think of exterminating his own brothers so soon after ascending the throne. Is this the ruthless imperial family?

"No, no, no, it's not that His Majesty wants to take action, it's that His Majesty has learned that the princes are planning to take action!" Qian Lingyun corrected the Seventh Prince's wife's grammatical error, and said softly:

"The ladies I've invited are all ambitious and clear-headed! You wouldn't want your families to be implicated if the princes' schemes are exposed, would you?"

Silence, a long, long silence…

Just as Qian Lingyun was also somewhat disappointed with these princesses, the most cunning of all, the Third Prince's wife, fully displaying her shrewdness, stood up and demanded something from Qian Lingyun:

"If what the Empress just said about taking a concubine can be decided by His Majesty's own words before a decree is issued, then perhaps we shouldn't hesitate to abandon our allegiance and embrace the light!"

"Yes, as long as His Majesty issues the decree, we will agree!" the Fourth Prince's wife echoed.

"Very well! Tonight, I will meet you all with His Majesty's decree!"

After bidding farewell to the princesses, Qian Lingyun returned to her palace and immediately sought out Qian Renxue to whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

At first, Qian Renxue refused. Although she argued her case, she eventually couldn't resist Qian Lingyun's magical trick of using ice to make hot water.

She tossed the imperial seal to Qian Lingyun and stood aside, muttering under her breath, "You're really something as an empress! Empresses throughout history have always abhorred the idea of ​​taking concubines! But you, I don't want to take any concubines, yet you insist on bringing a few more in for me!"

"These princesses all come from very prominent families. If you accept them, their maternal clans will naturally support you! Having more princesses like them would be entirely beneficial!"

After drafting the decree, Qian Lingyun picked up the imperial seal and pressed it heavily onto the decree.

She smiled with satisfaction at her masterpiece, dodged Qian Renxue's outstretched arms, and said with an awkward laugh, "Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and Your Majesty must prioritize state affairs! I shall take my leave now!" With that, Qian Lingyun took off running, leaving Qian Renxue, who had been stood up, standing there staring at the pile of memorials, blowing her beard and glaring at her!

The imperial decree was delivered in the afternoon, and the princesses betrayed the emperor before dinner. Between the two identities of princess and imperial concubine, they clearly chose the latter.

The princes discussed what they perceived as a foolproof plan in a one-way, transparent manner:

Seizing the opportunity to enter the palace to pay respects to the old emperor on his birthday, they took the chance to blackmail the old emperor and Xu Tianran, forcing the old emperor to depose and exile Xu Tianran as the retired emperor.

After Xu Tianran left the palace, they ambushed him at Xuanwu Gate, north of the imperial city, and killed him.

(End of this chapter)