Chapter 762: Ascending the Tower

Upon hearing the name of the Gaoyuan Marquis, several people present felt their heartbeats quicken like drums.

The Prince pursed his lips, thinking: So this is how it is. Emperor, it is only natural for you to scheme against those who threaten you, but why must you scheme against everyone? Those who are loyal to you, those who are useful to you, or those worth winning over—you scheme against them all to the fullest, consuming them until nothing remains. Does this not chill the hearts of all?

However, he was only speaking up for the Gaoyuan Marquis because he was familiar with her; if he were truly to speak up for the aggrieved, the Imperial Preceptor had not even spoken yet. Why, was the Imperial Preceptor not a person, and thus deserved to be schemed against?

But apart from those in the know like the Prince, most people, upon hearing the name of the Gaoyuan Marquis, only thought: Ah? Her again?

The Gaoyuan Marquis's name truly had a strong presence tonight. After the Empress Dowager finished asking, the Emperor asked; it felt as though, despite her absence, legends of her were everywhere in the world of martial arts.

Each generation of emperors has its own ministers; the Gaoyuan Marquis was already a person of the previous era. Although some present were not young, after several shifts in the Imperial Court, most had entered the central government even later than the Gaoyuan Marquis had left it. They had no concrete impression of her, only the impression of her identity as the "Governor of Yunzhou." Only after hearing her name mentioned time and again did they think to themselves: What kind of big shot is this person, to be so critical?

The Emperor pondered and said: "Marquis Xun... what can she do?"

Zhongmeng Zhenren bowed and said fluently: "The Gaoyuan Marquis's sword is sufficient to accelerate the process, allowing Your Majesty to quickly take the Imperial Preceptor into the seal, so as not to delay for too long. By taking him in one moment earlier, one can save a portion of his strength and a portion of his sanity. If there is any further delay, I fear the Imperial Preceptor will no longer exist in this world."

The Emperor immediately said: "How can that be? Of course, we must save the Imperial Preceptor. I cannot be without the Imperial Preceptor, and the Great Jin cannot be without the Imperial Preceptor! Where is Marquis Xun? Go and invite her at once!"

The crowd looked at one another in dismay, and someone reported: "Your Majesty, the Gaoyuan Marquis claimed illness and did not come to Jindinglou..."

At this moment, Zhongmeng Zhenren suddenly said: "Your Majesty, the Gaoyuan Marquis did not come not because she intended to miss the appointment, but because she has been detained by someone."

The Emperor hurriedly asked: "Who? Who is so bold as to dare detain Marquis Xun?"

Zhongmeng Zhenren said: "It is none other than Shou Wang."

Wang Fei felt a shock in his heart and secretly thought: Holy crap, this works too?

Shou Wang was dumbfounded and shouted: "What? How could she be at my place? Who said..."

He realized what was happening and stared fixedly at Zhongmeng Zhenren.

Zhongmeng Zhenren's gaze was sharp, his tone severe, and he said: "Your Highness Shou Wang, it is useless to deny it now. Your conspiracy has nowhere to hide before His Majesty. Hand over the Gaoyuan Marquis now, and it will still count as a meritorious service to the country, at least partially atoning for your crimes. Otherwise, if she is found during a search, the Prince's crimes will be grave indeed."

Shou Wang stared at Zhongmeng Zhenren, then suddenly turned his head to stare at the Emperor, finally shaking his head and saying: "I have lost. I have been completely schemed against by you all. Do as you will. Go search, go find the Gaoyuan Marquis."

Now that things had reached this point, he finally realized whose hand had truly orchestrated the scheme against the Imperial Preceptor that he had carried out according to the Prince's plan, but it was already too late.

The Emperor also knew that he had figured it out, but what of it? He said: "Uncle, since you refuse to seek forgiveness voluntarily, could it be you still harbor hopes of luck? Go to the Prince's residence and search for her. Quickly rescue Marquis Xun, and take care not to harm her."

People had already received orders and gone, including the Emperor's guards and the people from the Daoist Palace, all rushing to the Wangfu to search for her. At this moment, a young eunuch presented a jade box and said: "Your Majesty, the Heaven-Conducting Seal has been brought."

Logically, the Heaven-Conducting Seal was kept in the inner palace, and since this was the Jingjiao, it should not have been possible to retrieve it so quickly; the work was a bit sloppy. However, even the smartest people now would not nitpick these details. The Emperor took it, opened the jade box, and took out a seal.

The seal was only the size of a fist; as a seal, that was certainly not small, but as a treasure of National Fortune, it was very miniature. It did not look like it was made of jade; it was exceptionally crystal clear, and inside, a mass of misty blue seemed to be rolling—it seemed to be lightning, but it was far more profound than lightning, as if it were the essence of lightning condensed ten thousand times, advancing from a celestial phenomenon to the Heavenly Dao.

Seeing this Heaven-Conducting Seal and the power within it, the crowd felt somewhat certain: This Heaven-Conducting Seal was likely truly of the same origin as the Imperial Preceptor. The Heaven-Conducting Seal was superior to the Imperial Preceptor.

The Emperor held the Heaven-Conducting Seal, looked up at the flickering pillar of Thunder Light above his head, and said: "Imperial Preceptor, hold on, I am coming!"

His tone was so firm, his emotions so sincere; who could hear this and not be moved?

At this moment, there was a commotion downstairs, and someone said: "The Gaoyuan Marquis has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads, wanting to see what kind of demeanor such a crucial figure possessed.

Then, the crowd saw a group of guards surrounding them, and in the middle, a young Daoist was supporting an old woman as they walked up.

This old woman... was truly old.

At the first glance, everyone saw what looked like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment. The old woman's hair was snow-white, her frame was emaciated, and she walked unsteadily, as if the slightest bump would cause her to fall and never get up again.

Moreover, she kept her eyes closed; her unsteady gait was partly due to weakness and partly because she could not see, having to grope her way forward.

The Gaoyuan Marquis?

This was her?

A blind old woman?

She could save the Imperial Preceptor? Why did it look like she herself needed saving?

When the Emperor saw the Gaoyuan Marquis come up, his expression changed slightly, as if he had not expected her to be in such a state. He felt very sad and took the initiative to walk over, saying: "Marquis Xun, you... how have you come to this? How is your health? Who harmed you like this?"

As he spoke, he went to support the Gaoyuan Marquis, but Zhongmeng Zhenren hurriedly stepped forward to gently gesture, acting as a barrier: Even if the Gaoyuan Marquis had reached this point, she was still a top-tier Sword Hero, and in order to use her immediately, her power had not been overly restricted; Your Majesty, you had better not get too close with that small frame of yours.

The Emperor followed the advice, turning his head to glare at Shou Wang and shouting: "Shou Wang, I know you and Marquis Xun are not on good terms, but how could you treat a loyal and meritorious official of the country like this? Your crime is grave indeed!"

Shou Wang sneered: Say whatever you want, do whatever you like.

The Emperor said to the Gaoyuan Marquis again: "Minister Xun, I have come late."

The Gaoyuan Marquis was very calm, only saying: "Is the Emperor here? The Emperor is indeed safe."

The Emperor sighed: "Minister Xun is in prison, yet still thinking of me. Such loyalty is the good fortune of the country." He seemed very agitated, pouring out all sorts of compliments as if they cost nothing; as an emperor, this posture was somewhat too low.

At this time, the Gaoyuan Marquis should have cooperated with a few polite phrases like "I dare not accept such praise" or "This is what a subject should do," but the Gaoyuan Marquis remained very quiet, as if she were a prop on a stage.

Her lack of cooperation was extremely rude and did not fit her situation of having "just been rescued by the Emperor from her place of imprisonment." Some in the crowd felt indignant, but then thought: Why bother arguing with this old woman who has one foot in the grave? Seeing that she could die at any moment, why worry about the affairs of the world? Even if she is not afraid of death, is that not invincible?

The Emperor stopped his meaningless soothing, looked at her deeply, and said: "Marquis Xun, it is a great pity that I could not have your long-term assistance back then, and it also delayed the National Fortune. Now there is one more matter I must ask you to act on. Seeing your sickly state, I cannot bear it."

He looked at the Gaoyuan Marquis, seemingly waiting for her to express her stance; he knew she would agree—everything had been communicated beforehand.

Sure enough, the Gaoyuan Marquis said: "Since this broken body still has some use, it is better than doing nothing at all. A general must always be prepared to return wrapped in horsehide; I thank Your Majesty for fulfilling this."

The Emperor always felt she was being somewhat sarcastic, but thinking that she was truly like a bird about to die, whose song is mournful, he magnanimously did not hold it against her.

At once, he held the Heaven-Conducting Seal in his hand and raised it high toward the sky; the blue mist within the seal immediately began to move.

Before the crowd could see the trajectory of that blue clearly, they saw the blue light ignite, incomparably brilliant!

A vast pressure rippled outward from near to far!

Previously, two types of auras had rippled over Jindinglou: one was the spiritual light of the Founding Emperor, solemn and noble, and the other was the Imperial Preceptor's lightning, violent and destructive; both possessed a momentum that made all living things unable to lift their heads.

However, the momentum radiating from the Heaven-Conducting Seal was a combination of the two, multiplied several times over; it made one feel extreme fear, yet also incomparable reverence.

That was precisely the two great momenta of National Fortune—Might and Authority!

The authority of the Imperial Court had been missing for many years, and its might had relied on the Imperial Preceptor's pressure; the Emperor had merely been a figurehead sitting on a high platform. After the Heaven-Conducting Seal lit up, that supreme authority seemed to have returned to the hands of the Emperor at this very moment!

At this moment, more than one person in the crowd harbored the same thought as Wang Fei:

Perhaps, this is a heroic lord worth following?

Everyone could feel that vast power, but it was indeed formless. Following the Emperor's command, the pillar of Thunder Light on the mountain above seemed to have received an order, showing a tendency to move downward.

Of course, for now, it was only a tendency. The pillar of Thunder Light did not move, but tilted slightly; this tendency looked quite dangerous, almost like a precursor to a collapse.

Although they were still far away, the nobles watching from the platform all held their breath; they automatically imagined the scene after the Thunder Light pillar collapsed, and it was simply unthinkable.

This cannot be, Emperor, think of a way!

At this moment, Zhongmeng Zhenren shouted at the opportune time: "The Thunder Light is sluggish, Gaoyuan Marquis, it is your turn. Open your eyes, you only need to open your eyes!"

Gaoyuan Marquis said indifferently: "Is opening my eyes enough? Do you want me to take out my sword?"

Zhongmeng Zhenren barked: "In the presence of the Emperor, how dare you be so rude? Gaoyuan Marquis, you are a veteran official, how can you be like this..."

At this, the Emperor laughed instead: "No matter, if there is a sword, draw it; as long as you help me retrieve the State Preceptor, that is enough. How could I not trust a loyal veteran official like Gaoyuan Marquis?"

He did not actually trust Gaoyuan Marquis, but rather believed that with the Heavenly Seal in hand, his Protective Aura could withstand a Sword Immortal, so why fear a mere Sword Hero like Gaoyuan Marquis?

Of course, he also concluded that Gaoyuan Marquis would not make a move. This was a man with attachments, and also a loyal official; one could be less guarded, and also less considerate.

Gaoyuan Marquis stretched out his hand, clutching an Eye Bead; at first glance it was an eye, but looking closely, it was jade.

In an instant, the jade Eye Bead lit up, twisting into the shape of a sword!

At this time, she silently recited two words in her heart: "Simulated Grip!"