Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1011 - 1011 0601 Daring to Mock Him_1

Chapter 1011: Chapter 0601: Daring to Mock Him_1 Chapter 1011: Chapter 0601: Daring to Mock Him_1 Chapter 0601: He Actually Dared to Mock Him

Prince Zhao Shibo, despite his royal status, had condescendingly lowered his stance and took the initiative to greet Li Mijia. However, he was met with Li Mijia’s disdain, and was not taken seriously. This made Prince Zhao Shibo very uncomfortable.

Hearing that Li Mijia wanted to speak with Su Jinghan, Zhao Shibo quickly stepped in front of the Imperial Guards and said, “Chief Li, if you wish to meet with someone else, I might be able to find a way for you, but if you’re hoping to speak with Eunuch Su, that will be difficult.”

Li Mijia’s eyes bulged as he said, “Prince, what do you mean by that? Is it that just a few days of not seeing each other, and Su Jinghan’s airs have grown so big that he won’t even meet with me? What, is he trying to ascend to heaven?”

Zhao Shibo chuckled and replied, “Eunuch Su himself did not wish to ascend to heaven, but he was indeed audacious as the sky. A few days ago, Eunuch Su committed a heinous act of treason, plotting a rebellion and even dared to think of killing our Prince. Fortunately, our Prince had the help of a noble person, who ensured not a hair on our Prince’s head was harmed and, with the help of that person, Eunuch Su was executed. Look up, do you see that head hanging on the pole over there? That’s Su Jinghan’s head. If you wish to speak with him, I can have someone take it down for you to have your chat.”

Li Mijia’s face turned ashen. Although Huoyang Palace and Jianwu Palace were not far from each other, merely separated by a street, he was unaware of Su Jinghan’s beheading by Emperor Jianwu.

From what he knew, Emperor Jianwu and Su Jinghan were brothers-in-law. For the two to have come to such blows, it seemed the rumors of a deep-seated blood feud between Su Jinghan and Emperor Jianwu were true, and not just simple hearsay.

However, what truly shocked Li Mijia wasn’t that Emperor Jianwu, as brother-in-law, had beheaded his brother-in-law but the information revealed in Prince Zhao Shibo’s words.

Li Mijia composed himself and then asked, “Prince, may I know which noble person helped Lord Jianwu to take down Su Jinghan? Could it be Qi Tian?”

Zhao Shibo said, “Whether it is Master Qi or not, I am not entirely sure. However, I can tell Chief Li that the Prince has already ordered Master Qi’s promotion to the position of Chief Worshipper of Jianwu Palace and has also bestowed upon him a ‘As if I Myself Were Present’ gold medallion. Now Master Qi is of a noble status, and even I must show him three parts respect.”

Li Mijia quickly thought to himself and said, “So it is indeed the case. I had no idea about this news.”

Zhao Shibo smiled. Huoyang Palace surely had spies embedded within Jianwu Palace, which would allow them to promptly receive any news from within. However, ever since Emperor Jianwu had emerged from his secret space, he conducted a thorough rectification of Jianwu Palace. In addition to purging many of Su Jinghan’s partisans, he also eliminated numerous spies planted by other princes, disrupting the flow of information to Li Mijia, leaving him unaware of recent events for several days. However, Zhao Shibo would not disclose this to Li Mijia directly; instead, he let Li Mijia ponder the implications.

Li Mijia continued, “Since Qi Tian has been decreed by Lord Jianwu as the Chief Worshipper, is he not now in charge of Jianwu Palace’s daily affairs? If our Huoyang Palace needs to negotiate with your Jianwu Palace, please call Qi Tian out. I have matters on which I would seek his advice.”

Zhao Shibo smiled and said, “I am sorry, Chief Li, but you might be disappointed. Although Master Qi has been conferred the title of Chief Worshipper by the Prince, he is not the one in charge of the household affairs of Jianwu Palace. Even if you go to him with your issues, it’s unlikely you’ll get them resolved. You are looking for the wrong person.”

Li Mijia, full of uncertainty, asked, “Looking for Qi Tian is looking for the wrong person? Didn’t you say that he has been conferred the position of Chief Worshipper of Jianwu Palace and has even received a ‘As if I Myself Were Present’ gold medallion? Even with that, is he not entitled to oversee the daily affairs of Jianwu Palace?”

Zhao Shibo smiled and shook his head.

Li Mijia, fixing his gaze on Zhao Shibo, asked, “Is it that the Prince himself is currently overseeing the daily affairs of Jianwu Palace? Oh, right. Your bloodline is that of Lord Jianwu, indeed there is no one more suitable than yourself to bear such an important responsibility.”

Zhao Shibo chuckled again and shook his head, stating, “You’ve guessed wrong. It’s not me. My talents are too modest and my abilities too limited to shoulder such an important task.”

Li Mijia’s mind conjured the image of someone he thought was absolutely impossible to be involved. Staring intently at Zhao Shibo, he said, “Don’t tell me that the person managing the overall affairs of Jianwu Palace is Lord Jianwu himself?”

Zhao Shibo nodded and replied, “Correct, the Prince himself is now presiding over the affairs of Jianwu Palace. In other words, the one who ordered you not to set foot in Jianwu Palace was no other than our Prince.”

“What? How is that possible?” Li Mijia exclaimed in shock, his expression filled with disbelief.

Everyone in Eastern Capital City knew that among the six princes, Emperor Jianwu had the worst health condition. Despite Jianwu Palace’s ongoing efforts to conceal this news over the years, the information had slowly leaked out. Now, it was common knowledge that Emperor Jianwu, in his zeal for cultivation, had consumed a large number of elixirs which resulted in the accumulation of poison in his system, blocking his meridians and corroding his body. Later on, Emperor Jianwu had no choice but to consume a significant amount of life-extending elixirs and spiritual items, further deteriorating his health. For many years, his cultivation level had not advanced, and to avoid Heavenly Punishment, he hid in a secret space for a hundred years, neither showing himself nor daring to emerge.