Chapter 150: Re-entering the Palace, Is the Emperor Faking His Death?

Chen Mo took the Seven Absolute Bow from his Storage Bag and stimulated the precious bow with True Qi; the bow body erupted with precious light, resonating with the Heaven and Earth Trend.

As a Post-Heaven Martial Artist, Zhao Wen naturally could sense this power; he immediately turned his head to look at Chen Mo, his face filled with shock and bewilderment.

He remembered that although this general of his was far stronger than him, his cultivation realm previously seemed to be only at the Postnatal Realm.

How could he have disappeared once, and upon reappearing, already possess Innate cultivation? This improvement was simply too fast.

Or could it be that when he was swallowed by that white mist earlier, he encountered a great opportunity during the process, which allowed him to break through!

This was undoubtedly the most likely scenario; other than this, he truly could not imagine what else could have allowed Chen Mo to break through to the Innate Realm.

However, he felt only envy toward this, and no jealousy.

One should only wear pants that fit their size; Zhao Wen understood exactly how large the gap in strength was between himself and Chen Mo.

If he could obtain an opportunity by going in, it was hard to say whether he himself could come back alive if he went in.

After all, two Innate Experts had yet to return even now, let alone a Post-Heaven Martial Artist like himself.

"Whoosh!"

The feathered arrow condensed from True Qi pierced the air, shooting toward the cavalry coming to pursue them.

"Everyone, follow me to charge the formation!" Chen Mo shouted loudly, drew his Qiulong Spear, and charged out, leading the way.

The reason he did not use his iron hammer was that he did not want to damage the armor and horses.

If they killed all these people, they could directly take the horses to ride.

Zheng Ying was quite strong, but between the Innate and Post-Heaven realms, it was as if there were a chasm; not everyone had the ability to cross it.

Chen Mo cultivated both internally and externally, and his own combat power was far superior to many experts of the same realm.

From far away, Zheng Ying could feel just how massive the power carried by that feathered arrow, condensed from True Qi, truly was.

"We are willing to surrender!" He did not hesitate for an instant, discarded his weapon, flipped off his horse, and knelt to surrender.

His movements were so smooth and fluid that his comrades beside him could not help but be dumbfounded.

It was too fast—so fast that they hadn't even reacted; some were still holding their weapons, spurring their horses forward to charge, when they heard their leader shout surrender, and they immediately froze, not knowing what to do.

"We are acting under the orders of the Prince of Pingxi to leave the city and protect the Empress and the Crown Prince; we absolutely have no intention of harming the Empress and the Crown Prince!"

Zheng Ying shouted loudly; he had a sturdy build, so his voice was naturally loud enough.

Although he served under the Prince of Pingxi, he had truly been startled when he received this order.

To leave the city to search for the whereabouts of the Crown Prince and the Empress, and then invite them back into the city.

No matter how one looked at it, this was not a good errand.

If any mishap were to befall the Empress or the Crown Prince on the way, he would definitely be unable to escape death.

Moreover, he could guess the Prince of Pingxi's objective; although he was not a loyal subject of Great Gan, he also did not wish to be a treacherous official.

Originally, his plan was to leave the city, deal with the search perfunctorily, and then go back to report the completion of the task.

Therefore, he had been deliberately controlling the speed of his cavalry, never letting them ride too fast.

He never expected his luck to be so bad that he would actually encounter the Empress and the Crown Prince.

Not only that, but the two also had an Innate Martial Artist guarding them.

So Zheng Ying reacted quickly: no matter what, surrender first, and only then would there be room for explanation.

Otherwise, if the Innate Expert really made a move, not only would he die in vain, but he would also carry the infamy of a treacherous official forever.

Hearing these words, Chen Mo let the feathered arrow he had shot graze past Zheng Ying's horse and head straight toward the distant Capital.

Seeing him surrender so decisively and smoothly, Chen Mo could not help but be surprised, but he did not continue to attack and instead stopped his steps.

Seeing this, Zheng Ying felt a surge of joy in his heart and relaxed slightly; as long as he didn't attack again, at least he had a chance to explain.

"My family has been loyal for generations, and although I serve under the Prince of Pingxi,

I am absolutely only loyal to the Emperor of the Imperial Court, and that Prince of Pingxi has always had little trust in me."

As he spoke, Zheng Ying stood up, tackled a cavalryman beside him, and subdued him with a few punches.

Seeing that the cavalryman had been subdued, several other cavalrymen wanted to flee, but they were surrounded by the remaining cavalry.

"This person was an eye placed by the Prince of Pingxi beside me to monitor me; I am willing to kill this person to show my determination."

As his voice fell, he unhooked the Short Blade at his waist and thrust it forcefully toward that Martial Artist.

That Martial Artist also had the strength of Tongmai Perfection and resisted desperately, but he was far from being a match for Zheng Ying and was easily killed by him.

Only after confirming that this person was dead did the heart Zheng Ying had been hanging finally settle down.

He was born with a sturdy build of copper skin and iron bones, but that did not mean he was not smart.

Of course, he could guess why the Prince of Pingxi had arranged for someone to monitor him while he was out searching for the Empress and the Crown Prince this time.

It was to find an opportunity to kill the Crown Prince directly, then push all the blame onto him, and then have his entire clan executed along with his brothers to be buried with the Crown Prince; all of this would be perfectly justified.

By then, he would have become a treacherous official who stank for ten thousand years, while the Prince of Pingxi would instead be a loyal subject of the Imperial Court.

He was not a die-hard loyalist of the Prince of Pingxi, unlike this Meridian-Opening Martial Artist who monitored him and was willing to risk his life to die for him.

"Good, Great Gan indeed still has loyal subjects." Chen Mo smiled and spoke in a clear voice.

He now believed Zheng Ying's words by a few points, regardless of whether he was a loyal subject before.

But now that he had killed a Martial Artist as a token of his sincerity, the Prince of Pingxi would likely find it hard to trust him again.

Hearing this, Zheng Ying immediately stood up and bowed, "My Lord, those few are all Personal Soldiers of the Prince of Pingxi; would you like me to kill them as well?"

"Leave one alive," Chen Mo said with a smile.

Zheng Ying hurriedly gave a wink to his trusted subordinates; in an instant, only one remained of the few cavalrymen who had wanted to flee.

"General, the person killed was a personal guard of the Prince of Pingxi; what this Zheng Ying said is likely true," Zhao Wen walked to Chen Mo's side again and reported in a low voice.

Even now, he still found it hard to believe that Chen Mo was an Innate Expert, but he knew that True Qi would not lie.

Moreover, this was a good thing; with an Innate Expert sitting in command, they would not have to be too afraid, even of the Prince of Pingxi.

"All cavalry, dismount and clear the way ahead for the Empress and the Crown Prince," Chen Mo stepped forward and ordered loudly.

Although what Zheng Ying had done made it completely impossible for him to go and defect to the Prince of Pingxi, Chen Mo still did not fully trust him.

He only let him clear the path ahead, while the people truly responsible for guarding the imperial carriage remained the Yulin Guard.

Zheng Ying naturally knew this situation as well, and honestly led his own trusted subordinates to walk at the very front.

"Your Highness, please return to the carriage to rest first; your humble servant will handle the driving."

Chen Mo walked back to the side of the imperial carriage and spoke in a gentle voice.

"I have troubled you, Chen." Empress Xu smiled indifferently, twisted her body, and walked into the carriage.

Chen Mo drove the carriage, while the many Yulin Guard soldiers rode their horses.

The subsequent journey was relatively steady; they were now only seventy or eighty li from the Palace City, and at the speed of Chen Mo and the others, they would arrive in just over an hour.

Along the way, there were indeed other cavalry searching for the traces of the Empress and the Crown Prince, but seeing this situation, no one dared to approach, and most guarded from a distance.

Everyone knew this was muddy water, and no one was willing to wade through it carelessly.

Excluding the Prince of Pingxi's trusted subordinates, the vast majority of Imperial Court officials still had three parts of loyalty toward the Emperor and the nation.

Although they dared not stand out to express their opposition at this moment, most of their thoughts were actually not much different from Zheng Ying's, which was to go through the motions.

Under the escort of the many soldiers along the way, Chen Mo drove the carriage into the Capital.

At this point, they were, on the contrary, safe.

The Empress and the Crown Prince could die by drowning, could die of illness, or even after being strangled with a rope, one could say they died of a cold.

But they absolutely could not be killed in the street within the city; the impact would be too great.

It was still easy to explain outside the city, but if one acted directly within the city under the eyes of everyone, then no matter how the history books tried to whitewash it, they could not cleanse the Prince of Pingxi.

A child of a thousand gold does not die in the marketplace.

This is a silent unwritten rule; if he really did this, it would not be usurping power, but treason.

By then, the civil and military officials who had not yet taken sides in the Imperial Court, and even the imperial clan, would oppose his branch inheriting the throne.

Chen Mo drove the carriage all the way to the Inner City.

On the wall of the Inner City, a middle-aged man with a lean build, wearing the black court robes of a prince, was staring fixedly at Chen Mo.

His pair of eyes were extremely deep, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Seeing this, Chen Mo could not help but frown; his physical body was powerful, flawless and complete, and if it came to sensing others' auras, even an Innate Martial Artist might not be able to compare to him.

At this moment, he could vaguely sense a very uncomfortable aura from the Prince of Pingxi, an aura that absolutely could not belong to a normal living person.

After a deep look at him, Chen Mo drove the carriage into the Inner City.

The Central Army General standing behind the Prince of Pingxi watched the carriage drive into the city again; his expression did not change at all, but thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind.

If not for his help, how could the carriage have left the city so easily? Yet, having finally gotten out, it had now returned.

He had also seen Chen Mo before, and from his own subordinates, he had some understanding of him.

He knew that although this person was young, he acted with composure and would never greedily seek advancement.

And no matter how one looked at it, he should have had no connection with the Prince of Pingxi.

Then why would he bring the Empress and the Crown Prince back?

Could he not know the situation? That was absolutely impossible; even if he were unclear, the Empress would be clear. If he wanted to return, the Empress would certainly oppose it.

And in this situation, the Empress and the Crown Prince still followed him back, which shows he definitely had something that could persuade the Empress.

Then it seems Chen Mo likely has a trump card.

However, in the blink of an eye, what the Central Army General deduced was already close to the truth.

Walking into the Palace City, Chen Mo leaped off the carriage, took out the Tiger Tally, and said loudly, "The Tiger Tally is here; Yulin Guard, obey my command, all personnel guard the Ancestral Temple."

The Emperor had died and would not be buried immediately, but would have his spirit tablet placed for mourning.

Ordinary people's mourning lasts seven days, Scholar-officials three sevens, and feudal lords five sevens.

The Emperor must have his spirit tablet placed for seven sevens, forty-nine days, before burial.

During this period, it is a state funeral; whether it is the New Emperor ascending the throne or conferring the title of Empress Dowager, one must wait for the forty-nine days to pass before choosing an auspicious day.

If the Emperor left a posthumous edict, then the prince named in the edict would temporarily take charge of the Imperial Court's military and political power, and wait for the state funeral period to pass before ascending the throne.

But if there is no edict, then before discussing the specific person to inherit the throne, these powers are temporarily left vacant, with no one to hold them.

And the Prince of Pingxi tearing up the edict was to use this period of time to deal with the Empress and the Crown Prince, and then choose a New Emperor.

But as long as the state funeral passes, then according to the rules, the Crown Prince should naturally inherit the throne.

So during this time, the Prince of Pingxi will definitely exhaust all means, either directly dealing with the Empress and the Crown Prince, or using the excuse of having no edict to find a way to abolish the Crown Prince's position and choose a New Emperor.

And Chen Mo does not need to do too much; he only needs to guard Empress Xu and the Crown Prince securely, ensuring no one carries out an act of deposition, and time is on his side.

…………

The place where the Emperor's coffin is placed for mourning is, according to Great Gan rules, in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Chen Mo showed the Tiger Tally; besides mobilizing the Yulin Guard, he also used it to control part of the Palace City's Array.

He activated all these arrays; if a powerful person broke in, although the array would not be enough to directly kill or suppress them, it could delay time.

"Your Highness, Your Highness. We have arrived at the Palace City; it is time to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple to keep vigil." Chen Mo lifted the carriage curtain and spoke softly.

As the Emperor's wife and son, they were also required by the rules to keep vigil for the Emperor in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Civil and military officials and even the common people in the city did not have to keep vigil the whole time, but during this period, according to the rules, they were forbidden from drinking alcohol, marrying, or engaging in evil lust; other than that, there were not many requirements.

"Huaimin, follow your mother." Empress Xu's eyes were slightly red as she led Zhao Huaimin to step down from the carriage gracefully.

Inside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, many princes, princesses, and dozens of concubines from the inner palace were keeping vigil; some were wailing, some were silently shedding tears.

And the Emperor's coffin was placed in the Imperial Ancestral Temple; Chen Mo's eyes had Blood Qi flowing, and he stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, your subject has arrived late!"

While speaking, he took another step forward, his True Qi vibrating, and quietly opened a corner of the coffin.

The Emperor's death definitely had hidden circumstances; he had to carefully look at the Emperor's corpse.

However, at this look, Chen Mo discovered something wrong.

Inside the coffin indeed lay the corpse of a Martial Artist at Acquired Perfection, and his appearance was exactly the same as the current Emperor.

But the problem was that the aura emanating from this corpse did not quite seem like the current Emperor!

The author knows that everyone has had a rather strong reaction to the recent plot, but many plot points cannot be written in a single day; I hope everyone can give me some time to let me develop them properly.

Of course, I am also aware that the main reason is that I update infrequently.

But at 6,000 words a day, the author really has already tried his best; if I can update a bit more, I will certainly do my best to update.

Thank you all!

(End of this chapter)