Chapter 484 - 433: Losing the Hearts of the Realm (Part 2)

Chapter 484: Chapter 433: Losing the Hearts of the Realm (Part 2)

From a young age, he had resolved to be an Emperor whose name would be celebrated in the annals of history. But with this edict of self-criticism, that dream was shattered. It would be difficult to even leave behind a good name. Those Historians would show no mercy.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

A voice echoed relentlessly in his mind. The killing intent in Li Chengyuan’s heart grew stronger and stronger, to the point where he wanted to slaughter every last court official in the grand hall.

Li Chengyuan snapped his eyes shut.

Only then did the voice in his head gradually quiet down. He took a deep breath. "Do as Minister Han suggests. Court is dismissed."

Just then, a resonant voice rang out, "Court is adjourned!"

Li Chengyuan felt a sense of disorientation. Turning his head, he realized the attending eunuch had long been replaced. Wang Fu was long dead.

Soon, he was the only one left in the grand hall.

Li Chengyuan suddenly felt a pang of loneliness.

It was not without reason that Emperors of old liked to call themselves "the lonely one."

The world believed that an Emperor was born with absolute power, free to do as he pleased. But Li Chengyuan knew all too well that even an Emperor was sealed within a cage woven by those old Confucian scholars. Otherwise, the literati would surely retaliate, and his downfall would not be far behind.

"All of them are rebellious ministers and traitors!"

"They all deserve to die!"

...

The state of the world changed again and again.

The Emperor, Li Chengyuan, had issued an edict of self-criticism, but it seemed to have little effect.

The high monks of Xuankong Temple insisted that Li Chengyuan was a malevolent ghost from Pusaka Purgatory who needed to be suppressed and exorcised.

The Grand General of the Realm, Xu Dingchun, had no choice but to lead the Zhenxi Army to reinforce the Central Plains.

They were now in a standoff in Huazhou against the grand army led by Xuankong Temple.

The Four States of Shuofang, against all odds, had thus become a veritable paradise on earth.

「Huanglong Prefecture.」

"Chaos. Utter chaos."

Yang Fangyu shook his head repeatedly as he looked over the daily intelligence reports.

Anyone could see that Li Chengyuan’s reign as Emperor would likely not last much longer.

The Confucian Family needed an Emperor, but it didn’t have to be Li Chengyuan. Without the support of the Confucian Family, Li Chengyuan would be powerless to hold on, even if he wanted to. The only difference would be how unceremonious his end would be.

The Li Royal Race was not a monolithic bloc, either.

There was no shortage of people backstabbing Li Chengyuan, all of them hoping to claim the merit of supporting the new sovereign.

Among them, the Third Prince, Li Wei, who had the support of the Buddhist faction, and the Fifth Prince, Li Dai, who was on the Hidden Dragon list, had the most momentum.

Li Huan’s expression was complicated.

As a member of the Li Family, he suddenly felt even more fortunate about his previous choices.

If he had chosen to ally with Bai Yuan back then, it would have been so similar to how the Third Prince, Li Wei, was now colluding with Xuankong Temple to force the Emperor to abdicate. It would have inevitably stirred up immense chaos, and opportunistic people might have even seized the chance to strip him of his title as the King of Qingzhou.

The current peace in Qingzhou was inextricably linked to the choice he had made.

Just then, a figure strode over the threshold of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, bringing a gust of wind with him.

Yang Fangyu and Li Huan turned to see Bai Yuan walk in, clad in armor and carrying a sword.

"Ah Yuan, surely you don’t need to handle these remaining minor matters personally," Li Huan couldn’t help but say.

What kind of Chief Official went out to fight on the front lines while his Staff Officers remained behind to guard the camp?

Yet Bai Yuan seemed to enjoy it, and by the looks of it, he was having the time of his life.

While the Celestial Profound Sect was pinned down in Lingzhou by the Northern Garrison Army, unable to advance another inch, Bai Yuan had seized the opportunity to pacify the turmoil in the several states between Lingzhou and Ling Province.

Xuan Yang was now a battleground on all four sides, yet the area under his jurisdiction was, ironically, the most stable.

During this time, more and more people had flooded into Shuofang, nearly doubling the population.

He had heard that property prices in Huanglong Prefecture were rising again and again.

"I probably won’t be going out for a while."

Bai Yuan sat down and poured himself a cup of tea.

The reason he had been running around personally was, of course, for Enhancement Points. The rebels in those few states weren’t strong, but their numbers were sufficient. He had now opened over a hundred Divine Mansions, enough to cover half his arm. His strength was far greater than before.

Back in Lingzhou, the reason he had been able to kill Linghu Yang...

...was precisely because of his Divine Mansions.

With all the Divine Mansions in the palm of his right hand opened, it became a sharp sword capable of slaying a Mingxin Grandmaster.

Bai Yuan estimated that even if his current strength wasn’t equal to Big Beard’s when he was at the Mingxin level, there were surely few in the world who could block that palm strike.

This was the foundation of his confidence to stand tall in these chaotic times.

He drained his cup in one gulp, then looked at Yue Xiaobai. "Xiaobai, with the Central Plains in such chaos, aren’t you planning to go back to your sect and check on things?"

Yue Xiaobai, who was standing to the side, said flatly, "Including me, the Xiyue Sect has fewer than ten members. What’s there to go back to?"

"..."

Bai Yuan thought Xiaobai had a very good point.

Among all the sects in the world, the Xiyue Sect was undoubtedly the most unique.

They had few members, but every single one was terrifyingly strong.

Among those ten, there was even a Divine Communication Ancestor.

In the current situation, a sect like Xiyue was actually in the most comfortable position. With so few members, there was no need for them to support a Prince in these chaotic times. It was also nearly impossible for others to try and annex the Xiyue Sect—unless someone was willing to face the swords of one Divine Communication expert and nine Mingxin masters.

That was why Yue Xiaobai was so calm.

Bai Yuan was a little curious. "So the Xiyue Sect has never thought about backing a Prince?"

Yue Xiaobai, still wearing his usual icy expression, replied, "The founder of the Xiyue Sect once said that we must not get involved in the affairs of the Imperial Court."

"Oh."

Bai Yuan didn’t believe a single word of it.

It was the same as a veteran whoremonger claiming he never visited brothels. He alone knew of several high-ranking officials of the third rank or above who had come from the Xiyue Sect.

The Xiyue Sect didn’t participate in the Imperial Court, but they had planted no small number of people within it.

Yue Xiaobai’s tone suddenly shifted. "Besides, hasn’t the Xiyue Sect already placed its bet?"

Looking at Yue Xiaobai’s faint, unreadable smile, Bai Yuan was suddenly at a loss for words.

’When you think about it, the person the Xiyue Sect has bet on is none other than me.’

He now had land and soldiers. If the Xuan Yang dynasty was truly overthrown, wouldn’t he become the most powerful of the Dukes in the Northern Lands?

The Dragon Tiger Sect was much the same as the Xiyue Sect.

It was just that both sects operated with such secrecy that no one had discovered their plans.

No wonder the Dragon Tiger Sect and the Xiyue Sect had made no moves during these chaotic times. It turned out they had invested everything in Bai Yuan.

By investing in Bai Yuan, if the Xuan Yang won, they would be credited for helping to pacify the realm. If the Xuan Yang lost, they could then back Bai Yuan in his own bid for the Central Plains. No matter how you looked at it, they couldn’t lose.

In comparison, Xuankong Temple’s strategy seemed inferior.

Of course, there was never an absolute right or wrong in such matters.

If Xuankong Temple could truly assist the Third Prince all the way to the Imperial City and force Li Chengyuan to abdicate, then Xuankong Temple would undoubtedly become the biggest winner, even surpassing major sects like the Dragon Tiger Sect.

It all came down to human effort.

Xuankong Temple was a major Buddhist sect with a deep foundation; its strength was in no way inferior to the Dragon Tiger Sect’s.

The Imperial Court, while appearing to be the strongest on the surface, was now leaking from all sides—strong on the outside, but weak on the inside.

Grand Protector Yan Shao’an was currently leading troops to suppress the East Sea Demon Race, Grand Tutor Liang Yuan Kang was in the Southern Border, and Xu Dingchun had originally been in Ximo. Xuankong Temple had targeted the vacuum in the Xuan Yang heartland of the Central Plains and dispatched troops in the name of the Third Prince. If not for abandoning Ximo to allow Xu Dingchun to return as reinforcements, no one would have been able to stop Xuankong Temple.

Even so, the Xuan Yang dynasty was fighting an extremely difficult battle.

Bai Yuan’s current position was very delicate. Among the major sects, he wasn’t conspicuous and didn’t pose much of a threat, yet he occupied a large swath of the Northern Territory and could not be underestimated.

It was the perfect situation for him to lay low and build up his strength.

He had no intention of dying for his sovereign, so he certainly wouldn’t interfere in the affairs of the Central Plains.

’Build high walls, slowly claim the throne?’

A peculiar thought arose in Bai Yuan’s mind.

With the shattering of fortune, the number of experts in the world had more than doubled. The number of Sensing Powerhouses in the Four States of Shuofang alone had reached a terrifying fifty. A few years ago, this would have been completely unimaginable.

Together, these people represented a considerable force.

Bai Yuan looked at Li Huan again. "Brother Li, how is the matter with the Martial Artists coming along?"

Li Huan smiled faintly. "Eighty percent of them have already joined the Shuofang Army."

"Excellent."

Bai Yuan’s eyes lit up. Li Huan’s efficiency was much higher than he had imagined.

Martial Artists were hot-blooded and not the easiest people to deal with. To be able to gather so many Sensing Powerhouses so quickly, his methods must have been anything but simple.

But he had heard from many people that Li Huan had earned the moniker of "Poisonous Scholar" in Shuofang.

It was a testament to his ruthless methods.

Perhaps with Li Huan as a foil, Bai Yuan’s own reputation in Shuofang had improved quite a bit.