Chapter 499

The sound startled the officials inside the hall, and everyone hurriedly lifted their heads to look at him.

Chen Wang slowly raised his head, lifted his cup again, and forced a stiff smile: "Gentlemen, please!"

The officials glanced at each other, feeling something odd but daring not to ask further, they all picked up their chopsticks and continued the feast: "Your Highness, please!"

Chen Wang sat firmly in his seat, secretly thinking he could not leave; he must endure until the banquet ended.

Qing Wang had already lost his composure and left his seat; if I also stormed out, the court would surely erupt before tomorrow's news even spread.

But what should we do about this situation now?

I had originally planned to let the young emperor begin with the Heavenly Sacrifice and attend court daily, which could quell the controversy.

On the way back from the Circular Mound Altar to the palace, he had already worked it out.

Since everyone knows the emperor's health is poor, it would be better to delay a few months, then announce to the world that the young emperor is gravely ill and has died.

The Empress Dowager, grief-stricken over her son's death, would be overwhelmed with sorrow; passing it off as such would be barely acceptable.

After the great mourning, simply installing the eleventh prince as the new emperor would be fine.

But now, I fear that by tomorrow morning, the whole of Jingcheng will know that His Majesty and the Empress Dowager have been abducted!

The emperor's fate is unknown; how can we enthrone a new emperor?

Chen Wang's head ached more the more he thought, and he downed cup after cup of the officials' toasts.

Barely holding on until the banquet ended, he slowly entered Zichen Hall, looked up, and met the icy gaze of the Masked Man seated on the dragon throne.

Chen Wang could no longer hold back; he opened his mouth and vomited all over the floor with a "wah".

The Masked Man's gaze fell upon that puddle of filth for only an instant before he looked away.

It seemed that even looking a moment longer would dirty his own eyes.

Qing Wang's scalp went numb; he hurriedly shouted, "Someone! Help Chen Wang sit down!"

"Quick! Clean it up!"

Several eunuchs rushed in, helped Chen Wang up, and seated him in a nearby chair.

They then hurriedly wiped the gold bricks clean.

Qing Wang ordered, "Go! Bring a bowl of sobering soup!"

Moments later, the sobering soup was brought in, and everything was tidied up.

The eunuchs withdrew, and the hall doors were tightly shut.

In the vast Zichen Hall, only the three of them remained.

The Masked Man lowered his head, pondered for a moment, then spoke calmly: "Speak, what do you plan to do?"

Chen Wang's complexion was sallow, Qing Wang's Adam's apple bobbed; they exchanged a glance, rose, and bowed in unison: "We will follow the Supreme One's decision."

The Masked Man looked at them: "Before dawn, issue a notice and announce to the world that His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, on their way back from the Heavenly Sacrifice, were ambushed by remnants of the Deposed Emperor Xiao Jieyun, and their whereabouts are unknown."

He paused: "Write down whatever you find—where the ambush troops were, how many casualties, what items were recovered."

"It must match the folk rumors, or the common people won't believe it."

Qing Wang lifted his head, eyes flashing: "Does the Supreme One mean to pour dirty water on Xiao Jieyun?"

The Masked Man gave no reply, continuing: "You have already ordered the nine gates sealed and the city searched; make the show of force larger."

"Search house to house! Granaries, cellars, wells… anywhere a person could hide must be turned over."

"Whether you actually find anything doesn't matter, but let the ordinary folk of Jingcheng see that the Imperial Court is searching, searching desperately."

Chen Wang murmured: "Right, the Supreme One makes sense."

The Masked Man didn't even glance at him: "Three days later, post another notice to deal with those derelict in duty."

"Although Cavalry Officer Zhou is already dead, his corpse must still be mutilated and displayed."

"The Eunuch Gao you sent to Dezheng Palace is to be beheaded."

"When the notice is posted, the heads must also be hung up."

"The charge is ready: failure to protect the emperor, leading to His Majesty's misfortune."

Qing Wang couldn't help but ask the most crucial point: "What about the officials...?"

"Suspend court for three days."

The Masked Man rose, stood with hands behind his back on the vermilion steps: "Three days later, court will resume; by then the notice will have been issued and the criminals executed."

"What could the officials possibly ask? That the notice is fake? That the heads fell incorrectly?"

He turned to face them: "The emperor can be absent, but the court must not fall into chaos."

"Once everything settles, changing the person on the throne makes no difference!"

The Masked Man turned and walked out.

Qing Wang pursued, asking: "Supreme One! Xiao Jieyun actually sent people to Jingcheng to wreak such havoc—are we really just going to let it go?"

The Masked Man's steps halted: "Do you really think this was done by Xiao Jieyun's people?"

Chen Wang startled: "Could there be others?"

The Masked Man's voice icy: "You need not ask further about this; I have my own plans."

Stratagems can only achieve clever gains, but true victory or defeat does not lie in these; it lies on the battlefield.

Just train your troops and prepare well—Xiao Yuanhang will certainly reach the foot of Jingcheng.

Chen Wang and Qing Wang exchanged a glance, both secretly admiring; the Supreme Honor was indeed wise, and with just a few words he unraveled such a thorny situation.

The Masked Man walked out of Zichen Hall, boarded a small sedan, and arrived at a manor deep within Jingcheng.

A black-clad person entered, speaking unskilled Zhongyuan: "Your Excellency Supreme Honor, we failed to find the treasure and also failed to capture that child; please forgive us."

The Masked Man looked at him and slowly said: "In the past, Blood Blade never missed."

The black-clad person hurriedly dropped to one knee.

"Why have we been suffering repeated defeats lately?"

The black‑clad man lowered his head, said nothing, and made no distinction.

Masked Man thought for a long while, then said: "You mentioned last time, when you seized the Jade Seal, you saw what the Little Princess threw away?"

"Afterwards, the Jade Seal in the Blood Blade's hand slipped from his grasp?"

"Yes! Not only did the Jade Seal slip, but all his clothing and everything on him fell to the ground, nothing left, extremely strange."

Masked Man was silent for a moment: "A five‑year‑old child can cause the Blood Blade to miss repeatedly; that unsettles me more than Xiao Yuanhang's fifty‑thousand troops."

"You set out at once, go back personally, and invite your Onmyoji to come to Jingcheng for me."

The black‑clad man was startled: "Does the Lord wish to see the Onmyoji?"

Masked Man's tone was icy: "What's wrong with that?"

"I can only barely attempt it; Onmyoji never travel far…"

"Tell him, as long as he is willing to come, I will grant him a city; its people, every blade of grass and tree, will be at his discretion, and the Imperial Court will not interfere."

The black‑clad man's eyes brightened: "I understand, departing at once."

"Go."

More than ten days later, Xibei Daying.

Tuan Tuan stretched out his little legs and ran all the way into his father's big tent: "Dad!"