"Pri Minister, make sure everyone who has seen the Empress' Husband keeps their mouths shut. We cannot allow any information to leak," Dongfang Liuli whispered, her red lips barely moving.
Jiang Canghai folded his hands into his sleeves, gave Dongfang Liuli a deep look, and nodded silently.
Once ng Qingzhou had packed his belongings and boarded the flying beast with Su Qingqiu, the Empress' imperial carriage took off, chasing the remnants of the sunset and disappearing into the horizon.
***
After a long while.
Jiang Canghai sighed in amazent:"The Empress' Husband must not interfere in state affairs. Moreover, there is a concern that his identity might be exploited by those with ill intentions.
Therefore, let him return under a different identity... With the Sage entering the court, chaos is sure to follow.
Your Majesty's thods are truly impressive!"
To avoid arousing ng Qingzhou's suspicion, the group of flying beasts following the imperial carriage circled above the capital for a long ti before slowly descending into the palace.
Sitting on the back of the flying beast, ng Qingzhou took a deep breath of the palace air and murmured to himself:"This is indeed the supre hall of power; even the air is filled with the scent of wealth and extravagance."
On the imperial carriage, Dongfang Liuli, who had been eavesdropping silently, pursed her lips at his words.
Su Qingqiu couldn't help but glance at ng Qingzhou several tis, wanting to speak but not daring to. What scent of wealth? We just circled around and ca back.
The only difference was that the imperial carriage stopped at the Golden Throne Hall, not the rebuilt Taiji Hall (Present Village).
Present Village had been sealed off, and no one could enter without the Empress' decree.
"ng Qingzhou, co here," the Empress stepped down from the imperial carriage and beckoned with her finger.
ng Qingzhou took a step forward: "Your Majesty."
Dongfang Liuli looked at ng Qingzhou, who had the deanor of a bullied little wife, and couldn't help but feel a mix of pride and excitent. She chuckled lightly:"ng Qingzhou, you are to change your na and identity. In the capital, you will be called... ng Qin! Do you understand?"
ng Qingzhou was puzzled: "Why must I change my na? Is my na unfit for others to know?"
Dongfang Liuli was speechless and simply threw out a sentence: "No ans, there's no need for so many questions!"
Leaving ng Qingzhou standing alone, bewildered in the wind.
What the hell, why do I have to hide my identity?!
And why did the Empress' tone have a hint of coquettishness?
"It's all ssed up, completely ssed up," ng Qingzhou murmured to himself.
The interior of the Golden Throne Hall was not resplendent in gold but rather a grand and simple black!
The space inside was vast, extending hundreds of ters deep, and the materials used were the rarest of the rare, ten-thousand-year-old supre spiritual jade. Even an ordinary person breathing in here would gain longevity.
Eighty-one deep black dragon columns lined the sides, leading straight to the Empress' throne at the highest point.
Hundreds of Imperial Guards at the peak of the Cloud Ascension Realm stood like statues, their cold eyes visible only through the slits in their helts.
Majestic, towering, and suprely authoritative!
Below the throne, civil and military officials held jade tablets and stood in neat rows, having long awaited this mont.
ng Qingzhou, dressed in black robes adorned with dragon patterns, his eyes covered by black silk, tapped the ground lightly with his cane, producing a crisp sound.
Under the watchful eyes of the officials, he slowly walked forward, stopping at the front and bowing:
"Minister ng Qin pays respects to Your Majesty."
The throne was veiled by a red silk curtain. The Empress raised her hand and said calmly, "Rise."
The Empress, Dongfang Liuli, spoke indifferently:"Minister ng, your talents are unparalleled and rare in this world! I have decided to promote you to Vice Minister of Rites. Any objections?"
ng Qingzhou's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
Wow, what a high position! A direct leap to the top.
If the Minister is equivalent to a departnt head, then the Vice Minister is like a deputy head. The Minister is of the second rank, while the Vice Minister is of the third rank.
Jiang Canghai, standing at the forefront of the civil officials, glanced at the composed ng Qingzhou and said nothing.
Indeed, the current Minister of Rites and Pri Minister was Jiang Canghai himself.
Jiang Canghai, one of the few who knew ng Qingzhou's true identity, was not surprised and naturally had no objections.
However, few had seen the Empress' Husband's face. Among the officials present, only two had: Jiang Canghai and the leader of the Imperial Guard, Lin Lu.
The uninford ministers, their tired eyes suddenly wide open, turned to look at ng Qingzhou, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
A commoner with no official background, who had not achieved any rit, was directly promoted to the third rank Vice Minister on his first day in court.
Unbelievable!
So even speculated that ng Qingzhou might be the Empress' kept man.
So young and strong military officers had a glint in their eyes. The Empress seed to like blind n. Rumor had it that the Empress' Husband was blind, and now there was another one... Maybe if we blinded ourselves, we might catch the Empress' eye.
The ministers, feeling extrely unbalanced, erupted in protest:
"This is unacceptable, Your Majesty! You are disregarding the state's system. If this continues, who will still strive to build the nation?"
"ng Qin? I have never heard of this person. He is neither a famous general nor a top scholar. Without any official background or achievents, how can he be directly promoted to the third rank?"
"A re commoner, no matter how talented, a seventh-rank position would be more than enough."
"Where did this wild boy co from? Your Majesty, do not be deceived by him!"
***
Dongfang Liuli, smiling, leaned sideways, resting her face on one hand, not stopping the ministers' fervent protests.
Defying the Sage's will, this is your punishnt, but also a test...
She had a look of anticipation in her eyes. If ng Qingzhou could win the ministers' approval, it would be best.
Otherwise, he would be sent back to Present Village to live as a carefree blind live-in son-in-law.
ng Qingzhou was furious, his words sharp, as if slapping the officials in the face.
He had no desire to get involved in court affairs and had only reluctantly agreed to co to the capital to give the Empress so face.
ng Qingzhou hadn't even gotten angry yet, and a bunch of clowns were already looking down on him.
ng Qingzhou frowned, turned to face the officials, and said:
"I am but a commoner, fortunate to have caught the Empress' attention, who went to great lengths to recruit . I thought those who stood in this Golden Throne Hall were the best of the best...
Who would have thought they were just a bunch of arrogant fools!"
***
"Arrogant!"
"Presumptuous!"
"What skills do you have? Show us! If you're just a fa-seeker, don't bla for cutting you down," a prince with a black beard, dressed in a four-clawed golden dragon robe, snorted coldly.
ng Qingzhou followed the voice and 'looked' at the prince, asking:
"May I ask, who are you?"
"King of Longshang, third rank, surna Ouyang, given na Sheng," Ouyang Sheng sneered.
A blind man, and he wants to rise to the top and stand on equal footing with ?
Ridiculous!
ng Qingzhou's brow tightened as he searched his mory, pondering for a long ti.
Seeing this, Ouyang Sheng showed a look of satisfaction, convinced that ng Qingzhou had no real skills.
Just as Ouyang Sheng was about to smile in victory, ng Qingzhou's lips curled into a cold smile. He struck the ground with his cane, silencing the noise in the Golden Throne Hall, and then spoke:"Though my eyes are blind, I can see through the secrets of heaven. Just now, I calculated your life destiny and glimpsed a hidden corner."
Ouyang Sheng, hands behind his back, squinted his eyes, mocking as if watching a clown perform.
"Ouyang Sheng, from Longshang County in Cyan State, born into poverty, joined the army, and through a series of military achievents, defied fate to beco a third-rank prince."
"These are all well-known facts. Are you proud to say that?" Ouyang Sheng laughed.
Only Jiang Canghai and the leader of the Imperial Guard, Lin Lu, were secretly alard, exchanging glances, knowing what ng Qingzhou was doing.
The Sage's prophecy!
ng Qingzhou ignored him and continued:"Mid-year before last, ten counties in Cyan State, nearly a hundred thousand people, died from a strange poison. This shocking disaster never found its source and ended without resolution."
At this point, ng Qingzhou paused, his expression darkening, filled with murderous intent:"The truth is, Prince Ouyang Sheng of Longshang, to break through to the Mountain Moving Realm, practiced a forbidden technique, sacrificing and poisoning a hundred thousand people! A heinous cri, unforgivable!"
Ouyang Sheng's expression changed slightly, his pupils contracting, and he shouted: "How dare you slander ! Do you believe I won't cut you down!"
ng Qingzhou, leaning on his cane, took step after step towards Ouyang Sheng, coldly saying:"Do you also want evidence? Fine, I'll give you evidence!"
With that, ng Qingzhou murmured a string of obscure and awkward incantations.
In the next mont, the once elegant Prince of Longshang let out a painful roar, his pupils turning pitch black, his spine rising like a blade.
The ministers were shocked, unable to believe what they were seeing.
"This is an ancient demon-summoning incantation! How did the Prince of Longshang fall into the demonic path!?"
"The Vice Minister of Rites was not lying. Ouyang Sheng, this traitor, is indeed the culprit behind the disaster in Cyan State two years ago!"
"He sacrificed a hundred thousand people just like that, such cruelty!"
***
The civil and military officials, masters of shifting with the wind, imdiately jumped out to criticize, seeing that Ouyang Sheng had fallen into the demonic path and was undoubtedly the mastermind behind the Cyan State disaster.
The Empress waved her hand and said sternly: "Take him away and execute him by a thousand cuts! Use the blood and flesh of the Prince of Longshang to honor the hundred thousand souls who died unjustly in Cyan State. Minister ng, continue."
These words made everyone present tremble.
ng Qingzhou smiled, thinking: The Empress understands .
"Those who doubted earlier, step forward and line up. I'll demonstrate to each of you," ng Qingzhou said with a warm smile.
The crowd looked at each other, but no one moved for a long ti.
"Move," Dongfang Liuli said calmly.
Reviews
All reviews (0)