Chapter 632: The Shock of Officials

Thousands of feet above the sky.

The huge sword blade was like a flying shuttle, breaking through the clouds and air, and below was the scenery of mountains and rivers flying past quickly.

Xu Zhenguan stood on the sword and clearly felt the dragon soul surging out from Zhao Duan's palm pressing on her lower abdomen and drilling into her qi sea.

"Dragon Soul?!" The empress looked at him in astonishment, not caring about whether she was taking advantage of him or not, and said in surprise:

"How... did you do that?"

You know, she had tried to take back the dragon soul before, but she couldn't do it at all. It was as if this thing had recognized its master.

Zhao Duan smiled playfully:

“In fact, when I was practicing the ‘Dragon Controlling Technique’, I had a vague feeling that I could do this.

Well, it means transferring the dragon soul into other people's bodies, but the dragon soul was not awakened at that time, so it is not certain whether this is feasible.

I just tried it, and it seems to work. Your Majesty, please give it a try and see if you can use this thing to stabilize and repair your injuries."

After being reminded by him, Xu Zhenguan quickly woke up and tried to sense it. After just a few attempts, he shook his head in frustration:

"It works, but the effect isn't significant. This thing is lazy inside me and isn't very willing to work hard."

Zhao Duan immediately became unhappy.

He snorted, exerted force on his palms, and with the help of some practice with Dragon Soul, performed the Dragon Taming Technique.

This time, the lazy illusory little dragon finally began to reluctantly breathe in and out in the empress's qi sea, swallowing the empress's qi that was mixed up due to her injuries into her body. When it spit it out, the palm power left by Wu Xiankui had already been removed.

The pain that Xu Zhenguan had been enduring quickly disappeared, and his whole body felt like he was immersed in a hot spring, and he hummed comfortably.

"Be gentle..."

"oh."

"I didn't make it that easy for you!"

"Then can you please use some strength?"

"Well... where are you touching?!"

On the Tai'a sword, Zhao Duan simply stood behind the empress, posing in the classic pose of the Titanic poster.

While controlling the dragon soul to heal Zhen Bao, he made small talk:

"After returning to Beijing, I'm afraid there will be a lot of things to do."

The empress also came to her senses.

Prince Jing is dead... Even until this moment, she still feels it is a little unreal.

The troubles caused by the vassal kings, which had troubled her for countless days and nights since she ascended the throne, although there were still some tail ends that had not been dealt with, had basically become a non-issue.

And all this is because of the man behind him.

"Yes, Prince Jing is dead. When we return to the capital, all the civil and military officials in the court will be shocked and speechless." Xu Zhenguan sighed with a smile.

Zhao Duan also smiled:

"Finally, the military order I signed that day has been fulfilled."

It's more than just keeping your promise.

It was simply completed too early.

"It's a pity that we are still busy. The foreign enemies in the Western Regions will not retreat on their own because of Prince Jing's death. I can only hope that the morale of the Western Regions will plummet because of this." Xu Zhenguan sighed softly.

According to the secret told by the young monk Tianhai, this invasion of the Western Regions had been planned for many years.

They will certainly not give up easily, but the rapid defeat of Prince Jing will undoubtedly allow the State of Yu to quickly mobilize its main forces to Xiping Road. In this way, the Western Buddhist sect's intention to take advantage of the civil strife in the State of Yu to sandwich it from both sides will probably fail.

"The most difficult time has passed. Next, we just have to deal with that old bald donkey Xuanyin and kill the King of Dharma in the Western Regions, and peace will be restored to the world." Zhao Duan comforted softly.

The empress felt the solid chest leaning against her, closed her eyes and said "hmm" softly.

On the day of peace in the world, which was also the day of their wedding, the king and his subject never forgot this agreement.

The flying sword whistled through the clouds, leaving a long white "tail" in the blue sky as it headed towards the capital.

…

How fast is the journey in the Heavenly Realm?

The next morning, at daybreak, Zhao Duan woke up from his nap and heard Zhenbao's voice: "We're here."

He opened his eyes and saw that the sky around him was already turning white.

He was still sitting cross-legged on the broad sword, with broken clouds below him and a pale sun rising slowly in the east, shining brightly.

Through the clouds, you can see the capital city that has been relocated.

"I'm back!" Zhao Duan was shocked.

Although he had been in the capital in a puppet body, he felt very different when he returned in his physical body. He felt the joy of reunion after a long separation.

The emperor and his minister rode their swords, dropping straight into the palace and appearing in the spacious courtyard of the Martial Arts Hall.

As soon as it landed, the powerful sword energy and wind pressure swept away the dust on the ground. Eunuch Hai, wearing a scarlet python robe, had already bent down and waited below:

"Your Majesty, I welcome you back."

Tsk... there are people picking us up at the airport... Zhao Duan marveled and jumped off the flying sword.

The empress also landed on the ground. The huge Taia sword quickly shrank and was thrown by her casually, flying towards the Taimiao.

Xu Zhenguan smiled and said, "Has the capital been peaceful since I left for the day?"

Hai Gong Gong Road:

"Your Majesty, yesterday at noon, a brilliant pillar of light rose from the Imperial Ancestral Temple, briefly attracting attention both within and beyond the capital. Afterward, the ministers of the capital entered the palace to see Your Majesty, but Your Majesty remained silent. I tried to dissuade them, citing Your Majesty's retreat for cultivation. Now, all the courtiers have gathered at the Meridian Gate to attend court... Apart from this, there have been no other disturbances."

Zhao Duan and the empress exchanged a glance, and the latter nodded happily:

"I understand. I will go change into my court robes first."

She glanced at Zhao Duan again and said, "You should wash up too and come with me to court."

After she finished speaking, her figure turned into red light and disappeared.

No... We can take a shower together, I don't mind... Zhao Duan raised his hand and grabbed the air twice, then let it fall down weakly. Then, feeling the intriguing gaze of Eunuch Hai, he smiled awkwardly:

"Good morning, father-in-law."

Hai Chunlin asked curiously:

"What big thing did you and His Majesty do that caused such a commotion?"

Zhao Duan said "Oh" and said lightly:

"It's nothing. Your Majesty just cut off Wu Xiankui's arm, and I killed Prince Jing. It's a small matter."

Eunuch Hai:? ?

…

…

A ray of morning light from the east passed by the crimson palace wall, followed the white jade fence, shone into the crack of the door of the Golden Throne Hall, and sprinkled on the floor.

At this moment, all the ministers had entered the Golden Palace according to the rules and were waiting to attend court, but the empress had not shown up yet.

All the officials looked anxious and discussed in low voices.

Finally, a Shangshu couldn't help but look at a middle-aged female official in the hall:

"Why hasn't Your Majesty shown up yet? Has something urgent happened?"

Another censor also echoed:

"You claimed yesterday's unusual events in the palace were caused by His Majesty's retreat, but today, it's past the time for court. Why hasn't His Majesty appeared yet? What are you hiding? If this delays the country's important affairs, will you bear the consequences?"

One minister spoke with dissatisfaction.

The middle-aged female official just remained silent with bitterness.

"Grand Master, is His Majesty not in the palace?" Yuan Li walked to Dong Xuan and asked in a low voice.

Grand Tutor Dong rarely attended court today. It seemed that he had realized something, so he came to take charge of the situation. However, he just shook his head when he heard this.

What does shaking your head mean? Yuan Li was getting a little impatient. He looked at Ma Yan, who was standing on the outskirts of the crowd.

Ma Yan felt his gaze and avoided it, remaining silent, feeling bitter in his heart:

How would I know what happened?

The country cannot be without a ruler for a day, especially in this critical situation. For a moment, the ministers once again recalled the situation when the empress fled abroad and the court was leaderless.

At this moment, the eunuch's voice came from outside the door: "Your Majesty has arrived!"

Your Majesty is coming?

All the officials in the hall were delighted and quickly stopped talking, with countless eyes looking towards the hall door.

Then the palace door opened, and in the early morning sunlight, a female emperor wearing a dragon robe walked in with a majestic look, and behind the empress, there was a familiar figure.

"Mr. Zhao?!" Many ministers felt a pang in their hearts. Referring to the past experiences, who would not realize that something big might have happened yesterday?

"Your Majesty!"

Yuan Li took the lead and bowed, and all the ministers quickly collected their thoughts and followed him to pay homage.

The empress walked through the crowd of ministers and stepped onto the throne. Zhao Duan glanced around and unexpectedly did not see Sun Lianying. After thinking about it, he simply stood next to the middle-aged female official.

"No need to bow, my lords." The empress sat down, raised her arms, and waited for the ministers to stand before she smiled and said, "I am outside, listening to the commotion from afar. Do you have anything to report?"

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

In the silence, Yuan Li, the young lady in blue robes, stepped forward and spoke first:

"Your Majesty, we witnessed a strange phenomenon in the palace yesterday. We were concerned about your cultivation and therefore acted disrespectfully. I hope you will punish us."

Xu Zhenguan was in a good mood and said with a smile:

"How could I blame you for your concern? I know you are all curious about what happened. Well, now I can tell you that I did leave the capital for a day yesterday and flew south on my sword."

Your Majesty left Beijing yesterday?

After hearing this, many people's faces changed. Some people's guesses were confirmed, while others were simply shocked.

An official immediately spoke out:

"Your Majesty, the current situation is turbulent, with internal and external troubles. To the west, there are people from the Western Regions causing chaos, the King of Yanshan in the north is reluctant to surrender, and to the south, the Kings of Jing and Chen are mercenaries... How can Your Majesty easily leave in such a situation?"

How brave... Zhao Duan was amazed. However, the censors... were a bunch of big trolls who only cared about leaving their names in history, so it was not surprising. He said with a smile:

"Sir... well, forgive my face blindness for not being able to remember who you are, but Your Majesty is a wise ruler throughout history. You must have a reason for being away. Why are you criticizing me without asking?"

The strange official glanced at him, stiffened his neck and said:

"Zhao Shaobao, you signed a military order back then. Now you should be fully committed to fighting the rebel king in the south. Why have you returned to the capital?"

The implication is: You should take care of your own business.

Zhao Duan smiled and said:

"How do you know that this governor's return to the capital is not a triumphant one?"

When these words were spoken, many people were stunned and did not react.

The empress sitting on the dragon throne could no longer suppress her smile and said:

"I was about to announce to you all that yesterday, I was summoned by Lord Zhao and temporarily went to Binhai. Together with Lord Zhao, I met with the rebel Prince Jing and Prince Chen, as well as the Qingshan martial arts sect, on Daluo Island..."

"After a fierce battle, I severed Wu Xiankui's arm, causing him to flee with severe injuries. The remaining Qingshan disciples were all captured.

Zhao Qing led the disciples of the Heavenly Master's Mansion in a battle with Xu Wen, beheading the rebel Xu Wen on the spot, and King Chen immediately surrendered... Now that the leader of the Jiancheng Dao rebels is dead, the Binhai Dao has returned to the court, and the Shenji Battalion, the Three Thousand Battalion, and other troops have been ordered to wipe out the remnants of the Jiancheng rebels..."

Zhao Duan cooperated and took out the silver scroll. He shook it lightly and threw a bloody head to the ground. He smiled and said:

"Xu Wen's head is here. Everyone, Jiancheng's army has been defeated!"

There was a brief silence.

No one in the entire hall spoke, only Prince Jing's head rolled around, and finally stared at the faces of the officials with a pair of unbelievable, angry eyes.

Xu Wen is dead...

Killed by Zhao Duan...

King Chen surrendered...

Your Majesty cut off Wu Xiankui's arm...

The minds of all the civil and military officials went blank for a moment, and then, someone was the first to let out an "Ah!" in horror.

The entire Golden Palace was in an uproar!

Yuan Li was stunned.

Master Dong stared at the head, breathing rapidly and his cheeks flushed.

A look of shock appeared in Ma Yan's eyes.

Shock was evident on every face.

This news was too sudden. If Wu Xiankui was a hermit, no one except Ma Yan would be deeply touched.

The impact caused by Prince Jing's head was extraordinary.

"Master Zhao...you and His Majesty..." The Minister of War looked at Zhao Duan, who smiled and nodded.

"The pillar of light in the Taimiao yesterday..." The Minister of Rites opened his mouth.

Zhao Duan said calmly, "It was your Majesty's power that caused the royal ancestor to appear."

“Wow—”

In an instant, the court became like a vegetable market. The ministers ignored etiquette and gathered around, asking for details. Some even stared at the heads, as if trying to determine whether they were real or fake.

Zhao Duan was in a good mood and happily recounted what had happened.

Now, everyone finally believed that Prince Jing was dead. For a moment, ministers excitedly kowtowed to the empress, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Eradicate the treacherous villain! Return peace to the world!"

"Your Majesty's power reigns supreme throughout the world. Today, the rebel has been executed. This is a blessing for the people of Yu!"

For a moment, countless congratulations echoed throughout the Golden Palace.

No one mentioned the empress's secret departure from the capital again.

One after another, some people suddenly woke up, counted the days, and were shocked to find that Zhao Duan not only completed the "impossible" military order that day, but also completed it so much ahead of schedule.

incredible.

"This man was born, and Your Majesty has received his help. Could he be the one who will bring about the revival of the Great Yu?"

This thought arose in the minds of countless people.

Over the past year, although all officials in the court supported the empress, they were always shrouded in a haze, worried about failure and liquidation.

And now, I can finally feel at ease. For a moment, I was overwhelmed with emotions, and I don't know how many people were afraid. If I had served those vassal kings in the past, how could I be alive today?

What?

You mean the Buddhists from the Western Regions are invading? They're certainly a formidable enemy, but... they won't destroy the nation... right?

At least at this moment, the ministers who were in an ecstatic atmosphere did not want to think about the foreign enemies in the Western Regions. They just wanted to celebrate and pass on the news.

"Draft an edict immediately to announce the news of Prince Jing's death and Prince Chen's surrender to all places." Xu Zhenguan said with a restrained smile.

After a pause, she continued:

"Another order: After suppressing the local rebellions, Zhao Shixiong's troops in the southwest and Shi Meng's troops in the southeast will only retain a portion of their forces to stabilize the local areas. The remaining main forces will depart as soon as possible to support Xiping Road. With one swift move, we will drive the people of the Western Regions out of Dayu!"

"Send another message to Tieguandao to Jubeicheng, giving King Yanshan one last chance to surrender. If he doesn't cherish it, I will personally behead him!"

(End of this chapter)