Heaven Dou Empire, in the Golden Hall.
Emperor Xue Ye sat high upon the imperial throne.
Ministers and nobles stood on both sides.
Xue Qinghe and the master-disciple pair of Ning Fengzhi stood at the very front of all the ministers and nobles.
Today's court session seemed somewhat different from usual.
Xue Qinghe lightly waved his hand backward.
From among the ministers behind him, one person stepped forward first.
Emperor Xue Ye's pupils contracted.
This person was the empire's Finance Minister, in charge of imperial taxation and financial allocations.
Previously, like Ge Long, this man had been one of his trusted confidants, but now, obviously, his confidant had turned to pledge allegiance to the Crown Prince.
This wasn't surprising—anyone with eyes could see Emperor Xue Ye's declining势头 (power).
Seeking a way out early was an extremely normal choice.
The Finance Minister stepped forward and proclaimed loudly:
"Your Majesty, the matter of the princess has been discussed for a long time. This minister believes it is time for a decision.
As everyone knows, Miss Ning Rongrong, the legitimate daughter of Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, grew up with Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. They have deep affection and have long had sibling-like feelings. Moreover, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has been a pillar of our Heaven Dou Empire for generations, having rendered great service to the empire!
This minister believes that we should strengthen our ties with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, have His Highness the Crown Prince acknowledge Miss Ning Rongrong as his sister, and establish Miss Ning Rongrong as an imperial princess!"
After the Finance Minister finished speaking, he bowed deeply.
Behind the Finance Minister, over seventy percent of the officials immediately stepped forward together, bowing in unison with the Finance Minister and proclaiming loudly:
"We ministers petition Your Majesty to establish Miss Ning Rongrong as an imperial princess and strengthen ties with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
The voices echoed through the Golden Hall,
reverberating endlessly.
Emperor Xue Ye looked at the scene before him with fury, clenching his fists tightly, his lips trembling with anger.
But he was powerless to do anything.
Emperor Xue Ye had been working very hard to salvage the situation.
Previously, he had two trump cards in his hand.
One was the thousand Imperial Guards in the palace. This force was his last remaining power. All soldiers in this army were composed of Spirit Masters, and all the officers were advanced Spirit Masters of three rings or above.
The other was the Finance Minister.
With control over the empire's finances, he could guarantee his rule over his subordinates.
If the Finance Minister hadn't defected to the Crown Prince, he could have continued to delay.
With finances stabilizing the military, the army would basically not fall into chaos.
He could slowly wait for an opportunity until he could arrange for his own person to become the new imperial marshal, fill Ge Long's vacancy, and regain control of the army under his command.
However, all of this had become a pipe dream after the Finance Minister's defection.
Of the two trump cards in his hand, only one remained.
At this moment, Emperor Xue Ye was both furious and terrified.
His eyes stared fixedly at Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi, as if he wanted to devour them.
Ning Fengzhi looked at Emperor Xue Ye before him with a relaxed, faint smile.
He knew that this once-powerful emperor before him now posed no threat.
Ning Fengzhi recalled how previously, after Ning Rongrong and Meng Bei returned from the palace, Ning Rongrong had mentioned to him that Emperor Xue Ye had humiliated Meng Bei.
Humiliating his son-in-law was tantamount to humiliating himself and humiliating the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Thinking of this, Ning Fengzhi put away the smile on his face and walked up step by step, directly confronting Emperor Xue Ye.
Emperor Xue Ye thought Ning Fengzhi was going to attack him, to assassinate him in public. Frightened, Emperor Xue Ye panicked momentarily, hurriedly looking left and right to see if Sword Douluo or Bone Douluo were nearby. Due to his excessive movements, he nearly fell from the golden throne.
Fortunately, Ning Fengzhi grabbed Emperor Xue Ye's collar in time, preventing this aged emperor from making a fool of himself on the spot.
However, after grabbing Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi didn't immediately let go. Instead, he threatened sternly:
"Your Majesty, my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has rendered great service to the empire for generations. What is improper about enfeoffing my daughter as a princess that Your Majesty has repeatedly declined? Today, please explain your reasons clearly before all these lords, so we may hear Your Majesty's reasoning!"
Grabbing the emperor's clothes in public to demand reasons for not granting the title—this was the first time in Heaven Dou Empire's history.
Emperor Xue Ye was both angry and afraid. For a moment, he couldn't come up with a suitable reason. The ministers below watched like tigers eyeing their prey. Those who could remain neutral were already considered loyal ministers, but there wasn't a single one who dared to stand up and directly support him.
There used to be some.
Ge Long was one, but Ge Long was dead.
Ge Long's loyal subordinates also counted, but they too were dead.
Prince Xue Xing barely counted, but he had been stripped of his position.
Now, Emperor Xue Ye had no one who could speak for him.
"I... agree!"
Emperor Xue Ye reluctantly chose to compromise.
That night, after Emperor Xue Ye returned to the palace, he urgently summoned the three leaders of the palace Imperial Guards.
These three leaders were all trusted confidants of Emperor Xue Ye. Two of them were Contra-level cultivators named Zhang Wei and Song Lie, capable subordinates personally promoted by Emperor Xue Ye.
The other was a Soul Sage named Xue Feng, who belonged to the royal clan.
After secretly summoning them to his side, Emperor Xue Ye said with extreme fury:
"Ning Fengzhi's intentions are clear to all. He has humiliated me too much!"
"I am the Heaven Dou Emperor, yet he dared to grab my collar and treat me like a servant. How can I endure such humiliation!"
"My mind is made up. You all must assist me in going forth to punish this traitor!"
Saying this, Emperor Xue Ye actually reached for the armor and sword beside him, preparing to don them.
Seeing this, Zhang Wei was greatly alarmed and hurried to stop him:
"Your Majesty must not! The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has been entrenched for a long time with formidable strength. Your Majesty has few soldiers and generals. If you don't exercise patience, great disaster will surely befall you. Your Majesty absolutely must not act rashly!"
Song Lie also repeatedly nodded at Zhang Wei's words, advising:
"Yes, Your Majesty, you must think long-term!"
Hearing this, Emperor Xue Ye angrily responded:
"If this can be endured, what cannot be endured? My mind is made up—why fear death!"
"Moreover, this expedition is not to assassinate Ning Fengzhi, but to execute that rebellious son Xue Qinghe of mine. As long as that rebellious son is gone, even if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect wants to interfere in government, they will lack proper justification, and only then can I have breathing room!"
Song Lie and Zhang Wei wanted to continue blocking him.
But Emperor Xue Ye no longer gave them the opportunity.
"No need for more words. Go quickly and muster the troops. Tonight we will surround the Crown Prince's residence. I will personally lead the force to execute the Crown Prince."
Xue Feng had always followed Emperor Xue Ye's lead without question.
This time, he directly and unhesitatingly chose to go gather his subordinates.
Song Lie and Zhang Wei had no choice but to accept the order.
However, after the two emerged from Emperor Xue Ye's sleeping quarters, they hurriedly discussed countermeasures together.
Song Lie said:
"Brother Zhang, what should we do? If we truly follow His Majesty to assassinate the Crown Prince, regardless of whether we succeed or fail, I'm afraid afterward we two will suffer retaliation from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. That Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has three Douluo. If we provoke them, we'll likely face the calamity of our entire clans being wiped out!"
Zhang Wei said:
"At this point, only by going to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to turn ourselves in can we preserve our lives."
Song Wei's eyes lit up as he said:
"Brother Zhang is absolutely right!"
After making up their minds, the two fled the palace that very night and headed to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to report the situation.
(End of Chapter)