Chapter 399

The old Emperor silently flipped through the memorials, his expression solemn.

Qiu Defu did not dare to breathe loudly, always having the illusion that the old Emperor would explode the next second.

The attendants and palace maids had already retreated silently.

There were many people in the palace, and it didn't matter if one or two died. But palace maids and attendants qualified to serve in the Taiji Palace were rare; one less meant one less.

Cultivating qualified talent takes time.

The old Emperor killed people brutally, beating them to death today and tomorrow; the reserve of talent couldn't keep up with the consumption, which was truly worrying.

"Your Majesty!" He called out softly, "Does Your Majesty wish to rest?"

The old Emperor seemed to wake up from his deep thought, threw the memorial in his hand aside, and looked like he was full of anger but had to endure it.

Qiu Defu asked again, daring to be bold, "Does Your Majesty have any instructions?"

The old Emperor paced back and forth in the great hall, feeling restless, "Issue an edict to commend Marquis Pingjiang and urge him to eliminate the rebel Guo Dachun as soon as possible. I haven't seen him for a long time and miss him dearly. I can't wait to have a game of chess between monarch and subject. In addition, send an edict to the Ministry of War to summon Chen Guanfu back to the capital to report on his duties."

Hearing this, Qiu Defu felt a shock in his heart.

The old Emperor was indeed wary of the Chen father and son. Marquis Pingjiang's position could not be moved, as there was still a rebel named Guo Dachun in the north who had not been wiped out, and Marquis Pingjiang was needed to hold the fort. But in the south, Chen Guanfu was only a deputy general; although he fought fiercely, he was not irreplaceable.

Now that the situation was clear, it was time to make a move.

Qiu Defu bowed and agreed.

The old Emperor seemed to want to make up for it, saying, "The two father and son of the Chen family have been away for years, working themselves to the bone; I truly cannot bear it. A great mansion, without anyone to make decisions, empty during the New Year—what kind of decorum is that? I understand the difficulties of the Chen family, so I am summoning Chen Guanfu back to the capital. From now on, he can serve in the capital and take care of his family."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Qiu Defu said.

The old Emperor gave a smug chuckle, very satisfied with his arrangement, "Arrange it according to this meaning. Let Chen Guanfu return to the capital as soon as he receives the official document, and do not delay. Tell Marquis Pingjiang to pursue the victory and not let Guo Dachun escape. All the people of the Great Ming Prince's faction are to be escorted to the capital; I want to tear them into ten thousand pieces."

Daring to rebel must be punished by the three-thousand-cut lingering death, with no leniency.

Accepting surrender or defectors is absolutely impossible.

On this matter, the old Emperor's attitude was exceptionally firm, and no one should think of changing his decision.

Order after order was issued.

Far away in the north, the Great Master received the edict urging him to advance and wipe out Guo Dachun, and he simply threw it aside, ignoring it.

The strategist silently put the edict away, kept it safe, and said softly, "The old Emperor is summoning the heir back to the capital, which is clearly a sign that he has developed misgivings about the Marquis. According to news from the palace, the old Emperor suspects the Marquis of deliberately delaying the war."

"His suspicion is very reasonable." The Great Master chuckled, his eyes full of contempt, "He is a suspicious person. That he endured until now to summon the heir back to the capital is already unexpected. In terms of cleverness, no one in the court can compare to him. Playing with people's hearts is his specialty."

"It's just a pity that the old Emperor is obsessed with Daoist cultivation." The strategist sighed. Ever since the old Emperor began cultivating the Dao, the situation had begun to rot, and the whole world was like a dilapidated house with holes everywhere.

The Great Master looked out the window; it hadn't snowed in the capital yet, but in the north, there had already been several heavy snowfalls. The heavy snow covered all the colors and the ugly, desolate face of the earth.

The Great Master muttered to himself, "This land will never be peaceful!"

"The Marquis is right. According to information gathered by spies, the Northern Rong have not had an easy time these past few years, and they are restless, likely to move south at any time. The Prince of Cheng is hesitant and still cannot make up his mind."

"Since he cannot make up his mind, I will make it for him. Send someone to tell him: either die or send out troops."

"Would that be too intense?" The strategist was a bit worried.

The Great Master let out a cold snort and sneered, "With that old thing sitting on the dragon throne, I cannot sleep or eat in peace. The situation must be made chaotic. The old thing is old, his tomb is already built, it's time to lie in it. Doesn't he want to cultivate the Dao? Going into the tomb to cultivate is the most appropriate."

The Great Master used a casual tone to say the most treasonous words. If it got out, a package of extermination of the three clans would be guaranteed, and a package of lingering death would definitely be there too.

But he didn't care.

There was a fire in his heart that had been burning for decades. It had been burning for decades, and he was almost unable to hold it back.

The strategist hurriedly tried to persuade him, telling the Great Master to be patient and to endure a little longer.

He had endured for so many years, what would a few more years matter?

"He even deposed the Crown Prince, clearly clinging to power. He wants to live, and he wants to live for another ten or twenty years. I can wait, but I cannot wait ten or twenty years. How can there be a seventy-year Emperor in the world? It's simply absurd!"

The Great Master was furious, looking like he could no longer endure it.

The old Emperor had many talented people around him; if he wanted to live, there must be a way to extend his life. Ten or twenty years was definitely not just empty talk; it was truly possible to achieve.

The strategist was terrified, "Why is the Marquis so certain that the old Emperor can live for another ten or twenty years? Could it be that the old Emperor has mastered some secret technique?"

The Great Master let out a cold snort, "I have received news that the Supreme Elder of the Jixia Academy has come out of seclusion. Do you know what the background of this Supreme Elder is?"

"The student does not know, please enlighten me, Marquis."

"This Supreme Elder is already in the Grandmaster realm. However, when he was young, his aptitude could only be considered upper-middle, and his talent was also only upper-middle. So many geniuses failed to break through to the Grandmaster realm and fell one after another, only he broke through. Do you know what he relied on?"

"What?"

"A superb alchemy technique. He relied on a massive amount of medicinal pills to forcefully push himself into the Grandmaster realm. Because of this, his realm is not stable enough, and his strength is at the bottom among Grandmasters. He has been in seclusion all these years just to stabilize his realm. Now that he has come out of seclusion, I suppose the problem has been solved.

I have received confirmed news that the Jixia Academy has already united with the old thing, wanting to be his lackeys in exchange for power in the court. With the pills provided by the Supreme Elder, it is not a difficult matter for the old thing to live for another ten or twenty years.

He not only deposed the Crown Prince, he also wants to outlive his sons. Hahaha... I am old, my cultivation is hard to advance, and my lifespan is limited. I cannot wait for him for another ten or twenty years."

The Great Master slammed his fist onto the table.

That the Jixia Academy chose to defect to the old Emperor at this time was something he hadn't expected.

It was all the fault of the incompetent deposed Crown Prince, who was deposed without fighting a single battle.

The Grandmasters around the deposed Crown Prince were equally incompetent, with heads full of water. What's the use of just saving one's life? A deposed Crown Prince who has lost power is like a venomous snake with its fangs pulled; even a three-year-old child could kill him.

The Great Master was burning with anxiety.

Before, he had wanted to be steady and push forward step by step according to the established plan.

Now, the only way was to advance the plan. The various dormant forces should start moving.