Chapter 939: A Harbinger of Great Change Beneath Heaven

"I'll die a miserable death? Good! Good! Hahaha..." Wu Gongling threw back his head and laughed without end.

Everyone around him could hear the meaning in that laughter. It was as though he meant to show Hui Qingping which of them would truly die a miserable death.

But without permission from their sects, the cultivators present would not allow Wu Gongling to kill Hui Qingping. Nor did they dare release her casually, for fear she might do something reckless.

The residence had been smashed beyond habitation, so Wu Gongling simply led his people back to the imperial palace.

Their return immediately caused a considerable stir within the palace. The Empress had actually been brought back under guard and thrown into the imperial prison!

The news that followed caught everyone unprepared.

The Empress had tried to assassinate the Emperor, and the Emperor had imprisoned the Empress. How could something like this fail to cause an uproar?

Wu Gongling had no intention of concealing the matter either. Killing intent had risen in him. He wanted Hui Qingping dead!

Whether or not he had once been using Hui Qingping, by now he had truly had enough of this woman. Strip away the fact that he had once been commander of an army. Strip away the fact that he was now emperor. Strip away even the designation of "man." He was simply a male, and one whose male traits were particularly pronounced, a man with an exceptionally strong urge to mate with females.

Of course, he was still human. He still possessed human feelings and notions of right and wrong. If she had not driven him beyond endurance, he would not have wanted to kill his own wife.

But what happened today had crossed the furthest limit of what he could tolerate. He had spent half his life on battlefields; making decisive choices on the spot was nearly instinctive to him.

He had already begun to feel Hui Qingping constraining him even before this. Leaving aside the issue of other women, because she had helped Wu Gongling rise to power, she behaved as though anything she did was naturally justified.

Relying on the fact that she was a cultivator and could fight, she was also extremely forceful.

In a fit of anger, she could slap Wu Gongling across the face. More than once, Hui Qingping had knocked him flat on the ground with a single slap, leaving him dazed.

Perhaps it was because she had once been an Elder of Tiannü Sect and had been steeped in authority. She could not help inserting herself into certain affairs and considered it only natural. Or perhaps she believed that because she and Wu Gongling were husband and wife, and because she had helped raise him to his present position, it was only proper for her to exercise some of Wu Gongling's authority in his place.

She treated affairs of state as household affairs. Wu Gongling deeply resented that, and secretly worried that if it continued, it would only feed the woman's ambition.

Of course, the matter of women was another major reason. To ask him, a dignified emperor, to forever restrain his primal desires and keep only this old woman—he could not do it. If, after risking his head and struggling for half a lifetime, his life was less satisfying than when he had merely been a general, then what had he been risking his neck and fighting so hard for?

In short, he had realized long ago that a woman like Hui Qingping could never be a normal empress. Expecting her to stay properly within the inner palace and conduct herself as an empress should was harder than ascending to Heaven. It was impossible.

He intended to seize this opportunity and make a decisive break!

The moment he returned to the palace, he immediately began arranging Hui Qingping's execution, without the slightest mercy.

The only reason he could not simply kill her outright was the obstruction of those cultivators. She was, after all, the Empress of a state, and the matter was too grave. Without approval from Song's three major sects, they could not act lightly. The people stationed here by those three sects had already taken Hui Qingping directly under protection, afraid Wu Gongling might act recklessly, and had urgently requested a ruling from their sects.

Wu Gongling understood the situation perfectly. If he wanted to remove Hui Qingping, the three major sects should have no objection. He suspected that not only Hui Qingping, but even Tongxian Pavilion itself would eventually be kicked aside by the three major sects. They did not want another cultivation faction beside Wu Gongling. They wanted to hold Wu Gongling entirely in their own hands.

The only reason the three sects had tolerated matters so far was Hui Qingping's status as Empress, together with their need for Wu Gongling to stabilize Song. They had temporarily endured it rather than make relations with him too rigid. Now that Wu Gongling himself had taken the initiative, why would the three sects oppose him?

What was going on? The moment news spread, the entire civil and military court was shaken. It was not only the civil officials. Even the generals under Wu Gongling were astonished. The Grand General wanted to kill his own wife?

At the next morning court session, Wu Gongling, who rarely appeared at court, attended specifically to address this matter.

Chancellor Zi Pingxiu was the first to step forward and urge restraint. He warned that arbitrarily killing someone without crime would have enormous consequences, perhaps even shake the foundations of the state, and pleaded with Wu Gongling to think three times before acting.

The concerns of these court officials differed from those of the cultivators from Song's three major sects. The officials cared more deeply about governance.

But Song had only recently been broken and reestablished. Many things had not yet taken shape, and the web of interests had not yet hardened into a structure powerful enough to constrain Wu Gongling. This was precisely the period when restraints on him were weakest. He could do nearly whatever he wished, and the assembled officials had no way to stop him.

After court adjourned, Zi Pingxiu returned to the Chancellor's residence in a fury and went straight to Jia Wuqun's courtyard.

Jia Wuqun was sitting in a pavilion reading. Seeing the Chancellor sit down opposite him with anger all over his face, he set the book aside, took up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote several characters on his writing board before turning it around.

"He wouldn't listen?"

Zi Pingxiu said, "If only he would listen. This is utter nonsense. If he can kill even the Empress whenever he pleases, won't everyone live in fear from now on?"

Jia Wuqun wrote again and showed him: "If he himself doesn't care, why should the Chancellor torment himself over it?"

Zi Pingxiu sighed. "Sir, the Empress of Song catches the Emperor in adultery, and the Emperor kills the Empress in a fit of rage. If that gets out, it will be an enormous joke. It won't only affect domestic politics; it will affect our relations with the other states and make Song a laughingstock. He doesn't care. He only cares about the result. Then when the time comes, he'll toss out that same line again: if you can't do the job, go farm the fields. This... isn't he simply making trouble for me?"

Seeing that he cared so much, Jia Wuqun was silent for a moment. Then he wrote: "The Chancellor can go see Shan Dongxing, Sect Leader of Tongxian Pavilion, and have him try to persuade His Majesty. It may work."

Zi Pingxiu considered the words, then asked suspiciously, "Shan Dongxing and His Majesty wear the same pair of trousers. Would Shan Dongxing really oppose His Majesty's decision?"

Jia Wuqun wrote another response and turned the board around. "Precisely because of that. The three major sects do not wish to see another power beside His Majesty. Their not acting for now does not mean they never will. Tongxian Pavilion itself feels endangered. With the support of court officials, Tongxian Pavilion will welcome it. If the Chancellor goes personally, Shan Dongxing will certainly give you this face."

Zi Pingxiu looked thoughtful, though doubt remained. "His Majesty has already made up his mind. Will Shan Dongxing's persuasion really help?"

Jia Wuqun wrote: "When troops rose in Cangzhou, Shan Dongxing followed him all the way. Compared with the officials of Song, or even Song's three major sects, Wu Gongling is closer to Shan Dongxing. Certain words will carry more weight from Shan Dongxing than from anyone else. It is worth trying!"

Afterward, he wrote out the arguments Shan Dongxing should use.

Zi Pingxiu read them and nodded repeatedly. Without further words and without delaying, he rose and left at once.

There truly was no time to waste. He knew very well that Wu Gongling had probably refrained from killing Hui Qingping only because he was still waiting for replies from the three major sects. If they failed to stop him before those replies arrived, then the story of the Empress of Song catching her husband in adultery and being killed for it would be nailed down beyond reversal.

Just as Jia Wuqun had predicted, when Zi Pingxiu found Shan Dongxing, Sect Leader of Tongxian Pavilion, Shan Dongxing hesitated at first but ultimately agreed to try. Whether it would work, even he could not guarantee.

He hesitated because he knew Wu Gongling wanted Hui Qingping dead. Whether he stopped it or whether Hui Qingping lived or died had little effect on him personally.

He agreed to try because he was indeed giving face to Zi Pingxiu, the head of the civil officials.

Entrusted by Zi Pingxiu, Shan Dongxing immediately entered the palace to see Wu Gongling and used the argument Zi Pingxiu had given him as his own reason for persuasion.

The argument was simple. Shan Dongxing said: everyone already says you killed your own elder brother. If you now kill your wife as well, won't that make the accusation of fratricide seem confirmed? How will all beneath Heaven look at you then?

Wu Gongling hesitated. He did have reservations about that. He had always denied killing his brother.

In the end, Wu Gongling changed his decision. He did not kill Hui Qingping. But while she escaped death, she could not escape punishment. Now that he had acted, he would never give Hui Qingping another chance to reverse the situation.

He deposed Hui Qingping as Empress and imprisoned her for life!

As for Hui Qingping's closest aides, Wu Gongling cut them away. Every last one of her female disciples was killed.

Thus, not one of these traitors from Tiannü Sect came to a good end.

Hui Qingping could only watch helplessly as her own disciples were dragged away to be dealt with, powerless to save them. Inside her prison, she wept bitterly, regretting that greed and ambition had once blinded her into betraying her sect.

Wu Gongling had used her while she was useful and then dismantled the bridge after crossing the river—at least, that was how she saw it. She cursed Wu Gongling to die a miserable death until eventually even her strength to curse was gone. Alone, she slumped into a corner of the cell, dazed and vacant.

The splendor of being Empress passed like a wisp of cloud before the eyes. It had come quickly and vanished just as quickly, like waking from a dream.

When Wu Gongling made this decision, deposing an empress was an enormous matter, yet he did not even consult the officials. He simply issued the decree at the next morning court session. Before announcing it, he had already killed Hui Qingping's disciples, first cutting away her wings.

After returning from court, Zi Pingxiu went to Jia Wuqun again, shaking his head with a bitter smile.

Jia Wuqun seemed somewhat surprised. He wrote: "He still intends to kill her?"

Zi Pingxiu said, "Her life was spared. He deposed the Empress! No consultation at all. He simply issued the decree."

Jia Wuqun's brush moved rapidly. "How did the court officials react?"

Zi Pingxiu sighed. "The reaction wasn't strong this time! His Majesty said Hui Qingping lacked the virtue required for her position and that he intends to establish another Empress, choosing a virtuous and worthy daughter from among the families of the officials. His Majesty may look reckless, but he has his methods. Every official was tempted. No one objected anymore. I expect they'll even do their utmost to help His Majesty calm the aftermath, all to please him!"

Jia Wuqun frowned slightly and wrote another question. "Is the Chancellor tempted?"

Stroking his beard, Zi Pingxiu sighed. "A daughter has to marry someone sooner or later. Having an Empress come from one's own family carries extraordinary meaning. Who wouldn't be tempted? It's only that among the unmarried girls in the family, who would be suitable still requires consideration." His sigh seemed to carry regret that he no longer had a daughter of suitable age to marry off and would have to search among his relatives instead.

Jia Wuqun wrote: "Chancellor, think carefully!"

Zi Pingxiu froze slightly. "Sir thinks it inappropriate?"

Jia Wuqun lowered his brush and wrote a warning.

"The Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm was opened and never closed, contrary to all reason. The Tiandu Secret Realm suddenly admitted independent cultivators. Song, Han, Yan, and Zhao went to war; Zhao was destroyed; Song changed rulers; Xuan Wei of Wei has gradually returned authority to the sovereign; and now there is this matter of tempering in Sacred Realm. Great events follow one after another. This cannot be ordinary. It is a harbinger of great change beneath Heaven!

"Beneath Heaven there has been no great upheaval for a long time. Demons and monsters have been gathering strength for too long. From all these signs, I fear the nine supreme experts beneath Heaven have begun making plans. At a time like this, the Chancellor must watch the changes quietly and must not entangle himself too deeply.

"The present ruler of Song killed his brother and cast aside his wife. He is heartless and faithless to the extreme. To discard those who attach themselves to him like worn shoes is ordinary for him. He is not someone you can rely on. Nor should the Chancellor let himself be bound too tightly to him. Keeping some distance leaves a road of retreat. Only by watching for opportunity can you preserve the Zi household through these troubled times. I hope the Chancellor understands!"

The warning made Zi Pingxiu's eyelids twitch. He rose and paced back and forth for a while, then suddenly sat down again. Hesitating, he said, "If everyone else competes for the position of Empress while this old man remains too calm, won't that make him suspicious?"

Jia Wuqun wrote out a solution: "Everyone knows the Chancellor has no unmarried daughter of suitable age. The present ruler is a lecher. Choose an unattractive woman from among your relatives and put her forward merely for form's sake. She will certainly not be chosen!"

[End of Chapter 939]