Chapter 411: Discussing the Campaign Against Wumin Jun in the Great Hall

In the dim great hall, Demon Lord Boyan sat lazily on his throne, his entire figure hidden in the shadows, with only his sharp jawline visible, looking extremely handsome.

Ever since Lingxiang was brought to the Demon Realm, he would send over pills every few days; though they were not Life-Prolonging Pills, they miraculously caused the Demon Lord's once-withered skin to become increasingly plump and rosy.

The current Demon Lord no longer resembled a dried corpse as he once did; now, he looked no different from an ordinary mortal.

Nor could one say he was an ordinary mortal; after all, how could an ordinary mortal compare to such an elegant bearing?

It was just that the Demon Lord seemed accustomed to his past days, always hiding in the shadows as he was now, and even when going out, he would wear a cloak with the hood covering his face, looking extremely gloomy.

His slender, distinct-knuckled fingers tapped against the armrest, seemingly nonchalant, yet those sitting below understood that the Demon Lord was clearly losing patience.

Because of this, everyone in the hall either lowered their heads in silence or pretended not to see, each holding their breath, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

Fortunately, before long, a guard rushed into the hall, his armor making crisp sounds with his hurried footsteps.

"Reporting to the Demon Lord, Wumin Jun's hall is completely empty." The guard knelt on one knee, reporting while performing a salute.

The Demon Lord seemed to find it somewhat tiresome; the tapping of his fingers stopped abruptly, and after pausing for only a moment, he began to stroke the armrest again, yet he remained silent.

The officials below looked at one another, but no one was willing to speak first, and the atmosphere in the hall dropped to freezing point.

Just then, another guard arrived; as soon as he reached the hall, he knelt down, and before he could finish his salute, he hurriedly spoke: "Demon Lord! More than half the prisoners in the prison have vanished, and two or three out of every ten commoners in the city are gone as well; their homes are all deserted!"

Now the hall became lively, with the officials whispering among themselves; the Grand Marshal was even more filled with righteous indignation, shouting as he began to curse.

"Damn it! I said long ago that old bastard had a heart of rebellion; now he finally can't hold it back anymore!"

The Demon Lord did not seem to mind the Grand Marshal's lack of decorum before the throne, and supporting his cheek, he asked lazily: "Is there any news of the Grand Minister of Justice?"

The officials immediately fell silent, waiting only to hear the guard's reply.

The guard who had entered later cupped his hands and said: "The Grand Minister of Justice's residence is also empty; even the deaf and mute old man who watched the gate has vanished without a trace."

Upon hearing this, the officials were no longer chattering as they had been just moments before; each of them was as silent as a cicada in winter.

"What is it?" The Demon Lord's tone remained lazy. "You were all talking so lively just a moment ago, and now you've all become gourds with sawed-off mouths?"

Once these words were spoken, the officials immediately prostrated themselves, still keeping their mouths shut.

Matters concerning the Grand Minister of Justice were truly difficult to speak of!

When the one on the throne was in distress, he was fortunate to have the Former Grand Tutor, Marquis Dingyuan, help him with his own life, which led to his current status. The current Grand Minister of Justice was the descendant of that Former Grand Tutor, and the Demon Lord, mindful of that grace, had obtained his later wealth.

Looking at the current situation, the Grand Minister of Justice must have colluded with Wumin Jun long ago, which was why he had now disappeared together with Wumin Jun.

The dim great hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop; the Demon Lord frowned slightly, revealing a hint of displeasure, and began to tap the armrest with dissatisfaction once more.

Sweat poured down the officials below like rain; the ruthlessness of the current one's iron-fisted methods was truly more than a match for the Former Demon Venerable.

Although the Demon Race lacked the seven emotions, they would still feel fear when they ought to!

Of course, where there were those who feared, there would naturally be those who did not.

The Grand Marshal, who had previously been filled with righteous indignation, rose and stepped out of the ranks: "If our ancestor had not harbored pity back then and let Bo Chang go, there would not have been the later Muye Disaster; with history as a mirror, we must never repeat the same mistake."

As the Grand Marshal spoke, he cupped his hands and knelt with a "clatter," earnestly petitioning: "This subject is willing to lead troops personally to capture that traitor for Your Lordship!"

Demon Lord Boyan supported his cheek and said nothing, lazily scrutinizing the Grand Marshal for a long time, and just as he was about to speak, the Grand Minister of Works, who had remained silent all along, stood out.

"This old subject believes that making a great show of force is truly inappropriate."

Hearing this, the Grand Marshal became anxious.

"You old wretch, what do you mean by that? Are you suggesting we let that traitor go? You..."

Before the Grand Marshal could finish, the Demon Lord raised a hand to stop him.

"Explain."

The Grand Minister of Works performed a respectful salute: "Wumin Jun has rebelled, and the Grand Minister of Justice has joined him; this is an ironclad fact, naturally beyond doubt. But Wumin Jun possesses great prestige, and the Grand Minister of Justice also has a reputation for virtue. If this matter leaks out, it will inevitably trigger turmoil in the Demon Realm and endanger the government."

The officials whispered to one another, all feeling that these words were reasonable, and the Grand Minister of Works paused before continuing:

"The streets are places where rumors run rampant; being too vocal and letting word get out will inevitably provide fodder for gossip. If this triggers panic, I fear it will ruin Your Lordship's grand plan, and the loss will outweigh the gain."

"Absurd!" the Grand Marshal said with stern severity: "According to your words, we should keep it a secret and just let them go?"

"How could I have such an intention?" The Grand Minister of Works glanced at the Grand Marshal. "It is just that we must clarify the pros and cons so as not to fail the grace of Your Lordship's reliance."

"Hmph!" The Grand Marshal snorted through his nose. "You've said all the nice things; since that's the case, then you come up with a proper plan."

"Grand Marshal, do not be impatient; naturally, we cannot let the rebellious subjects go," the Grand Minister of Works said unhurriedly. "This subject has a suggestion, if Your Lordship will allow me to report."

The Demon Lord did not even lift his eyelids, merely moving his fingers to signal the Grand Minister of Works to continue.

"Since Wumin Jun has rebelled, he must be heading for the Ruoshui Source, and most of those following him are merely commoners. Furthermore, since there are many of them, their speed of travel will certainly not be fast. General Feilian is exceptionally swift; in this subject's view, it would be better to send him, taking only a small squad of elites. That way, it will not be too conspicuous, and even if seen by others, they will only assume it is a trip to the Ghost Market for amusement."

"Although Wumin Jun is not a military official, he possesses other supernatural powers; I fear Feilian alone will not be a match for him." The Grand Marshal had calmed down by now and said while stroking his beard.

"Grand Marshal, rest assured; naturally, we will not send only General Feilian. He is merely to lead the vanguard and intercept Wumin Jun first."

"Then what is the Grand Minister of Works' meaning?"

"I hear General Shanglu is still training in the Southwest Camp; if we order him to dispatch troops directly from the camp, he can avoid the Demon Territory. In this way, no one will know, and it will not give rise to gossip."

The Grand Marshal pondered for a moment before cupping his hands toward the Demon Lord: "Though I am unwilling, the Grand Minister of Works' words are indeed a sound strategy."

"Mm." With a light hum like a sigh, his lazy voice was extremely pleasant to the ear. After a long while, the Demon Lord raised his hand: "Let it be arranged as such."

The Grand Marshal received the order, performed a salute with cupped hands, and exited the hall to make arrangements, but the Grand Minister of Works still did not return to his place.

"Is there anything else?"

"Wumin Jun's heart of rebellion was likely not formed in a single day. Having laid dormant for many years, he must have a backup plan. This subject heard..." The Grand Minister of Works did not continue, his face showing hesitation, as if he had some misgivings.

"Speak," the Demon Lord commanded.

"Yes." The Grand Minister of Works bowed: "This subject heard that Princess Feng Yuan once met secretly with Wumin Jun in the streets, right at the Qu Sheng Small Tavern."

As soon as the words fell, whispering immediately broke out in the hall.

"Princess Feng Yuan?"

"Qu Sheng Small Tavern?"

The Demon Lord remained motionless, but even in the darkness, the cold light that flashed across his eyes was enough to make one's hair stand on end.

The hall suddenly fell silent; the assembled officials trembled with fear, and no one dared to utter another word.

"Slandering the Princess, do you know your crime?"

The Grand Minister of Works did not seem afraid and merely performed a salute.

"This subject has no intention of making false accusations, but is merely stating the facts."

"Oh? According to your meaning, Minister, how should this matter be handled?" the Demon Lord asked in a flat tone.

"Although it is merely hearsay, it concerns the purity of Feng Yuan Princess, so this subject believes it would be better to summon the Princess to the hall to clarify the matter."

The Demon Lord narrowed his eyes and stared at the Grand Minister of Works for a long time before signaling to his side. An attendant received the order, bowed, and exited the great hall.