Chapter 541

Inside Anyang City, wind and rain.

Left Minister Linghu Qingqing and Right Minister Gongyang Sanlü had truly torn faces; military and civil affairs almost fell into stagnation.

The Great Jin military department required the civil officials' cooperation in various matters, such as arms allocation, grain and forage gathering, laborer transport, and auxiliary troop placement, all of which were like rusted gears, now impossible to move.

Meanwhile, the military department's generals responded with extremely simple and brutal measures.

In just over a month, dozens of civil officials were ambushed by assassins: some had their legs broken, some had their skulls smashed, some had fingers chopped off, and some were torn apart by a dozen mad dogs, bitten all over. Though none were fatal, the flesh wounds were inevitable.

Furthermore, military generals brought private guards, storming into the many offices controlled by Right Minister Gongyang Sanlü, kicking down doors, overturning tables, and insulting officials, throwing the entire Anyang City into chaos, with the Great Jin Divine Kingdom's populace panicking.

Under these circumstances, Sima Xian did not step forward to pacify civil and military officials or straighten governance, but hid in the deep palace, unknown what he was doing. Consequently, governance became increasingly corrupt, and bad rumors spread among the people: commoners, officials, soldiers, civil and military ministers, and noble clans all said Sima Xian was an utterly foolish ruler and that the Great Jin Divine Kingdom's fate was exhausted.

Time passed, Anyang City became desolate and ruined; the city guard fell apart, soldiers loitered like shepherds, lax and ineffective, and the clerks and soldiers of various prefectures also loafed, doing work without effort.

Then one day, suddenly, flyers blanketed the sky, and large proclamations were posted everywhere, filled with treasonous, rebellious words, and various scandalous gossip that frightened people spread wildly.

Among these rumors, some were true, such as talk about Princess Jing Sheng's private life, etc.

Some of the gossip were outright rumors, such as that all of Sima Xian's children were not his biological offspring but were the 'spoils' gained by several of his cousins who 'helped him' and 'tended the harem.' Further rumors claimed that Sima Xian was not only a foolish ruler but also a demonic person… he kept demon women in the harem, indulging in nightly decadence.

The so-called 'demon women' were not the usual 'beauty that topples nations,' 'alluring gaze and flirtatious conduct' sort, but genuine non-human races that had cultivated human form.

Demon women also varied in lineage, such as nine-tailed celestial foxes, divine dragons and phoenixes; these non-human races cultivated into human form appear in the supernatural novels written by scholars of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom, where their ambiguous affection with the human ruler is often moving and haunting.

Thus, the proclamations' rumors confidently claimed that Sima Xian had strange tastes, favoring demon women cultivated from bullfrogs, toads, geckos, slugs, and the like…

The populace of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom was in an uproar; hundreds of millions could not believe Sima Xian was such an 'oddball hero.' Yet everyone who heard the news eagerly gossiped, unable to resist embellishing and spreading it further.

The mastermind behind the rumors had supernatural means; such zero-credibility gossip spread across the entire Great Jin in less than half a month, even reaching the extermination army's main force on the southwest front, locked in bloody combat with the Great Wu army, where all officers and soldiers heard it.

For a time, Sima Xian's notoriety in the Great Jin Divine Kingdom reeked for three thousand li; the populace created countless lascivious and bizarre supernatural novels based on him, so many that they filled halls and emptied the bamboo of the southern mountains.

The Great Jin Divine Kingdom thus revealed its decline within just over a month.

Even the banners of various colors that usually flew high on Anyang City's four walls slumped down from their poles, with no guards to rehang them.

The whole Anyang City felt like a quail after a violent storm: feathers soaked, body sticky, on its last breath, ready to collapse with a 'pop' at any moment.

Amidst this wind and rain, on this day, a low bronze bell toll suddenly sounded in the imperial palace at the heart of Anyang City.

The bell tolled repeatedly; a set of entirely silver-white, magnificently crafted chimes, engraved with countless cloud and lightning patterns, its base covered in mysterious ancient sigils, exuding a terrifying aura, hovered high above the imperial city. A golden cloud rose slowly, supporting the splendid chimes; as wind passed, they rang on their own, emitting a grand sound that pierced the soul.

Inside Anyang City, whether civil and military officials, government clerks, scholars and warriors, men and women, old and young, everyone shivered, a sudden great fear and unease rising in their hearts, as if heavenly punishment were about to fall, and boundless heavenly might would grind them to dust.

This is one of the three divine state artifacts famed abroad of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom, kept by the imperial elders: the 'Wind and Cloud Tremor Bell,' its power absolute and overbearing. This set of Wind and Cloud Tremor Bell was once struck with full force by the imperial elders on the Three Kingdoms battlefield; after one piece, that elder exhausted himself and died on the spot, while on that battlefield, the states of Wei and Wu each lost half of their main combat legions.

Together, the two states lost a full main combat legion, from top to bottom wiped out clean; even no ants survived in the military camp.

The Wind and Cloud Tremor Bell's infamous reputation was now hanging above the imperial city, and with the officials' gold bell tolling continuously, the civil and military ministers understood: this was the imperial clan's final ultimatum—either obediently attend court to discuss affairs, or… face execution of the entire clan!

Sima Xian is undoubtedly an incapable foolish ruler.

But the imperial elders' council is a bottomless pit; who knows what ancient monsters lurk at its depths?

Adding the threat of the Wind and Cloud Tremor Bell, countless civil and military officials in Anyang City hastily donned their ceremonial robes, dressed neatly, then quickly escorted by large retinues rushed toward the imperial city.

It seemed that with the Wind and Cloud Tremor Bell as their backing, today's imperial palace guards swept away the past month's lethargy, becoming vigorous and high-spirited as if injected with chicken blood; their gazes at the many officials turned extremely ferocious, like a pack of hungry dogs ready to pounce and bite.

The civil and military officials felt heavy-hearted, forming orderly rows under the guidance of a few senior eunuchs, walking with grim faces toward the Hall of Nine Heavens.

From time to time someone lifted their head, gazing deeply at the Wind and Cloud Tremor Bell.

State artifact, top-tier innate spiritual treasure… these civil and military officials' homes are not lacking in innate treasures, but the state artifact earns its name by surpassing ordinary innate treasures; unless one possesses an innate treasure of the same rank, no amount of ordinary innate treasures can resist its power.

A single Wind and Cloud Tremor Bell is enough to leave the entire court breathless.

Gongyang Sanlü walked at the front of the procession, then suddenly turned his head to look at Linghu Qingqing: 'Old fox, what do you think?'

Linghu Qingqing wore a grim face, hands behind his back, silent.

The true Linghu Qingqing had already taken the Linghu family's private army to the northern frontier… the impostor here, the more he spoke the more wrong, so he couldn't be bothered with Gongyang Sanlü.

On the Hall of Nine Heavens, Sima Xian, dressed in full ceremonial robes, sat squarely and steadily on the throne.

Civil and military officials, nobles and princes entered the hall in turn; except for Linghu Qingqing, Gongyang Sanlü, and a few senior imperial princes, the others shouted 'long live the mountains and seas,' dancing and kowtowing.

Sima Xian narrowed his eyes, coldly gazing at the many officials kneeling on the ground.

A trembling old eunuch stepped forward from beside the throne and said slowly, 'Gentlemen officials, please rise.'

The officials in the hall rose one by one, then stood motionless, eyes on nose, nose on heart, silent and still like wooden figures; occasionally someone would lift the corner of their eye, glaring fiercely at someone opposite.

After over a month of chaos, numerous clashes erupted among the civil and military officials.

In the Great Jin Divine Kingdom, martial families intermarried, civil officials allied, both sides bound by ties as tight as broken bones and sinews; a month of disturbance and intrigue had turned the officials into direct opposition.

Seventy percent of martial houses and seventy percent of civil officials were locked in conflict; the remaining neutral factions could not easily escape, whether passively or actively drawn in. Thus the atmosphere in the Hall of Nine Heavens was stiff and icy.

Sima Xian slightly opened his eyes, gave a light cough, and spoke slowly: 'Gentlemen officials, since my accession I have also been diligent, devoted to the state… I think, even if I cannot match the founding divine emperor, compared to the famous wise rulers of later ages, I am still comparable.'

As soon as Sima Xian spoke, he muttered on and off for about half an hour.

At first the court officials didn't take his words to heart, but gradually they focused and listened to his rambling, slowly grasping his meaning.

Sima Xian meant that he himself was not bad; although the world calls him a foolish ruler, he feels that under his governance the Great Jin Divine Kingdom enjoys favorable weather, peace, civil-military harmony, and good order.

Thus he hopes the court historians and civil and military officials will give him a fair, just, pleasant-sounding evaluation.

He also hinted that he knows aspiring to the Divine Realm is likely impossible; though the Fetal Storage Realm has condensed a divine fetus and grants extraordinary longevity, the Fetal Storage Realm is not the Divine Realm, and it periodically suffers calamities, so he is destined to die.

After his death, he hopes to have a good posthumous temple name and a good posthumous name.

Linghu Qingqing and Gongyang Sanlü simultaneously lifted their heads, looking at Sima Xian with astonishment.

The entire court also stared at Sima Xian as if seeing a ghost.

This guy, is his brain broken?

Never mind, never mind he says such inauspicious things? Where is there an emperor who jumps about discussing his temple name and posthumous name in court?

Looking at Sima Xian's past misdeeds and lawless behavior, he is not such a person!

'Your Majesty…' Gongyang Sanlü pondered a moment, stepped out of the ranks, and solemnly performed a kowtow to Sima Xian: 'Your Majesty, today…'

Before Gongyang Sanlü could finish his sentence, Sima Xian suddenly bled from all seven orifices, with a 'thud' he rolled off the throne, fell headfirst to the ground, his forehead striking the leg of the dragon table, emitting a loud bang.

Sima Xian gulped blood, barely lifting his head, he shouted hoarsely: 'I… I abdicate to the Eastern Palace Crown Prince Sima Fa… all imperial edicts have been written… gentlemen officials, gentlemen officials… be loyal to the state…'

A 'wa' sound escaped as Sima Xian, not knowing where all that blood came from inside him, spat a mouthful; a blood column as thick as a small bowl's mouth shot out over a hundred zhang, carving an extremely gruesome blood-red trace on the smooth gold-brick floor of the Nine Heavens Hall.

Sima Xian fainted.

A crowd of old eunuchs rushed over, wailing and crying, helped Sima Xian up with all hands, shoved several life-saving precious pills into his mouth, and carried him toward the inner palace.

Linghu Qingqing and Gongyang Sanlü cried out together, 'Your Majesty, seriously injured? Who did this?'

The two exchanged a quick glance; their eyes held identical shock and uncertainty, identical deep suspicion. Then their gazes flickered in unison, and they both shifted their looks to one side.

In their hearts, they both greeted each other's grandmothers, thinking, 'This wasn't done by me; it must have been you.'

They both silently cursed, never expecting that this old fellow, who appeared loyal to the country, would strike so viciously behind the scenes.

Soon after, they both shouted, 'Quickly go find the Crown Prince—no matter where he is or what he's doing, bring him back!'

In the southeast corner of Anyang City, the capital of the Great Jin, there is an extremely prosperous market where exotic goods from all directions gather, both water and land products, everything one could desire. Only super wealthy merchants with bulging money bags frequent here; since they love drink and beauty, the area is filled with brothels and stunning women coming and going daily, making it the premier pleasure district of Anyang City.

The esteemed Eastern Palace Crown Prince of the Great Jin Divine State, Sima Fa, was in this area crowded with brothels, stripping naked in the street, wearing only a small cloth around his waist, his whole body smeared with fragrant oil, grappling with two burly sumo wrestlers.

The two sumo wrestlers stood fifteen feet tall, with bodies like fat bears, completely black, covered head to toe in hair, truly ugly and ferocious in appearance. However, their cultivation was a bit low, only at the level of the Chonglou Realm.

This only highlighted Sima Fa's skin, white as jade all over, shining brightly, truly living up to his reputation as the 'jade banner pole'.

Especially when wrestling, his movements leapt like flight; with the cultivation of the Womb Storage Realm, he 'overpowered' the two Chonglou Realm fighters, leaving them panting and rolling all over the ground.

Countless young ladies and married women from all directions waved pink handkerchiefs and cheered in unison, their eyes blazing, wishing they could devour this extraordinarily handsome, godlike martial young lord in one bite.

When Linghu Qingqing and Gongyang Sanlü arrived, leading a large group of nobles and a panting crowd of palace eunuchs, they saw Sima Fa kick each of the two sumo wrestlers off the fighting platform with one foot each.

The faces of the group of nobles twitched in unison.

Is this the Eastern Palace Crown Prince? This is indeed the Eastern Palace Crown Prince of the Great Jin!

Inside the Imperial City, the golden bell was rung, ordering all nobles to gather at the Nine Heavens Hall, yet he was there in the fireworks district showing off his physique!

With grim faces, they read out Sima Xian's edict to Sima Fa in full.

Sima Fa stared, then suddenly leapt up, somersaulting three times in the air with a 'whoosh-whoosh-whoosh': 'Ha, haha, hahaha... Am I now the Divine Emperor of the Great Jin Divine State? Hey, someone... quickly tally the national treasury, see just how much wealth I have!'

'Also, issue an order: across the realm's prefectures, quickly select maidens to fill the inner palace!'

'Well, let Father Emperor move out and live elsewhere; find him a manor outside the city to support him... his group of old women, move them out too... secondhand goods, I don't want any!'

The entire court of civil and military officials, faces dark as iron, each trembling with rage.