Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 587 - 587 0388 How Can He Block It_2

Chapter 587: Chapter 0388 How Can He Block It_2 Chapter 587: Chapter 0388 How Can He Block It_2 Qi Tian didn’t bother to waste words with Prince Duan, he slapped his Storage Bag, and a Spirit Saber flew out of it, encircling Prince Duan’s neck. Instantly, the body split into two pieces, and Prince Duan was dead.

Prince Duan’s head rolled a great distance away on the ground, his eyes even in death remained open. During his lifetime, he would never believe he, the grand son of an emperor, could die so senselessly over the life and death of a few commoners.

Qi Tian didn’t bother to look at Prince Duan’s corpse, and asked again, “Now that Prince Duan is dead, who is in charge of Prince Duan Manor?”

Qi Tian repeated the question three times, yet no one dared to answer, fearing that Qi Tian would chop off their heads. Qi Tian scoffed, saying, “If no one speaks, this Prince Duan Manor no longer needs to exist.”

“Immortal master, please quell your anger. We will see you now,” quickly, a woman dressed as a princess consort led a boy of about seven or eight years out of the hidden passage. They were Prince Duan’s wife and his only son.

Qi Tian said, “So, you are Consort Duan and Prince Duan’s son? Very well, Prince Duan violated the law of Great Zhao, and I have executed him accordingly. You don’t have to worry, you have no part in Prince Duan’s evil deeds, and I will not kill you. However, there are a few things you need to do.”

Upon hearing that Qi Tian wouldn’t kill them, Consort Duan hurriedly said, “Please advise us, immortal master.”

Qi Tian said, “First, erect a pole outside the Prince Mansion and display Prince Duan’s head for a month. Write his crimes on a board under the pole. Second, appease the villages that were wronged by Prince Duan and obtain their forgiveness. Third, the Crown Prince disregards the law and is not qualified to be Crown Prince. I have decided to support Prince Zhao as the new Crown Prince who will inherit the throne in the future. I’ve written a decree to impeach the Crown Prince. The two of you are to sign it on behalf of Prince Duan Manor.”

“Immortal master, you are asking us to rebel,” Consort Duan exclaimed.

Qi Tian said, “This is not rebellion, but ‘Driving away the Emperor’s evil advisors’. It is for the good of the country and its people. The decree is here, and I will ask you one last time: will you two sign it?”

Consort Duan clearly understood the consequences of signing the decree. It would mean offending the Crown Prince and the court, placing Prince Duan Manor in opposition to the entire Great Zhao. If Qi Tian succeeded, all would be well; if he failed, Prince Duan Manor would certainly meet disaster and the Crown Prince would never tolerate them.

But if they didn’t sign the decree, they would offend Qi Tian and they knew very well the consequences of going against him. Prince Duan had already given them a live example with his death. Whether to submit to Qi Tian’s request or to defy Qi Tian and join Prince Duan in the underworld, the choice was clear.

“Immortal master, we will listen to you. We’ll sign,” Consort Duan quickly made a choice. She had feelings for Prince Duan, but now that he was dead, as his wife, she had the duty and obligation to continue his lineage. She dared not hold a grudge against Qi Tian nor teach Prince Duan’s son to avenge his father in the future. She just didn’t want Prince Duan Manor to disappear after just one generation.

Qi Tian brought out the ink and paper, Consort Duan and Prince Duan’s son quickly signed on it.

Qi Tian nodded in satisfaction. To support Prince Zhao to the throne was challenging on his own, it was crucial to have the support of the civil and military officials and the royal nobles to manage the country and keep Great Zhao from descending into chaos. With the signatures of Consort Duan and her son, they could no longer refuse to support Prince Zhao.

Qi Tian said, “Gather the funds of Prince Duan Manor, recruit soldiers and buy horses, and wait for my news. In the future, raise the banner of ‘Driving away the Emperor’s evil advisors’ with Prince Zhao and march into the capital to impeach the Crown Prince.”

Consort Duan hurriedly agreed. With Prince Duan’s son still young, she had to handle everything on his behalf.

Qi Tian cautioned, “Consort Duan, I hope that you are sincere. If I find out that Prince Duan Manor acts deceitfully, you should carefully consider the consequences.”

Consort Duan hurriedly replied, “I will not let you be disappointed, immortal master. For the future suppression of the Crown Prince, our Prince Duan Manor will definitely be the main force. Please rest assured.”

Qi Tian didn’t say anything more – he took Deng Chuanliang and left on a bronze statue of a crane. Only after Qi Tian disappeared into the sky, Consort Duan, pulling her young son, stared blankly at the dead body of Prince Duan, and burst into tears.

Qi Tian carried Deng Chuanliang and headed straight for the next Prince Mansion. He would not reason with them, instead, he used force to completely suppress them. Any Mansions that won’t comply, that refuse to sign the proclamation to punish the Crown Prince, would all face Qi Tian’s heavy blow.

Based on Qi Tian’s understanding, none of the Princes and Royalties in the Great Zhao Nation were clean – they all had the blood of the common people on their hands. If they were all executed according to the laws of Great Zhao, it would not be a wrongful punishment.

Qi Tian would not indiscriminately kill innocents – if these Princes could cooperate, he could still give them a chance. However, if they refuse to cooperate, if they refuse to sign the proclamation, if they refuse to support Prince Zhao becoming the Crown Prince and inheriting the nation, Qi Tian would unreservedly deal with them. A few broken bones, months or even half a year lying in bed recovering, were already considered light punishments. If the opponent was too stubborn and despised by the people, Qi Tian would kill them with a slap, and display their severed heads to the public, just like with Prince Duan. He would not tolerate any resistance.

By the time the Crown Prince received the news, Qi Tian had already subdued more than a dozen Princes, all of whom ruled over territories near Lubei County. He didn’t have the time to subdue those further away or in the Capital City.

Learning of the news, the Crown Prince flew into a rage – he had been personally selected by Emperor Tian Rui to be the Crown Prince, to be the future ruler of Great Zhao. To the Crown Prince, Qi Tian must have had the gall to forcefully threaten and manipulate the Princes, forcing them to sign the proclamation to unseat him, was simply ridiculous.

The Crown Prince immediately ordered a hundred thousand border troops to protect the Capital City while sending trusted aides to appease the Princes and other nobles in the Capital.

If it had been in the past, if any Prince dared to rebel, just by making these arrangements, he would have been able to easily exterminate the rebel army. However, the current situation greatly alarmed the Crown Prince – he realised that Qi Tian was using a strategy different from before, directly controlling the Princes and other influential figures; those obedient would be spared, the disobedient would be removed. A simple method, but extremely effective.

This had never happened in the history of Great Zhao. In the past, the Great Zhao had three National Master Manors who would check and balance each other while the imperial power remained aloof. Even if the National Master Manors weren’t tripping over each other to uphold the imperial power, the imperial power still held considerable sway over them. Now, Qi Tian was not influenced by the imperial power nor did he have any reverence for it.

Furthermore, Qi Tian had defied the tradition of the three National Master Manors not interfering with the change of royal power from the very start. He had directly stated his intentions to depose the Crown Prince and appoint Prince Zhao as Crown Prince, aiming to take control of the nation’s political power, directly challenging the limits of Great Zhao’s royal authority.

Isn’t this outrageous? In the Crown Prince’s eyes, Qi Tian, by doing what he was doing, was about to create a dangerous precedent in the history of Great Zhao including royal succession being dictated by cultivators like Qi Tian, instead of the Emperor. And if this were to happen, then what authority could the Emperor possibly hold in the future?

Of course, what frightened the Crown Prince was not just that. Qi Tian was incredibly audacious, willing to risk the world’s condemnation and undertake this unprecedented act. And judging from Qi Tian’s demonstrated power, there was a real chance of him being successful. Qi Tian’s power seemed a little too formidable, and he also had a powerful, cryptic old man by his side. If the two of them stormed the Capital City, how would he defend it?