Chapter 1675: Appeased

Zhang Jie, Xiao Jianren, and the others immediately cried out in alarm. Even though Sir Eleven’s cultivation wasn’t low, there was no way he could face an entire army’s attacks alone!

That was common knowledge in this world of cultivation. Cultivators normally had shocking abilities, but unless they reached a certain point, they would have no choice but to run if they faced a proper army. After all, the army had all kinds of formations to defend against a cultivator’s attacks, and they could also combine the strength of all the individual cultivators within them.

Furthermore, the army had many formations that made all sorts of heavy weaponry stronger. Armor Penetrating Arrows, City Defense Crossbows, Rune Cannons, and other weapons could even blast apart city walls with the help of formations, let alone human flesh. The army had no lack of cultivators either. When they attacked together, it usually wasn’t something a single cultivator could defend against.

The storm of arrows that had been fired at Zu An just happened to be Armor Penetrating Arrows specialized in blasting through the ki barriers around cultivators. Such a concentrated attack was impossible to avoid. Additionally, all the soldiers on the city walls were too far away. They couldn't help out even if they wanted to.

Could it be that another Golden Token Envoy was about to fall here?

…

Zu An didn’t try to dodge the incoming arrows at all. He still looked completely calm.

Just then, a terrifying aura descended from above. The clouds in the sky began to gather. The overbearing rain of arrows seemed almost to have been stopped in time, as they all froze in midair without moving at all.

When they saw that, all those present were immediately overwhelmed with shock. When they saw the roiling clouds above them, they seemed to remember something.

King Yan’s forces were horrified, while Yi Commandery’s officials were rapt with excitement. “It’s his majesty! His majesty is here!”

Only then did they remember that Golden Token Envoys could summon the emperor’s power! No wonder Sir Eleven had been completely calm from the start until now.

Clouds surged in the skies, gradually gathering into a giant head. It was none other than Zhao Han’s appearance.

“Long live your majesty! Long, long live!” Zhang Jie cried out as he took the lead in kneeling down atop the city walls. He was incredibly moved because things were taking a completely new turn!

Zhao Huang’s expression changed. He quickly kneeled down. With him in the lead, King Yan’s entire army knelt down to exclaim ‘long live your majesty’. The sound was extremely shocking.

…

On Violet Mountain, Wang Wuxie, who had been seated at Pure Yang Palace in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes. He took the surrounding violet ki into his body. His expression was grave as he muttered, “When will I be able to reach this level?”

Meanwhile, Tranquility Temple’s Master Huang was teaching his naughty and mischievous disciple. Just then, he sensed something and looked in Yi Commandery’s direction, muttering, “Hasn’t the emperor made an appearance more often recently? This is an omen of the changing times…”

…

Above Yi City, Zhao Han shared similar thoughts. His giant head glared at Zu An furiously and snapped, “What is it now?”

You have successfully trolled Zhao Han for +888 +888 +888…

His anger wasn’t surprising at all. Other Embroidered Envoys were always fearful whenever they used his strength. They wouldn’t necessarily summon him even once in their entire lives. And yet, this kid had summoned him three times in the span of just a few days! Was he being made a fool of?

The worst part was that his heaven and man deterioration was encroaching, so he had always remained in the Imperial Palace while trying to make it appear as if he wasn’t sleeping. It would be stranger if he weren’t irritated from being woken up like this all the time!

Zu An bowed respectfully. He pointed at King Yan’s troops and said, “King Yan’s heir has started a rebellion and Yi City is in imminent peril. This subordinate can no longer think of any solution, so I can only rely on your majesty’s strength.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t have the ability to deal with this situation with his own strength. However, with so many people on this battlefield, using his abilities would easily give away his real identity as Zu An. Besides, even if he went all out here, there wouldn’t be any benefits to gain anyway.

In that case, why did he have to use up his own efforts for the sake of the public? Either way, Zhao Han was a destructive weapon that would be wasted if left unused.

Furthermore, he had summoned Zhao Han several times on purpose, to see if he could weaken the emperor’s soul. At the same time, he wanted to see more of the emperor’s strength in order to prepare more precautionary measures against his abilities. Even though he had faced off against Zhao Han in the secret dungeon, that was just a soul fragment. Its abilities were very different from the main body’s offensive skills. He gave the rain of arrows that were still suspended in the air a look, and his expression couldn't help but become a bit more grave.

When Zhao Han heard that, his gaze swept over those present. He quickly came to a decision regarding the situation and shouted, “Zhao Huang, how brazen of you!”

As soon as he spoke, although there was no sign of him doing anything, all of the arrows in the sky instantly crumbled into powder. Those present gasped in alarm.

Zhao Huang’s entire body trembled as he kneeled down on the ground and said respectfully, “Your majesty is wise and enlightened. This humble servant was forced to act out of helplessness. I only did this out of concern for father king’s safety. I know that he was framed by a crafty scoundrel, and did not want them to cause father king further harm.”

Setting King Yan aside for the time being, Zhao Huang was the most powerful person in all of Yi Commandery. Almost everyone else usually looked up to him. However, in front of Zhao Han, even though they were still cousins in theory, he couldn't summon forth even the slightest bit of pride.

“Is this the reason why you moved your troops?” Zhao Han replied, looking at him coldly.

Zhao Huang’s entire body was ice-cold. He was almost flat on the ground at this point. He couldn't muster a single word to say.

Next to him, Sun Xun said, “Reporting to your majesty. King Yan has always been loyal and devoted to your majesty over the years, and has suppressed the rebel armies in Yi Commandery for many years. He has received many awards from the court, and yet he was charged with a criminal accusation by some strange scheme. If news of this got out, it will easily make the hearts of the soldiers throughout all the different commanderies turn cold…”

Zhao Han frowned slightly. The world wasn’t too peaceful right now. He had the Fiend races as a powerful enemy, and there was also the Devil Sect rebel army and other local tyrants. There were even some remnant evils from the previous dynasties. As such, he had assigned the imperial family’s members to guard different places. That was how the Zhao clan had been able to keep everything under control. The death of King Yan wasn’t a big issue in and of itself, but if it ended up shaking the confidence of the imperial clan, that would be much more troublesome.

Even though he had those thoughts, he remained unfazed on the surface. He said, “This emperor has already assigned someone to look into this case. The truth of whether or not King Yan was unjustly blamed will soon come to light.”

After Sun Xun’s reminder, Zhao Huang also gradually calmed down a bit. He clenched his teeth and said, “Pardon this subject for speaking forthrightly. Governor Zhang has always been at odds with father, and the proof of rebellion was brought forth by this Sir Eleven alone. If the case is assigned to them, even if father has done no wrong, he will end up becoming a criminal. This humble subject knows about their evil plans, and that once their plots are in place, father will undoubtedly die. It was out of a moment of desperation that I made this mistake. I hope for your majesty’s forgiveness.”

Zhao Han replied coldly, “Are you suggesting that this emperor is incompetent in his selection of appointments?”

“This humble subject doesn’t dare!” Zhao Huang said as he immediately kowtowed in apology.

Zhao Han then said, “This emperor has my own thoughts regarding King Yan’s case. Do you think that these random excuses about some conspiracy can fool this emperor?”

“Your majesty is wise and outstanding! Of course no one can deceive you,” Zhao Huang said, sighing in relief. Judging from the emperor’s tone, it seemed there was a chance of averting this disaster.

Just then, Zhao Han continued, “Out of consideration for your devotion to saving your father, I will show mercy in dealing with this case. However, an offense is an offense. Zhao Huang will forfeit his salary for three years and lose his military rank. All officers related will lose three grades in military rank.”

Zhang Jie immediately revealed a look of disappointment. Even though this punishment wasn’t light, in relation to the rebellion that had just happened, it was practically nothing. However, he didn’t dare to speak up, because he could tell that his majesty wanted the matter to be dealt with quietly.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“Thank you, your majesty!”

Zhao Huang and the others all kowtowed to express their gratitude.

Zhao Han turned to Zu An and said, “You only have three days to investigate whether Golden Token Seven’s case has anything to do with King Yan. Otherwise, be prepared to offer me your head!”

You have successfully trolled Zhao Han for +444 +444 +444…

This damn rascal was sent to investigate Golden Token Seven’s case and eliminate dangers from the Fengshan Ceremony, and yet instead of doing that, he almost forced a king into rebellion!

On the city walls, Zhang Jie’s expression changed. As an old fox of the court, he naturally understood the emperor’s intentions. What could they even find out within three days? This was clearly a sign to wrap up the case quickly and properly appease King Yan’s side.

Zu An seemed to have anticipated that. He calmly replied, “Understood!”

Zhao Han could even tolerate something like rebellion? It seemed that something more important had his attention, giving him no choice but to set the issue aside.