met free Chapter 402 - 250: Father and Son Become Enemies, the Imperial Capital in an Uproar, Listing Ten Crimes, Why Is the Imperial Father Rebelling?
Chapter 402 - 250: Father and Son Become Enemies, the Imperial Capital in an Uproar, Listing Ten Crimes, Why Is the Imperial Father Rebelling?
Who agrees? Who objects?
Though his words were calm, they were filled with an undeniable killing intent. It was as if anyone who dared to object would suffer the same fate as the Grand Commander in the very next second.
At this moment, the faces of the surrounding Great Yan Imperial Guard were deathly pale.
A dignified City Gate Grand Commander of the Senior Third Grade, one of the Nine Gates Governors, a Martial Artist of the Dragon Gate Realm.
Dead just like that?
’What level has the Crown Prince’s cultivation reached?’
’Could it be that the stories of His Highness’s deeds at the Border Pass are all true? Did he really slay hundreds of thousands of Demon Fiends and defeat the Great Nether Empress all by himself?’
’Are all those increasingly ridiculous rumors circulating among the people actually true?’
The robed Confucian Scholar with a Golden Seal hanging from his waist was inwardly stunned. A strange, unsettling thought struck him: ’If I had been the one standing there, would Lu Mingyuan have shattered my skull with a single slap?’
As one of the Imperial Experts from the Hanlin Academy, he went by the title of Hanlin Zhenren. With his profound knowledge, he rarely held anyone in high regard on a normal day.
Which of the passing scholars or even the Champion Scholars of the palace examinations didn’t treat him with the utmost courtesy? All of them had to address him as ’Master’.
But in this moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of danger.
’To be able to swat a Ninth Realm Dragon Gate Martial Artist to death like an ant... his cultivation must be at least at Tenth Realm Perfection!’p>
’Any higher than that... he didn’t even dare to imagine it!’
Hanlin Zhenren felt breathless. He truly couldn’t fathom how the Sixth Prince—the one who languished in the Cold Palace, the one everyone spat at the sight of—had managed to reach such a high realm of cultivation.
’Could he really be a Martial Dao genius?’
’If so, why were there never any signs of it before?’
"Stand down. Let me return to the Eastern Palace first. I will naturally see my Father Emperor."
"Otherwise, his fate will be yours."
Lu Mingyuan glanced coolly at Hanlin Zhenren, his voice devoid of emotion.
Suppressing the terror in his heart, Hanlin Zhenren felt as if he had just walked back from the gates of hell. He took a deep breath, clasped his fist in a bow, and departed with haste.
The nearby Imperial Guard all withdrew, clearly not daring to stand in his way.
The Crown Prince still bore the Commander’s Seal, his might was astounding, and his own power base was already established.
Even the Grand Commander had been dealt with in an instant, let alone them.
Lu Mingyuan silently strode past the bloody mess on the ground and led his followers toward the Eastern Palace, his first priority to check on the safety of his mother, his maternal grandfather, and Mu Xue.
’If that man on the dragon throne dares to lay a hand on the Eastern Palace Mansion, I will absolutely not let him off the hook.’
Many of the expert Cultivators at the city gate held back, seemingly hesitant to act.
Lu Mingyuan’s words were still fresh in their minds: "This man spouted nonsense, showed disrespect to the Holy Emperor, and attempted to drive a wedge between me and my Father Emperor."
It was precisely because of this statement that they did not dare to act rashly.
This was a matter between the Holy Emperor and the Crown Prince.
If they intervened, they would simply become collateral damage in the power struggle between the two.
The Golden Court Mountain Master, Luo Shengmiao, raised a fist. In front of the many Cultivators and downcast soldiers, he flashed a wide, toothy grin and jutted out his chin in a provocative gesture, looking quite pleased with himself.
It was still early morning, and the main street was already bustling with vendors setting up their stalls to sell breakfast: scallion pancakes, meat buns, soy milk, and fried dough sticks.
A server carrying a bowl of soy milk saw a handsome, imposing man in a Python Robe leading the group, walking with the stride of a dragon. Behind him followed a retinue of nearly a hundred men.
For a moment, he couldn’t help but stare, his eyes wide. After a while, he slowly looked away and turned to a customer. "Is that... the Crown Prince?"
"Ah, so that’s the Crown Prince?"
Some people who had never seen Lu Mingyuan’s face before began to chatter amongst themselves as they watched his procession cross through the Outer City and slowly enter the Inner City.p>
"Yes, that’s him! That’s the Crown Prince! What is he planning to do?"
"I don’t know. With a procession like that, is he returning to the capital for an audience with the Holy Emperor?"
Lu Mingyuan looked straight ahead as he passed through the streets, soon arriving in the Inner City.
This was a district where only the children of high officials were qualified to live. Unable to secure a residence in the Imperial City alongside the Royal Family, Nobility, and renowned Generals and Ministers, they had to make do here.
"My father is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue! You can’t arrest me!"
On the street, a young master in lavish robes, his face a mask of panic and rage, was being dragged away by a squad of agents in the Bright Lamp Bureau’s brocade uniforms.
Seeing this, Lu Mingyuan couldn’t help but step forward and ask, "What crime has this man committed?"
The leader of the Bright Lamp Bureau agents glanced at Lu Mingyuan’s Python Robe, recognized his noble status, and said respectfully with a clasped fist, "The maid by this man’s side was a member of the Blood Race in disguise. This is a heinous crime, and he surely has ties to the Demon Country. Thus, I came here to apprehend him."
After speaking, he commanded the Bright Lamp Bureau subordinate beside him,
"Take him away."
Lu Mingyuan said no more and continued on his way, eventually arriving at the Divine Martial Gate of the Imperial City.
On the walls of the Imperial City.
The Imperial Guard garrisoning the gate saw a veritable tide of people surging down the wide main road. Looking down, all they could see was a sea of heads. The commander frowned and demanded,
"Who goes there?!"
Below, the man in the Four-Clawed Python Robe stood with his hand resting on his saber. His posture was extraordinary, his expression sharp, and he spoke calmly.
"The Crown Prince of Great Yan, Lu Mingyuan."
"The Crown Prince..." the Imperial City’s Garrison Commander muttered. ’I had heard news that the Crown Prince was returning to the capital, but why hasn’t the Cabinet Court mentioned it?’
’They haven’t even prepared a grand welcoming ceremony.’
The Imperial City’s Garrison Commander shouted, his powerful voice resonating with Primordial Qi, "Has Your Highness the Crown Prince not surrendered the Commander’s Seal?"
"With such a large retinue, are you seeking an audience with the Holy Emperor? Those who wish to enter the Imperial City must disarm and surrender their seal. That is the rule."
According to the standard laws and procedures of Great Yan, when a general returns to the capital, the first order of business is to surrender the Commander’s Seal. Then, their troops are to be disbanded and sent to the northern and southern military barracks.