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墨書 Inktalez
At this moment, Qin Hongguan had arrived at the nearest village to Imperial Capital Longxing City. He was glowing with excitement because he had been personally welcomed by a close eunuch, Mountain Uncle, sent by Shangguan Ji. At that time, Mountain Uncle was sitting across from Qin Hongguan, drinking and chatting.
"This time, it's quite an honor for Eunuch to come and welcome me," Qin Hongguan said.
"General Qin, you are too humble. After these years of battling the Mountain Bandits, it has been you who has worked hard," Mountain Uncle replied.
"Not at all; serving the country is my duty," Qin Hongguan responded.
"For your words, I raise a glass to you, General Qin," Mountain Uncle said.
The two finished their drinks, and the messenger quickly refilled their cups.
Then, Qin Hongguan lowered his voice and said to Mountain Uncle, "Mountain Uncle, I wonder why His Majesty is making such a grand gesture this time. I merely eliminated a group of Mountain Bandits." After saying this, Qin Hongguan pushed a small bag of gold coins in front of Mountain Uncle.
Without even looking at it, Mountain Uncle smoothly took the bag from the table and tucked it into his pocket, showing no expression on his face. It seemed that he was no stranger to such dealings.
Once the gold coins were secured, Mountain Uncle spoke up: "It seems you still don't understand His Majesty. Recently, many officials have been saying that you have not handled matters well and couldn't even eliminate a small group of Mountain Bandits. His Majesty has defended you against a lot of criticism. Now that you have wiped out the entire Mountain Bandit group, it shows that His Majesty did not misjudge you or place his trust in the wrong person. This grand display is meant to silence those officials."
Qin Hongguan nodded, thinking to himself: Fortunately, I outsmarted them; otherwise, I would have been drowned by their nonsense. If Shangguan Ji also became dissatisfied with me, that would be troublesome.
Then Qin Hongguan took out a small box from his pocket. "Mountain Uncle, this is a Night Pearl I obtained while hunting down the Mountain Bandits. As a rough man like me doesn't know how to use such things, I present it to you now. I hope you can speak favorably about me in front of His Majesty."
Mountain Uncle smiled and replied to Qin Hongguan, "General, you are being too modest. His Majesty has always valued you highly. You have worked very hard guarding this city. Even if I don’t say anything, His Majesty greatly appreciates your efforts." While speaking, Mountain Uncle did not hesitate and directly placed the small box into his own pocket.
The two of them continued to exchange some trivial remarks.
The next morning, Qin Hongguan left the village accompanied by Mountain Uncle. It wasn't until evening that they finally arrived in the imperial capital. After bidding farewell to Mountain Uncle, Qin Hongguan returned to his residence in the capital, while Mountain Uncle made his way back to the palace alone.
Upon returning to his residence, Qin Hongguan summoned Baron to his side. "Baron, you heard what Mountain Uncle said yesterday. Fortunately, I reacted quickly."
"The general is always one step ahead. If His Majesty had noticed anything amiss, you would have been in a passive position from now on."
"I will go to the court assembly tomorrow to meet the emperor. You stay home and wait for me."
"Don't you need me to accompany you, General?"
"Accompany me for what? I'm going to receive an award this time. With this reward, my plans can be advanced by another six months."
"Then I wish you all the best in making your dreams come true, General."
"Ha ha! Alright, it's getting late. You should go to bed now. We'll be heading back in a couple of days."
"Then I take my leave."
In the palace not far from Qin Hongguan's residence, Mountain Uncle arrived at Shangguan Ji's study. "Your Majesty, I have returned."
"How is that rascal Qin Hongguan?"
"Everything went smoothly; he has already returned to the general's residence."
"Well, very good. Tomorrow we will take action in the main hall."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I have already arranged for Underworld. Once Qin Hongguan leaves the General's residence, the people from Underworld will surround it."
"Excellent. I have already informed Great Ancestor; he will go to the General's residence to assist."
"Your Majesty, please be cautious. I fear that Qin Hongguan might act out of desperation."
"Don't worry, I am not made of clay."
"What about the two ancestors?"
"Before Tomorrow's Court Assembly, my great-grandfather and grandfather will be hidden in the main hall, and they will strike together at that time. We aim to take down Qin Hongguan in the shortest time possible."
This also determined the fate of the treacherous minister. The Shangguan Family, as one of the Four Great Empires, has ancestors who were among the earliest followers of Guardian Xuanyuan Guang. After Xuanyuan Guang became a guardian, he compiled his cultivation methods into four sets of techniques and passed them on to the ancestors of the four empires. Thus, on the surface, the emperors of these four empires appear benevolent and their strength seems average, but they secretly receive concentrated assistance, allowing many to become Divine-Level Experts with long lifespans. For instance, in the Eastern Dragon Empire led by Shangguan Ji, besides Shangguan Ji's uncle Shangguan Jinglei, his father and several uncles are also powerful Divine Knights tasked with guarding their Capital City.
Among them, the strongest is Shangguan Jinglei's grandfather, who is also the strongest in the Eastern Dragon Empire. It is said that his strength is close to that of Guo Xiaotian, the king of Guardian Nation.
After arranging everything, Shangguan Ji returned to the palace to rest. The next morning, after getting dressed, Shangguan Ji stepped out of his quarters. When he arrived at the main hall, he received news from his grandfather; at this moment, Shangguan Ji's grandfather was already prepared. Shangguan Ji instructed Mountain Uncle, saying, "Let them all come in."
At this time, Mountain Uncle stood in the center of the main hall and shouted loudly: "His Majesty has summoned you to court."
Following that, Cui Wenwu and the officials entered the main hall in two rows. At this moment, Qin Hongguan stood third among the military officials, with two veteran officials ahead of him. This indicates that Qin Hongguan holds a significant position in court.
Once Cui Wenwu and all officials had paid their respects, they began their regular morning court discussions. As usual, Shangguan Ji dealt with trivial matters. When there were no more memorials to review, Shangguan Ji smiled and glanced at Qin Hongguan standing third among the military officials; at that moment, Qin Hongguan also caught sight of Shangguan Ji.
Shangguan Ji stood up after lightly clearing his throat: "My dear ministers, I believe you are all aware of the recent bandit suppression incident near Qianlong City. Our great general Qin Hongguan led tens of thousands of our Eastern Dragon Empire's men to finally eliminate a group of Mountain Bandits within the territory of Qianlong City. There were those who once told me that Qin Hongguan was hoarding troops for himself and had treasonous intentions, but today our General Qin has proven his loyalty through his actions. Therefore, I wish to reward General Qin here today."
As soon as Shangguan Ji finished speaking, a figure stepped out from among the officials. This person was the current first-rank chancellor, Old Chancellor Murong Zheng. He quickly walked to the center of the hall and knelt on both knees: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not the time for such actions. General Qin Hongguan has only suppressed bandits once in many years; rewarding him now would be detrimental to the people's morale. I earnestly request Your Majesty to retract your order."
At this moment, Qin Hongguan looked coldly at Murong Zheng before thinking to himself: "You old fool, are you opposing me here? Once I return from the west and seize the imperial capital, I will surely wipe out your entire family."
After hearing Old Chancellor's words, Shangguan Ji's expression darkened: "Hmm...? Old Chancellor, did you not hear what I said? There are penalties for wrongdoing and rewards for merit; this is the rule of our Eastern Dragon Empire. Although General Qin has faced difficulties in previous years due to an overwhelming number of thieves, has he not already eliminated a group of Mountain Bandits this time? Should I not reward those who have made contributions? You need not say anything further; step down."
"But Your Majesty..."
"But what? Are you disregarding your life by repeatedly defying me? Guards, assist Old Chancellor out."
As he spoke, several Imperial Guards entered from outside the hall, helping Old Chancellor Murong Zheng out while he shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, do not let him deceive you! Qin Hongguan is a treacherous minister! Please think carefully!"
Throughout the entire process, Qin Hongguan maintained a cold smile as he watched Old Chancellor being taken away. Once Murong Zheng was led out, no one else in the hall dared to speak up. Thus, Shangguan Ji called out below: "Qin Hongguan, step forward to receive your reward."
After adjusting his armor, Qin Hongguan stepped forward and knelt down: "I thank Your Majesty."
"Qin Aiqing, you have made contributions in suppressing bandits this time. Therefore, I hereby grant you a second-class reward and promote you to Grand General of Pacification."
"I thank Your Majesty. I will pledge my loyalty to serve Your Majesty and protect every inch of territory."
"Bring forth the rewards." This statement was a signal indicating that the two hidden ancestors nearby were preparing to take action.
Upon hearing that the rewards were to be presented, nearly a hundred Imperial Guards surged in from both sides and outside the hall, surrounding Qin Hongguan and blocking other officials like Cui Wenwu behind them. At this moment, Qin Hongguan felt a shock in his heart: "Your Majesty, what is your intention this time?"
At this moment, Shangguan Ji coldly smiled, "Heh heh, what do you mean? Qin Hongguan, do you really think no one knows what you have done? You built a palace in secret, created a jade seal, wore a Dragon Robe, and wielded the Dragon Spring. Is this what you call loyalty? Your campaign against the bandits is nothing but a performance for me; it merely shifts your private army to another location while taking away nearly ten thousand of my subjects. Am I wrong?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Hongguan became calm instead. He slowly stood up and looked coldly at Shangguan Ji, "Shangguan Ji, since you already know, then there is nothing more for me to say. But do you really think these incompetent fools can keep me here? You underestimate me too much."
Just as Qin Hongguan was being arrogant, an aged voice rang out, "What about the two of us?"
As soon as the words were spoken, two figures appeared around Qin Hongguan. Both were elderly men with white beards, yet their skin was unusually smooth, presenting a stark contrast to their age. These two were Shangguan Ji's two great-grandfathers.
Seeing the arrival of the two men, Qin Hongguan put away his disdain, "Who are you?"
"I am Shangguan Wuhui," one said. "I am Shangguan Wuyuan," said the other.
Upon hearing their names, Qin Hongguan was startled. He had heard of these two before; especially Shangguan Wuhui, who was once a ruler of a nation. There were rumors that they were still alive, but Qin Hongguan thought that such old men would be on the brink of death and posed no threat to him. He believed those claims were nonsense; each of them should have died long ago due to their advanced age. That was why he dared to consider rebellion, and the only Divine Knight he could see in the palace was Shangguan Jinglei. He believed he would not be a match for Shangguan Jinglei and his five Divine Knight subordinates.
However, upon seeing Shangguan Wuhui today, he realized how grave his mistake was. But now there was no turning back. So Qin Hongguan said to Shangguan Wuhui, "I didn't expect you old Little Guys to still be alive. Well then, let me see just how tough your bones really are."
With that, Qin Hongguan flashed to the side of the Imperial Guards and struck them down with two palms before seizing their Steel Blades. At this moment, Shangguan Wuhui and Shangguan Wuyuan had also made their move; they swung their weapons and engaged in battle with Qin Hongguan.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Guards were protecting the officials as they left the great hall, while Shangguan Ji stood steadily in front of his dragon throne watching the decisive battle unfold in the hall. Mountain Uncle closely protected Shangguan Ji from behind.
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