158: Shameless summons

Li Shun opened the scroll and saw a lengthy, elaborate document that seemed quite legitimate.

"Come, Li Dequan, read it to Us. We also want to know how Our former Prime Minister became emperor."

Li Dequan: "..."

Such a vexing thing, he felt his mouth would be defiled by reading it.

After reading it, not only would his own mouth be defiled, but also His Majesty's ears.

But His Majesty had spoken, so he could only steel himself and take it: "Your Majesty, Liu Chongshan wrote this—"

He cleared his throat and read:

"We, by the will of Heaven, have inherited the Great Unification and now rule over all lands. With the support of Our ministers and the devotion of the people, We ascended to the imperial throne on the ninth day of the third month of the Jiazi year, establishing the era name 'Yongchang'.

Lord Chuping of Qing Province, and all generals of the former Li family forces, hear this edict:

You have all received the nation's grace for generations and should have served with loyalty. However, the previous dynasty lost its virtue, causing chaos throughout the land. We were compelled to assume Our rightful position. Considering your arduous service guarding the borders, We hereby issue this edict, pardoning your past transgressions.

By Imperial Decree:

Firstly, Lord Chuping shall promptly submit an instrument of surrender and personally proceed to the Imperial Capital for an audience.

Secondly, the former Li family forces shall immediately lay down their arms and surrender, and shall still be permitted to guard Qing Province.

Thirdly, within ten days, you shall burn down your Evil Path defenses and open the city gates to welcome Our imperial carriage.

If you remain deluded and stubbornly resist, then once the Heavenly Army arrives, both jade and common stone shall be destroyed. Let it not be said that you were not forewarned!"

***

By the end of the reading, Li Dequan's voice had changed pitch.

"Insane! Absolutely insane!"

"Your Majesty, this Traitor Liu is simply... simply... incorrigible."

After Li Dequan finished reading this so-called imperial edict, he felt his lungs were about to explode from anger.

Li Shun, even more, felt as if he had heard something utterly fantastical.

How on earth did Liu Chongshan dare?!

Not only did he publicly declare that the Li family had all died out, but he also dared to order Lord Chuping to surrender in the Old Capital!

Truly, ignorance is bliss.

"What a 'compelled to assume Our rightful position' indeed!"

"What a 'personally proceed to the Imperial Capital for an audience'!"

This Liu Chongshan probably doesn't know that if it weren't for Lord Chuping's divine lightning dealing with the corpse plague in Yan Province, Great Yan wouldn't know how to resolve the situation this time.

Wang Guanli's white beard trembled with anger, and the teacup in his hand almost deformed from his grip.

"Truly nonsensical."

"Your Majesty, this Traitor Liu is truly courting death; why don't we grant him his wish!"

"Your Majesty, your subject requests to immediately lead troops to flatten the Old Capital!"

Even a civil official like Wang Guanli would request to lead troops, indicating he was truly furious.

Inside the Imperial Study, the atmosphere became heavy.

"Report—!"

A jailer rushed in, flustered, and knelt on the ground: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the eunuch who delivered the edict revealed before his death that Liu Chongshan... in the Old Capital... after ascending the throne, his strength suddenly greatly increased... and he also said... he also said..."

"Said what? Speak clearly!"

The guard stammered, and Li Dequan, seeing this, stepped forward to urge him.

The jailer swallowed: "He said that Liu Chongshan used some Evil Path method to force back the black mist that was about to cross the Wei River! Now, everyone in the Old Capital is saying he is an immortal descended to the mortal world..."

"..."

Hearing that Liu Chongshan dared to call himself an immortal descended to the mortal world, Li Shun was so angry he crushed a corner of the table.

Arrogant!

Too arrogant!

When their Li family held the capital, they still had to offer sacrifices to Heaven and worship gods from time to time; how could Liu Chongshan be worthy of calling himself a god!

The minister beside him quickly explained: "Your Majesty, please calm down. The black mist at the Wei River is indeed receding. That eunuch had some skill to move freely within the black mist."

"We all know the credit for Lord Chuping's divine lightning, but the people in the Old Capital don't know that. It's understandable that they are misled."

Li Shun was still seething with anger.

"We are not angry about that. We are angry at this Liu Chongshan; We have never seen such a shameless person."

General Luo seemed to think of something, stepped forward, and bowed with clasped fists.

"Your Majesty, why don't we fight Traitor Liu? No matter how powerful Traitor Liu is, he cannot overcome our secret weapon."

The secret weapon Luo Cheng spoke of was the vine poison they had previously discovered on the border of Qing Province.

He had urgently tested this substance on several death row inmates, and it was indeed lethal upon contact with blood, incredibly potent.

However, those death row inmates were all ordinary people, so the effect on those who Cultivate was unknown.

"Go and prepare; be ready for battle at any time!"

At Li Shun's command, everyone left the main hall.

They might not use this secret weapon, but they couldn't be without it. Although using poison in battle was not exactly honorable.

But using poison on someone like Liu Chongshan suddenly made it perfectly reasonable.

***

Late at night, in the quiet Imperial Study, candlelight flickered.

Li Shun stood alone by the window, gazing towards the distant, faintly visible Wei River.

The night wind brushed his face, bringing a chill.

Li Shun's fingertips lightly tapped on the window frame, carefully pondering the events of the day. Although everything seemed reasonable, upon closer scrutiny, many doubts emerged.

"Dequan, why do you think Liu Chongshan chose this time to claim the imperial title?"

And this old man, he had always been very cautious before; why was he suddenly so aggressive this time? It really didn't fit his usual style.

Could it be because his strength had greatly increased?

Li Dequan's hand, holding the teacup, paused: "This old servant is foolish and cannot understand it. It is certainly not the result of arduous Cultivation."

This statement almost explicitly said that Liu Chongshan was following an Evil Path.

Previously, with His Majesty in the capital, Old Thief Liu still had some reservations in his actions, but now he was completely unrestrained and doing as he pleased.

Li Dequan didn't know much about the events during the late emperor's reign.

It was just that having been in the palace for a long time, he naturally knew a little more than others.

Some were facts, some were conjectures.

However, these were all matters without proof, and those who served below them dared not speak too much.

Li Shun didn't expect Li Dequan to provide an answer. It seemed he had merely asked casually, and with a wave of his hand, he dismissed Li Dequan.

It seemed this battle was unavoidable.

Li Shun sighed; his Foundation in Qing Province was not deep, and he did not have many people he could use... The outcome of this battle was hard to predict.

***