Chapter 421: Acting on Behalf of the Emperor

The King of Liang gazed at her jade hairpin, pondering its possible origin. His eyes slowly shifted to her, and then widened. "What long legs!" He regretted his age. If he had met such an exquisite woman in his younger days, he would have used his status and cultivation to pursue her until he had won her affection.

Seeing both sides withdraw their attacks, Jiang Luofu's tensed body finally relaxed. She knew she was no match for either a Grandmaster or the three thousand Crimson-Robed soldiers commanded by Duke Mingyue.

Jiang Luofu bowed to Chu Zhongtian. "Duke Mingyue, what has prompted such a large-scale mobilization?"

Chu Zhongtian snorted. "Headmistress Jiang can ask him herself."

The King of Liang, who had descended from mid-air, sneered upon hearing this. "The Chu family is harboring an imperial fugitive and even attempted to assassinate me. Duke Mingyue, you are truly audacious."

Qin Wanru, enraged, pounded the drum again. "If that's the case, we might as well have truly killed you; then we wouldn't be bearing this bad name for nothing."

The King of Liang's expression changed, and he quickly took a step back.

Jiang Luofu quickly interjected, "I've heard a little about the King of Liang's purpose for coming. It's understandable why the Chu family cannot accept it. Even I find it hard to comprehend how Zu An, a native of Mingyue City, could possibly have stolen something from the Emperor."

At this moment, Xie Yi also remarked, "Precisely. In my opinion, there must be some misunderstanding."

Seeing even Xie Yi voice his opinion, the King of Liang's eyelids twitched. The Chu family, the Academy, and the City Lord were arguably the three most powerful forces in Mingyue City. With them united, the situation would indeed be difficult to resolve.

He could only say, "Actually, I'm not clear on what Zu An supposedly stole from the Emperor."

The Chu couple: "..."Jiang Luofu: "..."Liu Yao: "..."Xie Yi: "..."

So all your blustering and posturing earlier was just a bluff?

Sensing everyone's anger, the King of Liang hastily explained, "Although I don't know exactly what he stole from the Emperor, this matter is absolutely real, because the Emperor personally instructed me about it when I left the capital."

Hearing him say this, everyone frowned. Logically, the King of Liang wouldn't lie about this now, but the matter truly made no sense.

At that moment, the King of Liang seemed to recall something and quickly pointed to the ten Embroidered Uniform Guards standing nearby. "You can ask them for the specifics. They were personally dispatched by the Emperor to apprehend Zu An."

Only then did the Chu couple look at the ten Embroidered Uniform Guards who stood still as statues, seemingly detached from the situation.

"Embroidered Uniform Guards..." Chu Zhongtian and the others clearly recognized their identity, and their expressions immediately darkened.

As everyone's gaze fell upon them, the lead Embroidered Uniform Guard coldly stated, "What exactly Zu An stole is a state secret, and we cannot disclose it. Please hand him over, or the Chu family will be charged with deceiving the Emperor."

"Deceiving the Emperor?" Chu Zhongtian let out a hollow, desolate laugh. "If the Emperor wants to deal with our Chu family, why resort to such a baseless accusation?"

Xie Yi quickly cautioned from the side, "Brother Chu, mind your words!"

Chu Zhongtian snorted. "We've been pushed this far; what more do I have to fear?" Clearly, he did not believe Zu An had stolen anything from the Emperor, assuming it was just another excuse for the imperial family to target the Chu family.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard's eyes narrowed. "Duke Mingyue, do you truly intend to defy the imperial decree?"

"Defy?" Chu Zhongtian chuckled. "Our Chu family never said that. If you want to search for Zu An, go ahead and search the house yourselves." Though furious, he was not foolish; at the very least, he wouldn't openly provide an excuse for their actions.

Hearing this, the Embroidered Uniform Guard waved his hand, signaling his companions to enter the Chu mansion together. Unfortunately, the Crimson-Robed soldiers remained in place, showing no intention of yielding.

Xie Yi, standing nearby, secretly marveled. Chu Zhongtian, usually so forthright, was unexpectedly cunning. He claimed compliance, but his actions said otherwise.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard stopped. "Do you truly believe this can stop us?"

Chu Zhongtian smiled faintly. "We have long heard of the Embroidered Uniform Guards' prestige. How could our Chu family harbor such a thought?" Despite his words, there was still no sign of them moving aside. His unspoken message was clear: even a mighty Grandmaster couldn't break through just now. What could a few of them do? It would be best if they recognized the difficulty and retreated early.

He was actually puzzled. The Embroidered Uniform Guards were rumored to be legendary, yet their average cultivation level was merely fifth or sixth rank, which seemed to contradict their reputation. Yet, it seemed no one had ever escaped the Embroidered Uniform Guards' pursuit in all these years. What was going on? Was the imperial court simply too powerful for anyone to dare resist?

This was not only the Chu couple's confusion but also that of everyone else. They all looked at the ten Embroidered Uniform Guards, wondering how they would respond.

The ten Embroidered Uniform Guards suddenly knelt facing east. The leader respectfully held his hands before him and declared, "Your humble servants encountered obstruction from enemies on our path. We request His Majesty's imperial decree to suppress them!"

Many present were bewildered. The Emperor was far away in the capital, and this place was a long distance from there. How could the Emperor hear their words? Were they using communication stones or scrying mirrors? Even if the Emperor were informed, what good would it do? As the saying goes, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

However, the expressions of the high-ranking individuals present suddenly changed, as they faintly guessed what was happening.

Chu Zhongtian, trembling violently, quickly looked towards the horizon. He saw the scattered clouds in the sky rapidly converging in one direction. As they gathered, an immense and unparalleled pressure gradually filled the air, causing everyone in Mingyue City to tremble uncontrollably.

In the Ji family's medical clinic, within a tightly curtained bedroom, Ji Dengtu was hidden under his covers, reading a storybook with one hand while the other was doing something unknown. Feeling the terrifying pressure, he shivered, and his entire body instantly went limp. Annoyed, he threw the storybook aside and cursed, "Damn it, I was just at a crucial moment, and this scare will probably leave me impotent for at least three months! You dog emperor, if only I could defeat you, I'd thoroughly explore your harem!" After cursing, he fell into deep thought: That brat, he's caused quite a stir this time.

At Mingyue Academy, Shang Liuyu, seated on a lounge chair in the courtyard, was plucking his zither. He too looked up towards the Chu family's direction, his expression pensive.

Zu An, hidden in a Plum Blossom Gang property, also pushed open a window and looked at the sky. He was utterly terrified. This oppressive power instinctively made him tremble. It was hard enough just standing upright, let alone contemplating resistance. An urge to kneel to the ground constantly welled up within him. Just as he was about to give in, a surprised voice suddenly echoed:

"Such immense power. Boy, have you gotten yourself into trouble with someone you shouldn't have?"

Hearing the voice, Zu An was so excited he almost cried. "Empress Sister, I need a hug and comfort!"

Mi Li placed a hand on his chest, stopping him from lunging forward to embrace her. "What, trying to take advantage of me the moment we meet?" However, her attention couldn't help but shift towards the window, and Zu An also looked in that direction.

Above the Chu family's estate, the clouds gradually formed a vague human silhouette. Faintly, the face of a middle-aged man wearing an imperial crown adorned with a ceremonial fringe became visible.

The figure formed by the clouds slowly opened its mouth, and an ethereal yet incredibly imposing voice resonated throughout Mingyue City: "Granted!"

A gigantic, bright yellow imperial decree seemed to materialize out of thin air, slowly unfurling and almost filling half the sky, though its surface was blank.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard rose and intoned, "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Chu family is to hand over their son-in-law, Zu An, within three days, or be punished for treason, with their nine generations exterminated. Respect this!" With each word he uttered, a golden light would swirl onto the decree, quickly revealing the spoken character. By the time he finished, the exact same content had appeared on the imperial decree in the sky.

Immediately after, the imperial decree emitted a torrent of golden light, showering down upon the "tortoise shell" shield jointly formed by the Crimson-Robed soldiers. This shield, which had remained unmoving against the full force of attacks from both Liu Yao and the King of Liang, disintegrated instantly and vanished without a trace when met with the golden light, like ice and snow melting under the scorching sun.

All three thousand Crimson-Robed soldiers simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood, and everyone was forced to their knees by the overwhelming pressure.

Chu Zhongtian also coughed up a mouthful of blood, instantly becoming listless.

Seeing this, the King of Liang, Liu Yao, and others all knelt and shouted, "Long live the Emperor, live a thousand, a myriad years!" Their imperial guards also followed suit, shouting "Long live!" This cry spread from ten to a hundred, until eventually, everyone in Mingyue City was awestruck by the pressure and knelt, excitedly shouting, "Long live the Emperor, live a thousand, a myriad years!"

The Emperor of the Empire was the strongest person in the world and an unrivaled supreme being in the hearts of common folk. They never imagined they would be so fortunate as to witness the Imperial Presence today. Each one was overwhelmed with emotion; apart from a few who knelt out of compulsion, most cheered from the bottom of their hearts.

At this moment, Sang Hong, who was in the prison cart, said to his son, "Qian'er, you once asked me what it means to act on behalf of the Son of Heaven, didn't you? This is what it means to act on behalf of the Son of Heaven!" At the same time, his heart was filled with doubt: What could have made the Emperor disregard the rules of the court and directly use force to subdue the Chu family?