Chapter 1670: 安抚

Zhang Jie, Xiao Jianren, and others on the city wall immediately cried out in alarm. They knew that although Lord Eleven's cultivation was not low, he still couldn't withstand a direct assault from an army.

This was also the general consensus among cultivators. Cultivators usually possessed earth-shattering abilities, but unless they reached a certain high realm, facing a regular army meant only one thing: fleeing for their lives. After all, armies had various military formations that could disperse and defend against cultivators' attacks. They could also combine soldiers' attacks through coordinated maneuvers. Furthermore, armies were not lacking in heavy weapons enhanced by spell formations, such as armor-piercing arrows, siege crossbows, and rune cannons. These could even breach city walls fortified by spell arrays, let alone human flesh and blood. In addition, armies also included groups of powerful cultivators whose combined attacks were often more than a single cultivator could withstand.

The volley of arrows now shooting towards Zu An happened to be armor-piercing arrows, specifically designed to penetrate cultivators' protective Qi. With such a dense formation, there was no way to dodge them. Being too far away, those on the city wall couldn't offer any help. Was another Gold-Medal Embroidered Envoy about to fall here?

Watching the rapidly approaching arrow rain, Zu An did not dodge. Instead, his expression remained extremely calm. The next second, a terrifying aura descended from the sky. Clouds in the distance began to gather, and the fiercely shot arrows, as if time had stopped, froze motionless in mid-air.

Everyone was immediately struck with inexplicable horror. Gazing at the churning clouds in the sky, they seemed to realize something. The faces of those from Prince Yan's faction changed drastically, while the Yi Commandery officials on the city wall were overjoyed, shouting: "It's His Majesty! The Emperor has arrived!" They then remembered that Gold-Medal Embroidered Envoys had the ability to summon the Emperor. No wonder Lord Eleven had remained so calm the entire time.

At that moment, the clouds in the sky churned, gradually forming a gigantic head, which was unmistakably Zhao Hao's likeness.

"Long live His Majesty! Long live, long live, long long live!" Zhang Jie on the city wall took the lead, kneeling down, his expression extremely agitated. It was truly a turning point. Zhao Huang's expression also changed. He hastily dismounted and knelt in homage. With him leading the way, all of Prince Yan's army also knelt and shouted, "Long live His Majesty!", creating an astonishing roar.

Above Purple Mountain, in the Pure Yang Palace, Wang Wuxie, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes. He drew the surrounding misty purple energy back into his body, his expression grave. "When will I reach such a realm?" he murmured.

At Worry-Free Temple, Master Jianhuang, who was originally teaching his unruly disciples, also seemed to sense something and looked towards Yi Commandery. "The Emperor has been appearing far too frequently recently," he remarked. "This is a sign that the world is about to change."

Above Yi City, Zhao Hao had the same feeling. The enormous phantom head glared angrily at Zu An: "What is it this time?"

Rage points from Zhao Hao +888+888+888...

He had every right to be angry. Other Embroidered Envoys used his power with trepidation every time, and might not even dare to summon him once in their entire lives. Yet, this young man had summoned him three times in just a few days. Was he playing him for a fool? Crucially, his period of 'Five Decays of Heaven and Man' was approaching, and he had been in seclusion in the Forbidden Palace for years. It was like a sleeping person being woken up every now and then; it would be strange if he didn't have a temper when roused.

Zu An respectfully bowed and pointed towards Prince Yan's encampment on the opposite side: "Prince Yan's heir has raised an army in rebellion. Yi City is in grave danger, and I, your humble servant, have run out of options and can only seek Your Majesty's help."

In truth, with his abilities, he wasn't entirely without solutions in such a situation. However, with so many people on the battlefield, revealing too many of his trump cards could easily lead to someone connecting him with Zu An. And even if he risked his life, he wouldn't gain anything from it in the end. Given this, why should he expend his energy on official matters when he could simply utilize Zhao Hao, this ultimate weapon? Moreover, by deliberately summoning Zhao Hao frequently these past few times, he was also wondering if he could use it to weaken Zhao Hao's divine soul, and by observing his actions multiple times, he could devise countermeasures for the future. Although he had fought Zhao Hao in the secret realm back then, that was just a wisp of his separated soul, and its attack methods were very different from his main body's.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the arrows still suspended in the air, his expression growing a bit more serious.

Hearing this, Zhao Hao finally scanned the entire scene. He quickly assessed the situation and roared, "Zhao Huang, how dare you!" No sooner had he spoken than the densely packed armor-piercing arrows in the air instantly turned into dust, with no visible sign of him taking action.

Witnessing this, everyone present gasped. Zhao Huang, trembling like a sieve, knelt on the ground and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please discern! Your humble servant was also forced into this, solely out of concern for my father's safety. I knew he was framed by treacherous individuals and only wished to prevent them from harming him."

In Yi Commandery, Zhao Huang was virtually second only to one person and above everyone else. On normal days, almost everyone looked up to him. But in front of Zhao Hao — even though they were nominally cousins — he couldn't feel any pride at all.

"Is this your reason for raising an army?" Zhao Hao's phantom image stared coldly at him.

Zhao Huang felt a chill run through him. He was practically prostrated on the ground, utterly speechless for a moment.

At this point, Sun Xun, standing nearby, spoke up: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Prince Yan has always been loyal to you over the years, guarding Yi Commandery for many years, quelling rebellions, and receiving numerous commendations from the imperial court. Yet, for some unknown reason, he has been falsely accused of rebellion. If this spreads, it could discourage the soldiers and generals in other commanderies across the realm."

Zhao Hao slightly frowned. The world was currently not peaceful. Externally, there were powerful demonic enemies; internally, there were demon cult rebels, various local strongmen, and even remnants of the previous dynasty. Therefore, to ensure the stability of the empire, he had greatly enfeoffed royal family members, with many regions now guarded by feudal lords, ensuring the stability of the Zhao family's reign. The death of one Prince Yan might not be significant, but if it shook the loyalty of the imperial clan, that would indeed be troublesome.

With a plan in mind, he remained outwardly impassive: "I have already dispatched people to thoroughly investigate this case. Whether Prince Yan has been wronged will soon become clear."

Having just been prompted by Sun Xun, Zhao Huang gradually regained some composure. He gritted his teeth and said, "Forgive my bluntness, but Governor Zhang has always been at odds with my father, and the so-called evidence of rebellion was fabricated by this Lord Eleven. If this case is handed over to the two of them for investigation, my father will be found guilty even if innocent. Your humble servant knew they were framing him, and once the charge of rebellion was confirmed, my father would surely die. In desperation, I acted rashly. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

Zhao Hao said coldly, "Are you implying that I am appointing the wrong people?"

"Your humble servant would not dare!" Zhao Huang immediately kowtowed and begged for forgiveness.

Only then did Zhao Hao speak: "I have my own judgment regarding Prince Yan's case. Do you think just anyone can fabricate some charges and deceive me?"

"Your Majesty is wise and mighty; naturally, no one can deceive you." Zhao Huang breathed a sigh of relief. From the Emperor's tone, it seemed this crisis might have taken a turn for the better.

Then Zhao Hao continued: "Considering your urgency to save your father, your actions today are excusable, but while capital punishment may be avoided, guilt is not. Zhao Huang, you are fined three years' salary and stripped of your military position. All other implicated officers will be demoted three ranks."

Zhang Jie on the city wall immediately showed disappointment. While this punishment was not light, it was insignificant compared to the fact that they had raised an army today. However, he dared not offer any further advice at this moment, as he could tell the Emperor intended to handle the matter discreetly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhao Huang and others repeatedly kowtowed in gratitude.

Only then did Zhao Hao turn to Zu An: "Regarding the Gold-Medal Number Seven case, you have three days to ascertain its connection to Prince Yan, or you will bring me your head!"

Rage points from Zhao Hao +444+444+444...

This rascal! He had sent him to investigate the Gold-Medal Number Seven case and eliminate potential threats to the Fengshan ceremony, but instead of doing his duty, he almost forced a feudal prince into rebellion. Zhang Jie's face on the city wall changed. As an old fox in officialdom, he naturally understood the Emperor's words. What could be investigated in three days? It was clearly an implicit instruction to quickly conclude the case and placate Prince Yan's faction.

Zu An, however, seemed to have anticipated this and calmly replied, "Understood!"

Zhao Hao could even tolerate an act of rebellion. It seemed there was something more important recently that he had to prioritize, forcing him to put this matter aside?