597: The world is in chaos, and the court is fighting

Great Chu Imperial Capital, Jing Tian Hall.

Yan Wang sat on the Dragon Throne, his Aura majestic, his eyes showing a hint of indifference.

Below.

The civil and military officials stood in their respective positions.

But the standing positions were already very different from before.

The former Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, Yan Zheng, had been transferred, with Minister of Justice Liang Long taking his place, and Second Assistant Han Fei, Former Right Chancellor being succeeded by the Minister of Rites.

This was the New Emperor's first Grand Court Assembly since his ascension, and apart from the Demon Suppression Division and Jixia Academy, almost all Advanced officials who could attend were present.

No one had expected Yan Wang to be so urgent; the Old Chu Emperor had just died, and he ascended the throne the very next day, with even the funeral postponed indefinitely.

As everyone pondered what the New Emperor would say.

Several officials successively presented their memorials.

“Your Majesty, with the passing of the Former Emperor, the world is in chaos, and thieves in various regions are no longer content, beginning to cause trouble.”

“In Tong Prefecture, in the south, a red-robed youth has appeared, claiming to be blessed by Destiny, intending to overthrow the tyrannical Chu. He has gathered local wealthy families and begun a rebellion, already amassing an army of one hundred thousand, with the number still increasing… Investigations show this person is likely a direct descendant of the first Prince Zhennan, meaning the second Prince Zhennan, possessing the Black Dragon Body, invincible among those of the same realm. He has already occupied more than half of Tong Prefecture, eight commanderies, and one hundred and three counties.”

“In secret, Soul Harvesters have appeared, collecting a large number of Souls, suspected to be Disciples of the Heavenly Soul Sect, one of the Ten Great Demonic Sects.”

“In the Eastern Ten States, large numbers of monks have been discovered, spreading Buddhism, gathering followers, bribing local officials, and labeling opponents as 'Buddha's enemies'. They proclaim, 'Those who do not believe in my Buddha will fall into Hell forever,' using infant skulls to refine Magical Artifacts, and the flesh and blood of believers to nourish Fo Mu.”

“In the Central Five States, the Eight Great Families are secretly conspiring…”

“The Demon Holy Land is secretly gathering ten thousand demons, preparing to launch a demon tide.”

“On the Western Border, the barbarians are restless, attempting to launch an attack.”

“The Sun Moon Country is increasing its troops on the border, with unknown intentions.”

“Several tribal kingdoms in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains have made no moves for now.”

“The Northern Eighteen Provinces are peaceful.”

“…”

Officials from various departments began to report the major events that had occurred in the past few days to the New Emperor. These things had all emerged shortly after the Chu Emperor's demise.

This was not sudden, but rather long-prepared.

They had waited for the Chu Emperor's demise for hundreds of years, and now that the Chu Emperor had passed away, there was no longer any need to hide.

There were seven or eight princes supported by various rebellious forces, scattered across the major states of the world.

There was a strong sense that a spark was about to ignite a prairie fire.

In fact, Great Chu had already anticipated this situation.

Ever since the ancestral pulse was eroded three thousand years ago, every time a New Emperor ascended the throne, great chaos would arise in various places.

Especially now, the Chu Emperor had reigned for nearly two thousand years, having too great an impact on the entire world. His death caused even greater turmoil than previous emperors.

“I implore Your Majesty to allocate military funds and dispatch heavy troops to encircle and suppress them quickly, otherwise, once the great wind starts, it will be unstoppable.”

A military general advised.

“Currently, most forces in the world are still watching. Relying on the lingering prestige of the Former Emperor and the fierce power unleashed by the Supervisor, they still dare not act rashly. If the court cannot promptly formulate a plan and suppress the rebellion, other traitors, I fear…”

“I request Your Majesty to issue an imperial decree, appointing the Supervisor as commander-in-chief to quell the rebellion and stabilize the people's hearts.”

Minister of War Sun Wu presented his memorial.

If it weren't for a God of Slaughter appearing during the Great Chu's reign, merely the Chu Emperor's demise would have caused seven-tenths of the world's forces to rebel, and even if not openly, they would secretly cause trouble and seek benefits.

“Minister Sun, what do you mean? Our Great Chu is rich in talent and heroes. You keep mentioning the Supervisor. Is there no one left in our Great Chu?”

Grand Secretary Liang Long, who had just been promoted to Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, coldly reprimanded him.

Chu Jiang's prestige was already high enough, on par with a prince. If he were to quell the internal strife of Great Chu again, his merits would overshadow the New Emperor.

Wouldn't that make the New Emperor seem inferior to Chu Jiang?

“Minister Sun, Elder Liang's words may be a bit crude, but they are not without reason. The Supervisor is busy with myriad affairs. How could such minor internal strife require his personal involvement? It would be a waste of talent.”

Minister of Rites Su Wen said with a smile.

“Matters of state and military are not to be trifled with.”

Minister of War Sun Wu said sternly. With the outside world restless, the most urgent task was to quell the internal strife as quickly as possible, so they could focus on the enemy.

In present-day Great Chu, only Chu Jiang possessed this strength and courage.

At such a critical juncture, to still harbor suspicions about him was simply insane.

“Your Majesty, according to reports from secret agents, forces such as the Earth Fiend Hall and the Taiping Holy Church in the Western Seven Provinces are preparing to attack Yunzhou. Should we dispatch troops to support them?”

Han Fei, Former Right Chancellor bowed.

“Han Fei, Former Right Chancellor, you are currently only a Household Department Vice Minister. This is not your place to speak. The Supervisor's three thousand personal guards are already the strongest army in the west. What support do they need?”

“I request to propose that the Supervisor's three thousand elite troops be transferred from Yunzhou to the south and east to quell the rebellion. They will surely suppress these rebellious subjects and traitors.”

Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet Grand Secretary Liang Long bowed. Chu Jiang's personal guards, having followed him in annihilating countless wealthy families, had acquired vast resources, and their cultivation had soared. Two thousand of them were at the Golden Core Realm or above, making them Great Chu's top elite army.

This was a good opportunity to transfer them while Chu Jiang was away, severely depleting his strength.

Han Fei, Former Right Chancellor shook his head secretly. This Yan Wang appointed people based on favoritism, promoting only useless individuals. The Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet and the Second Assistant only knew how to talk, completely disregarding the overall situation of the world.

“Elder Liang, this action is inappropriate.”

Sun Wu, Minister of War was furious and stepped forward to object. Others wanted to cause trouble for the Supervisor's hometown, and you not only didn't help, but you also wanted to transfer his army. Is this something a person would do?

“How is it inappropriate? Is this world ultimately the Supervisor's or Your Majesty's? Under Heaven, there is no land that is not the king's; within the four seas, there are no subjects who are not the king's.”

“These people eat Great Chu's military rations. Can we not even transfer them?”

Second Assistant Su Wen said coldly.

“You…”

Minister of War Sun Wu was left speechless by the retort. He was not good at debate, so how could he handle such a huge accusation?

“Enough. This is my first court session, and you are already bickering. What kind of decorum is this?”

Yan Wang said impatiently.

He waved his hand, and a young eunuch beside him stepped forward, pulling out an imperial decree.

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I, by the Mandate of Heaven, rule over all. The position of Empress is crucial to the state. Now, there is Liu Rushuang, a Disciple of the Heavenly Destiny Observation, who is gentle, kind, frugal, and humble, possessing all the virtues suitable for the six palaces. She assists me in diligent governance and serves as a virtuous example for the world.

I now enthrone Liu Rushuang as Empress, bestowing upon her the golden book and golden precious, granting her the Nine Phoenix court robes, twelve Hu of Eastern Pearls, and a pair of jade ruyi. The Ministry of Rites shall select an auspicious day for the enthronement ceremony, and all imperial women, both inside and outside the palace, shall enter the palace to offer their congratulations. This is an imperial decree.”

As soon as the imperial decree was issued.

The entire hall was stunned.

Everyone was filled with questions, wondering what exactly this New Emperor was playing at.

The world was in chaos, but he paid no mind to it, instead rushing to establish an Empress.

“Your Majesty, the position of Empress concerns the state. Why did you not discuss it with us?”

“Your Majesty, Great Chu's ancestral teachings state that an Emperor cannot take a person from the Heavenly Destiny Observation as a concubine, much less as an Empress. Please reconsider, Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty…”

As soon as the words fell, a large group of people began to step forward to object.

The Heavenly Destiny Observation was an extremely mysterious force, with a special relationship with Great Chu, and many imperial princes would go to the Heavenly Destiny Observation for further study.

Legend has it that whenever there was a chaotic era, a Child of Destiny would appear to save the world.

And these Children of Destiny were mostly from the Heavenly Destiny Observation.

However, after the founding of Great Chu, the Grand Ancestor explicitly laid down ancestral teachings that future generations of emperors could not marry people from the Heavenly Destiny Observation, but did not explain the reason.

Successive emperors had followed this, so why did Yan Wang want to change this custom as soon as he ascended the throne? It completely went against ancestral rules.

“Your Majesty, if you do not withdraw your decree, this old man will smash his head against this bronze pillar and die.”

Zhou Xuanli, the Minister of Rites, with his white hair, cried out.

It was not surprising that Zhou Xuanli reacted this way. Although Great Chu's ancestral rules had some unreasonable aspects, most of them were good.

Although he did not understand the Grand Ancestor's intention, if a Great Chu Emperor were to marry someone from the Heavenly Destiny Observation, they would be bound to the Heavenly Destiny Observation, and what would happen then, only Heaven knew.

He always felt that being too deeply involved with the Heavenly Destiny Observation was not a good thing.