Chapter 436: Who Could Announce Rebellion to the King's Face?

My guard is down.

It's freezing cold.

This world is filled with persecution of alchemists.

I've been crying until now.

I'm already emo.

Unfortunately, no matter what I say now, it only gets darker, so the indefensible Ji Ming took wisdom from RTS game players—when in doubt, just ignore it.

Simply, I won't make any explanations, leaving everything to time to prove—anyway, I, Ji Ming, am righteous and upright, so as long as I haven't done anything bad, I'm fine.

But he will refuse that unknown person, not only because he doesn't want to get involved, but also because he indeed has something to do tonight.

It's already mid-May, and more than half a month has passed since the royal examination at the start of the month.

Tonight the passers will be announced; although Ji Ming already knows who the winners are, he still needs to show up.

"Let's go, we're heading to Sun Castle."

Ji Ming enjoyed the employee welfare of the academy-provided carriage to the fullest, and smoothly reached Sun Castle before night fully fell in Qixia City.

Tonight the stars shine brightly, tonight the crowds are massive.

Before they could even enter, Ji Ming saw several high-status nobles standing at the entrance chatting.

Back then, Ji Ming, who had nothing but lots of friends, would definitely go over and say a few words to show the excellent quality of us sunny people.

But now he just removes any flashy accessories like halos and ornaments, then uses Suggestion Technique to lower his presence and sneak in unnoticed.

—It's meaningless, they're just fools that others can toy with back and forth.

They can even have the players secretly empty the warehouse one moment, then hire the same batch of players back to guard the gate the next.

It's truly hopeless; chatting with them might even lower your IQ.

But since the royal examination had already finished all its subjects at the start of the month, tonight's only agenda is announcing the winners' identities.

Although this is important and could potentially change the current multi-sided competition, announcing a name doesn't take much time, does it?

It's not like handing out Oscars, where you can set up multiple awards and intersperse performances by celebrities, easily filling several hours.

Therefore, following the customs of Guanghui Capital, the base of this announcement ceremony remains their favorite banquet, emphasizing a rich and varied social experience.

Moreover, since this banquet is held annually, including the king, all major figures will attend, so its scale and grandeur are top-notch.

In other words, not only are food, drink, and rest provided, but fearing that this bunch of troublemakers might not get a game, they'll also throw in a men-and-women dancing circle segment.

What's worse, this isn't Ji Ming spouting nonsense—just look at that old fogey Sun King; his yearly dance partners basically all end up flying up to the branches.

"What bullshit art, it's annoying as hell."

He randomly picked a few spots in the venue to show his face, indicating to everyone that the God's Chosen had arrived, then Ji Ming found a corner to hide in.

Funny enough, perhaps because the observer sees clearly, he stayed still and actually discovered someone who seemed to share his thought, maintaining a noble aloofness.

So he quietly went up the stairs to the second floor of this hall-like building and knocked on the door he had previously picked out.

There was no movement behind the door, but the attendant waiting in the hallway immediately approached and whispered.

"Sir, hello. There is a distinguished guest behind the door; if you don't have his invitation, you may not enter."

"..."

Logically, someone working in such a place should have seen at least some storms.

But this person in front of him, although hiding it due to professional training, still had a look in their eyes that was overly panicked…

However, Ji Ming didn't give the attendant a hard time; instead, he took out an empty bottle from his pocket and placed it in their hand.

"Hand this over to him… okay, don't be afraid, just hold it in your hand and let him take a look."

Having said that, he turned and left.

But before he could finish walking down the corridor, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

"Sir, sir… sir says you may go in!"

"Don't rush."

Ji Ming blocked the already sweat-drenched attendant, letting him catch his breath before speaking.

"Friend, you're just doing your duty as a servant; what's there to be afraid of?"

As he said that, he also gave him a gold coin.

"So on the contrary, I'll give you a little reward to reward your dedication to your post."

"Huh?"

The attendant hearing this was dumbfounded, clutching the gold coin like a kid who accidentally caught a cicada but is too scared to remember how to throw it away.

But you can't blame him for being timid, since just now that adult saw the bottle and immediately changed expression, wanting him to hurry and call the person back, which was pretty scary.

Leaving aside the saying 'serving a ruler is like serving a tiger,' even if the King of Hell could raise his hand for face, that little imp eager to flatter nearby would surely not miss this chance to curry favor with a leader.

If this isn't handled well…

"Hold onto it calmly, I'm the God's Chosen, you'll be fine."

Ji Ming set the attendant aside on a chair, took out a halo from his pocket and placed it on his head.

This time, when he knocked again, there was immediately movement behind the door.

Ji Ming nodded at the stern-faced guard in charge of opening the door, then took a look at the arrangement inside this private box.

But before he could get a good look, he heard an annoyed remark.

"What are you looking at? My woman won't let you see her a second time!"

That adult was of course Sun King Andong Liushi, and now he is even more 'terrifying' than Ji Ming imagined.

Thus Ji Ming nodded, and after scanning his surroundings he still had to raise his hand to gesture.

"Exactly, so are all these your men?"

That's right, this guy didn't even set up a stall to wander the venue picking up girls today, and he didn't even bring snacks to his own private box.

Inside the entire space, apart from the Sun King himself, there were more than ten fully armed male guards, and the air had not a trace of rouge fragrance.

This is really abnormal!

"You're the Chosen One; what does the king need you to meddle in?"

The Sun King naturally knew his own behavior was abnormal, so upon hearing Ji Ming's strange words, he was so angry his beard trembled.

After a moment to compose himself, he pinched the empty medicine bottle with his fingers—no liquid left, yet a red stain was still visible on the wall.

"Actually, I should be asking you—who are you trying to disgust, huh?"

"Isn't this just because you're afraid I won't let you in, so you had the attendant pass me a token?"

Since he was a guest specially summoned by the king, regardless of whether his attitude was argumentative or flattering, the guards still brought him a seat.

Sitting side by side with the Sun King, Ji Ming, after taking off his halo again, first lowered his head to glance outside the platform.

Have to admit, this old geezer really knows how to enjoy himself—this should be the best viewing spot in the hall, facing the stage directly and offering a view of most of the crowd.

By now the banquet had been underway for a while, but before the main event began, the stage still had to perform its usual duty once more, warming up the crowd with a round of dance.

Thus the stage was now full of nobles dressed to the nines, paired off and fighting to the rhythm of the band's live performance, dancing a social dance as whirling as teacups.

Among them were many of Ji Ming's acquaintances—students, colleagues, or other "drinking buddies" he'd met at banquets—pretty much all of the same ilk.

"Tsk..."

Unable to hold back, Ji Ming let out a hum and spoke again.

"Oh, right—I was afraid you'd forget, I already gave that attendant an advance reward for his dedication, so you don't need to give him anything later."

The Sun King certainly understood his meaning; hearing this, he gave a hehe laugh.

"What, trying to win hearts? You're plotting a rebellion, right?"

If it were an ordinary person, he definitely wouldn't joke like that—might really scare someone to death—but Ji Ming, obviously, is an exception.

He could even exchange a smile with him, openly expressing himself.

"How vulgar! Rebellion means killing, and how would you make money from killing? I'm relatively kind—at most I'd just seize the throne."

Having said that, he then began to elaborate in detail how, as an outsider, he should scheme for power and usurp the throne, gladly taking the Sun King's position.

The general idea was to pay tribute to the legendary benevolent mother Wu Zetian—first pick a princess who still retains some human semblance as a stepping stone, then fully support her rise.

Since the queen was already completely under his control, what remained was easy—just gradually strip away her authority.

If he felt sentimental, he'd let her live another two years; if not, he'd find some pretext to kill her outright.

If he cared about appearances, he'd first prop up a minor successor as a transitional figure; if he didn't care about face, he'd skip the process and take the throne outright!

Although the Sun King's face kept shifting between cloudy and clear, he still listened quietly to Ji Ming's grand scheme for usurpation.

But the surrounding guards, hearing such treasonous words, were practically scared stiff.

Had the king not issued no order, they would have long since rushed forward in righteous fury to brutally strangle Ji Ming, that traitorous villain.

But there was no such order, so Ji Ming simply finished his last sentence unharmed.

"Wuhu, from now on this realm belongs to the Ji family!"

Seeing no reaction from the crowd, he still enthusiastically raised his hand toward the Sun King, who had already fallen to the status of a pretender emperor of the former dynasty.

"Don't just sit there with a sour face—speak up, how do you evaluate it?"

The Sun King silently took out a handkerchief, but even after wiping the fine sweat from his forehead, his voice still trembled slightly.

"I really want to chop your head off……"

Faced with the king's furious wrath, Ji Ming remained unmoved, even eagerly throwing back a question.

"Then why haven't you chopped it?"

This drove the Sun King completely over the edge, and he slammed the table.

"... Damn, having lived this long, I've never seen anyone plot with the master how to steal from his own house!"

After saying that, although he still clenched the handkerchief tightly, he still signaled the surrounding guards to relax, taking their hands off their sword hilts.

Then he took a breath, hoping to bring down his wildly spiked blood pressure.

After a long while, he supported his forehead.

"I know what you mean—you want to remind me to let all this settle quickly, right?"

But since it concerns the royal succession, this matter is too sharp, so Ji Ming, who always speaks in riddles, naturally had to keep the enigmatic talk going.

"Perhaps, if you don't want a flood after your death."

But if Andong's resolve could be formed that easily, he wouldn't have agonized over it for so long.

So after he fell silent again, he could only mutter a vague line.

"I'll think it over again, aiming to settle this within a year!"

This is ultimately an internal affair of the royal family; having come this far, Ji Ming, as an outsider, now has nothing more to say.

All he could do was give a symbolic urging.

"The sooner, the better."

But as soon as those words left his mouth, he belatedly realized he seemed to have figured out why this old geezer was observing the rules so strictly today.

—He was probably worried that if he didn't restrain his desires, he might not live to see the day he made up his mind!

"Fine, if you've got the ability……"

Meanwhile, the two of them closed the door here to shoot the breeze, while the crowd on stage finally wrapped up their social activities.

But the next to take the stage was neither the martial-commanding Xiguang Duke nor the finance-handling Huanguang Duke, but another jolly old man in red robes.

This old noble was the Yueguang Duke; although not as high-ranking or powerful as the previous two, he relied on his seniority and good reputation, prevailing through virtue and prestige.

His role now is roughly equivalent to a bishop in the church—a mediator in the northeast, the Royal Capital's maternal uncle, whose go-to skill is "giving the old man face."

Thus having him host the proclamation ceremony counts as an old royal tradition; nobody provokes him, and everyone is pleased.

"Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, good evening……"

Just hearing that opening, Ji Ming felt tonight might be a total loss.

Sure enough, what followed was endless filler; they had promised three key points, but after the first two were finished, the third was split into three sub‑points.

If the world didn't lack the Internet, Ji Ming would suspect that this was written by an old man using AI.

How is the formatting so standard, yet the emotions so stiff!

Drra, drra, drra, Che Gu Lu talked on for more than half an hour, leaving the crowd speechless.

Luckily this spot faces the stage; if Ji Ming were seated in the opposite gallery, he'd probably see countless faces turned into sweaty soybeans.

Beside him, Sun King simply fell asleep, curled up on the sofa with his eyes half‑closed.

I thought everyone had fallen asleep, but suddenly a line popped out.

"…Just get used to it; this guy does it every year."

Then came.

"…Deliberate; he's rather conservative, can't stand others messing around, and fears juniors think he's too controlling and look down on him."

Finally he added.

"…Just let him be; after all, there aren't many good years left, so consider it a sign of respect for the elderly."

Ji Ming remained silent, merely murmuring to himself, "Is this really happening?"

Well, there's nothing more to say; I unilaterally declare the removal of Archbishop Te Nisi's position as leader of the Abstinence Faction, and appoint Duke Moonlight as the new Chief Celibacy Officer, okay?

Finally, after he had been bip‑bip‑ing for nearly an hour, the ladies in high heels below were about to lose control.

Also out of breath, wobbling, needing a cane to support himself, Duke Moonlight barely concluded his speech.

Sun King lifted his eyelids, not with a sigh of relief but with a helpless little sigh.

"Damn, that old man is about to give out… Clearly last year he could still ramble for two hours!"

(End of chapter)