Chapter 198: The World in Mourning! Zhu Wushi

The bell tolled 30,000 times, and the world was in mourning.

It wasn't winter yet, but the capital was already a sheet of white.

No one knew how the Emperor had died on a perfectly fine Mid-Autumn Festival, and most common people didn't care; crying was enough anyway.

They didn't have much affection for this Emperor. By comparison, the playboy Virtuous Prince appeared in people's vision much more often.

The crying in the Hall of Supreme Harmony never stopped.

The princes were sad, the ministers were sad, but the saddest of all was certainly Yan Song, who cried as if his own father had died. Among the civil and military officials, no one could be found who cried louder than him.

Whoever saw it couldn't help but sincerely praise: "Grand Secretary Yan is loyal to the monarch and loves the country."

Whether Yan Song was loyal to the monarch or loved the country, no one knew, but his pain was certainly real.

His son died at the hands of the Demon Race, and the Emperor who favored him suddenly passed away. Losing everything in just a few days would make anyone cry out in pain.

In the matter of party strife, the situation changed instantly. No matter how capable Grand Secretary Yan was, with an Emperor who didn't like him, he still had to step down honestly.

Not to mention that the more capable Xu Jie was waiting below.

Walking to this day, Grand Secretary Yan's political enemies could be said to be everywhere. If there were a real reckoning, he might not be able to walk out of the capital alive.

Compared to the civil officials, the military generals' emotions were more stable; at least no one cried with snot and tears like Grand Secretary Yan.

Two Marquisates and one Gate, two Factories and one Guard—only three people stood in the court.

Iron-Gall Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi, Divine Marquis Zhuge Zhengwo, and Jinyiwei Commander Zheng Dongliu.

The three looked at their noses and hearts, motionless, like three thousand-year-old stone statues.

Many people were secretly measuring them. It could be said that whether the court would become chaotic next depended entirely on the attitude of these six people.

If everyone sat down and talked properly, naturally there would be peace, but the fear was that someone would want to profit in the dark.

Iron-Gall Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi was the most special one among them.

The Emperor passed away suddenly without even appointing an heir. Theoretically speaking, it wouldn't be impossible for him, this uncle, to seize power.

After all, the abnormality of the Ten Thousand Demon Nation made everyone afraid. Changing to a stronger Emperor would at least give people a sense of security.

Moreover, even if Zhu Wushi couldn't get the throne, according to convention, he would become a Regent or something similar, helping the young Emperor clear obstacles in the court and establish the majesty of the royal family.

In short, the biggest winner of this Emperor's death was Zhu Wushi.

And because he was the biggest beneficiary, people inevitably linked the Emperor's bizarre passing to this Iron-Gall Divine Marquis with a special status.

At this moment, there were also discussions among the officials.

No matter how softly they spoke, it would still reach the ears of the three martial arts experts.

Divine Marquis Zhuge, with white hair and beard, didn't look like a martial artist, but more like a Daoist immortal. He slowly opened his eyes and said softly: "Marquis, won't you say two words? These discussions are a bit loud."

Zhu Wushi said indifferently: "Thank you for your concern, Divine Marquis. This Marquis has nothing to refute. The clear are clear."

Divine Marquis Zhuge examined Zhu Wushi and found his expression natural and calm, not like he was lying, so he nodded slightly.

"If it's not Zhu Wushi, then it can only be..."

Chu Yang's figure flashed through Divine Marquis Zhuge's mind, and he sighed silently in his heart. He knew about Chu Yang entering the palace to view the moon and had also learned some of Chu Yang's situation from Sheng Yayu.

But to say Chu Yang could really commit regicide, he still didn't quite believe it. Even he couldn't break the Dragon Vein protection; what did Chu Yang rely on? More importantly, how could a regicide sit on the throne?

Who in the world could be convinced? If he really sat on the throne, it wouldn't be long before smoke and fire would rise everywhere, with everyone fighting for the world under the banner of "clearing the monarch's side."

Divine Marquis Zhuge turned to look at Zheng Dongliu and asked: "What is the situation with the Jinyiwei? Commander Zheng, haven't you heard any news?"

Zheng Dongliu sighed: "The Jinyiwei were blocked outside the palace by the Imperial Guards. Naturally, I don't know anything."

"Imperial Guards?" Divine Marquis Zhuge frowned: "Who is leading the Imperial Guards now?"

"Liaodong Deputy General Li Chengliang." Zhu Wushi sneered: "But now he should be a proper General. His Majesty issued an edict before passing away."

"Li Chengliang..." Divine Marquis Zhuge nodded. He knew this person, who was responsible for resisting the Jiannu in Liaodong and helping the Ming Empire stabilize the northern defense line.

There had been no war there for five or six years, and his ability was evident. Divine Marquis Zhuge even thought that letting such talent return to the capital was a loss.

"Truly nonsense."

"His Majesty has always been like this; otherwise, how could there be today's situation."

"His Majesty has passed away. You two, be careful with your words."

At Zheng Dongliu's reminder, Zhu Wushi and Divine Marquis Zhuge stopped talking at the same time. One was the Emperor's uncle, and the other was a Marquis bestowed by the late Emperor; their status was special.

At this moment, dense footsteps rang out outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"The Imperial Guards have arrived."

"That is... Commander Guo and the two eunuchs."

The people who arrived were the other three leaders of the six major forces: Guo Bujing, Cao Zhengchun, and Yu Huatian.

The Imperial Guards stopped outside the hall.

Just as Guo Bujing, Cao Zhengchun, and Yu Huatian stepped into the hall, countless voices rang out around them.

"Eunuch Cao, what exactly happened last night? How did His Majesty pass away?"

"Eunuch Yu, did His Majesty leave a last will before passing away? Who should we appoint as Emperor?"

"Commander Guo, why are you together with the two eunuchs?"

All kinds of questions came one after another, indicating the fear and unease in the hearts of the officials at this moment, after all, such a thing had never happened before.

"Guo knows that all colleagues are concerned about the reason for His Majesty's passing. Please, everyone, calm down and listen to me."

The Hall of Supreme Harmony gradually became quiet, and even the young princes stopped crying, watching Guo Bujing ignorantly under the care of the eunuchs.

"Last night, the Heir of the Pingnan Prince colluded with Ye Gucheng and Chief Eunuch Wang and others, using the duel at the peak of the Forbidden City as a pretext to enter the palace and assassinate His Majesty."

"Chief Eunuch Wang secretly had a large number of passage tokens issued, causing personnel in the Forbidden City to be mixed. Deputy Commander Wei Ziyun failed to supervise effectively and has been dismissed from his post for investigation. It is the Imperial Guards' dereliction of duty that failed to protect His Majesty."

Guo Bujing stated the cause of the Emperor's death, absolutely not mentioning the Imperial Guards encircling and suppressing Chu Yang.

Then, Divine Marquis Zhuge, who knew some of the inside story, couldn't help but measure Guo Bujing, as well as Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian beside him.

These three mixed together; no matter how one looked at it, it felt strange.

Zhu Wushi's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he asked: "Why would the Heir of the Pingnan Prince assassinate His Majesty for no reason, and how could he assassinate His Majesty?"

"Even a Grandmaster couldn't do it. How could a mere Ye Gucheng do it?"

"Just relying on that 'Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens' move?"

The civil and military officials also looked at Guo Bujing in confusion.

Cao Zhengchun stood out at this time to explain: "The Heir of the Pingnan Prince was able to succeed in the assassination because they used a vicious spell."

"Because it is a matter of great importance, this slave can only explain it in detail to the three adults."

The lives of hundreds of thousands of common people in the fief under the Pingnan Prince's Mansion were a big deal, and the Blood Sacrifice Method being able to pollute the Dragon Vein and national destiny was an even bigger deal.

The fewer people who knew, the better.

Divine Marquis Zhuge and the three listened attentively, and after learning the truth, they were all shocked.

However, their expressions also aroused the curiosity of other officials, but intimidated by the majesty of the few, no one dared to ask actively for a time.

The civil officials looked at Yan Song in unison. As the Chief Grand Secretary, he should say something now.

Yan Song also felt he should say something, so he cleared his throat and prepared to speak.

"If Grand Secretary Yan is not feeling well, just go back first. After all, you are advanced in age."

Divine Marquis Zhuge and Zhu Wushi stared at Yan Song at the same time, their eyes sharp as knives, making the latter feel a chill in his heart.

"The two Marquises, don't mind me. I just have an uncomfortable throat; it doesn't matter."

Yan Song laughed dryly and retreated.

The gazes of the other civil officials toward him immediately became disappointed.

Everyone didn't notice that a young official behind Xu Jie walked quickly out of the queue of officials and walked straight toward the six people with the greatest power.

"May I ask the few adults, what is it that many colleagues cannot know?"

The young official's bluntness made the atmosphere in the Hall of Supreme Harmony drop to freezing point.

"Shuda, come back!"

Xu Jie stepped forward and pulled the middle-aged official's sleeve, wanting to take him back.

Zhang Juzheng remained motionless, his gaze very firm. Even if he poked a hole in the sky today, he would challenge the authority of these six people.

Not for anything else, just so the court wouldn't become the one-man show of these six people in the future.

A trace of anger flashed in the Iron-Gall Divine Marquis's eyes.

Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian looked displeased.

On the contrary, Divine Marquis Zhuge, Zheng Dongliu, and Guo Bujing all showed appreciative eyes toward Zhang Juzheng in unison.

Accustomed to Yan Song's deep cunning and Xu Jie's scheming, Zhang Juzheng's firmness was like a light shining into the corrupt court of the Ming Empire.

"There is nothing that cannot be said. The Pingnan Prince sacrificed the lives of hundreds of thousands of common people in his fief, refined a blood sacrifice bead, and let his son use the common people's resentment to pollute the Dragon Vein."

Chu Yang walked in from outside the hall, walking step by step to Zhang Juzheng, and said: "If there is anything else to ask, say it all together."

"No... nothing." Zhang Juzheng was scared by Chu Yang's aura, and his speech actually stuttered.

Not just him, other civil officials were shocked to see Chu Yang appear here.

"Since there is nothing to ask, then hurry up and handle the funeral. A group of people crying here like this—what does it look like?"

Chu Yang's cold gaze swept over the officials in the hall, and he turned to walk toward the high position in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. During this time, he passed by Divine Marquis Zhuge and the others without saying a word, as if treating these six as air.

Such an arrogant way of doing things made the civil and military officials' hearts tighten, feeling as if their breathing was about to stop.

Until Chu Yang sat on that dragon chair, everyone woke up like a dream, staring at him with shock and anger.

Everyone hadn't discussed who would be the Emperor, so how did you sit up there? No matter who it was, it wouldn't be you, Virtuous Prince! Don't you have any self-awareness about your reputation? Some among the officials already wanted to curse the Virtuous Prince's shamelessness, and some even wanted Chu Yang to pee and look at himself.

But it wasn't their turn to speak yet, because the ones with the real decision-making power were those six people.

"What does the Prince mean by this?"

Zhu Wushi, who was the most dissatisfied, spoke first. He also wanted to sit in this position, but he couldn't be as unscrupulous as Chu Yang, after all, he had to maintain his past image.

For this, he was both envious and a bit angry.

"Sitting in this chair is naturally to be the Emperor. Imperial Uncle, is your brain not working well because you are old?"

Chu Yang said with a worried expression.

Zhu Wushi had a mouthful of bad air stuck in his throat and almost cursed out loud, but finally held it back and said nicely: "The ministers haven't set the rules yet. Even if you have a heart for the throne, you must act according to the rules."

Chu Yang tilted his head and smiled: "Rules? My rules are the rules."

Zhu Wushi finally couldn't hold back and glared at Chu Yang: "Don't think that just because you hid some cultivation, you can be so arrogant. If you don't come down, don't blame me for being impolite!"

As soon as these words came out, Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian immediately looked at Zhu Wushi with the eyes of looking at a fool.

This person is so brave.

Guo Bujing reminded softly: "Marquis, your two Heaven-number-one secret agents haven't returned yet, right?"

Zhu Wushi frowned: "Tianya and Yidao indeed haven't returned yet."

Guo Buxing continued, "I advise the Prince to temper his anger. Wait for them to return, make your inquiries, and then decide on a plan."

Zhu Wushi looked at Guo Bujing in surprise. The warning in the other party's words was very obvious.

He didn't know that Lu Xiaofeng had chatted with these three about the Jinling City matter last night, and the three now all knew that Chu Yang had beheaded two Great Demon Kings.

After hearing this, Guo Bujing couldn't help but shout happily, wishing he had been there at the time to fight side by side with Chu Yang and kill demons together.

Cao Zhengchun was even more remorseful. If he had known the Virtuous Prince was so fierce, he wouldn't have run into the muzzle of the gun in vain, almost losing his life.

Realizing the gap between the two sides, Yu Huatian was completely convinced by Chu Yang's powerful strength and became a brainless fan of the Heaven-number-one, ranking no less than Li Ge Xiao.

Divine Marquis Zhuge asked quite unexpectedly: "Judging by Commander Guo's tone, it seems you have already decided to support the Virtuous Prince's ascension?"

Guo Bujing nodded without hesitation.

"It's not just Commander Guo; this slave also believes that only the Prince is qualified to ascend the throne."

Cao Zhengchun hurriedly expressed his loyalty in front of Chu Yang, fearing that he would be snatched of the limelight by Guo Bujing.

"Me too!"

Yu Huatian, who expressed his stance the latest, was full of regret. Why was he always slower than that old dog Cao in this aspect?!

The officials were stunned. In just a short while, three of the six had expressed support for the Virtuous Prince. This scene was something everyone hadn't expected.

No matter who you choose, you shouldn't choose the Virtuous Prince! Adults, you are confused!

Seeing the three of them so decisive, Divine Marquis Zhuge dared to conclude that they absolutely knew something he didn't know.

As the first person to favor Chu Yang, Divine Marquis Zhuge was not repulsed by his ascension, and even somewhat looked forward to it.

As long as it wasn't Zhu Wushi, he could accept it.

As for Zheng Dongliu, he believed in Guo Bujing's character and believed even more in Li Ge Xiao's vision. Since Li Ge Xiao was willing to follow Chu Yang, then naturally he had his superior qualities.

The two old men looked at each other inadvertently and saw the smile on each other's faces.

"The princes are young, so the Virtuous Prince succeeding to the throne is not a bad choice. This does not violate the rules."

"The Divine Marquis is right."

Two more people fell to the opposite side. Of the six, five were already standing on Chu Yang's side, which made Zhu Wushi anxious.

But for him to give up just like that, he was also unwilling.

The opportunity he had waited so hard for—how could he easily let it go to others?

"The rumors in the capital about the Virtuous Prince's debauchery have existed for many years. Who doesn't know the Virtuous Prince's character? If he ascends the throne, how will the common people of the world be convinced?"

"If the common people are not convinced, the generals guarding the border will also not be convinced. When the time comes, there will naturally be war!"

"The Virtuous Prince must not succeed to the throne!"

(End of chapter)