415: Chapter 415 Ancestor, it's Fourth Sister who's plotting a rebellion!

Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Study of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The night wind poured in through the half-open window, causing the arm-thick red candles in the hall to flicker, stretching the shadow of the figure wearing a wide dragon robe on the wall into a distorted, clawing shape.

New Emperor Jiang Hantian was pacing back and forth anxiously in front of the imperial desk with his hands behind his back.

His face, which appeared somewhat bloated from days of staying up late, was now filled with irritability and unease.

Just an incense stick's time ago, the Chief Eunuch had scrambled into the Imperial Study, bringing a piece of news that terrified him:

Above the Princesss Mansion, a terrifying pressure that shook the entire imperial city had suddenly erupted.

An incomparably huge phantom of golden scissors tore through the sky, visible even from within the Great Zhou palace.

And what was even more critical was that this violent fluctuation belonging to the Laws of Time had actually directly alarmed the Jiang family ancestor, who was in deep seclusion in the depths of the forbidden royal grounds!

Jiang Luohai, the Jiang family ancestor, was the true pillar of the Great Zhou royal family. His seniority was frighteningly high; counting it up, he was from the generation of New Emperor Jiang Hantian's great-grandfather.

This ancestor had been in seclusion for a full eight years, attempting to break through to that ethereal higher realm.

New Emperor Jiang Hantian had originally thought that as long as the ancestor did not come out of seclusion, no one in the court could suppress him, the new emperor.

Yet, at the most sensitive moment—when he had murdered his father to usurp the throne and dispatched troops to encircle his own younger sister—the ancestor had been alarmed and came out of seclusion!

"Damn it! How could that slut stir up such a huge commotion!"

New Emperor Jiang Hantian gritted his teeth and slammed a fist onto the imperial desk, causing the cinnabar inkstone on it to roll onto the floor.

He knew better than anyone that the old fogies within the royal family had never truly looked favorably upon him as Crown Prince.

The reason was simple: in this world where martial arts were supreme and divine abilities dominated everything, talent determined all authority.

The Great Zhou Dynasty's classification of divine ability awakening, from low to high, was distinct: Minor Divine Ability, Intermediate Divine Ability, Major Divine Ability, Postnatal Divine Ability, and Innate Divine Ability.

As the eldest legitimate son of Great Zhou, New Emperor Jiang Hantian had enjoyed all the rare treasures, yet he had only awakened a common "Major Divine Ability."

Such aptitude was more than enough to be a general charging into battle in the army, but in a hegemonic family with such deep foundations as the Great Zhou royal family, it seemed too mediocre for a ruler of a nation.

And his younger sister, The Fourth Princess?

That silly girl who only knew how to eat osmanthus cakes and tend to flowers and grass all day was someone whom the heavens insisted on feeding!

What she had awakened was an Innate Divine Ability, rare to see in the royal family for thousands of years, and it was even a time-based ability!

The last generation of the Jiang royal family member to awaken an Innate Divine Ability could even be traced back to the Great Zhou Founding Emperor who conquered this vast territory!

It was conceivable how much psychological shadow and survival pressure it had brought to him, her imperial brother who was the Crown Prince, on the day The Fourth Princess's Innate Divine Ability was revealed to the world.

New Emperor Jiang Hantian had even secretly bribed the eunuchs beside the late emperor and heard with his own ears the rumor that made him decide to strike:

Several elders of the Jiang royal family had actually secretly joined together to submit a petition, persuading the late emperor to depose the eldest and establish the younger, intending to bear the infamy of going against the world to establish The Fourth Princess as the next Great Zhou Empress!

"I am the eldest legitimate son! By what right should the Great Zhou empire be handed over to a yellow-haired girl?"

New Emperor Jiang Hantian's breathing was rapid, and frenzied bloodshot eyes flickered in his gaze.

This was the true reason he had unhesitatingly joined with outsiders to eliminate the late emperor and dispatched troops overnight to encircle the Princesss Mansion.

As long as that slut was killed, no one in this world could shake his dragon throne!

But now, the ancestor had come out of seclusion.

And at this time, that bastard Imperial Preceptor Wen Wangshan was actually hiding in his palace, playing dead and refusing to come out to help.

If the ancestor were to find out the truth, the fate of this new emperor would definitely be worse than death!

Just as New Emperor Jiang Hantian's mind was a tangled mess, frantically thinking of countermeasures.

"Bang!"

The two heavy doors of the Imperial Study were rudely pushed open from the outside, without any announcement or chanting from the eunuchs.

A gust of wind, carrying the chill of late autumn, poured into the hall and directly blew out the red candles on both sides.

New Emperor Jiang Hantian's Heart gave a sudden jolt, and he froze in place as if struck by lightning.

He saw that at the entrance of the hall, there were no palace maids, no guards.

A burly figure with a head of silver hair and wearing a dark gold robe strode across the high threshold as if walking in his own back garden.

With every step he took, the floor of the hall emitted a dull resonance.

That vast pressure belonging to a late-stage Tier 6 Grandmaster was like an invisible mountain, pressing heavily onto New Emperor Jiang Hantian's shoulders.

Seeing the face of the person who had arrived, New Emperor Jiang Hantian felt his Legs go weak, and his scalp instantly tingled.

He forcibly suppressed the fear and guilt in his Heart, quickly bypassed the imperial desk in a few steps, and hurried up to meet him.

Upon reaching him, this newly enthroned, arrogant Great Zhou New Emperor did not hesitate to bend his knees and kneel firmly on the floor tiles, performing a grand kowtow.

"Great-great-grandson Hantian, respectfully congratulates the Ancestor on coming out of seclusion!"

New Emperor Jiang Hantian's voice trembled slightly, and he forced a fawning smile full of admiration onto his face, shouting his congratulations:

"May the Ancestor's cultivation advance further, enjoy eternal immortal blessings, and have a long lifespan!"

"With the protection of you, Ancestor, the pillar of our Great Zhou, our empire will surely last for thousands of generations and flourish forever!"

He spoke this set of bootlicking official jargon fluently and flawlessly.

However, facing the kneeling and flattery of his great-great-grandson, Jiang Luohai had no intention of telling him to rise.

The silver-haired old man just stood quietly before him.

Those old eyes, which had seen all the vicissitudes of life and were as sharp as a hawk's, looked down condescendingly at New Emperor Jiang Hantian, who was kneeling at his feet wearing a dragon robe.

The hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard; only the sound of New Emperor Jiang Hantian's increasingly heavy breathing echoed.

A long while passed.

Jiang Luohai finally withdrew his gaze coldly. There was not a trace of emotional fluctuation on his wrinkled face, and his voice was as cold and heavy as iron in winter:

"Hantian."

"Stop giving me these high hats. Let me ask you, what exactly is going on with your imperial father and The Fourth Princess?"

Jiang Luohai took a half-step closer, the pressure of a Tier 6 Grandmaster enveloping New Emperor Jiang Hantian's head without restraint:

"Tell me everything, point by point! If you dare to utter a single false word, I will hack you to death today!"

Feeling the substantial killing intent above his head, New Emperor Jiang Hantian's expression stiffened.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his undergarments, but he knew that he absolutely could not relent at this time. If he admitted to patricide, the ancestor could crush his skull with one palm right on the spot.

He gritted his teeth hard, suppressed his guilt, and suddenly raised his head.

On his bloated face, he instantly put on an expression of grief and indignation, forcing himself to begin his performance:

"Ancestor, please see the truth! This great-great-grandson is suffering!"

New Emperor Jiang Hantian's eyes were red, and he even managed to force out two tears, accusing her in a shrill voice:

"It is The Fourth Princess! It is she who intends to rebel and commit treason!"

"Relying on the fact that she awakened an Innate Divine Ability, she coveted the throne and crazily poisoned the late emperor's tonic, poisoning him to death!"

As New Emperor Jiang Hantian spoke, he kowtowed, feigning a look of forced helplessness and grievance:

"As the Crown Prince of Great Zhou, I watched helplessly as the late emperor died tragically, and I was in agony!"

"In order to stabilize the Great Zhou empire and avenge the late emperor, I was forced to mobilize troops overnight to surround the Princesss Mansion, intending to bring this treasonous criminal to justice!"

"But... but The Fourth Princess not only refused to admit her mistake, but instead relied on her divine ability to put up a desperate resistance! She even cruelly killed several Imperial Chaplains and Imperial Guard Commanders, her hands stained with the blood of the royal family!"

"Ancestor! You must seek justice for the late emperor and for this great-great-grandson!"