The issue before the Great Qi Emperor was indeed grave.

He had directly branded Cui Zhu’s assassination attempt as the opening gambit of a plot to seize the throne!

If the matter unfolded with such a characterization, it would surely lead to widespread beheadings and wailing. From the officials in the Political Affairs Hall who handled the list for the Yellow River Assembly, all the way to Cui Zhu himself, who had risen through the ranks in the military step by step, those he had come into contact with, those he had befriended…

What an enormous net this was, ensnaring how many individuals…

Who could fail to be struck with fear?

The Emperor’s wrath meant a million corpses strewn about, blood flowing for a thousand *li*.

Who dared to challenge it?

At this moment, ordinary folk had no standing to speak. And those who did, such as the Crown Prince, several Palace Masters, and even the Grand Chancellor Jiang Ru Mo… precisely could not speak.

Because… drawing a parallel to the old matter of Emperor Qin Huai, it was precisely these individuals who held the potential to become Qi’s “Ying Zhangs”!

The case of deposing the Crown Prince had involved vast numbers, and many who had endured that catastrophe in those years were still present.

The grand, top-tier aristocratic family, the Chong Xuan family, with the already retired Old Marquis Chong Xuan, had donned armor and returned to battle, bathed in blood on the battlefield, lost two sons, and, coupled with Chong Xuan Chu Liang’s first merit in breaking Xia, only then could they be considered to have survived that calamity.

That once-in-a-generation prodigy, Chong Xuan Futu – his son now sat in the viewing stand.

With the mirror of the past not far off, who could remain fearless?

“Your Majesty! This subject has a memorial!” Jiang Wang, also kneeling on the ground, suddenly spoke.

The current Qi Emperor was a generation’s hegemon; when he trusted a person, he could bestow favor without limit, and when he disliked a person… he could also be cold and heartless, beyond recovery.

Jiang Wang, of course, knew the danger of speaking at this juncture. As someone the Emperor had just praised for loyalty, he could have originally remained silent.

A plot to usurp the throne was not the kind of matter for him, this young man from Qing Yang Town with no foundation, to handle.

He was undoubtedly safe.

But as Chong Xuan Sheng’s closest friend, he had a profound impression of that catastrophe thirty years ago.

He believed Chong Xuan Sheng possessed enough wisdom to face all problems in the world, save for those things that had already transpired and could never change. Chong Xuan Sheng’s vulnerability and pain had only been revealed in front of him and Fourteen.

In the ruins of Ku Rong Court, the usually thick-skinned Chong Xuan Sheng had said—”I feel very lonely.”

Chong Xuan Futu’s death had inflicted harm on Chong Xuan Sheng that would last a lifetime and could not be erased.

And the Chong Xuan family, compared to those “Deposed Crown Prince party members” whose entire families had been exterminated, could already be considered to have had a very good outcome.

“Jiang Qing, speak without hindrance.” The Great Qi Emperor’s voice betrayed neither joy nor anger. “Are We a monarch who stifles speech?”

Before the entire Ancestral Temple, the kneeling civil and military officials, imperial relatives, and nobles, not many dared to lift their heads and look around, but all pricked up their ears.

Chong Xuan Sheng knelt on the ground, and with his cultivation, he surprisingly sweated like rain for a time, feeling incredibly difficult to endure!

Fourteen silently knelt beside him, and from Chong Xuan Sheng’s reaction, he knew the danger of the moment.

Yan Fu endured the urge to look left and right; the more crucial the moment, the more he could not associate with too many people. An assassination case had just occurred, precisely the time the Emperor was most vigilant against “forming parties.” But if he did not leverage the Yan family’s influence in the Political Affairs Hall, how could he have a say at this time?

The Hua Ying Palace Master held his breath, considering how he would speak later if the situation turned unfavorable. Would his imperial father show him some consideration and pardon Jiang Qing Yang a little?

“Your Majesty.” Jiang Wang lifted his head, not daring to look directly at the Emperor’s face, but only at the carvings on the vermilion steps.

“This subject is young and frail, neither well-versed in history nor knowledgeable in books. I have merely traveled ten thousand *li* of roads, seen the scenery of various countries, a thousand kinds of people, and privately gained a small understanding—

People have divisions of good and evil, but they are truly difficult to distinguish. They are intertwined, and loyalty and treachery often coexist. Those who have nothing, in their extreme poverty, will inevitably give rise to change; those who grasp power and gain momentum will inevitably look around and feel self-assured. Those who have accumulated a few points of reliance, in the dead of night, will inevitably give birth to thoughts that should not be.

These are the miscellaneous thoughts of humans, difficult to completely sever.

Hence it is said, gentlemen discuss actions, not the heart; if one discusses the heart, there is no perfect person in the world.

However, our Great Qi dominates the six directions with millions of armored troops,

We examine ourselves within our borders, the imperial dynasty alone is revered; we look around the Eastern Domain, those who touch us shall perish! We survey the world, and those who can contend are no more than four or five families.

This subject believes, those who have this heart are not sufficient to fear! Those who have this power are the only ones who need to be vigilant!”

He rested both hands on the ground, his forehead touching the backs of his hands: “Humbly begs the sagacious monarch to clearly discern!”

“Well said, ‘those who have this heart are not sufficient to fear; those who have this power are the only ones who need to be vigilant!'” The Great Qi Emperor overlooked the kneeling young man in the square. “Then, in your opinion, who possesses this power?”

Jiang Wang respectfully said: “Your Majesty is the monarch who established Great Qi’s hegemony, and Great Qi is the country that dominates the Eastern Domain. This subject believes that at present, no one within Qi’s borders possesses this power!

Therefore, Cui Zhu’s great rebellion in assassinating the monarch, this subject believes, is not the same as the old matter of Qin.

Consider that Cui Zhu, merely an inner palace eunuch, his strength still not equal to this subject’s! He destroyed his body with a single stab, unable to approach the Son of Heaven’s front. And our Great Qi is vast, and those stronger than this subject are countless.

How can an ant desperately offend the superior, harm the towering tree?

The hatred of a weak ant, how can it shake the foundation of our Great Qi? However…”

The Son of Heaven asked: “However?”

Jiang Wang took a deep breath and said: “If Your Majesty is angered by the ant and moves the Son of Heaven’s wrath, this subject believes that ant… should have no regrets!”

Although Jiang Wang had actively suppressed the sentence Cui Zhu had spoken to him before death, the Qi Emperor, of course, would not have missed it.

By speaking this way at this time, Jiang Wang was suggesting that the Emperor’s fury was possibly what the assassin had wished to see.

He believed that today’s matter was not the opening move of a plot to seize the throne. Within Qi’s borders, no one had the qualification to change the dynasty. Therefore, the mastermind behind this matter could only be from abroad.

Cui Zhu’s stab undoubtedly had schemes behind it. But if the Qi Emperor, in his anger, punished indiscriminately and involved a great many, that would surely be what the mastermind behind the scenes would be pleased to see.

Jiang Wang spoke euphemistically, but no matter how euphemistic, he had also given offense.

After all, the current Qi Emperor was a generation’s hegemon, and he, Jiang Wang, was merely a young man from Qing Yang Town.

The Son of Heaven did not comment, and lightly said: “Jiang Qing Yang, you possess such great boldness.”

“Under a wise monarch’s rule, only then do loyal ministers dare to speak. With a sage lord in court, only then are heartfelt words spoken.” Jiang Wang replied: “This subject’s boldness is bestowed by Your Majesty.”

The Great Qi Emperor was silent for a moment.

Thus, the entire area before the Ancestral Temple also fell silent for a moment.

“Where is the Patrol Inspection Commandant?” The Son of Heaven said.

The capital Patrol Inspection Commandant was what people often called the Commandant of the Northern Yamen.

Zheng Shi Chu was not at the scene observing the ceremony at first, but at this time, he somehow squeezed through and bowed below the vermilion steps: “This subject is here.”

The Son of Heaven instructed: “Hand this matter over to you for thorough investigation. We grant you the authority to mobilize the Night Watchmen. No matter who is involved, there can be no leniency!”

He paused, and added: “Also, you must not implicate the innocent.”

To prevent abuse of power, the position of Northern Yamen Commandant could not be held by someone with a cultivation exceeding the Outer Tower realm. This also meant that although the Northern Yamen Commandant held heavy authority, it was difficult for him to mobilize those with blue plaques above the Outer Tower realm.

The Night Watchmen, on the other hand, were a force loyal only to the Great Qi imperial family, their strength terrifying.

Handing this matter over to the Northern Yamen Commandant to investigate, rather than letting the Director of Ceremonial Affairs, Han Ling, be responsible, already allowed the civil and military officials, nobles, and imperial relatives on the scene to breathe a sigh of relief.

The sentence the Qi Emperor added afterward made everyone’s hearts feel even lighter.

Chong Xuan Sheng’s sweating on his forehead stopped.

Brilliant, truly brilliant!

If the occasion weren’t inappropriate, he would truly want to lift Jiang Wang up and cheer.

Perhaps Jiang Wang spoke solely out of a sense of compassion and sincerity. But he had hit the vital point and persuaded the Qi Emperor.

What was Chong Xuan Feng Hua compared to this?

Indeed, today you amazed all of Lin Zi.

But Jiang Qing Yang had won the gratitude of half of Lin Zi!

1. “Privately have a gain…” Here, “privately” (竊) means humbly or privately.