Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"I haven't received any news about that, but I heard that both of my disciples were defeated by the opponent."
"Oh? Your two disciples are both intermediate Advanced Knights, and even when working together, they should have no trouble against an ordinary High-Level Knight. How could they be defeated?"
"Your Majesty, I believe there are only two possibilities for their defeat: either my two disciples were too careless and were ambushed, or the opponent has a Peak Senior Knight or even a Divine Knight."
"A Divine Knight? Haha, Xiahou Shenfeng, do you really think a small Starfall City would have a Divine-Level Expert? If that were the case, they could easily stand on equal footing with us. I think it would be impressive if they had one or two Peak or upper-level Advanced Knights. If there truly were a Divine Knight among them, do you think they would remain in a Small Nation like Starfall? They could receive far better treatment in any kingdom or empire than what the king of that Small Nation could offer."
"Your Majesty's analysis is completely reasonable. What do you think we should do about this matter?"
"That brat Sun Yong may be somewhat useless, but he is a rare talent for us. We must capture him. Divine Envoy, who do you think we should send for this task? Look at your disciples and see who might be suitable."
Xiahou Zhongtian shook his head. "In response to Your Majesty, I believe none of my disciples can take on this important task, so I would like to go personally."
"You want to go yourself?"
"That's right. Your Majesty mentioned earlier that the opponent might have around two High-Level Knights or even a Peak Senior Knight. My only disciple who is a Peak Senior Knight wouldn't fare well even if sent. For safety's sake, I believe it is more appropriate for me to go, and I can also take revenge for my two disciples."
"Since you say so, it would be unreasonable not to let you go. Besides, you handled all the negotiations with Starfall Kingdom last time; it makes sense for you to go. When do you plan to leave?"
"I think the sooner the better; I'm afraid if I delay, Sun Yong's life will be in danger."
"Alright then, Divine Envoy, please be careful. Remember to rescue Sun Yong at all costs. Once he is safe, then deal with Sun Liang; otherwise, I'm afraid it will be hard to explain if those above find out."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty; I know how to handle this."
"Then I will trouble you, Divine Envoy."
"Take care, Your Majesty; I will set off now." After speaking, Xiahou Zhongtian bowed to Yelv Chuxing and turned to leave the study. Outside, he called for his mount, the Golden Eagle, and flew back home.
Upon returning home, Xiahou Zhongtian planned to leave quickly. He summoned his flying guard team—his personal guards consisting of thirty members. The captain was his third disciple named Huang Wei, who also rode a Golden Eagle; however, his mount was only a Seventh Tier magical beast, unlike his master’s Ninth Tier mount.
Among the remaining twenty-nine guards, there were three types of mounts: the Azure Hawk Squad with eight members, the Fire Sparrow Squad with thirteen members, and the Seagull Squad with eight members. After gathering all his Royal Guards, Xiahou Zhongtian led them away from Divine Servant Manor.
Before Xiahou Zhongtian left his Divine Servant Manor, he specifically wrote a letter to Ma Weiwu and had it delivered by a Messenger.
At this time, the Starfall Kingdom began the trial of Sun Yong from a distance. Since Sun Yong was imprisoned, there had been no immediate interrogation; instead, a notice was posted allowing everyone to come to the Department of Punishment within the next few days to reveal Sun Yong's actions.
Once the notice was posted, the entire Starfall Kingdom was shaken. Countless people came to the Department of Punishment to expose Sun Yong's misdeeds daily. Some even submitted joint petitions, listing all of Sun Yong's crimes, with one petition containing nearly three hundred signatures.
The head of the Department of Punishment, Vigorous, gathered everyone in the department during the day. While accepting the citizens' petitions, he began organizing Sun Yong's crimes. In total, he compiled over a dozen charges against Sun Yong. When he felt that enough evidence had been collected, Vigorous decided it was time to start the trial.
Early that morning, after breakfast, Vigorous arrived at his hall. The doors of the Department of Punishment were already wide open because this was the first public trial since the establishment of the Starfall Kingdom. This idea was entirely proposed by Liu Guanfeng, who wanted to increase transparency in trials by emulating ancient practices. This suggestion was quickly adopted by Sun Liang, who instructed Vigorous that citizens must be allowed to witness the trial of Sun Yong.
Thus, before Vigorous even began the proceedings, he was startled by the crowd outside. The area surrounding the Department of Punishment was filled with people—there were hundreds gathered outside. The streets of Starfall City were devoid of movement due to the sheer number of onlookers.
Not long after, Liu Yong'an arrived at the hall with his brothers Liu Guanfeng and Liu Guanshan. They came as Witnesses. Behind Vigorous, Sun Yong and Old Chancellor Cui Jinchong were already seated behind a screen. They were merely there to listen to the trial. This meant that both inside and outside the Department of Punishment were packed with people.
Everyone was concerned about Sun Yong's trial; this was the first time a former king faced judgment in the Starfall Kingdom.
Once Vigorous saw that everyone had arrived, he adjusted his official robes and stepped behind his Table. He struck the gavel and announced, "Bring in Sun Yong."
Before long, under the watchful eyes of two bailiffs, Sun Yong was brought into the hall. He stood upright without kneeling. Vigorous chose not to force him to kneel out of respect for Sun Liang since Sun Yong had once been king.
"Criminal Sun Yong, what do you plead?"
"What do I plead? As a king of Starfall Kingdom, I have committed no crimes; it is you rebels who are guilty! And that young fool Sun Liang—dream on if you think you can convict me."
"Bring forth all the petitions."
At this moment, two soldiers carried a large wooden box into the center of the hall and placed it on the ground before opening it. Inside were all the petitions from citizens accusing Sun Yong.
"Criminal Sun Yong, look up and see; all these petitions before you are from citizens accusing you. What else do you have to say?"
Sun Yong coldly smiled and replied, "It is their honor if those Commoners are willing to die for me as their emperor. I do not believe I have committed any crimes."
"Sun Yong, is it also their honor that you killed your father and brother and framed loyal subjects?"
"Who said I killed my father? Who said I murdered my brother? Do you have any evidence? You claim I framed loyal subjects, but who are the loyal subjects? I have not framed anyone; the only one I want to kill is Rebel."
"Sun Yong, then let me ask you, how did His Majesty die?"
"From a long illness."
"Then why was there poisonous herbs found in His Majesty's stomach, and why did he appear unwell after death? It is clear he died from poisoning."
"That's something I don't know. You should ask the Imperial Physician, not me."
"I have already consulted the Imperial Physician. The prescriptions were all proper, and the remnants from the medicine preparation matched the ingredients in the prescription. I spoke with the eunuchs and palace maids from those months when His Majesty fell ill; they said that his diet and medication were all managed by you personally. We even found the poison that Old Emperor was afflicted with in your study. Can you still claim that Old Emperor's death has nothing to do with you?"
With solid evidence laid out before him, Sun Yong fell silent. He wanted to deny it, but all evidence pointed to him, and even Witness had arrived at the scene.
To ensure that Sun Yong received a just punishment that would satisfy the public, Vigorous interrogated Sun Yong for three consecutive days. Each day brought forth a multitude of witnesses and material evidence. Even high-ranking officials like Old Chancellor Cui Jinchong, General Liu Yong'an, Liu Guanfeng, Liu Guanlei, Liu Guanyu, and Ma Weiwu served as witnesses.
The charges against Sun Yong amounted to over a dozen serious and minor offenses, countless in number. On the final day, Vigorous finally made his ruling: "Based on several days of interrogation, I hereby declare that Sun Yong, you are guilty of heinous crimes. Not only did you murder His Majesty, but you also plotted against your brother, harmed loyal subjects, trampled on the common people, and forcibly took women... Sun Yong, I sentence you to death, with execution scheduled for five days from now."
As soon as Vigorous announced "execution," firecrackers erupted outside the Department of Punishment. The celebratory sounds of firecrackers continued into the night, reflecting the deep resentment of the people who had suffered under Sun Yong's oppression over the years.
On the same day that Sun Yong was sentenced, Liu Guanfeng intercepted a small Messenger sent by an aerial squadron he had arranged outside the city. Following their original plan, Liu Guanfeng swapped out the message again. By the time they released the Messenger, it remained oblivious to what had transpired—why it had been captured twice by its natural enemies yet managed to escape both times. Due to its low rank, it couldn't form coherent speech, so neither side noticed anything amiss.
At this moment, Ma Weiwu took out the letter from the Messenger, placed it back in its cage, and prepared ample food and water for it.
Opening the letter from Xiahou Zhongtian, Ma Weiwu grew increasingly pleased. He wasn't alone in his joy; Liu Guanfeng shared his excitement as well. The letter stated that this time, Xiahou Zhongtian himself was coming to Starfall City. His purpose was twofold: to rescue Sun Yong and to kill Sun Liang, allowing Sun Yong to reclaim his throne.
The letter also requested that Ma Weiwu prepare for his arrival within the city. In response, Ma Weiwu secretly gathered his family soldiers, ready to revolt at any moment.
Three days later, news reached Liu Guanfeng that dozens of people had landed at Ma Weiwu's residence via flying mounts.
At this time, Ma Weiwu was already asleep. Just as he was enjoying a deep slumber, a surge of consciousness swept over him, causing him to shiver involuntarily. He hurriedly dressed and grabbed his weapon before rushing into the courtyard. There stood over thirty individuals in the courtyard, among them an elderly man—none other than Xiahou Zhongtian.
Upon seeing Xiahou Zhongtian, Ma Weiwu dropped his weapon and stepped forward: "I pay my respects to Elder Xiahou."
"Get up."
"You really came quickly, old senior."
"This is not a place for conversation. Find me a quiet place."
"Follow me, old sir. Someone arrange accommodations for these people, and make sure to put them in the best rooms." Ma Weiwu arranged for everyone to be placed in the best rooms, while he took Xiahou Zhongtian and his disciple Huang Wei to his study.
After the guests and hosts were seated, tea was served, and Ma Weiwu dismissed all the servants.
"Now tell me what happened. What is the strength of those traitors? I need a detailed explanation."
Ma Weiwu began to analyze the strength of the opponents in detail, discussing everyone he knew about. The only people he could understand were those around Liu Guanfeng, as Liu Guanfeng had only briefly resisted the Wei Brothers' attack. No one knew his true strength, so Ma Weiwu only stated that his ability should be at least that of an Advanced Knight.
As for Mount's strength, no one was clear about it either; without a true confrontation with Liu Guanfeng, it was impossible for anyone to know their real power.
Xiahou Zhongtian nodded as he listened. "Are you saying that these are the only people around Sun Liang?"
"Yes, old senior. These are the only people around Sun Liang."
"Then how did they manage to break into the palace? Their strength seems quite average; how could they conquer the palace in just half a day?"
Comment 0 Comment Count