Chapter 1159: Chapter 727 Desired Future_2

At this moment,

even the senior ministers, whose cultivation was profound enough to remain unaffected and still standing, couldn’t fathom what had just transpired. Yet, they had not failed to observe it clearly.

They had clearly seen the head of the Imperial Guards, Wang Shili, pressing forward against the Crown Prince, and Xu Yuan swiftly gripping the gauntlet around his wrist. They had equally clearly seen the faint remnants of Wang Shili’s counterattack.

But why was the outcome Xu Changtian standing tall?

It must be understood that at this moment, Wang Shili was surrounded by the overwhelming power of the military formation. Though the Prime Minister’s third son was strong in cultivation, he could never contend against the might of the military formation…

The ground where Wang Shili knelt cracked, spreading like a spiderweb across half the Golden Throne Hall. His gold-plated armor bore a noticeable dent.

His shoulder blade was shattered.

Yet, the gaze from beneath his helmet remained calm. As Wang Shili reflected on what had transpired, others might not know, but he, as the one involved, was fully aware.

At the moment of their clash, a fleeting black mist had dissipated around Xu Changtian, severing his connection to the military formation of the Imperial Guards.

Spellcraft?

Dao Domain?

It didn’t matter anymore.

What had occurred was merely a momentary disadvantage, an unforeseen loss. With preparations in place, individual strength would amount to nothing before the military formation’s might.

Wang Shili rose slowly from the cracked ground, the power of the military formation around him gradually coalescing, causing the surrounding space to shudder ever so slightly.

But once he stood fully upright, he realized that Xu Yuan was no longer looking at him. Instead, Xu Yuan stared silently toward the summit of Nine Dragon Mountain, his voice composed:

“Your Excellency Pillar of the State, both for public duty and personal reasons, you should not die here. You have accompanied his Majesty on this journey; you understand his original intentions better than this junior could ever hope to.”

Wang Shili’s gaze showed no ripples:

“His Majesty’s decree has not yet been finalized. I have no wish to harm your life. Step aside.”

Xu Yuan exhaled slowly, turning back with a quiet reply:

“You cannot move me.”

Seeing this, Wang Shili did not reply further but slowly raised his hand. Yet, at that moment, the great force of the military formation surrounding him—causing the very space to tremble—began to destabilize…

….

Behind Kunning Palace, waves of boundless Qi surged forth, sweeping through the endless sea of flowers.

Amid the ink-like scenery of the mountains and waters, it seemed that only a lone figure in red remained atop the pavilion crest. Li Qingyan gazed toward the south, where the Golden Throne Hall stood, her half-lidded phoenix eyes cold as snow, her voice drifting:

“Mother, my elder brother surpasses the boldness I had anticipated, but unfortunately, it’s already too late.”

The Empress, staring dumbfounded at her daughter before her, sensed an aura of terrifying dread emanating from the girl. Her phoenix crown trembled slightly as her hand settled onto the brocade sash at her chest, quivering:

“What… what are you doing?”

Li Qingyan slowly turned back, her gaze lingering on her birth mother for several breaths. Her eyes revealed faint disappointment, yet she replied softly:

“I am guiding this world toward the path this palace desires.”

….

The Imperial Family occupied the northwest corner of the Palace City, claiming roughly a thousand mu of land—not overly expansive but one of the most heavily guarded forbidden zones within the city, almost entirely isolated from the outside world.

Upon sensing the upheaval within the court, a faint sigh drifted from this frigid domain, and an aura belonging to a Saint spread without restraint into the surroundings.

It was an elderly man, his hair and beard completely white, dressed in the ornate ceremonial robes of the Imperial Family. His furrowed brows locked tightly in a deep expression of helplessness.

He stepped out from a tranquil hall, heading toward the Golden Throne Hall that symbolized imperial power. His movements appeared unhurried, yet with each step, he traversed a hundred zhang, flickering like a ghost amid the opulence of the grand palace.

Though he ought to refrain from intervening in politics, rebellious ministers had now brazenly trampled upon the dignity of the imperial clan and committed acts of preemptive authority. As the Imperial Family’s overseer of traditions, he had no choice but to act—to at least contain the situation until Li Yaoxuan returned to the capital.

After advancing roughly a thousand zhang, he abruptly paused as he arrived at Cuiwei Palace.

There,

a man dressed in immaculate white sat quietly atop the peak of the palace, his eyelids slightly lowered as he gently wiped the blade of a three-foot sword with a silk cloth.

It seemed as though he had been waiting for him for quite some time.

…

Inside the Golden Throne Hall, the shadowed light filtered through a hole in the dome above.

The glow of Wang Shili’s gold-plated armor gradually dimmed as he realized what was unfolding.

Someone was wresting control of the military formation from him.

And furthermore,

that person’s proficiency in military formation techniques was above his own.

Of all those he knew, there was only one individual in the entire court capable of this.

Given that the person had intervened, Wang Shili was destined to play no further role in today’s events.

After a moment of silence,

Wang Shili withdrew his raised hand and looked toward Xu Yuan, speaking:

“The overseer of the Imperial Family will not sit idly by. Even with the national seal affixed, this petition will never leave Nine Dragon City.”

Xu Yuan lightly nodded, bowing gracefully in response:

“Your Excellency Pillar of the State need not concern yourself with that.”

With the bow complete,

Xu Yuan turned his gaze to the scattered ministers on the floor of the hall, speaking evenly:

“I dislike flowery words, so let me be direct—I know some of you may think Xu Changtian is a reckless and insolent troublemaker, and I know the letter I’ve presented today has terrified certain individuals among you.”

“Indeed, thanks to my father and His Majesty’s era of revitalization, the near-collapse of Dayan’s national fortunes has been rekindled. If left as is, sustaining the dynasty for hundreds of generations wouldn’t be difficult. But what then? Are we to place faith in the wisdom of future descendants, to believe that a Xu Yinhè, an Emperor Jiajing will emerge centuries later? That another era of Jiajing’s governance can reverse disaster?

“I have considered the fears and worries you harbor. Yet the Immortal Tax law, enacted by the sects, has plagued Dayan like a poison in the marrow for over a millennium. If no flesh is carved apart, if no bone is dissected, how can the toxin be expunged?!”

As his words fell, a brief silence enveloped the hall.

“Heh…”

A sardonic laugh broke that silence,

as a young man, coughing blood from the Qi blast, leaned against the corner of a wall, smirking weakly despite his blood-soaked lips:

“Xu Changtian, as someone born into noble privilege, it’s natural for you to disregard the risks of war, but do you understand how many commoners will be displaced, how many fertile fields will be burned, how many innocent lives will perish if war erupts?”

Xu Yuan turned to face the critic.

Judging by his blood-stained robes, he appeared to be an associate minister of the Ministry of War.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan replied softly:

“… I understand.”

“Understand? Nonsense! Just the war against the Barbarian Tribes drained ten years of accumulated state treasury, and millions of commoners…”

“So should we endlessly endure and compromise? Minister Lan, the war against the Barbarian Tribes ensured decades of peace in the Northern Three Provinces to come. It shields the populace of the Northern Lands, sparing them constant dread of barbarian invasions to the south. By implementing the new tax reforms, when the state treasury flourishes, one generation will bear a thousand years of pain, granting peace for ten thousand generations. Is this not the duty we are bound to fulfill?!”

“…..”

The bloodied associate minister fell silent.

But others in the court, witnessing this son of the Prime Minister willing to debate, seized the moment. As officials of the court, verbal sparring was their forte. Their greatest fear was that Xu Yuan would resort to outright slaughter against dissenters here in the hall.

The act of initiating war always left much room for argument.

After a brief period of contemplation,

a middle-aged man, clad in the robes of the Imperial Censorate, slowly stepped forward, speaking:

“Xu Qing, the Immortal Tax system of the sects was a foundational law established by the Great Ancestor of Dayan. To recklessly alter it would be—”

“Bang!”

Without the slightest warning, a black orb suddenly expanded in front of the speaker’s head, instantly consuming his skull, upper chest, and shoulders.

As the black orb vanished,

the corpse fell silently to the floor, crimson-hot blood gushing forth.

Xu Yuan slowly withdrew his gaze, his voice resonating:

“If you love the ancestral laws so much, then go down and ask the Great Ancestor himself.”

Having spoken,

Xu Yuan cast a glance at the chief eunuch of Ritual Supervision standing on the golden steps above, quietly asking:

“Grand Eunuch Tang, the national seal has been affixed. Shouldn’t you now proclaim this petition to the entire nation?”

“…..”

The chief eunuch silently swept his gaze over the mute officials below. A faint sigh echoed deep within his heart as he shuffled forward, taking the crimson-folded petition bearing the national seal.

….

The autumn winds of Jiajing’s 49th year swept from north to south, carrying Dayan Court’s declaration of war across the Central Earth Plain, over the lands of Jianghuai, and reaching every sect across the realm.