5: Chapter 5: The Emperor's Wrath Causes Bloodshed!

Golden Throne Hall.

A heavy silence hung in the air.

Every gaze was fixed on two people.

On the throne sat the young emperor, his face devoid of color, struggling to hold his ground.

Below the throne stood the powerful prime minister, his hair and beard bristling with aggression.

Wei Yong took a step forward; the sound of his footsteps was soft, yet it made Li Zhan's heart tighten.

His cloudy, aged eyes were locked onto Li Zhan.

"Your Majesty, this old subject will advise you one last time."

"For the dignity of the Great Xia Divine Dynasty, for the reputation of the royal family, and for the health of the Retired Emperor, I implore Your Majesty to immediately rescind your order."

"Otherwise..."

Wei Yong drew out his tone, dripping with disdain.

"The Golden Whip bestowed by the late emperor is still in my residence. It strikes down incompetent rulers and treacherous subjects alike. Your Majesty, do not force this old subject to invoke the laws of the late emperor to clear the court of treacherous officials."

Clear the court of treacherous officials.

These three words exploded in the Golden Throne Hall.

The civil and military officials throughout the court felt their own positions threatened.

This was not an admonition.

It was a threat.

It was a forced abdication.

Who was the incompetent ruler, and who were the treacherous subjects?

It went without saying.

The Chief Eunuch, Wang Dehai, felt his legs go weak.

He stole a glance at the emperor on the throne.

Li Zhan's lips were drained of all color, his knuckles white as he gripped the armrests of the throne.

It was over.

The emperor was about to break.

Wang Dehai felt a chill in his heart.

Seeing this, Wei Yong's faction grew even more arrogant.

An imperial censor jumped out, pointing at Li Zhan on the throne, spittle flying as he ranted.

"Your Majesty has been blinded by treacherous sycophants and is acting recklessly. The Prime Minister has offered earnest advice, yet you remain obstinate, bringing disaster to the nation. If you do not rescind your order, our Great Xia Divine Dynasty will be in danger, and the people will suffer."

"We implore Your Majesty to rescind your order."

"We implore Your Majesty to severely punish the evil consort and clear the court of treacherous officials."

The ministers of Wei Yong's faction knelt in a wave, their momentum overwhelming, as if they intended to crush the emperor on the throne.

Li Zhan's body began to tremble.

Accusations and coercion from all sides left him isolated and helpless.

His defenses were crumbling.

He even began to doubt if he had truly been wrong...

Just as he was about to give in, a calm and powerful voice resonated in his mind.

"Zhan'er."

It was the Retired Emperor.

Li Zhan jolted, his wavering spirit instantly pulled back.

"Raise your head."

The voice sounded again, carrying unquestionable majesty.

"You are the Son of Heaven, the sole ruler of this Great Xia Divine Dynasty. Behind you stand the ancestors of the Li family and this vast empire."

"Are you afraid because of a few clowns and their barking?"

"Straighten your back. Remember, under the vast heaven, all is the king's land; on the shores of the earth, all are the king's subjects. My grandson does not deserve to be weak."

Every word from Li Xuan surged like a new strength through Li Zhan's cold body.

His trembling stopped.

His timidly lowered head lifted.

His eyes reignited with fighting spirit.

It was anger suppressed for too long, the pride of the royal Bloodline.

Looking at those hypocritical, greedy, and arrogant faces below the throne, he was overcome with rage.

Clear the court of treacherous officials?

You are not worthy.

You lot who hold positions without doing your jobs, who form cliques for personal gain, and who hollow out the national treasury—you are the treacherous sycophants who should be cleared.

Li Zhan stood up from the throne.

He said nothing, yet his entire demeanor was completely different.

The aura of cowardice on him was swept away, replaced by a piercing sharpness.

The censor who had started the clamor was still babbling. Seeing the emperor stand up, he assumed he was scared and ready to compromise.

He shouted even more vigorously, even taking a few steps forward, his finger nearly poking Li Zhan's nose.

"Since Your Majesty knows to repent, you should immediately issue an edict of self-reproach and order the arrest of the evil consort, Consort Xiao..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

A cold voice interrupted him.

"Are you finished?"

Li Zhan spoke; his voice was not loud, but it clearly echoed throughout the entire Golden Throne Hall.

The censor was stunned: "Your Majesty..."

"I am asking you, are you finished?"

Li Zhan roared, the sound resounding through the great hall.

The censor was startled, subconsciously taking half a step back, not daring to make another sound.

The clamor in the court ceased.

Everyone stared in astonishment at the young emperor, who seemed like a completely different person.

Li Zhan's gaze passed over the censor and pierced straight at Wei Yong, the head of the officials.

"Prime Minister, you say I have been blinded by treacherous sycophants and am acting recklessly?"

He sneered, his voice filled with disappointment and anger.

"Three years ago, the Guardian General Xiao Hong fought a bloody battle against the Black Wolf Dynasty in the North, beheading thirty thousand enemies and capturing their royal shaman, forcing the Black Wolf King to not dare look south for ten years. With such unparalleled merit, upon his return, you, Wei Yong, colluded with your faction to fabricate charges and accuse him of treason."

"The so-called 'evidence' you presented was nothing more than a forged letter. Based on this letter alone, you had the pillar of the nation, who fought for the country, executed along with his entire family. His daughter, Consort Xiao, my noble consort, was forced by you to suffer a miscarriage and was cast into the cold palace."

"Now, I simply wish to restore the reputation of this poor woman, and you say I am acting recklessly?"

"Who exactly is the one acting recklessly?"

Li Zhan's words were heart-piercing, causing Wei Yong and his faction to lose all face.

Wei Yong's expression changed drastically; he never imagined that the cowardly Li Zhan would dare to reopen this old case in front of the entire court.

"Your Majesty, you are slandering me! Xiao Hong's treason was based on solid evidence; it is an ironclad case. Are you trying to overturn a verdict for a traitor?" Wei Yong retorted sternly.

"An ironclad case? Hahahaha."

Li Zhan laughed loudly, his laughter filled with grief and indignation.

"What a fine ironclad case. Wei Yong, do you take me for a fool? Do you think I am unaware of the filthy things you have done?"

"Your cronies planted in the military embezzle military pay and use inferior goods, leaving the border soldiers without clothes to cover themselves and food to eat. General Xiao Hong submitted memorials to impeach them many times, but you suppressed them all. Because General Xiao refused to collude with you, you harbored hatred and killed him."

"In the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works—among the Six Ministries, most of the officials are your students and old associates. You form cliques for personal gain, sell official posts, and have turned the Great Xia Divine Dynasty's court into your private garden."

"Do you dare say these things are not true?"

Li Zhan pointed at Wei Yong's nose, questioning him word by word. The majesty radiating from him made the officials of Wei Yong's faction panic, not daring to meet his eyes.

Was this still that submissive little emperor?

How did he dare to say these things?

"You... you..."

Wei Yong was trembling with rage, his old face flushed red. He pointed at Li Zhan but could not refute a single word.

Because everything Li Zhan said was the truth.

Seeing his master rendered speechless, the censor, in order to show his loyalty, jumped out again, fearing nothing.

"Nonsense! Your Majesty, you are slandering the Prime Minister and shaking the foundation of the country. Even if I bleed on the Golden Throne Hall today, I will impeach you, you incompetent..."

"Clang—"

A clear sound of a sword unsheathing.

A flash of sword light.

Li Zhan abruptly drew the Emperor's Sword hanging beside the throne.

The censor didn't even finish the word "ruler" before he saw a golden sword light flash.

He only felt a chill at his neck.

His vision spun.

His head flew into the air, while his headless body maintained its forward momentum, blood gushing from the severed neck.

Thud.

The head landed.

Thump.

The headless corpse collapsed heavily.

Warm blood splashed, staining the cold golden bricks red and splattering onto the official robes of the ministers nearby.

In the Golden Throne Hall, there was not a sound.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden scene.

No one could have imagined that the cowardly emperor, who they thought didn't even dare to speak loudly, would draw his sword in court and personally behead a second-rank censor.

That was an imperial censor, a remonstrating official with the privilege of "reporting what is heard."

Throughout the dynasties, emperors considered accepting remonstrance a virtue; let alone killing them, they rarely even scolded them.

But today, Li Zhan not only scolded, he killed.

He killed cleanly and decisively, with blood spilling on the spot.

Wei Yong was also stunned. He stared blankly at the corpse in the pool of blood, a chill running down his back.

He's crazy.

The little emperor has gone crazy.

Li Zhan stood beside the throne with the blood-dripping Emperor's Sword, his gaze sweeping over all the ministers who were now silent as cicadas in winter.

Everyone his gaze touched felt a tremor in their hearts and lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

Finally, his gaze landed on the pale-faced Wei Yong.

"Prime Minister, now, do you still wish to request the Golden Whip to clear the court of treacherous officials?"

His voice was very calm, but in this silent hall, it carried immense power.

Wei Yong's lips trembled, and he swallowed hard, unable to utter a single word.

Request the Golden Whip?

He didn't dare.

He could guarantee that if he dared to say the word "request," that still-dripping sword would land on his own neck in the next second.

This little emperor was no longer the little emperor he knew.

He was like an enraged lion.

"Someone, come."

Seeing that Wei Yong dared not speak again, Li Zhan snorted coldly and said loudly.

"Drag this man's body out, ransack his house, and execute his clan."

"As... as you command."

Two imperial guards stepped forward trembling, lifted the body and the head, and dragged them out, leaving a long trail of blood on the floor.

Li Zhan sheathed his sword, sat back on the throne, and his expression returned to normal.

He looked at the shaken Chief Eunuch, Wang Dehai, and said calmly: "Continue reading my edict."

Wang Dehai jolted, finally reacting. He hurriedly picked up the imperial edict and, with a trembling voice that had changed pitch, read out the second half of the second edict.

This time, no one dared to stand up and object.

In the court, no one dared to speak.

Dragon Imperial Hall.

Li Xuan withdrew his Divine Thought and smiled with satisfaction.

"The child is teachable."

He hadn't disgraced the Li family after all.

The performance just now was truly a "youthful return to form".

[Ding]

The System's notification sound rang in Li Xuan's mind.

[Congratulations to the host: secretly supporting the Human Emperor, using strong-handed tactics to deter treacherous factions, successfully reversing the court's atmosphere, and achieving the hidden achievement — The Emperor's Wrath]

[Reward: Divine-Grade sign-in opportunity +1]

[Do you wish to use it immediately?]

"It's here, it's here."

Li Xuan's spirits lifted; this was the part he was most looking forward to.

"Use it immediately."

[Please select a sign-in location for the host]

Li Xuan thought for a moment and cast his gaze toward one of the oldest and most resource-rich buildings in the imperial palace.

"Sign-in location: Scripture Pavilion."

The Scripture Pavilion was where the Great Xia royal family collected Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals over the generations. Although it didn't have any particularly powerful techniques, it was the place with the richest cultural atmosphere and Dao aura in the entire imperial palace.

Signing in here might yield something good.

[Ding. Sign-in location "Scripture Pavilion" confirmed]

[Sign-in in progress]

[Congratulations to the host, sign-in at "Scripture Pavilion" successful]

[Obtained Divine-Grade reward — Emperor Scripture · Mortal Chapter]

[Emperor Scripture · Mortal Chapter]: The foundational chapter of the supreme "Emperor Scripture" of the heavens. It was created for Mortals, yet it can point directly to the Origin of the Dao. Cultivating this scripture can build a supreme Dao foundation, making one immune to all techniques and laying the most solid foundation for carrying all Daos in the future.

When he saw this description, Li Xuan was greatly moved.

"Emperor Scripture".

Just hearing the name, it sounded incredibly powerful.

Although it was only the Mortal Chapter, the evaluation was "supreme of the heavens".

Li Xuan did not hesitate at all and immediately chose to learn it.

In an instant, countless golden runes flooded into his Divine Soul, ultimately combining into a profound and supreme scripture that was branded within.

Having only roughly comprehended the first few sentences, Li Xuan felt that his understanding of the "Dao" had instantly improved by more than one level.

The Peak Innate Realm cultivation he had previously obtained was not worth mentioning in front of this scripture.

"Good, good, good."

Li Xuan was overjoyed.

With this "Emperor Scripture," he could finally be considered to truly possess the capital to establish himself and sweep through everything.

The Everlasting Immortal Body gave him endless life.

And this "Emperor Scripture" gave him infinite possibilities.