The next day.
The sun rose as usual.
A new day began in the great Houtu Empire, but the air was filled with a strange atmosphere. What happened last night was too shocking. The brilliance of the Imperial Army soared into the sky, and the two destructive forces collided. Everyone in the empire saw it clearly.
People were discussing, whispering, guessing, and bewildered.
But the empire was a backward feudal country, and the thoughts of the people were meaningless. The imperial court was slow to react, and they didn't even bother to control the discussion and delete the posts, allowing the public to ferment and the people to make wild guesses. In any case, the undercurrents of the people would never affect the politics of the empire.
The real problem lay in the game in the imperial court, in the compromise and decision of a small group of people.
That being said, many people had already smelled a certain unsettling aura.
Things had to be connected.
About a month ago, the suspected Fire Sword Saint, Chi Lianyan, was killed on the street.
After that, the assassination of Mu Yao, which shocked the entire imperial court, broke out, and the Star Sword Saint became a traitor.
Then, the Earth Sword Saint sacrificed himself in the palace and healed His Majesty's sword wound.
Last night, the Sun Sword Saint, Wei Xihe, went berserk and slaughtered the soldiers.
In the past two months, four of the Seven Luminaries Sword Saints had died, which was even more terrifying than the War of Heaven's Origin. If the Sky Demon in the underworld knew about this, he would probably laugh himself to death.
Those were the Seven Luminaries Sword Saints.
They were the ultimate embodiment of the empire's military strength, the strongest warriors of the Imperial Army, and the embodiment of strength. They represented the dignity and face of the empire. Now that they had died one after another, not only did they become a joke to the foreigners, but it also meant that something was wrong … Many people smelled something unusual.
When something unusual happened, it meant that something was wrong.
This matter was too strange.
Two years ago, the Empire had won the War of Heaven's Origin, and its international reputation had reached its peak. Its martial arts were above the rest of the world, and its strength, honor, reputation, and strength had reached the peak of all dynasties. Now, the world was at peace, and the country was flourishing. The country was prosperous, the people were happy, and the confidence of the people was skyrocketing. The future was bright, and the Empire was clearly in such a prosperous period …
However, in the short span of a month, the situation had changed drastically.
The dignified Seven Luminaries Sword Saint had met with mishaps one after another.
Even His Majesty was assassinated and unconscious.
Against the background of the Empire's prosperity and prosperity, such a thing was particularly dazzling and shameful, and even more so frightening to those who were knowledgeable. They could vaguely sense that a heart-palpitating storm was brewing … hidden under the appearance of the Empire's prosperity.
He had to figure out what was going on.
Chi Lianyan's case aside, the Nation Suppressing Sword, which was a saint weapon, could not be verified. Ling Muli had committed treason and assassinated the emperor. However, Wei Xihe had been captured by the Martial Arts Hall Commanders. He was the most crucial witness.
But in order to find out what was going on, one person had to be involved.
Shentse General Sun Lang.
His shadow could be seen in all the recent major events.
The Fire Radiance Sword Saint, Mu Li, had died under his mouth. Of course, he wouldn't admit it.
Before Lingmu Li assassinated the Emperor, he seemed to have had a conflict with Sun Lang.
The matter of the Nation Suppressing Sword Saint was also unclear to him.
He was even the prime suspect of Wei Xihe's madness.
Oh, right, there was also the widow, Shen Yaohua, who was suddenly recognized by the Water Radiance Sword.
No matter what, what happened last night was a major event. Everyone in the Imperial Capital was paying close attention to it, and the entire court was discussing it. The commotion last night was so big that it couldn't be covered up. Moreover, it involved the Sun Sword Saint going crazy and killing people. No one was willing to cover it up. Everyone in the imperial court wanted a result.
The Emperor was still lying on the bed, pretending to be dead. He relied on the performance of the "Nation Suppressing Sword Saint" to gain the initiative. When it was suitable for him to appear, the Emperor, who was protected by the heavens, would slowly wake up from his coma. When it was not suitable for him to appear, the Emperor, who had just recovered from his serious injuries and had yet to recover his vitality, would be mentally exhausted and fall into a deep sleep.
At this time, he wasn't in a hurry to jump out.
The Empress naturally became the vanguard to carry out His Majesty's will. Since yesterday, she had urgently summoned the Martial Arts Hall's ministers into the palace and inquired about many inside stories. She had also poured dirty water on Sun Lang as if nothing had happened. Today, she had even formally convened a meeting of the ministers and proposed to hold a court session to clarify the truth. They wanted to investigate the Sun Sword Saint's sudden madness and find out the truth. They wanted to arrest the reactionaries who harbored evil intentions and bring them to justice.
Empress also mentioned the disappearance of the newly promoted Water Radiance Sword Saint, Shen Yaohua, and made a clear hint that all of this was related to the rebel, Sun Lang.
The civil and military officials listened patiently to this old woman's blabbering. They were really impatient, but the other party's request was reasonable. With Empress as the Emperor's representative, she also had the authority to ask questions and make suggestions to the officials. Everyone looked at each other and then realized that Sun Lang didn't come.
They sent a eunuch to invite him. The eunuchs of the various eunuchs in the Forbidden Palace calculated and kicked a sacrificial victim who was usually not popular to the Copper Sparrow Terrace to invite the Shentse General.
That pitiful eunuch took a full half a shichen (1 shichen = 2 hours) to return to the palace. The Empress had already been waiting impatiently for a long time. Seeing this, she lost her bearing as the mother of the world because Sun Lang still hadn't come.
"Useless eunuch!
Where is he?! "
She kicked the eunuch in the chest and sent him flying seven or eight feet.
That pitiful eunuch didn't dare to use his martial arts to resist. The Forbidden Palace was the most dangerous place. Surviving here required wisdom and skill. He hit the ground in the most embarrassing position and rolled a few times. Blood seeped out of the corner of his mouth. He struggled painfully and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly. "Empress, please forgive me. Empress, please forgive me. This lowly servant is only a lowly servant. How could I go against a general?"
Empress said hatefully, "This thief dares to look down on imperial authority and openly disobey orders. This empress thinks that he has a guilty conscience!"
Marquis Hengshan Tian Zai frowned and said, "Get up first … What did Sun Lang say?"
That eunuch didn't dare to get up. He just knelt and said in a small voice, "Replying to the Marquis, Shentse, Shentse General, he … he … This lowly servant really doesn't dare to say!"
Empress said sternly, "Speak!
Speak the truth!
Tell me everything he said! "
That eunuch kowtowed again and said in a trembling voice, "Shentse, General Shentse said that he is unwell and can't come …"
Empress was so angry that she laughed. "That's strange!
A martial arts expert, the Fire Sword Master, can he also be unwell? "
Marquis Hengshan said indifferently, "Sun Lang must have something else to say, right?"
The eunuch made up his mind and continued, "The general said …"
Empress shouted, "You are very respectful to this traitor!"
"Sun … Sun Lang said that he was frightened last night. First, he was chased and attacked by the Sun Sword Saint for no reason. Then, he was yelled at by the Dragon Spear Army. He … he said that as a loyal subject of the empire, he suffered such a great grievance. The imperial court didn't comfort him and instead guarded against him like he was a criminal suspect. He was very … very pitiful and helpless …"
Empress spat, "Bah!
Who else but him is the most shameless person in the world! "
She really hated Sun Lang. She wanted to scold him, but the person kneeling in front of her was only a eunuch. Even if she scolded him, Sun Lang couldn't hear a single word. Empress Empress was furious. She turned to look at the officials present and said, "Everyone has seen it. Sun Lang treats the matters of the imperial court as child's play. He laughed and scolded, his words were frivolous, and he even has a guilty conscience. This time, he …"
Marquis Hengshan said indifferently, "Empress, please wait. I have something to say. I was also present yesterday. Sun Lang was wronged. Let's not talk about the conflict with Wei Xihe for now. Last night, my colleagues and I interrogated the soldiers of the Dragon Spear Army and sorted out their testimonies. We also got some testimonies. For the sake of the imperial family's reputation, I won't talk about it here. After this, I will report it secretly …"
Empress said coldly, "Then what does Marquis Hengshan mean?"
Tian Zai said calmly, "Sun Lang isn't someone who treats the matters of the imperial court as child's play. His words must have a deeper meaning. It's definitely not just because he's angry …"
He looked at the eunuch and asked, "What else did Sun Lang say?"
The eunuch shook his head. "No, no."
"If that's the case …" Tian Zai bowed. "Empress, please move your phoenix carriage and lead us to visit Sun Lang."