Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 554 - 353: Murder_2

Chapter 554: Chapter 353: Murder_2

Speaking of which,

he looked towards the Crown Prince’s Xu Yinhè, asking with a smile,

"Minister Xu, what do you make of this matter?"

Xu Yinhè’s expression remained unchanged as he glanced at the other and said in a deep voice,

"His Majesty must have his own considerations in his heart; it is not my place to comment excessively."

Upon hearing this response, Li Yaoxuan tapped the armrest of the Dragon Throne lightly with his fingertips twice, expressing slight dissatisfaction,

"I simply wish to hear Minister Xu’s opinion. There’s no need for restraint; speak freely."

"The Second Prince’s actions, according to the law, warrant the revocation of his princely status."

"....."

At these words, the hall fell silent.

Since the transformation of the world from one ruled by Sects to that governed by the Imperial rule, there had occasionally been conflicts of power between the monarch and his ministers, but by this generation, it had essentially become a struggle between two emperors.

It’s just that one emperor was still wearing the premier’s skin.

Therefore, the conversation between the emperor and the premier, though it seemed to be merely soliciting opinions, changed in nature when heard by the significant officials in the court.

They each pondered the underlying implications of those brief words.

With His Majesty’s cultivation, it was impossible for him not to hear the deliberations in the court hall. Choosing to appear at this moment, and with his first statement after taking his seat directly pointing to the matter of the Second Prince, had clearly shown his stance.

And Minister Xu, who had maintained a neutral position, had now openly turned against it regarding this issue.

What did this signify?

Was it addressing the issue at hand or was it exploiting the situation?

Different political instincts led many important officials to have various plans and schemes in mind.

"Minister Xu’s words are sensible,"

said Li Yaoxuan after a brief silence, agreeing with him; but then, with a change of tone, "However, Minister Xu, how should the harboring of private troops by an important court official be dealt with according to Dayan’s laws?"

Xu Yinhè replied sternly,

"According to Dayan’s laws, the punishment is the execution of the entire family up to nine generations."

After a pause, Xu Yinhè raised his eyes to look directly into Li Yaoxuan’s,

"I just do not know to which important official His Majesty is referring?"

"...."

Upon hearing this, almost all officials present, including Crown Prince Li Yucheng, lowered their heads.

But before Li Yaoxuan could speak, a middle-aged scholar dressed in the robes of a royal censor stepped forward, his voice filled with anger,

"Xu, you blustering nobody, that army of tens of thousands of Black Scales..."

As he spoke,

time suddenly seemed to slow down at that moment,

Amidst the censor’s angry voice, the gazes of Li Yaoxuan and Xu Yinhè collided once again.

Then,

Bang!

The censor’s head exploded without warning.

Bright red blood splashed against the solemn dark-red columns and floor tiles, the headless body standing one moment before collapsing, with bright red blood gushing from the uneven cut of the neck, pooling on the floor.

Who had moved the hand?

Most high-ranking cultivators among the officials had been assigned elsewhere by now, with the most powerful remaining in the Hall of Supreme Harmony being from Primordial, yet they could not detect who had made the move.

Although it was impossible to determine who it was, the method that escaped Primordial’s detection could only point to one of the two people.

The Emperor and the Premier.

The blood-stained Hall of Supreme Harmony instantly turned deadly silent, with most people present falling silent as cicadas in winter.

They were used to this, aside from a few evergreen trees. It was nothing new for them.

Killing someone right before the hall was nothing new for these two masters – they had done it before, even exploding someone into a mess that splattered onto others’ faces.

Li Yaoxuan looked at the headless royal censor with a pitying gaze and said calmly,

"Someone, investigate who’s responsible."

With that,

the Commander of the Imperial Guards quietly appeared outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, his cold gaze locking onto the back of the figure in the Black Dragon Robe as he stepped forward, hand on his sword.

Feeling the locking of the Energy Mechanism, Xu Yinhè showed not the slightest emotion, standing quietly in his place.

In the silence,

the sound of the Commander’s armor rubbing together was especially clear.

Whish—

A cold gleam suddenly flashed, and the blade was drawn, glowing with a ghostly blue energy.

Thwack!

The blade of the Commander of the Imperial Guards directly pierced through the chest of a young official from the Ministry of Personnel.

Inserting, withdrawing, sheathing.

After completing these actions, the Commander of the Imperial Guards saluted expressionlessly,

"Your Majesty, the assassin has been executed."

"You may leave."

Li Yaoxuan looked at the two corpses lying in the hall and sighed lightly,

"You were all colleagues; why resort to treachery? What do you think, Minister Xu?"

Xu Yinhè’s voice was indifferent:

"What the Emperor says is very true."

The disappearance of two lives signified the end of the matter, and with a grand wave of his hand, the Commander of the Imperial Guards made the two corpses, along with the spilling blood, invisible in an instant.

After doing this, he expressionlessly walked out of the Fengtian Gate, only the solemn silence of the court officials remained.

Being close to the emperor is like accompanying a tiger, let alone having two emperors on the court.

Li Yaoxuan suddenly glanced sideways at the Crown Prince below:

"Yucheng, what’re you dazed for?

"Handle the state affairs; your Second Brother is still waiting for your decision."

"...."

Li Yucheng glanced at his father sitting above, and then at Minister Xu standing below, took a deep breath, his fingertips trembling slightly under his sleeve, and bowed:

"Yes, Father Emperor."

With that, he slowly walked towards the small table with python corners under his own set of stairs.

His steps were very slow, the expression in his eyes very faint.

The recent deaths of the Imperial Censor and the official from the Ministry of Personnel, although they seemed like sacrifices to the contradiction between his father the Emperor and his teacher, were actually an accident.

The Emperor had been inquiring about his teacher’s attitude towards Li Zhaoyuan’s request for military power, but actually, he was targeting him.

Li Zhaoyuan had indeed drafted his army from among the common people, but how could he draft from among the people?

The powerless foot soldiers and commoners? Or those disorganized martial practitioners?

The only viable method was to go through the Sects to rapidly form an army.

And to allow the Sects private army to enter the Northern Frontier with the command of the court openly and legally?

Whether it was out of selfishness or for the great justice in the teacher’s heart, he would never agree to it.

As a member of the Imperial Family, he naturally could not stand with his teacher on this matter, at least not in front of the Emperor, his father.

The Emperor was forcing him to watch helplessly as his Second Brother gained power in the Northern Frontier.

A warning.

It seemed his private liaison with the Imperial Sister indeed displeased the Emperor.

During these thoughts,

Li Yucheng, with an impassive face, sat back behind the small table with python horn corners and said in a low voice:

"General Huaiyuan."

The middle-aged man dressed in military attire immediately bowed:

"Your servant is here."

Li Yucheng looked at him and took a deep breath:

"The Second Brother has already established his own office and leads troops outside; although it goes against the ancestral system, in times of crisis exceptions are made. The calamity of barbarian invasions and natural disasters are sweeping across the Three Prefectures of the Northern Frontier, causing great suffering to the common folk. With such sincere intentions from the Second Brother, we naturally cannot let him be disheartened. General, do you know what kind of military formation he desires?"

General Huaiyuan, with lowered gaze, replied:

"To the Crown Prince, the Second Prince is new to the battlefield, no matter how many soldiers, just two towns should suffice."

As soon as these words came out,

Xu Yinhè raised his eyes to look towards Li Yaoxuan on the Golden Throne, and a glint of murderous intent flashed through his eyes.

Two towns, a hundred thousand men.

To let a hundred thousand Sects’ army into the Northern Frontier, Li Yaoxuan, what... are you planning?

Li Yaoxuan nodded lightly towards Xu Yinhè, his turbid eyes serene as water, showing no hint of his thoughts.

Li Yucheng, seated at the small table, naturally noticed the change in his teacher, so he didn’t immediately respond.

He wanted to wait, wait for someone from the Ministerial party to voice opposition.

Though he couldn’t refuse, there should be a way to reduce the number of troops.

Unfortunately, within the Hall of Supreme Harmony, silence prevailed, with no official discussing the matter.

Witnessing this, Li Yucheng sighed internally:

"Since the court has no objections, let the matter be settled thus, granting two towns of troops, the military designation ’Fengyuan’."

Upon hearing this, General Huaiyuan’s eyes lit up with joy, he half-knelt on the ground and bowed to receive the order:

"Your servant, obeys the command."

Li Yucheng smiled warmly:

"Although the Second Brother has military experience, he is still rather inexperienced compared to the Imperial Sister. I hope General Huaiyuan will take good care of the Second Brother on your journey north."

General Huaiyuan replied gravely:

"Your servant, will serve with my life."

After speaking, General Huaiyuan returned to his place in the ranks.

Seeing this, the chief eunuch in charge at the front summoned the last person who had coughed lightly:

"Minister of Beverages, do you have any matter to report?"

Upon hearing this, a minister spoke quietly:

"There is no longer any matter."

Li Yaoxuan, upon hearing this, suddenly spoke:

"If that is so, We are tired; let the court be dismissed."

Having said this, he rose from the Dragon Throne and walked towards the side hall.

But halfway there, he suddenly paused, turned back to look at his old friend below, and spoke in a low voice:

"Minister Xu, stay, there are matters to discuss with you."