Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds-Chapter 101 - 98. Song Family’s Demise (Seeking First Subscription)

Eunuch Li Enlu, who held the imperial seal, fell silent upon hearing this.

As expected. The Prince was still the same Prince he knew. He had never changed. However, he had been an old servant by Emperor Chongming’s side. When Emperor Chongming was bestowed as a King at the age of seven, Li Enlu had already followed him closely, serving Emperor Chongming for over forty years. He was already well-acquainted with Emperor Chongming’s royal nature of treating the common people like slaves.

"Your servant... obeys the order and grants Consort Xia three feet of white silk to hang herself with."

Li Enlu made a gesture of acknowledging the decree and walked into the palace alone. Now that Emperor Chongming had no one around him to rely on, only he, the eunuch who held the imperial seal, could personally carry out the execution.

Soon after, a woman’s blood-curdling wail echoed through the palace.

"A consort has her way of dying... and an Emperor should have his way of dying too." At this moment, Emperor Chongming had no interest in killing other consorts. He simply discarded the treasured sword in his hand and said, "I am unwilling to kneel and beg for mercy in front of Xu Xing."

The master and servant remained silent, heading towards Wushan in the inner palace.

However, the next moment, Ye Jeming appeared before Emperor Chongming. "Where are your sons? I’ll take them out. You can die, but the state of Fengxi Country must continue; it cannot be destroyed."

Now was the crucial moment for the Song Knife to condense the First-Class Dragon and Tiger Dao Pill. Under no circumstances could they allow the Dragon Pulse of Fengxi Country to be severed. As for why he did not take Emperor Chongming out of Shenjing... it was because even Ye Jeming disliked Emperor Chongming. The Great Imperial Court Sword Qi had injured one of Emperor Chongming’s arms, which had humiliated Ye Jeming in front of mortals. It was unlikely for Xu Xing, a mere mortal and rebel king, to have access to the "Imperial Court Sword Canon". Even if Xuanji Temple were to support the imperial cause, they would not have gifted this Innate Martial Art, the "Imperial Court Sword Canon". Thinking it over, the most suspicious person was Emperor Chongming. Later, Ye Jeming captured a high official from Shenjing, interrogated him, and learned the truth. He also came to understand Emperor Chongming’s incompetence. Even if he managed to take this incompetent Emperor away, and even if local officials chose to accept him and establish a new court elsewhere... with Emperor Chongming’s character, Ye Jeming believed another national collapse wouldn’t be far off. However, taking the princes away would be much easier. Princes could be molded; even if they were incompetent, a powerful minister could take charge.

Emperor Chongming, upon hearing that Ye Jeming would not save him and only wished to take the princes away, felt a chill in his heart. He said, "I have entrusted the Crown Prince and Prince Yong to Royal Uncle Zhou Qing and Night Patrol Commander Liu Yan respectively."

The eggs shouldn’t all be placed in one basket. Royal Uncle Zhou Qing was the Empress’s biological father and the Crown Prince’s maternal grandfather; he would surely protect the Crown Prince. As for Night Patrol Commander Liu Yan, he was Emperor Chongming’s sworn brother and extremely reliable. Moreover, the Night Patrol Department had Tiqi members scattered throughout the land; hiding Prince Yong would be effortless for them.

Eunuch Li Enlu stood by, hesitating, unsure whether he should speak.

Just listening to Emperor Chongming’s arrangements, they seemed somewhat reasonable. However, the critical problem was that Emperor Chongming’s character was too despicable. He had long been abandoned by everyone and had no trusted aides to speak of... Royal Uncle Zhou Qing and Commander Liu Yan might not actually protect the two princes. "The Emperor has lost virtue and has not won the hearts of the people... King Xing Tian has fed the common people under his rule and has obtained Heaven’s Mandate."

"I am willing to die alongside Your Majesty because I want to fulfill my last bit of loyalty, but I cannot harm the common people for my own selfish reasons. Besides, even if what I suspect is true, it may not change the outcome."

"It is too easy to hide someone in the vastness of Shenjing. The current situation is chaotic, and it is not certain whether the Immortals can find the Crown Prince and Prince Yong..."

Li Enlu chose to keep quiet. If he caused the common people to suffer due to his own selfish thoughts, he would become a sinner throughout the ages. The people’s hearts have turned against the National Dynasty; it deserves to perish...

"As long as arrangements have been made, that’s good." Ye Jeming nodded slightly. It seemed Emperor Chongming wasn’t so utterly incompetent as to leave no escape route for the Song Family Dynasty.

However, before his words could fade, many more armored soldiers from the Siming Mountain Righteous Army suddenly appeared on the forbidden internal road. The man leading them was Chang Ji, who harbored a blood feud with Emperor Chongming.

"Emperor Chongming..." Chang Ji, clad in bright armor, saw Emperor Chongming and Li Enlu, his eyes instantly turning red as he gritted his teeth and yelled, "You sent my female relatives to the Bureau of Music, and then you killed my entire family! Today, I will let you taste what humiliation truly is, what it means to beg for life and be denied, to beg for death and be unable to die!"

After he became a general of Mount Siming, Emperor Chongming, to vent his hatred, had directly killed his entire family. This blood feud for his entire clan could not go unavenged! However, he still retained some rationality. Upon seeing the Immortal Ye Jeming, he did not rush forward but ordered the Righteous Army to form a shield array and advance slowly.

"This..." Emperor Chongming was startled at the sight and retreated half a step. His gaze fell on Ye Jeming, who was floating in the air, and he urgently said, "Immortal, quickly, quickly... take me away!"

Although he had already resigned himself to death and was willing to go to Wushan to hang himself, suicide and being tortured to death were two entirely different situations, with nothing in common. As for slitting his own throat, he didn’t have the courage!

"I am here to protect the Song Family Dynasty... not to protect you!" Ye Jeming shook his head, transformed into an escaping light, and departed.

「Outside the gate of the Imperial Palace.」

Xu Xing reined in his warhorse at the gate. Behind him were tens of thousands of elite soldiers of the Righteous Army, their banners and flags filling the air. He did not rush his subordinates to open the tightly closed palace gate but carefully examined the thousand-year-old imperial city before him.

The green-tiled and vermilion-painted courtyard walls were over three people tall. One could only see the towering palace complexes within, each with winding corridors and high, ornate eaves. Two peeling and discolored vermilion doors stood in the middle, embedded with gold beast-headed bronze rings. The threshold was high, consisting of nine steps made of Han Baiyu. At the foot of the door, two stone lions holding drums stood guard.

"Taipu Temple is within the Palace City..." Xu Xing looked at the assembled civil and military officials standing on the ground with their hands bound, waiting, and smiled. "When I was Dianju Cheng, I entered and exited the forbidden city many times. Seeing this scene today truly brings back memories."

These civil and military officials, clad in purple robes and vermilion attire, were figures he once had to look up to when he was merely an eighth-rank officer. But now, these same people stood by the roadside, kneeling and begging him for mercy.

"From now on, the forbidden grounds shall be the Heavenly King’s courtyard... To feel a sense of nostalgia upon seeing it is quite natural..." Taipu Han Sui stood beside Xu Xing’s warhorse, his old face wearing a fawning smile, uttering one flattering remark after another. He now only hoped that Xu Xing would remember his "past favors" and spare his life.

However, Xu Xing ignored him. After sweeping his gaze over these officials, he said coldly, "Before this king arrived at the palace gate, tradition dictated that Emperor Chongming should appear with bared shoulders, holding jade in his mouth while leading a sheep, to surrender the city... and offer the Imperial Seal. Yet today, not only is Emperor Chongming absent, but even the Crown Prince is nowhere to be seen."

"Are you all intending to surrender... or are you saying..." His gaze swept over the surrendering civil and military officials by the roadside, his eyes turning slightly cold.

After conquering Shenjing, the most critical matter was not the city’s wealth, but the fate of Emperor Chongming and his princes. Their strategy was to sever the Imperial Court’s orthodoxy. It was imperative that Emperor Chongming and his princes all die. Otherwise, if Emperor Chongming or the princes escaped to the regions, they could quickly form another small imperial court. With another imperial court established, King Zhenbei’s stance towards Mount Siming would become difficult to manage.

"Heavenly King..." At this moment, a purple-robed official stepped forward and bowed deeply to Xu Xing. "This minister is willing to offer the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is hiding in my house. I have already ordered my servants to bind him. The Crown Prince is nearby now."

"Heavenly King..." Commander Liu also stepped forward, cupping his hands. "This minister is willing to offer Prince Yong."

「At the lookout tower above the Vermilion Bird Gate of the Palace City.」 novelbuddy-cσ๓

Ye Jeming was just preparing to head to Royal Uncle Zhou Qing’s residence in Shenjing to find him and take Emperor Chongming’s Crown Prince south. However, just as he was about to depart, he inadvertently overheard the conversation in front of the palace gate.

His expression instantly turned peculiar.

There isn’t even one loyal minister... This Emperor Chongming... How did the descendants of Song Knife become so inept? He was speechless.

With the protection of the grey-robed old monk, it was difficult for him to assassinate Xu Xing covertly. At the same time, now that both princes had been brought to Xu Xing’s side by the very ministers Emperor Chongming had entrusted them to, even if he wanted to protect them and take them away, it was impossible. One move short!

Could it be... the Song Family Dynasty is truly destined for ruin? This thought arose in Ye Jeming’s mind.

If Emperor Chongming had shown even a little competence, Fengxi Country would not have reached the point of national extinction.