130: Chapter 130 Rumors Are Spreading

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The commander of the Imperial Guards knelt on one knee, his black robes shimmering with a cold, hard luster under the candlelight.

After speaking, he hesitated and looked up, his Adam's apple bobbing:

"Your Majesty, regarding the matter of Minister of War Leng Jiangchan..."

"Is the matter not already clear enough?"

Emperor Wu Tianba's voice suddenly turned cold, like an ice blade in the twelfth lunar month, piercing one's spine with a chill.

His fingertips caressed the warm jade tablet on the dragon desk, his pads tracing over the flowing cloud patterns. When his gaze swept toward the Imperial Guard commander, his eyes were filled with unquestionable imperial majesty:

"Wantonly insulting the Imperial Dynasty and threatening a prince in public—that is a capital crime punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan."

"Minister of War Leng Jiangchan failed to discipline his son, allowing him to collide with the First Prince Wu Zhanxian; this is the first crime;"

"As a subject, he spoke wildly, treating imperial power as if it were nothing; this is the second crime."

His tone grew colder, each word like a nail:

"What, do I still need to hold your hand and teach you..."

"How to dispose of an old thing who rebels against his superiors?"

The Imperial Guard commander's heart shuddered, and fine cold sweat instantly seeped from his forehead. He quickly bowed his head to the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold gold bricks, his voice trembling with awe:

"Your subject dares not! This subject understands!"

"Minister of War Leng Jiangchan and his direct lineage shall be treated as traitors, their house confiscated and clans exterminated, to serve as a warning to others!"

"His students, old acquaintances, faction members, and confidants—anyone involved shall be thoroughly investigated, with no leniency!"

Emperor Wu Tianba nodded slowly.

The candlelight cast flickering shadows of light and dark across his face, and a sharpness like a knife flashed in his eyes.

Minister of War Leng Jiangchan...

Relying on his status as an official of three dynasties, he had operated in the Ministry of War for decades, his influence already deeply entrenched, even repeatedly feigning compliance with his decrees.

He had long been a thorn in his side that could not be pulled out.

Now that this old thing had run onto the blade of the First Prince Wu Zhanxian himself, it provided him with the perfect excuse to clean up the imperial court—removing a major threat while paving the way for his son.

Killing two birds with one stone.

"Go and do it."

Emperor Wu Tianba's voice was as heavy as an iron block ground against bluestone, every word decisive:

"Be quick, be ruthless, and leave no hidden dangers."

"I want the entire court and all the people under heaven to see clearly—"

"What the consequences are for insulting the Imperial Dynasty and challenging imperial power."

"And I want those who think I am old and can act recklessly to know..."

"It is not their place to dictate the future of this Great Wu empire!"

"Yes! Your subject will do it immediately!"

The Imperial Guard commander dared not say another word. When he rose, his robes did not make a sound, and like a lingering shadow, he merged into the darkness of the Imperial Study, vanishing in an instant.

Inside the Imperial Study, only Emperor Wu Tianba remained.

He walked slowly to the window and pushed open half of it.

The night wind, carrying a chill, rushed in, blowing the hem of his dragon robes.

He gazed into the deep night, his fingertips tapping lightly on the window lattice.

"Tap, tap."

The light sound echoed in the silence, as if calculating a vast game of chess concerning the empire.

"Qing'er..."

Emperor Wu Tianba's voice lowered, carrying an imperceptible softness, as if he were speaking to a figure in the void:

"Do you see?"

"Our son has grown up."

"He should be the one to stir up the storm in this Imperial Dynasty."

"This time, I will not be like I was back then... making an irredeemable mistake due to a moment of hesitation."

His eyes became firm and cold again, like the hardest cold iron.

For the sake of the Wu family's empire lasting for thousands of generations, necessary sacrifices and bloody purges—

He would never be soft-hearted.

As for Minister of War Leng Jiangchan...

He was merely an insignificant sacrifice used to consecrate the flag at the opening of this grand drama.

The next day.

Before the sky had fully brightened, Vermilion Bird Street in the Imperial City was already crowded with people.

The commander of the Imperial Guards, clad in bright silver armor with a sword hanging at his waist, stood before the bulletin board holding a bright yellow imperial decree. His voice was like a booming bell as he made the crimes of the Leng family known to the world.

When the four words "confiscate house and exterminate clan" fell—

The crowd watching immediately erupted in an uproar!

Discussions and exclamations rose like a tide, almost overturning the tranquility of the morning.

"The First Prince? Wu Zhanxian?!"

A man in short clothes pointed at the name on the imperial notice, his eyes wide and his voice trembling:

"Is it that... the eldest prince who triggered the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder at birth, causing the Great Dao of heaven and earth to resonate?!"

"That's not right!"

An old woman carrying a vegetable basket nearby frowned, her face full of confusion:

"I remember the palace coup over a decade ago. Wasn't it said the First Prince had long been killed by rebel forces? How is it that he suddenly..."

"Hey! Your news is too outdated!"

In the crowd, a middle-aged merchant in silk robes, waving a folding fan, immediately spoke up loudly, his face showing a bit of smugness, as if he held a heaven-shaking secret.

He cleared his throat and deliberately lowered his voice, yet let everyone around him hear clearly:

"I heard that the First Prince was saved by a mysterious reclusive powerhouse back then! He has been studying under a Revered Master and cultivating hard in the deep mountains all these years, and only returned to the Imperial City now that he has achieved Major Achievement in his cultivation!"

"How do you know so clearly?" someone immediately asked, their eyes full of curiosity.

"How do I know?"

The merchant snapped his folding fan shut, patted his chest, and his tone was even more smug:

"My third great-uncle's neighbor's second aunt's niece works in the palace! This was all secretly passed out by her; how could it be fake?"

Saying this, he suddenly leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously:

"I also heard that last night, the First Prince was very majestic at Lanyue Tower!"

"Not only did he behead Minister of War Leng Jiangchan's son, Leng Wufeng, on the spot, but he even eliminated Leng Jiangchan himself!"

"What's even more impressive is—last night, three great Void Refining Cultivators wanted to kill him, but they all died!"

"Void Refinement Stage?!"

The crowd instantly gasped, and someone exclaimed in horror:

"Those are great beings who can move mountains and fill seas, and live for hundreds of years! How could they fall into the hands of the First Prince?!"

"How did they fall?"

The merchant's voice grew even louder, gesturing wildly, as if he had seen it with his own eyes:

"You didn't see the scene! I heard that at that time, Sword Qi soared into the sky inside Lanyue Tower, lighting up half the sky!"

"His Highness the First Prince just waved his sleeve gently—with a 'puchi' sound, Leng Wufeng's head fell to the ground, and blood sprayed three feet high!"

"Minister of War Leng Jiangchan was so angry his eyes turned red, and he raised his sword to fight for his life, but the First Prince didn't even draw his sword, just glanced at him coldly—"

"Minister of War Leng Jiangchan exploded and died on the spot! He didn't even leave behind a whole corpse!"

He paused, then added fuel to the fire:

"As for those three great Void Refining beings, it was even worse!"

"I heard that as soon as they surrounded him, His Highness the First Prince unleashed a streak of Sword Qi—all three turned into fly ash! Not even bone fragments remained!"

"This... this is too exaggerated, right?"

A person who looked like a scholar pushed the wooden hairpin on the bridge of his nose and couldn't help but question:

"How powerful are Void Refining Cultivators; how could they not even withstand a single move? Exploding from just a glance... this is too mysterious..."

"Exaggerated? Mysterious?"

The merchant squinted at the scholar, his mouth curling with undisguised disdain, his voice suddenly rising, exploding like a quenched bronze gong:

"Do you know who the First Prince's Revered Master is?!"

"That is a peerless expert who, by their own strength, suppressed the entire Zhenwu Dynasty, making them unable to lift their heads, and forced the Clan Chiefs of ten thousand clans to kneel in greeting!"

"I heard that the First Prince has already learned his Revered Master's skills to the fullest! Let alone Void Refining Cultivators, even if the legendary Mahayana Stage Old Ancestor who can tear through the Void Realm came, they would have to weigh whether they are qualified to make a move!"

...

These words were like a spark falling into a boiling pot of oil.

With a "boom"—

It completely exploded among the crowd.

The news spread wildly along the streets of the Imperial City, with Vermilion Bird Street as the center.

In the teahouse, the storyteller slapped the table and changed his script, shaping First Prince Wu Zhanxian into a savior hero who "returned as the Chosen One, slaying demons with one sword." As he spoke with flying spittle, he drew thunderous applause from the full house.

In the restaurant, drunkards slapped tables in argument. Some said the First Prince could summon the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder to shatter mountains with one strike; others said he carried an ancient Divine Artifact and could settle the world with a wave of his hand.

The morning in the Imperial City fully awakened amidst the boiling rumors and scorching gazes.

And at the center of the storm—

That First Prince, the "one who slays Void Refining Cultivators with a flick of his finger" in the rumors, was still in the warm pavilion of Wangxian Tower, eyes closed peacefully.

The clamor and heat outside the window seemed to be separated from him by an entire world.