Chapter 282 - 278: Madman and Madwoman 42

Chapter 282: Chapter 278: Madman and Madwoman 42

The Wu father and son conferred, and then, without even adequate preparation, they took advantage of the chaos and rebelled.

The Zhao Royal Family hadn’t even had time to react before the men from the West Suburb Camp had already stormed the Imperial Palace.

By the time Ji Xiaosong learned of the matter, the Wu father and son were already confronting Zhao Yuanjin.

She looked up at the sky, speechless. It didn’t take her long to guess why the Wu father and son had rebelled.

Something had felt wrong when their family was hit by several waves of attacks before. The sheer number of people sent after them made it seem like someone wanted to annihilate the entire Wu Family.

She did a rough calculation of the number of men the Wu Family had brought from the West Suburb Camp and found it was a staggering force of over three hundred thousand.

This truly shocked Ji Xiaosong.

After all, even the combined forces of the Zhao Family’s armies didn’t amount to that many.

So the Wu Family’s previous subservience was only because they had been caught, unable to get messages out.

The old Emperor had summoned Wu Chufeng to the Imperial Palace in the first place precisely to guard against this.

Although the Wu Family’s forces were numerous now, Ji Xiaosong was still a little worried.

They were her husband and father-in-law, after all.

Her father-in-law was a difficult man to evaluate, but he wasn’t a bad person.

When Ji Xiaosong had boldly forced her way into the General Mansion, he could have easily eliminated her without a trace.

But he didn’t. Instead, he gave her a fair chance.

Rongrong had just floated over from the Imperial Palace, slowly asking Ji Xiaosong, "Song, your husband and father-in-law are staging a rebellion. Do you want to help them?"

"It looks like they have a good chance of winning."

"But Song, their claim isn’t legitimate, after all."

’When one has power, what does legitimacy even matter? The victor is always legitimate.’

Ji Xiaosong’s Divine Sense remained focused on the situation in the Imperial Palace, where the Wu father and son were being cursed out by one official after another.

Wu Chufeng stood in the center of the grand hall, his long saber still dripping with blood. Its trembling tip reflected his cold, grim face.

His gaze swept over the civil and military officials in the hall like a hawk’s, his voice low and icy. "Anyone else want to curse me out?"

The hall fell deathly silent. The officials, who had been filled with righteous indignation just moments before, now lowered their heads, daring not to meet his gaze.

The thick stench of blood filled the air. A few corpses lay on the floor—the very ministers who had been cursing him the loudest.

Wu Chufeng’s decisiveness and ruthlessness made everyone realize that the situation was now completely out of control.

Seeing that no one else dared to speak, Wu Chufeng sneered, casually sheathed his saber, and strode toward the Dragon Throne.

His father, Wu Zhenshan, stood to the side, his eyes nearly overflowing with gratification.

Wu Chufeng walked up to the Dragon Throne and reached out to stroke its magnificent golden armrest, a flash of fanaticism in his eyes.

He slowly sat down, his gaze once again sweeping over everyone in the hall. His voice was loud and majestic. "From this day forward, this world belongs to the Wu!"

Before his words had even faded, a rush of urgent footsteps sounded from outside the hall. An instant later, a squad of fully armed soldiers charged in, led by one of Wu Chufeng’s trusted generals.

The man dropped to one knee and cupped his fist. "Reporting! We have secured the entire Imperial Palace, inside and out! The remnants of the Zhao Family’s forces have been eliminated, and the three hundred thousand troops from the West Suburb Camp have entered the Imperial City, awaiting your command!"

Wu Chufeng nodded in satisfaction and waved for him to withdraw.

He then turned to the officials in the hall, his tone filled with unquestionable authority. "Everyone, what has happened today is irreversible. If any of you object, you are free to step forward. I, Wu Chufeng, will not force you. But if you choose to stay, you must serve the new dynasty with all your heart. If you have any second thoughts..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over them like a blade. "...don’t blame me for being merciless!"

The officials looked at each other in dismay. After a moment, one finally took the lead, knelt, and shouted, "We subjects pledge our loyalty to the new Emperor and will serve you until death!"

Immediately, the others fell to their knees as well, echoing the pledge in unison.

The corners of Wu Chufeng’s mouth lifted slightly into a satisfied smile.

He turned to his father, Wu Zhenshan, and said in a low voice, "Father, this world is finally ours."

Wu Zhenshan nodded and patted his son’s shoulder. "Chu Feng," he said gravely, "power is a fine thing, but remember not to lose yourself. The art of governing lies in winning the hearts of the people."

Wu Chufeng smiled. "Don’t worry, Father. I know what I’m doing."

Meanwhile, outside the Imperial Palace, Ji Xiaosong still stood on high, her Divine Sense blanketing the entire compound.

She clearly perceived everything that was happening inside the hall, her heart a whirlwind of mixed emotions.

She knew that Wu Chufeng had taken complete control of the situation. The era of the Zhao Family was over.

Rongrong floated to her side and asked softly, "Song, are you really not going to intervene? He is your husband, after all."

Ji Xiaosong was silent for a moment before shaking her head. "This is the path he has chosen. I have no right to interfere. Besides, if he’s capable enough to conquer this world, he’s naturally capable enough to rule it. I just hope he isn’t blinded by power."

Rongrong sighed. "Power is the easiest thing to get lost in. Let’s hope he remembers your words."

Ji Xiaosong said no more, simply gazing quietly at the distant Imperial Palace.

The day after Wu Chufeng’s ascension to the throne, he dispatched a squad of elite soldiers to the Wu Mansion to escort Ji Xiaosong and the rest of the Wu Family to the palace.

The entire Wu household was completely unaware of this until the soldiers knocked on their main gate and respectfully announced the new Emperor’s decree. Only then did everyone feel as if they had just woken from a dream.

Wang Cuihua stood in the courtyard, her face ashen.

She had originally thought Wu Daniu would become the new Emperor. After all, he was an elder of the Wu Family—and Wu Chufeng’s father.

But to her surprise, the title of Emperor had gone directly to Wu Chufeng.

She was seething with indignation but didn’t dare have an outburst in front of everyone. She could only suppress her anger, force a smile, and follow the others into the carriage.

On the way, Wang Cuihua’s thoughts churned endlessly.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Finally, she couldn’t resist questioning Wu Daniu in a low voice inside the carriage. "Daniu, what is going on? Didn’t you say our Wu Family was going to rise up? How did it end up with your son as the Emperor? Are you really content with just being the Grand Emperor?"

Wu Daniu frowned and lowered his voice. "Cuihua, stop making a scene. Chu Feng is capable. I can rest easy with this world in his hands. It wasn’t easy for our Wu Family to get to where we are today."

Wang Cuihua sneered, her eyes full of ridicule. "Not easy? How magnanimous of you! But have you ever thought about me? I’ve been married to you for so many years, managed the household for you Wu men, bore you children... and in the end, I don’t even get the title of Empress! How can you expect me to be content?"

Wu Daniu sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness. "Cuihua, it’s already decided, so stop it. Chu Feng is my son. With him as Emperor, the glory of our Wu Family won’t be any less. Why must you fuss over such empty titles?"

Hearing this, Wang Cuihua’s anger flared even hotter.

She violently shook off Wu Daniu’s hand and seethed through clenched teeth, "Empty titles? In your eyes, the position of Empress is an empty title? Wu Daniu, you really are a wonderful father and a wonderful husband!"

Seeing how agitated she was and fearing she would cause trouble, Wu Daniu quickly tried to placate her. "Cuihua, calm down first. We can discuss this slowly after we get to the palace, all right?"

Wang Cuihua snorted coldly, turned her head away, and fell silent.

But a vicious glint flashed in her eyes.

’Now that Wu Chufeng is the Emperor, what about my two sons?’

’And with Ji Xiaosong pregnant, my sons will have even less of a chance in the future.’