bookbashuk Chapter 172 Facing the Evil King
Chapter 172 Facing the Evil King
Chapter 172 Facing the Evil King
In the front hall of the palace, Lei Xiaoyou stood bowing at the foot of the steps, his beard and hair all white, his expression somewhat haggard.
As Zhao Yu entered, he immediately bowed and said, "This old minister, Lei Xiaoyou, greets Your Majesty. This old minister is incompetent and failed to detect the treacherous plot, which led to the palace coup and disturbed the inner palace. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
"Lord Lei, please rise quickly." Zhao Yu stepped forward and helped him up personally. "Regarding the palace coup, Lord Lei was caught up in it and had no choice but to act. What crime have you committed? The recent peace and stability are entirely due to Lord Lei's leadership. Your merits outweigh your faults."
Lei Xiaoyou stood up, his eyes slightly red.
He was already quite old, and this incident left him utterly exhausted.
He sighed, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty is kind and benevolent, and this old minister is deeply grateful. However, I am now old and senile, and my energy is failing, so I am truly incapable of shouldering heavy responsibilities. I have come here today for two reasons: first, to plead guilty, and second, to earnestly request Your Majesty's permission for this old minister to retire and return to my hometown to live out my days."
Zhao Yu was taken aback for a moment, then tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "Prime Minister Lei is a wise and experienced strategist. The court is in dire need of capable people. How can you so easily resign?"
"Stay a few more years and help me stabilize the court, how about that?"
"Your Majesty's kindness is deeply appreciated by this old minister."
Lei Xiaoyou shook his head, his attitude resolute: "I know my own body. If I continue to occupy the position of prime minister, it will only delay the affairs of the state. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."
He was determined to leave. Zhao Yu tried to persuade him a few times, but seeing that he wouldn't change his mind, he had no choice but to give up.
"Since Prime Minister Lei has made up his mind, I grant his request. I hereby appoint you as a Grand Academician of the Guanwen Hall, and appoint you as the Supervisor of the Dongxiao Palace in Lin'an Prefecture. I will bestow upon you a thousand taels of gold, five hundred bolts of silk, and a thousand acres of fertile land. I will also grant one of your sons the position of Imperial Ancestral Temple Attendant. Prime Minister Lei may return to his hometown in glory and enjoy his later years in peace."
Lei Xiaoyou knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."
After getting up, he stood there in silence for a moment.
Finally, he spoke up: "Your Majesty, before I depart this life, I have a few words of frank advice that may be hard to hear, but I am unsure whether I should speak them."
"Lei Xiang, please speak freely."
"Your Majesty is a man of exceptional talent. In just a few months, you have defeated the Jin army and recovered Shandong. You are truly a brilliant ruler, unparalleled in the Song Dynasty for a century."
Lei Xiaoyou spoke earnestly: "However, a ruler should not be too forceful and arrogant. Not all officials in the country are as treacherous as Shi Miyuan, who is only interested in making peace with the Jin. The way of governance is to be both firm and lenient. I hope Your Majesty will leave more room for maneuver, treat your officials well, and encourage open communication. In this way, the revival of the Song Dynasty can be expected."
These words were frank and even somewhat critical; any other emperor would likely have been enraged.
But Zhao Yu nodded seriously: "I have remembered Lei Xiang's words, and I will reflect on them in the future."
Lei Xiaoyou bowed deeply, then turned and took his leave.
As he reached the palace gate, he glanced back and sighed inwardly, thinking that with such a wise ruler, the Song Dynasty might truly be different.
In the following days, Zhao Yu set about stabilizing the court.
The emperor issued an imperial edict declaring that the palace coup was a premeditated rebellion by a few treacherous individuals, including Qian Xiangzu and Yang Cishan. The ringleaders had been executed, those who were coerced would not be questioned, and the remaining officials would not be pursued.
Upon receiving the imperial decree, all the officials and civil servants breathed a sigh of relief and praised the emperor for his benevolence.
The central personnel were also adjusted accordingly.
Huang Yaoshi was officially appointed as a Vice Chancellor, while still concurrently serving as the head of the Cabinet and in charge of all confidential matters.
The remaining vacant positions were filled one by one, and the government quickly returned to normal and functioned as usual.
After finishing his official duties, Zhao Yu returned to Kunning Palace at night and finally had a chance to talk to Lin Chaoying about serious matters.
"I'm going to another world." He sat on the edge of the bed, holding Lin Chaoying's hand. "There's a problem there that I need to solve personally."
Lin Chaoying's expression changed slightly: "Is it very dangerous?"
"Hmm." Zhao Yu didn't hide it from her, "The level of martial arts in that world is higher, so I might not be able to maintain my position as the number one in the world."
Lin Chaoying immediately replied, "I'll go with you."
"no."
Zhao Yu said seriously, "That world is too dangerous. If you go, I'll have to worry about protecting you, which will only make things more difficult for me. I can protect myself, but it will be hard to protect you."
Lin Chaoying pursed her lips, her eyes filled with worry, but she knew Zhao Yu was telling the truth.
Lin Chaoying had witnessed Zhao Yu's progress in martial arts.
Even he found the opponent troublesome; if she went, she would only be a hindrance. But how could she let Zhao Yu go on the risk alone?
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Zhao Yu pulled her into his arms and said gently, "If I can't beat them, I can always hide. I'll come back once I've dealt with the trouble. I'll need Sister Lin to keep an eye on things at home. I can only feel at ease with you here."
Lin Chaoying leaned on his shoulder and remained silent for a long time.
After a long pause, she softly hummed in agreement: "Then promise me you'll come back safely."
"it is good."
After settling everything in, Zhao Yu spent another night with Lin Chaoying. The next morning, with a thought, he entered the Chaotic Space.
The space was shrouded in a gray haze, but the grain piles remained as high as ever.
He felt the surging internal energy within his body, which was much more refined than before the fusion. He had mastered various martial arts techniques and had a vague sense of understanding of other martial arts.
Zhao Yu clenched his fist, his eyes narrowing.
Shi Zhi Xuan —
The next moment, his figure disappeared into the chaos.
Sui Dynasty, Daye eleventh year.
In the mountains and forests of the Jianghuai region, the vegetation is lush and the air is fresh.
Zhao Yu appeared out of thin air under an ancient tree. He took a deep breath and felt a cool breeze enter his body through his pores, making his internal energy flow more smoothly.
It truly is a world of high-level martial arts.
As he surveyed his surroundings and tried to determine his location, a sinister voice suddenly came from the shadows of the trees behind him.
The sound wasn't loud, but it reached my ears clearly.
"As expected, you're hiding quite a secret."
Zhao Yu's eyes narrowed, and he turned around abruptly.
Not far away, a middle-aged scholar was standing by a tree trunk.
He was dressed in a blue cloth robe, with a handsome face and three wisps of mustache on his chin. He looked like a scholar traveling for study, refined and gentle.
But the look in his eyes was indescribably sinister and cold, and his aura was faint, as if he had become one with the entire mountain forest.
It was none other than the Evil King, Shi Zhixuan.
"The Evil King is in high spirits." Zhao Yu was secretly alarmed, but remained outwardly calm. "The dignified Evil King has actually been lying in wait for me in this desolate wilderness for several days. If this were to spread throughout the martial world, wouldn't it damage the Evil King's reputation?"
Shi Zhixuan slowly emerged from the shadows, his steps unhurried, yet exuding an oppressive aura of inescapable pressure.
He was already puzzled as to how Zhao Yu, with his martial arts skills, could possibly escape from his grasp.
Shi Zhixuan is a successor of both the Flower Sect and the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, and stealth assassination is his specialty.
Unexpectedly, he didn't fall for Song Que and Ning Daoqi, but instead stumbled with Zhao Yu. How could Shi Zhixuan feel at peace with this?
Finally, this time he was determined to wait in the same spot, and he finally caught up with Zhao Yu.
Just as Shi Zhixuan had predicted, Zhao Yu's method of suddenly disappearing had a flaw: it required him to reappear in the same place where he disappeared.
Shi Zhixuan's lips curled into a mocking smile: "What, you're not going to keep pretending you don't know me anymore? Tell me, how did you know Pei Ju's identity? What exactly is your background?"
"Tell me everything you know now, and I might show you mercy and give you a quick death. Otherwise, you probably don't want to try the methods of the Holy Gate."
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