Firmament Sword

When the Sixth Prince arrived at Huangfu Haoran’s study, he happened to hear his Father Emperor’s voice from within.

”How dare this Xu Luo be so bold!”

’Damn it... Someone beat me to it! No, I have to add fuel to the fire!’

The Sixth Prince didn’t have time to think. He had been hesitant about reporting this matter, as it would be difficult to convict Xu Luo based solely on the testimony of Wei Ziting and his men.

But he never expected his Father Emperor to already be furious!

Without waiting for the guard to announce him, the Sixth Prince immediately knocked and entered.

Normally, the Sixth Prince would never be so rude, but after hearing his father’s words, he knew that this matter might have already been leaked through another channel.

’That bastard! Wei Ziting was not the least bit subtle about this!’ The Sixth Prince seethed internally. As he entered, he saw the Crown Prince, Prime Minister Wei, and several other high-ranking court officials all seated there.

Their faces all seemed excited, tinged with a degree of disbelief.

’Just as I thought! The Crown Prince beat me to it. No, I must present my own evidence!’ The Sixth Prince bowed to his father. ”Your son greets the Father Emperor!”

”Hm? Lao Liu is here? Is something the matter?” The Emperor smoothed the excited look on his face and spoke to the Sixth Prince with a calm expression.

The Sixth Prince read his father’s expression and saw that he seemed to be forcibly restraining some emotion. Feeling reassured, he took a letter out from his robes and said, ”Your son has a secret report here. It’s from Wei Ziting of Prime Minister Wei’s family, who asked for my help in passing it to you, Father Emperor.”

In the end, the Sixth Prince was still cautious. To put it bluntly, even if the Xu Family truly harbored treasonous intent, it was up to the Emperor to pass judgment. He just needed to bring the matter to light, and his share of the credit would be guaranteed.

But if, by some chance, the Xu Family didn’t fall, then this grudge would be a matter between the Wei Family and the Xu Family, and have nothing to do with him, the Sixth Prince.

”Oh? Let me see it,” Huangfu Haoran said with a nod.

The Sixth Prince presented the letter and respectfully stepped back. The Imperial Study fell silent for a moment.

Wei Feng, however, had his brow slightly furrowed, a hint of worry in his eyes.

The Emperor opened the letter, glanced at it, then placed it on the desk. He looked at Wei Feng with a faint, unreadable smile. ”The child of Prime Minister Wei’s family is also quite outstanding!”

Wei Feng found it hard to tell whether the Emperor was pleased or angry. He cautiously stepped forward and said, ”My son is young, reckless, and ignorant. He truly does not deserve such praise from Your Majesty.”

”Heh heh, young, you say? He’s already a man, isn’t he.” The Emperor waved his hand and said, ”I am a bit tired. You may all withdraw for now.”

Wei Feng’s heart clenched. He looked at the letter in front of the Emperor, a growing sense of unease welling within him.

But the Emperor had already dismissed them, so he could only leave the Imperial Study along with the other utterly confused court officials.

”His Majesty was so happy just a moment ago. How did he suddenly... seem a little displeased?” Wang Moxuan said with a smile to Lord Leng beside him, without even glancing at Wei Feng.

”That, I’m not so sure about. Perhaps he saw something that upset him,” Lord Leng said with a placid expression, though a faint trace of mockery flashed in his eyes.

It wasn’t aimed at Wang Moxuan, of course, but at Wei Feng.

The Emperor’s attitude had changed dramatically only after seeing the letter presented by the Sixth Prince. And that letter was written by the Prime Minister’s son.

These old foxes, every last one of them was as cunning as they come. When the Emperor had summoned them just now and told them about the matter, they all realized that the Xu Family’s boy had achieved something great this time.

Once it came to fruition, the future of the Xu Family’s second young master would likely surpass that of his father, Xu Ji!

Just as they were guessing how the Emperor would reward the Xu Family’s second young master, the Sixth Prince had arrived.

In any case, this matter had nothing to do with them, so they were naturally happy to watch the show.

Although the court was stable, many people had secretly begun to distance themselves from Prime Minister Wei. The root cause was the calligraphy incident that had caused such a stir around the New Year!

As a result, many people now couldn’t wait to see the Wei Family suffer misfortune.

The Sixth Prince and Prime Minister Wei walked at the back. Wei Feng could no longer worry about appearances; he had to find out what had happened.

”Your Highness, what exactly did my son write in that letter?” Wei Feng asked in a low voice.

The Sixth Prince was also eager to understand what was going on, so he explained, ”Ziting and Xu Luo were split into two groups to investigate the encampment of the Cao Kingdom’s Prince General, Cao Tianyi. He accidentally saw Xu Luo mingling with Cao Tianyi and reported the matter.”

HISS!

Wei Feng sucked in a sharp breath, his face contorted as if he had a toothache. He looked at the Sixth Prince with a frown. ”What did the letter say? Did it accuse Xu Luo of treason?”

”Not in so many words, but between the lines... more or less... that’s the gist of it,” the Sixth Prince said, now realizing that something was amiss. He added hesitantly, ”Could it be... that’s not it?”

”Of course not, of course not! Argh, that bastard! He’s unbelievably foolish!” In his agitation, Prime Minister Wei forgot the Sixth Prince was right beside him. His face was livid as he growled, ”Sooner or later, that scoundrel will be the death of me!”

”What exactly happened? Is Prime Minister Wei still unwilling to tell me, even now?” The Sixth Prince’s expression soured at Wei Feng’s words.

”Alas, Xu Luo successfully contacted the Cao Kingdom’s General, Cao Tianyi, and persuaded him to work with our people. They plan to cooperate from within and without to swallow up a fifty-thousand-strong army from the Great Yan Empire!”

The Sixth Prince’s face instantly turned ghastly. His advisor had been right about this. He wouldn’t have been so hasty, but who would have thought things would be so coincidental? He had arrived at the entrance to the Imperial Study just in time to hear his father say: How dare this Xu Luo be so bold...

’Is this all the will of heaven?’ The Sixth Prince couldn’t help but close his eyes and let out a long sigh.

”Not only that, but the Cao Kingdom is currently rife with internal strife. The Cao Kingdom’s Emperor is colluding with the Great Yan Empire, not only granting them passage but also providing them with grain and horses.

Cao Tianyi, however, is on the opposing side. He already harbors rebellious thoughts and was persuaded by Xu Luo. First, he’ll work with us to drive out the Great Yan Empire’s army. Then, he’ll launch a coup, and we will provide support.

When that happens, the Cao Kingdom will pay tribute and declare allegiance to the Cangqiong Kingdom forever! Sixth Prince... this achievement is something even his father, Xu Ji, has never managed! And my worthless son is accusing him of treason! This... this... isn’t this just asking for death?”

Wei Feng was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. On one hand, he hated his worthless son for spouting nonsense without investigating the facts. On the other, he secretly blamed the Sixth Prince to some degree.

The Sixth Prince, who was usually extremely steady, had been utterly disappointing today.

The Sixth Prince felt incredibly wronged himself. How could he have known that his father’s words were praise, not a complaint!

But it was too late to say anything now. The only silver lining was that Wei Ziting’s secret report hadn’t made a definitive accusation; everything was framed as suspicion. Moreover, it included joint testimony from others, so it wasn’t just Wei Ziting making a malicious accusation.

That, at least, was a small mercy in this disaster.

Now, Wei Feng could only pray that his worthless son wouldn’t cause any more trouble. Otherwise, if this battle was successful, Xu Luo would shine with immense glory and go down in history, while Wei Ziting... would be like a clown, going down in infamy!

At that point, even if he, Wei Feng, wielded immense power over the court, he would be unable to stop it from happening.

”We must quickly think of a remedy for this matter. We absolutely cannot let them continue down this wrong path. Even if we can’t get a share of the credit, we must not sink any deeper!” The Sixth Prince’s reaction was relatively quick. Wei Ziting was one of his trusted subordinates; he couldn’t just stand by and watch him perish.

Wei Feng nodded, thinking the same thing. The two, each with their own concerns, quickly bid each other farewell and departed.

Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor sat quietly in his chair, looking at the two secret reports on the desk before him. His earlier joy had been considerably dampened by Wei Ziting’s report.

’It seems the conflict between the Wei Family and the Xu Family is now irreconcilable,’ Huangfu Haoran thought to himself.

But this was also exactly what he wanted to see. In many ways, he himself had personally pushed things to this point.

”It’s just this Xu Luo... He truly has... surprised me somewhat!”

Huangfu Haoran frowned slightly and sighed softly. ”If this really succeeds, how... how should I reward him? Should I really betroth Qiqi to him? Hiss... What a headache!”

...

「Late at night.」

「Outside the National Guardian General’s Mansion in the Imperial Capital.」

Two old women, around sixty years of age with white hair but youthful faces, appeared there.

”Is this the place?”

”It should be. This is it.”

”Miss has been in the mortal world for so many years. She must have suffered greatly. The Sect Leader will be very happy when we take her back this time!”

”Indeed. Poor Miss, growing up in a filthy place like the mortal world. I wonder how this damn General’s Mansion has treated her. If they dared to treat Miss poorly, I would slaughter his entire family!”

”Ahem... Let’s not go that far. No matter what, this family did raise Miss.”

As they spoke, they treated the defenses of the National Guardian General’s Mansion as if they were nothing, silently slipping into the rear residence.

Lianyi had been training diligently every day recently, and her progress was incredibly fast.

The already exceptionally talented Lianyi was like a tiger that had grown wings after obtaining the Shadow Shaking Heart Method and the Shaking Light Step. Her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

Now only eighteen years old, Lianyi’s true strength had already reached the realm of a Tier Eight Great Sword Master!

Such a cultivation level would definitely make her one of the top prodigies even in the great sects!

But for the past few days, Lianyi had been feeling uneasy, as if something was about to happen.

With her as the only one left in the Xu Mansion who could make decisions, even with the steward helping to share the burden, the final say could only come from her.

This often left the eighteen-year-old Lianyi feeling exhausted.

She was especially worried about Xu Luo. Every day before she cultivated, she would offer a silent prayer before she could quiet her heart and begin.

But today, for some reason, she couldn’t calm her mind at all.

Lianyi paced back and forth in her room, her delicate brows knitted together.

Suddenly!

She spun around. Executing the Shaking Light Step, her body blurred as a brilliant flash of sword light erupted, stabbing toward the space behind her.

The strike was both sudden and fast!

The Sword Qi tore through the air with a sharp whistle.

Lianyi had focused nearly all the True Essence in her body into this single attack!

TING!

A dark figure flicked a finger against the sword in Lianyi’s hand, producing a soft sound.

Lianyi, however, felt an immense and irresistible force travel up the blade, making her arm go numb. She could barely hold on to her sword!

She stared in horror at the old woman who had appeared before her and demanded sharply, ”Who are you?”