Chapter 618: Rebellious Minister and Traitor—Good Riddance!

After reading the memorial, Gao Jiancheng finally understood what kind of man the one at Maolu Villa truly was. Even after the three major sects had stepped in, Niu Youdao still dared twist against their wishes. His courage was anything but ordinary. Shang Jianxiong had brought this trouble on himself by provoking such a man.

Seen from another angle, it also proved Niu Youdao had ability and confidence enough to act this way. Instead of becoming more worried, Gao Jiancheng actually relaxed somewhat.

Dealing with intelligent men was not difficult. What he feared most was tying himself to an idiot. If Niu Youdao were crushed by the imperial court in only a few moves, Gao Jiancheng himself would be dragged down with him. The things he had done in secret would be exposed sooner or later.

Xue Xiao was certain to shoulder the blame for the disastrous campaign. Shang Jianxiong could rage all he liked, but there was nothing else he could do.

Issuing an imperial edict was useless. Nanzhou’s army still clung stubbornly to the claim that Shang Chaozong’s women had been abducted. They declared themselves to be clearing rebel traitors on behalf of the imperial court and demanded that the court kill Xue Xiao and give them an explanation.

Shang Jianxiong could make Xue Xiao take the blame, but he could not kill him. At least, he could not kill him anytime soon.

Above all, he could not kill Xue Xiao merely because Nanzhou demanded it. The court’s dignity aside, doing so would chill the hearts of the regional governors and inspectors everywhere. Once those men lost faith in the court and each began making plans for himself, the stability of Shang Jianxiong’s own throne would be threatened. For that reason, no matter what happened this time, Shang Jianxiong had to protect Xue Xiao.

With no other choice, he could only ask the three major sects to intervene once again.

When the news reached the three major sects, Long Xiu flew into a rage. Niu Youdao had agreed to one thing to his face and done another behind his back. How could Long Xiu not be furious?

The three major sects sent orders to Dachan Mountain, commanding it to withdraw the troops immediately.

Dachan Mountain was caught between impossible choices.

Withdraw what troops? Shang Chaozong’s forces simply refused to pull back. Were they supposed to kill them all? If Dachan Mountain used force and threw Nanzhou into chaos, all of its interests there would vanish with it. Who would take responsibility then?

Anyone could issue easy orders from far away. Would the three major sects themselves dare throw Nanzhou into complete turmoil?

Dachan Mountain could only pretend helplessness. In any case, Niu Youdao had already agreed beforehand that responsibility could be pushed onto him.

Since that understanding already existed, Dachan Mountain did not hesitate. It dumped all responsibility onto Niu Youdao and submitted an explanation to the three major sects: Shang Chaozong’s people and Niu Youdao wore the same pair of trousers. Even putting a blade to Dachan Mountain’s neck would accomplish nothing. What could they possibly do?

At the same time, Niu Youdao himself received the three major sects’ order to withdraw.

His answer was even more outrageous. He did not say they would refuse to withdraw. He said the withdrawal had merely been postponed.

His first reason was that Nanzhou’s troops were still searching the battlefield for the remains of fallen soldiers and needed time.

His second reason was that Nanzhou’s forces had identified a number of their soldiers as having been captured by Xue Xiao’s men. They demanded that Xue Xiao return the captives. Once the men were handed over, the withdrawal could proceed more quickly.

The first excuse was manageable enough. At worst, everyone could wait.

The second was something not even a ghost could explain clearly.

How could a war be fought without deaths? Once a man was dead, there was no witness left to contradict anything. Nanzhou could simply draw up a list of dead soldiers, insist that they had been captured by Xue Xiao, and demand their return. Where was Xue Xiao supposed to produce them from?

It did no good for Xue Xiao to insist that he had captured no one. Nanzhou’s forces simply insisted the men were in his hands and demanded that the three major sects uphold justice. Since the fighting had already stopped and Nanzhou was being ordered to withdraw, why had Xue Xiao still not released their men?

For every policy from above, those below had their countermeasure.

And there was one more matter. Niu Youdao said he possessed a large body of witnesses proving that the imperial court had indeed sent people to attack Maolu Villa. Between the garrison and the cultivators, more than ten thousand people had been killed or wounded. He asked the three major sects whether all of that was simply supposed to be forgotten.

Were all those people supposed to have deserved death?

What was this now?

The Sect Leaders of Zijin Cave and Lingjian Mountain immediately rushed to Xiaoyao Palace.

Naturally, both came looking for Long Xiu. He had been the one who volunteered to go to Maolu Villa and settle the matter. Was this what he called settled?

The two Sect Leaders certainly intended to demand a clear explanation from him.

After his anger passed, Long Xiu had no choice but to calm down. He had personally witnessed Niu Youdao swearing bonds with people from Lingxiao Pavilion and Tiannü Sect. If they truly drove Nanzhou into outright rebellion, all of Yan would be unable to bear the consequences.

Niu Youdao had agreed to stop the fighting, which gave the three major sects face. His refusal to withdraw was his way of demanding an explanation from them.

He had already made his grievance perfectly clear before. The imperial court had moved against him again and again, repeatedly trying to kill him. Was all of that supposed to be forgotten? Was there anything wrong with asking the three major sects to uphold justice?

If they truly let everything pass without an explanation, it would be exactly as Niu Youdao had said: were they simply refusing to leave him any road to live?

And if they left Niu Youdao no road to live, did anyone need to ask what the consequences might be?

As for what Long Xiu could say to Gong Lince of Zijin Cave and Meng Xuan of Lingjian Mountain, Niu Youdao had practically given him the answer in advance.

Shang Jianxiong had indeed gone too far. Again and again he had acted behind the three major sects’ backs. He seemed to have forgotten that this realm was ultimately a realm of cultivators. It was time he was taught a lesson.

Besides, did they truly intend to force Nanzhou into rebellion?

The imperial court had been at fault first. Nanzhou’s demand for an explanation was reasonable enough. The only problem was what kind of explanation to give.

Punishing Shang Jianxiong directly was inappropriate. The three Sect Leaders discussed the matter repeatedly, and in the end the obvious solution sitting before them was the only workable one: teach Shang Jianxiong a lesson by granting the three commanderies to Nanzhou.

One could easily imagine how violently Shang Jianxiong would oppose such a decision.

And so Long Xiu, Sect Leader of Xiaoyao Palace; Gong Lince, Sect Leader of Zijin Cave; and Meng Xuan, Sect Leader of Lingjian Mountain personally came to the Great Yan imperial palace together.

When Shang Jianxiong learned of the decision made by the three major sects, he was stunned. How could he possibly agree to such a condition?

No matter who was made to shoulder the blame for this affair, he himself knew the truth, and so did everyone else. He was the one who had caused it. If he accepted such a humiliating condition, what dignity would remain to him as Emperor? He could already imagine how many people would point at his back, mock him, and laugh at him in private.

Inside the great hall, facing the three Sect Leaders, Shang Jianxiong’s jaw tightened. He enunciated each word. “I cannot agree to this condition!”

The gazes of Gong Lince and Meng Xuan instantly turned icy as they stared at Shang Jianxiong.

Silence.

Tian Yu and the others stood with their hands lowered and said nothing, all of them feeling the atmosphere in the hall suddenly become oppressive.

“What did you say?” Long Xiu slowly stepped forward until he stood face-to-face with Shang Jianxiong at close range.

Tian Yu and the eunuchs were startled. Ga Miaoshui among them, they quickly moved behind Shang Jianxiong, staring fixedly at Long Xiu and remaining on high alert.

The cultivators stationed in the imperial palace immediately stepped forward and pointed at Tian Yu and the others. “Impudent! Stand down!”

Tian Yu and the others did not move.

In the end, Shang Jianxiong himself turned his head and waved a hand. “All of you, withdraw.”

He understood perfectly well that if a fight truly broke out, Tian Yu and the others could not protect him.

With grave expressions, the eunuchs could only retreat slowly.

Long Xiu stared at Shang Jianxiong and said one word at a time, “And if we insist that you agree?”

Shang Jianxiong replied, “Yielding to a rebellious minister is something I will never agree to. If you would force me to accept this, you may as well kill me!”

Long Xiu sneered. “Now you remember life and death? When you were sneaking around behind our backs, why didn’t you talk like this? When you begged us to mediate the fighting, why didn’t you talk like this?”

“Great Yan is surrounded by foreign enemies, yet instead of thinking how to repel them, you, the Emperor, keep yourself busy stirring up internal conflict. What exactly are you trying to do?”

Shang Jianxiong said, “What sneaking around? Someone is maliciously slandering me. How can the Palace Master believe such accusations so readily? If you mean the matter at Maolu Villa, I know nothing about it! It has nothing to do with me. If the Palace Master wants an explanation, I will certainly investigate the truth and give the three major sects an accounting!”

“By finding someone else to take the blame?” Long Xiu scoffed. He pulled a sheet of paper from his sleeve. It was the written explanation Shang Jianxiong had previously given the three major sects. “Some things do not require evidence. Everyone knows perfectly well who did it. Stop using this rubbish to fool me.”

“Today, you will agree whether you want to or not. Refuse, and your days as Emperor end here!”

Smack!

The paper in Long Xiu’s hand struck Shang Jianxiong directly across the face.

Shang Jianxiong stood motionless and said slowly, “I have ruled Great Yan for nearly twenty years. Kill me, and Great Yan will be thrown into turmoil, its survival hanging by a thread!”

That too was a warning aimed at the three major sects.

“You dare threaten me?” Long Xiu gave a string of cold laughs, then tilted his head and ordered, “His Majesty is preparing to abdicate. Go invite the Crown Prince and heir apparent. Let him succeed his father, formally ascend the throne of Great Yan, command the ministers, and stabilize the court and the people’s hearts!”

“I refuse to believe that with all three of our sects supporting him together, the court could fall into chaos beyond control!”

The words Crown Prince and heir apparent struck Shang Jianxiong directly in his weakest point. His cheek twitched violently.

That was also one of the reasons Emperor Hao Yuntu of Qi had long refused to appoint a Crown Prince and heir apparent.

In the end, faced with the three major sects preparing to force the issue, Shang Jianxiong yielded.

Tian Yu understood his thoughts. Judging the situation carefully, he stepped forward at the appropriate moment, fell to his knees before Shang Jianxiong, and tearfully begged him until Shang Jianxiong agreed to cede the three commanderies to Nanzhou.

The storm that had been on the verge of breaking was instantly pressed back down.

From beginning to end, Gong Lince and Meng Xuan had said almost nothing. The matter was one Long Xiu had failed to settle cleanly, so naturally Long Xiu was the one who stepped forward to play the villain.

Fortunately, all three Sect Leaders had come in person, carrying full authority to decide on behalf of the three major sects. Had anyone else come, they truly might not have been able to suppress Shang Jianxiong. He had spent many years building his power in Yan and was hardly helpless.

After Shang Jianxiong agreed, Tian Yu once again pleaded with the three major sects and won a compromise from them, preserving one last measure of dignity for the Emperor of Yan.

The cession of the three commanderies would not be made public. Instead, Xue Xiao in Dingzhou would be informed through a secret edict. Dingzhou and Nanzhou would tacitly accept the territory currently controlled by their respective armies.

Just as a Goldenwing was released to carry the message toward Dingzhou, a disciple of Zijin Cave ran in from outside the hall.

He handed a secret letter to his Sect Leader. After reading it, Gong Lince’s expression changed slightly and his brows drew together.

At almost the same moment, a eunuch entered from outside and delivered an urgent report to Tian Yu.

After reading it, Tian Yu turned to the grim-faced Shang Jianxiong. “Your Majesty, an urgent report from Cangzhou. Wu Gongshan, Provincial Inspector of Cangzhou, suddenly came down with an acute illness and has died!”

Shang Jianxiong glanced at Gong Lince and said indifferently, “Rebellious minister and traitor. Good riddance!”

Meng Xuan, Sect Leader of Lingjian Mountain, turned toward Gong Lince. “Wu Gongshan had so many cultivators around him to help regulate his health. How could he suddenly die of illness?”

“Something may be about to happen in Cangzhou.” Gong Lince’s expression was grave. He handed the letter in his hand to Meng Xuan.

The moment he heard trouble might be coming, Long Xiu immediately moved closer. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Meng Xuan, he read the letter as well. Its contents made both men’s hearts lurch.

Qu Yunkong, Sect Leader of Tongxian Pavilion, had been assassinated!

Tongxian Pavilion was the cultivation faction responsible for guarding Cangzhou.

Almost at the same time, Cangzhou’s Provincial Inspector Wu Gongshan had died of illness and Tongxian Pavilion’s Sect Leader had been assassinated. The leaders of Cangzhou’s secular and cultivation powers had both died within almost the same span of time.

How could there be such a coincidence, especially when Qu Yunkong had clearly been assassinated?

Qu Yunkong also possessed another important identity. His wife was the daughter of Zijin Cave’s previous Sect Leader. Tongxian Pavilion could be said to have been built up by Zijin Cave’s support with its own hands.

[End of Chapter 618]