Emperor’s Domination

“And?” Li Qiye smiled at the anxious man.

“Your Majesty, the world will change after Elder Sun’s departure. No one else can control the soldiers and military in the dynasty. The first to disobey you will be Silver Secret, then Central Legion and the rest. Without these seven legions, the officials won’t be the only ones who won’t follow your orders. The lineages such as the five great powers will begin to covet your authority and land. They might even start a campaign against you while no one will answer your call. It was a mistake, Your Majesty.” Jiadi was disappointed at the youth.

“So what? They can do whatever they want. As long as the sky is still up there, the land is still there for enjoyment and squandering. I might as well be the one to do it.”

Jiadi sighed again. Lengying’s retirement has decided everything. The only thing he could hope for right now was for Li Qiye to mature and stopped acting on a whim.

“Your Majesty, yes, the sky isn’t falling down but your kingdom is in trouble. Your life is in danger as well.” Jiadi sincerely said.

“That just means the game is over when the kingdom is gone, but as for my life? I’m still waiting for someone capable of taking it.” Li Qiye smiled.

Jiadi lamented in his mind. At this point, he began to question Lucidity’s choice in picking Li Qiye. Nevertheless, he maintained his conviction and loyalty towards Lucidity.

***

No secret could remain unheard. Though there was no public announcement of Sun Lengying’s retirement, those actively caring still found out.

“Sun Lengying is retiring?!” Shock was the first reaction.

“Why would the new king allow it?” Many didn’t believe it.

Everyone knew that the king relied on Lengying for stability and couldn’t suppress the other factions alone.

“Maybe the new king wishes to crush any potential opposition. After all, Lengying is still part of the old regime and with his presence, the king can’t have total autonomy.” Someone else mused.

“Without Lengying, this new king can’t handle the seven legions and stabilize the unrest. I don’t even think he can stay on the throne or keep his life, let alone having full reign.” A sect master sneered.

Ultimately, Lucidity King was unique. Only someone like him could maintain control of Nine Secrets after killing all of his opposition.

“Well, this new king is quite foolish then.” A royal lord found letting Lengying retire as an irrational choice.

“We shouldn’t be surprised, did you see that ridiculous coronation?” An ancestor laughed.

Asking for beauties from the five great powers as tributes? Such a king would be able to do anything else.

“The chance is here, the tallest buildings will fall to the incoming storm.” Another ancestor had a cold flash in his eyes.

***

A different atmosphere invaded the camps of the seven legions after hearing of Lengying’s departure. They had different plans; some wanted to know what Lengying was going to do because of his influence.

However, they found that he had disappeared completely after leaving the palace. It seemed that he wished to be left alone.

On the second day of this news, Silver Secret Legion began to march away from the imperial city.

“Silver Secret is leaving.” Others naturally took note of this.

Meanwhile, Li Qiye was relaxing in his garden, enjoying the breeze and the services of his palace maids.

“Your Majesty! Something unfavorable has happened!” Jiadi rushed in.

“Jiadi, what’s the hurry? Look at how beautiful it is today.” Li Qiye smiled as a maid served him some fruit.

“No, the sky is about to fall.” Jiadi got closer with a serious expression.

“Oh? Do tell.” Li Qiye said without actually paying much attention.

“Silver Legion wishes to withdraw without your orders.” Jiadi said.

“Where to?” Li Qiye remained unmoved.

“I don’t know, but given the circumstances, Your Majesty, you need to get them to stay here. As long as they’re around, you still have a chance to control the situation.” Jiadi hurriedly explained.

“Is that so? But we can’t force people to stay when they want to leave.” Li Qiye smiled.

“Your Majesty, you need to personally go to the camp and persuade the generals. I have good ties with them and maybe we can convince them otherwise.” Jiadi said seriously.

“What’s the chance of them staying just because of you and me?” Li Qiye replied.

“Thirty percent.” Jiadi pondered before answering: “Your Majesty, we need to at least try.”

“Let them go. Certain things can’t be helped, such as the rain ruining a beautiful day or mothers needing to remarry again.” Li Qiye waved his hand. [1]

“But, but… Your Majesty…” Jiadi didn’t give up.

“Jiadi, I know what you’re trying to say. Don’t worry, no big deal if the kingdom falls.” Li Qiye said.

Jiadi felt helpless following such a ridiculous master. Talking was useless now; he couldn’t change anything.

In the end, Silver Secret left the imperial city. No generals even bothered to report to the new king; they didn’t even send messengers. This was an unauthorized mobilization, treating the king with utter contempt.

“No one can control a monster like Silver Secret now that Sun Lengying is gone.” Someone said sentimentally after seeing this.

“Where will they go?” People wondered because it could take over any area in the system, given its might.

They could easily influence the tides of the future, so even the five great powers were watching every movement from them.

After leaving the city, the entire legion also disappeared from sight. It seemed that this retreat was premeditated, not just a hurried decision.

“What? Silver Legion is gone?! How can a massive legion disappear just like that?!” An ancestor found this astonishing.

But this was indeed the case. An army of one million soldiers vanished without leaving a single trace. No one knew where it was heading to.

After this was confirmed, an ancestor murmured: “They must have planned this a while ago, perhaps they knew about this king before the coronation, so they started thinking about a retreat path. The only reason why they assisted with the ceremony was to honor and carry out a promise with the late king.”

Some finally realized that from the very beginning, the insiders didn’t have a good opinion of the new king.

After all, Lengying and Silver Secret were confidants of Lucidity. They knew about the crown prince before anyone else.

“What about us?” The main fighting force of War Saint, the Central Legion, began to wonder.

The Imperial Guard of the capital and the four cardinal legions became impatient. These six legions, unlike Silver Secret, had fixed assignments. They couldn’t just up and disappear like Silver Secret.

Moreover, they had their own territories and didn’t need to retreat. Right now, the question was whether to support this young king or to start planning in the shadows.

Ultimately, it became clear as day that War Saint Dynasty was unstable. No Sun Lengying, no Silver Secret, the new king was useless. If the six legions were to stop following orders, Nine Secrets will have a new master soon enough.

1. The second line - mothers needing to remarry - should be viewed from the perspective of the children. Sad but there’s nothing they can do about it