Chapter 16

Extreme Purple Hall.

A place where hundreds of officials discussed politics.

The Xia Emperor sat on the dragon throne with an old appearance. He was fat and half of his white hair had grown out. Although he was old, his aura was powerful. He looked down on the world and controlled the life and death of all things. His every move carried a huge dragon might. His gaze was like an abyss that made people tremble with fear.

The bright yellow five-clawed golden dragon robe was just a decoration.

The supreme Emperor aura made everyone unable to breathe.

The three dukes stood at the front. There were civil servants, generals, and princes. The Crown Prince was in the lead, and there were nobles.

The atmosphere in the hall was very oppressive. It was murderous and cold, making one shiver.

They all knew what had happened at the city gate. It concerned the fight for imperial power. If they took the wrong step, their entire family would die with them. To be more ruthless, their three races would be exterminated.

The old eunuch standing on the left was called Wei Shang. He had followed the Emperor since he was a prince until now. Decades had passed like a day, and he trusted him deeply.

He took a step forward and said in a rooster-like voice, “If you have something to say, report it. If not, leave the court!”

A few censors in the crowd could not wait to stand up and kneel on the ground. “Your Majesty! An ancient monument has descended from the sky. More than a hundred thousand people have been infected. This is a warning to Great Xia. The Crown Prince is a woman. If we don’t cripple her, the plague will continue to spread in the capital. At that time, the million people in the capital will be in danger and even the palace.”

The Xia Emperor glanced at them coldly. Just a glance gave them huge pressure. Even breathing became difficult.

However, they did not retreat. They calmly met the Emperor’s dignified gaze.

“Your Majesty, please cripple the Crown Prince and designate a new Crown Prince.”

As if they had discussed it, a few of them began to pressure the emperor.

“If Your Majesty doesn’t agree, we’ll die here!”

“Give them the saber,” the Xia Emperor said coldly.

The officials were stunned. They did not expect this outcome.

Other than the three dukes and the prince, there were a few respected people who did not kneel. The rest knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty, please stand up for the hundreds of thousands of people in Chen County!”

They were very smart and did not clamor for the Crown Prince to be crippled like these censors. They changed their words and asked Emperor Xia to stand up for the people of Chen County, but the meaning was the same, leaving themselves a way out.

The Xia Emperor was unmoved. A team of imperial guards wearing golden armor, red cloaks, and golden masks rushed in. They were the Human Emperor Guards and were powerful. They guarded the safety of the imperial palace and only listened to the Xia Emperor alone.

Four swords were thrown to the ground, indicating that the censors could take the initiative to end their lives.

“So what if I die for the Great Xia Empire?”

No one went to pick up the sword from the ground. They hit the pillar and their heads exploded, dying on the spot.

The Xia Emperor said, “Execute their three generations and send them on their way immediately.”

The murderous atmosphere increased several times to its peak.

The officials were shocked and lowered their heads even more.

“What do you have to say, Crown Prince?”

“The innocent are innocent, and the corrupt are corrupt. It has been proven before that I am not a woman. There’s no need to explain it to others. If anyone still dares to continue spreading rumors, they will be punished severely until they disappear!”

“I’ll give you three days to resolve this.”

“I won’t disappoint Father!”

“You are dismissed!” Wei Shang said.

After the Xia Emperor left, the Crown Prince glanced at the princes expressionlessly and walked out.

Outside the inner palace, he got into the carriage and called Zhang Ronghua up.

“Have you been pressured by the officials?”

“Yes.” The Crown Prince nodded.

He did not hide in front of Zhang Ronghua. His expression was ugly as he explained what had happened in the Extreme Purple Hall.

“If I’m not wrong, these censors appear to be innocent and not on the princes’ side, but they’ve already been bribed in secret. This matter has already spread last night. With the princes’ power, it’s not difficult for them to hear the news. Even without discussion, they’ll take this opportunity to join forces to pressure you.”

“You guessed correctly. They’re all neutral subjects. I’ll put you in charge of this. Are you confident you can resolve it in a day?”

“The plague is easy to resolve, but the person behind it is hidden very deeply. Just like what happened to the Tenth Prince. We still have no clues from our investigation.”

The Crown Prince fell silent. Other than letting the Flood Dragon Guard investigate, he also asked Qing’er to be in charge of this matter. Even the Empress had sent someone to investigate. With so many powerful forces joining forces, there was still no news after so many days. It could be seen how deep the other party was hiding.

At the same time, it also meant that the person who attacked was very powerful. That was why he erased all traces and left no clues.

“I know! Let’s deal with the plague first before we find out who’s behind it.”

“I understand.”

He got out of the carriage and asked Ma Ping’an to escort the Crown Prince back to the East Palace. He brought Zheng Fugui and a group of Flood Dragon Guards toward the east gate.

The commoners who had rushed over from Chen County were all there. They had already been sealed off by the army and were strictly forbidden to move. Those who disobeyed would be shot dead.

At this point.

Standing on the city wall and looking at the black mass of commoners below, he could not see the end of it.

The poison fused into their blood and their vitality was deprived. They were not far from death.

In front of them was the county magistrate of Chen County. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed, pleading for the Xia Emperor to uphold justice. Beside him was an ancient monument that wrote in ancient words, “The Crown Prince is a woman. If he is not crippled, the Xia Empire will perish.”

“What about Cousin?”

“Stay here and guard it. I’ll go down and take a look.”

“No! Won’t you be in danger if they riot?”

“They’re not worthy!”

With a leap, Zhang Ronghua jumped down from the city wall and stopped in front of the county magistrate. Seeing him coming, the county magistrate was neither sad nor happy. As if he did not see him, he continued to kowtow.

The plague emanating from them spread over and landed on him.

The Black Yellow Heaven Splitting Technique circulated on its own and domineeringly refined these poisonous gases for its own use. It could even open up the Chaos. What was a mere plague? It was not even qualified to carry its shoes.

Seeing that Zhang Ronghua was fine, the county magistrate panicked but did not show it on his face.

“Get some well water.”

The Guard General was stunned and hesitated to agree. Zheng Fugui kicked him to the ground and scolded angrily, “How dare you delay when the Flood Dragon Guard is doing something? If you delay something big, I’ll kill you!”

The guard got up from the ground and hurriedly got someone to prepare well water.

A gap opened in the city gate.

There were some sacrificial soldiers with ulterior motives hidden among the commoners. When they saw the army transport the water out, they immediately shouted, “Enter the city and let His Majesty stand up for us!”

Under their bewitchment, hundreds of people rushed forward.

This was what Zhang Ronghua had expected. He took out the Golden Dragon Sword and swept it with his sword aura. With more than ten consecutive strikes, he killed these commoners who were trying to wreak havoc in the capital. He used an iron fist to intimidate the remaining people and circulated his cultivation to berate, “Whoever dares to move will be killed without mercy!”

With the enhancement of true essence, it entered everyone’s ears like rumbling lightning.