Jiang Juncai was on leave at home because of his wedding. He did not expect that a major incident would occur in the palace on his first day on duty after the wedding.
Because he had walked the path of the dead, he was inevitably weaker and more susceptible to seeing ghosts, so he asked Yuan Qi for a protective jade talisman.
Early that morning, he handed over his duties to the deputy commander as usual, and then led the assembled imperial guards on a patrol around the palace, making a special inspection of the palace's defensive array, which remained as sturdy as ever.
After checking the Xuanzheng Hall once again and finding nothing amiss, he led his men to stand guard in front of the hall.
Before dawn, the court officials arrived for court, entering the Xuanzheng Hall in twos and threes.
As usual, Xiao Yi followed Xiao Zhen into the Xuanzheng Hall. Only then did Jiang Jun realize that when the two of them passed by her, the Kunlun Jade amulet she was using for self-defense suddenly became hot.
Jiang Juncai didn't have the ability to see ghosts, so he couldn't see anything. Although he was skilled in martial arts, he wasn't a cultivator and couldn't sense anything unusual. However, the fact that the jade talisman was hot meant that someone had ghostly or malevolent energy on them.
He stood at the doorway and looked inside. Everyone was talking in hushed tones, and their expressions were calm and composed.
Recalling his feelings just now, Jiang Jun realized that when Crown Prince Xiao Yi and Fifth Prince Xiao Zhen passed by him, the jade talisman was burning hot, and one of the two must be suspicious.
He was now twenty steps away from the two of them, and the jade talisman in his arms was still faintly warm.
This matter is of utmost importance. As the commander of the Imperial Guards, he has a responsibility to investigate all potential security risks.
He stood at the door for a while, then decided to go inside and take a look to see who was the problem.
He wanted to find out the truth before the emperor arrived and then report it to him.
He stepped into the main hall.
He usually only stood guard at the entrance of the main hall and rarely went inside.
As soon as he entered, everyone unconsciously looked at him, and the more vigilant people had already sensed that something seemed amiss.
He walked past everyone before finally standing in front of Crown Prince Xiao Yi and Fifth Prince Xiao Zhen, and sure enough, the jade talisman became hot again.
But he couldn't be sure whether it was the Crown Prince or the Fifth Prince who had the problem. Both of them were cultivators, rare cultivation geniuses in Rong Kingdom. Whether they brought evil spirits into the palace or were controlled by evil spirits, it was possible, and the threat was great and should not be underestimated.
Just then, the Emperor arrived.
The sound of a eunuch announcing his arrival came from behind.
When the Emperor saw Jiang Juncai in the main hall, he asked, "Commander Jiang, what has happened?"
Jiang Juncai stood up straight, clasped his hands, and reported: "Your Majesty, there is an evil spirit in the main hall, but I am not sure whether it is on His Highness the Crown Prince or on His Highness the Fifth Prince."
The crown prince was shocked and immediately knelt on the ground, trying his best to explain: "Father, I have no evil spirits on me. I am neither controlled by any evil spirits nor did I bring any evil spirits into the palace. Please investigate, Father."
As he spoke, he took out a jade talisman that he always carried with him, which was also given to him by Yuan Qi: "Father, please look, this is a protective jade talisman given to me by Daoist Yuan Qi. If I have any problems, the jade talisman will become hot."
The Emperor knew that Jiang Juncai was a very responsible person and would not speak recklessly. Although he was young, he had not made any mistakes in the few years since he took office, except for the time when the palace's great formation was breached.
The Emperor frowned slightly, staring at Xiao Yi and Xiao Zhen.
The chief eunuch immediately understood, stepped forward, took the jade token from Xiao Yi's hand, and handed it to the emperor.
Although the emperor was not a Taoist, he believed in Taoism and often took elixirs. He also had a national teacher by his side to discuss scriptures and Taoism, and he knew some Taoist talismans. When he saw the talismans on the jade talisman, he knew what they were for.
He glanced at it and then had the chief eunuch return the jade talisman to Xiao Yi.
Xiao Zhen remained silent below the stage, his expression gradually turning cold and stern. Black energy began to surge around him, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light. He took small steps forward.
Jiang Juncai realized something was wrong and instinctively shielded the Emperor behind him. He drew his glass sword and pointed it at Xiao Zhen, shouting, "Fifth Prince, what do you think you're doing! Guards!"
The imperial guards on duty outside rushed in.
Xiao Zhen twisted his neck, his face contorted even more, his expression ferocious: "Father, you're so old, you should have abdicated long ago. Look at all your white hair, do you really want to sit on this throne until you die?"
The Emperor trembled with rage, pointing at him and berating him: "You rebellious son! How dare you plot rebellion! Get out of here!?"
As the only cultivator in the palace, Xiao Yi was qualified and capable of confronting Xiao Zhen, and stood before the Emperor alongside Jiang Juncai.
Xiao Yi had noticed a few days ago that Xiao Zhen was no longer as docile and low-key as before, and was no longer willing to be his right-hand man or his lackey.
He solemnly reminded Xiao Zhen: "Fifth Brother, you'd better think carefully about what you're doing."
Xiao Zhen suddenly turned around, facing the completely bewildered ministers. He raised his hands high and laughed loudly twice: "Father is getting old and often takes elixirs to barely manage state affairs. Rather than exhausting himself like this, he should abdicate in my favor sooner rather than later. As for the Crown Prince, he is weak and incompetent, and will never be able to control the court. You two had better obediently hand over the throne, and I might spare your lives, otherwise..."
The black aura around him surged even more violently, and he also had a small bottle in his hand. The black aura in the small bottle was even more concentrated, and everyone could even hear strange, malevolent sounds coming from inside.
On the day the imperial palace's defenses were breached, the emperor also heard such a malevolent cry, the voice of a vengeful ghost. He stared at the bottle and asked, "What is that? Are you planning a rebellion?"
Grand General Wang, who is also Xiao Yi's uncle Feng Aotian, also stood up to protect the emperor alongside Xiao Yi, and sternly rebuked Xiao Zhen: "Fifth Prince had better think it through. If you make a move today, you will die without a burial place!"
Xiao Zhen laughed even more maniacally: "Do you think I'll have a way out if I don't do it today? I've had enough! Prepare to die!"
With his other hand, he removed the seal from the bottle, and the evil spirits and vengeful ghosts inside rushed out, running rampant in the hall and attacking anyone they saw.
The Imperial Guards could fight ordinary people openly with swords and spears, but they were completely defenseless against ghosts. They wielded their swords, but the swords pierced through the black mist without causing any damage.
Fortunately, Xiao Yi was a cultivator and could hold out for a while. Jiang Juncai had a glass sword and a protective jade talisman in his hand. He threw the jade talisman to the emperor: "Your Majesty, take this. With this on your person, evil spirits will not dare to approach."
Xiao Zhen leaned against a pillar, muttering incantations. As if the evil spirits could understand him, they released the panicked court officials and attacked the emperor all at once.
Xiao Zhen continued to mock him relentlessly: "Father, I just said that you were asking me to give up the throne because you didn't know what was good for you and brought this upon yourself. You can't blame me."
"Damn it!" With the Emperor holding the jade talisman and Xiao Yi and Jiang Juncai by his side, the evil spirits could only attack from the outside.
The evil spirit vanished the moment it touched the glass sword in Jiang Juncai's hand.
Seeing this, Jiang Juncai waved even more vigorously.
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