Great Li Martial God

"The young hero speaks truth."

"What is death against the chance to be free?"

"This old man finds himself thinking of the crabapple blossoms back home..."

...

The assembled Great Xuan martial world experts all voiced their feelings with deep emotion.

In this very moment, though they had been swept along by Li Musheng without any power to resist, forced into standing against the Great Xuan imperial palace, their longing to escape it had undeniably reached its peak.

Zhao Muning said nothing, watching Li Musheng with an expression that gave nothing away.

The Grand Manager of the Treasure Assembly Trading House, brought out from the Mystic Mechanism Palace, stood in a corner, swept a look over the assembled consorts and martial world experts, then looked down with a conflicted gleam in his eyes.

In the end he did nothing, only quietly remained in his corner, glanced at Li Musheng once, and watched with cold detachment.

All their thoughts were fixed on waiting for the Great Xuan emperor and the palace's experts to come and rescue them, and sweep these treasonous criminals in one net.

...

From the moment Li Musheng forced his way through the Mystic Mechanism Palace and then emerged with a group of the palace's Great Xuan martial world guardians, the palace's hidden experts who had been covertly watching the tower had already sent word upward.

But Li Musheng's group had moved quickly, and before any instruction could come from the palace, they had committed yet another enormity: the staggering audacity of seizing the palace's consorts.

Meanwhile, in the Great Xuan emperor's Xuanqing Palace.

The magnificent and imposing hall was blazing with lights, and several eunuch experts, carrying visible injuries, came racing in and dropped to their knees before the gates of Xuanqing Palace.

"Honored elder, something terrible has happened."

The kneeling eunuch experts called out in a panic, while inside the Xuanqing Palace silence reigned.

Through the open palace doors, lamplight as bright as day spilled outward. Within the hall at that moment, there were only three people.

A white-haired eunuch stood before the jade steps. Across from him was a purple-robed Daoist.

And in the golden dragon throne atop the jade steps sat a man who looked to be in his thirties or forties.

The man wore plain imperial yellow robes and held a vermilion brush in his hand, going through a stack of memorials on his desk.

"Ask what has happened."

The man spoke without looking up, his gaze fixed on the memorial in his hand, a thread of weariness in his voice.

At those words, the white-haired eunuch acknowledged the instruction and relayed the question via true qi to the kneeling eunuch experts outside Xuanqing Palace.

Before long, the eunuch experts relayed the news that the harem consorts had been seized.

An unusual expression appeared at once on the white-haired eunuch's fair face. Rather than addressing the eunuchs kneeling outside, he turned to look at the man on the golden dragon throne, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, this matter is again connected to the person who broke into the Mystic Mechanism Palace tonight."

At those words, Zhao Kuang, who had been about to put brush to memorial, paused briefly and finally looked up at the eunuch below the jade steps, frowning, "Did you not already send people to deal with this person?"

The white-faced, white-haired eunuch shook his head and bowed, "This servant did indeed send people. But before they arrived, that person in the meantime gathered a group of martial world experts and seized over a dozen of the consorts from the inner palace."

At those words, Zhao Kuang's expression gradually darkened. The vermilion brush in his grip suddenly came down on the desk with a sharp crack, and he said in a voice full of furious shock, "Outrageous."

The eunuch lowered his head slightly and said nothing in reply, only asking in that sharp, thin voice, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, how should this matter be handled?"

At those words, the furious Zhao Kuang glanced at the white-haired eunuch, then slowly reined in the emotion on his face, and said with a thoughtful expression, "What Father Emperor fears most is the incident from that year, when the Theft Saint broke into the palace and took the First Consort. That person forcing their way into the palace and the Mystic Mechanism Palace tonight is bad enough."

"But to have the audacity to turn their attention to the women of the inner palace, this touches Father Emperor's most sensitive wound. There is simply no possibility of any leniency."

The eunuch kept his head lowered and offered no comment on Zhao Kuang's words, only saying, "His Majesty has placed all affairs of the palace and the court entirely in Your Highness the Crown Prince's hands. Whatever Your Highness instructs, this servant will do."

At those words, Zhao Kuang held the eunuch's gaze for a moment, then shifted his eyes toward the purple-robed Daoist standing below the jade steps, who had said nothing throughout.

Seemingly sensing Zhao Kuang's attention, the purple-robed Daoist cupped his hands in a Daoist greeting and said, "That person cleared their way through the Mystic Mechanism Palace and came out unscathed. Their martial cultivation must be unfathomably deep."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince's desire to capture this person alive and put such talent to the court's use is entirely understandable."

"But this person's conduct is reprehensible, touching on matters His Majesty holds most dear, and what they have done is simply too grave. There is no longer any justification for keeping them alive."

With the purple-robed Daoist's words, the white-haired eunuch's eyes gave an almost imperceptible flicker toward the Daoist, and he furrowed his brow slightly, "The Daoist's words are only one perspective. This matter still requires Your Highness the Crown Prince to make the final decision."

Zhao Kuang withdrew his gaze, considered briefly, and in the end waved a hand, "Then kill them. Since this person cannot be made to serve me, there is no reason for them to live."

As he spoke, Zhao Kuang continued to lower his head and return to his memorials, and simultaneously issued an order to the eunuch to send people to kill without exception every one of them, including the guardians of the Mystic Mechanism Palace, leaving no one alive.

It was evident that now that these people had dared to lay hands on the inner palace's consorts, there was no room for any negotiation. Death was the only atonement.

But after hearing Zhao Kuang's final order, the white-haired eunuch standing below the jade steps did not leave immediately. He simply continued standing where he was, appearing to make no move.

Seeing this, Zhao Kuang, still working through his memorials, furrowed his brow and looked up, only to catch the purple-robed Daoist giving him a subtle look.

In an instant, Zhao Kuang understood. He immediately rose sharply from the golden dragon throne.

"This matter concerns Father Emperor's reputation. I must go personally to confirm it has been resolved before I can be at ease."

Zhao Kuang said this with a solemn expression, then walked directly down from the jade steps and out of Xuanqing Palace.

Seeing this, the white-haired eunuch raised his head, then immediately fell into step behind Zhao Kuang, "Your Highness's filial heart is admirable. This servant will guard Your Highness's safety with every effort and will not allow Your Highness to come to the slightest harm."

Zhao Kuang's gaze gave the eunuch a brief sidelong glance, and some of the tension in him eased.

It was clear that his handling of this matter had met with the approval of the eunuch before him.

After all, this eunuch was one of his father the emperor's most trusted confidants, and the person who understood the emperor best.

Whether his own regency would satisfy his father depended on guidance from people like this elderly eunuch in a great many things.

For instance, he had not originally intended to go and deal with this himself, but from the eunuch's reaction, clearly going in person was what would best align with his father's wishes.

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