A cold killing intent flashed in Yuan Xujing's eyes. Zhu Yuan didn't think that he could protect the twins by deliberately concealing his whereabouts.
It's all because his wife was too soft-hearted and didn't eliminate the threat completely, letting the sixth son, Yuan Yongtai, go.
The fifth and sixth brothers, those two good-for-nothings, actually did a good deed.
Two days later, news of the brutal murder of the Siye family by bandits reached the capital. According to passing merchants, the Siye family died a gruesome death. The two legitimate sons and daughters were covered in blood from arrow wounds, with no part of their bodies unscathed. Their faces were also crushed by rocks after rolling down the cliff.
All the other illegitimate sons and daughters and servants were dead. The worst off was the head of the household, Siye, whose stomach was ripped out by bandits and his intestines spilled out. He was dead beyond dead.
When the news reached Kyoto, the only remaining old lady and wife of the Director of Studies fainted from fright, and the servants took advantage of the chaos to loot all the valuables in the house.
Within two days, the Director of Studies, who was thriving at the Imperial Academy, was ruined and his family was destroyed. Upon hearing this, the emperor was furious and sent a large army to kill all the bandits to avenge him.
The common people, unaware of the truth, all believed that the emperor was a man of great affection and righteousness. Only those who served as officials in the court knew the reason behind the brutal murder of the Siyue family.
After learning that the entire family of the Director of Studies had been killed, the officials were all in a state of fear, worried that they would be next.
In particular, the teachers and students who remained at the Imperial College no longer dared to make any public statements about the Minhui Study Hall.
They were afraid that if they said something wrong, it would implicate their family.
Among them were loyal ministers and generals who were very dissatisfied with the emperor's actions and went to the palace to meet him with their memorials.
Yuan Xujing was furious. Seeing the fate of the Siye family, he was shocked that someone still dared to defy him and enter the palace to provoke him.
He disregarded what others said, threw the man directly into the dungeon, and after a few days beheaded him to demonstrate imperial power!
In addition, he privately dealt with the families of many teachers and students who had left Kyoto for Anqing Prefecture.
Even some students studying at the Imperial Academy.
This blatant warning instilled fear in the officials of the court, who dared not mention the Minhui Study Hall in Anqing Prefecture again.
However, the truth eventually came out, and the emperor assassinated officials and scholars without cause, successfully arousing the resentment of all scholars in the land.
The students spontaneously organized to resist the current emperor, using sharp words to expose Yuan Xujing's ugly facade.
Yuan Xujing's reputation was completely ruined at this moment, and people in the court and the harem had different thoughts.
On the surface, all is calm, but underneath, undercurrents are swirling and everyone is secretly making plans for themselves.
Although no one said it outright, everyone knew that the Hua Dynasty was doomed and that Emperor Yuan Xujing's reign would not last long.
Anqing Prefecture, a thousand miles away.
Inside the city of Anqing Prefecture, people strolled leisurely through the streets, their faces serene.
Although it is not as rich and bustling as Kyoto, it has the advantage of a good atmosphere for people's daily life.
Inside the military camp, Zhuyuan stared at the letter that had been delivered from Kyoto on the desk.
He handed the letter directly to Lü Yunshen beside him and said indifferently, "Take a look."
Lu Yunshen took it, skimmed through it, and showed a delighted expression after reading the rest.
"This is truly a great thing! Although we have won over the hearts of the people before, your military expedition is ultimately not legitimate and justified. Even if we forcibly take the capital, we will likely incur the dissatisfaction of the royal family and powerful clans there."
"Now that the dog emperor has brought this upon himself, we don't need to bother creating any rhetoric."
"I think it won't be long before someone from Kyoto extends an olive branch."
The aristocratic families in Kyoto are all shrewd and capable of seeing which side is more advantageous in the current situation. He doesn't believe that those good-for-nothings who are used to wearing gold and silver and living a good life would be willing to give up their wealthy lifestyle.
He bet that in a few days they would come to curry favor with Zhu Yuan in order to preserve the prosperity of their family!
Zhu Yuan remained silent, having naturally considered these matters as well, and was pleased with their outcome.
They have artillery and are not afraid of any power or force; all they lack is the right opportunity.
Moreover, he knew that his wife didn't earn money easily, having to supply so much military funds and resettle the people in the conquered cities.
Moreover, the cannons were extremely powerful and could easily destroy the city walls if not handled carefully. The construction of the city walls was very expensive, and he did not want his wife to suffer too much, so he ordered the soldiers to start building the city walls.
The construction of the city walls took a long time, so he would stop and rest after conquering each city to help his wife with the logistics.
But they now have a great opportunity to take Kyoto in one fell swoop, though it may cost them more money.
After thinking it over, Zhu Yuan decided to write a letter to go back and inquire about his wife's well-being.
He was not a person who was eager for quick success and instant benefits, nor was he in a hurry to unify the world.
If his wife doesn't want to work hard, he has plenty of time to slowly wear down Yuan Xujing.
Meizi Village.
Zhen Wanwan received Zhu Yuan's letter and began to read it carefully, scrutinizing every word.
Hmm? What does my husband mean by this?
She doesn't know how to fight, so why does he always come to greet her before he goes to war?
After thinking for a moment, Zhen Wanwan wrote a letter with a simple and clear content.
Don't hesitate in the war, don't drag it out, the sooner the war is over, the sooner you'll be free. Don't worry about food either, I'll take care of it. I hope my husband will conquer the world soon and return safely!
She sealed the letter and sent the messenger back with it.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuan no longer hesitated. He summoned all his generals, prepared to pack their belongings, and headed north to punish the tyrant and rid the people of this scourge!
Yes, their current slogan is to eliminate the tyrant, bring peace to the world, and rid the people of harm!
The news caused an uproar among the civil and military officials in Kyoto.
Isn't this a bit too fast? They're not ready to sincerely pledge allegiance to Prince Jing yet!
How did we end up here?
I've heard that King Jing possesses a particularly powerful weapon that can conquer a city in less than an hour.
This speed is astonishing, but fortunately he would rest for several months after conquering a city. Therefore, everyone guessed that the weapon in his hand could only be used once every few months and cost a huge amount of money!
Kyoto is thousands of miles away, and even if these cities were conquered one by one, it would still take five or six years.
But this time, King Jing came with great force. Could it be that they have improved their weapon?
Or have they developed a new weapon?
Everyone began to feel anxious again, fearing that King Jing would hurt them after attacking the city.
The imperial family members were also afraid that he had a bad temper and would make a big splash as soon as he took office, burning them down like kindling!
Inside the palace, the concubines knelt on the ground with their heads bowed, not uttering a word.
A beautiful woman with a swollen right cheek sat on the throne, and the concubines dared not even breathe too loudly.
There was a clear handprint on the woman's face.
"Stop standing there, everyone! Get up and sit down!"
A clear, cold voice came from the seat of honor, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
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