CHAPTER 395: CHAPTER 257: TROOPS AT THE BORDER

The Emperor of Great Zhou finally arrived.

Today, at the Yun Residence’s birthday feast, the Emperor of Great Zhou did not personally attend to offer congratulations; his intention was to snub the Yun Residence.

Yet, the Emperor of Great Zhou commanded his people to closely monitor the Yun Residence.

The list of every guest entering and exiting the Yun Residence, along with their origins, appeared in the Emperor’s Imperial Study Room within just a few hours.

Who would have thought such an ordinary birthday feast would lead to such a huge uproar?

Mixed forces from all sides even triggered a war, something the Emperor of Great Zhou had not anticipated.

As soon as the Emperor of Great Zhou appeared, soldiers and horses became alert, the Yun Residence was immediately surrounded tightly, numerous crossbows and Royal Magicians lying in ambush, ready to act on the Emperor’s command, making it impossible for anyone in the Yun Residence to escape.

The Emperor of Great Zhou donned a bright yellow imperial robe, displaying an unmatched majestic and commanding presence.

"Long live our Emperor, long live, long live!" Thunderous voices resounded both inside and outside the Yun Residence.

Yet, people like the Dark Crown Prince stood calmly.

The Emperor of Great Zhou’s face inevitably showed a hint of anger.

His anger was directed not only towards the Dark Crown Prince and his group but also towards Yun Canglang and others.

The Purple Gold Vein was supposed to be split in half, with one part thought to have ended up in Tang Yuan’s hands, as per the Dark Crown Prince’s words, but the whereabouts of the ore became unknown.

The first suspect of the Emperor of Great Zhou was the Sky Hunting Corps.

"What exactly is going on here? Yun Canglang, Yanyun! I entrusted the matter of the Purple Gold Vein entirely to you; could it be, you dare to deceive your sovereign and privately hoard the Purple Gold Vein!" roared the Emperor of Great Zhou furiously.

Yun Canglang was left speechless, and seeing this, Yun Sheng stepped out calmly.

In front of almost a thousand people from the Yun Residence, Yun Sheng spoke resolutely, "Your Majesty is wise, the Sky Hunting Corps is entirely loyal to Great Zhou, evident as day and night. Our corps is newly established, deploying merely dozens of elite Hunter Soldiers. When we entered the mining area, we participated in the rescue of the villagers for their safety, lacking the manpower to even plunder the remaining ore. If Your Majesty doubts this, you may inquire the villagers who were in the mining area at that time, as well as the border garrison. If still in doubt, you can ask the Young City Lord of Dihong City who was also present in the mining area. If there’s even one false statement, I allow Your Majesty to deal with Sky Hunting Corps as you see fit."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor realized the scale of the Sky Hunting Corps, and it seemed improbable for them to rescue and simultaneously kill hundreds of Tang Yuan’s mages.

"Is this the Young City Lord of Dihong City? I ask you, did you notice any suspicious activity from the Sky Hunting Corps that day?" the Emperor couldn’t find a witness for a while, but Xuan Wuji was right there as an eyewitness.

Xuan Wuji, however, did not expect Yun Sheng to suddenly turn the conversation towards him, "This Young City Lord did not notice."

"Is the Young City Lord truly not aware or pretending not to be aware, or perhaps, did the Young City Lord have other plans at that time, such as secretly smuggling away the remaining ore?" asked Yun Sheng sharply, suddenly questioning Xuan Wuji.

Knowing all along that Xuan Wuji harbored ill intentions in Yujing, it was unexpected that after hiding so long, he would act alongside the Prince of Hou Qin.

With Yun Sheng’s words, both the Emperor of Great Zhou and the Dark Crown Prince began to harbor suspicions.

The Sky Hunting Corps did not have the capacity to act on both fronts, but Dihong City was a different story.

The heritage of Dihong City spanned thousands of years; to surreptitiously investigate and plunder the vein was not impossible.

Xuan Wuji almost burst into curses; pointing at Yun Sheng, he exclaimed, "Yanyun, you are slandering with blood on your mouth! Dihong City has never plundered even a piece of Purple Gold Ore! How dare you malign Dihong City; what are your intentions!"

"Enough!" The Dark Crown Prince narrowed his cold eyes, showing impatience. He had no interest in listening to confrontations, "Regardless of who stole the remaining Purple Gold Ore, with Great Zhou and Tang Yuan breaching the alliance first, Hou Qin will definitely claim a share. Since the Emperor of Great Zhou is here in person, I, the Crown Prince, will ask just one thing: does Great Zhou intend to return the ore or not!"

The Emperor of Great Zhou had never been questioned like this before, not even by the Emperor of Post Qin. He would not suddenly become submissive, and he roared immediately: "Dugu Xiu, you are merely the Crown Prince of Hou Qin, what right do you have to negotiate terms with me!"

"Based on the fact that Hou Qin and Tang Yuan have two hundred thousand troops already near the Southern Territory of Great Zhou. If the Emperor of Great Zhou is unwilling to surrender the ore, then this battle is inevitable!"

Two hundred thousand troops!

The Emperor of Great Zhou felt a tightness in his heart and could not help being panicked for a moment.

Over the years, the generals of Great Zhou had dwindled; Yun Canglang had just resigned from military services. If a battle truly ensued, with Great Zhou ill-prepared, the ferocious soldiers of Hou Qin and Tang Yuan made the possibility of victory slim.

Thinking of this, the Emperor of Great Zhou’s expression eased slightly; he was always an opportunist, skilled at reading the room, just as he had been when he was a prince, and so he was now.

"Dark Crown Prince, there must be some misunderstanding, if you do not believe me, I can have someone take you to the smelting factory to check. In Great Zhou, we indeed received only a quarter of the Purple Gold Ore,"

Between the lines of the Emperor of Great Zhou, anxiety was already visible.

Seeing this, the dignitaries of Great Zhou, including Yun Bahe, all felt dissatisfaction in their hearts.

The subservient demeanor of the Emperor of Great Zhou appeared extremely cowardly in the eyes of the military generals.

Yun Sheng was baffled; she felt obscurely in her heart that something was very wrong about the whole affair. Could it be that after those mysterious people used the Magic Array to transfer the Purple Gold Ore, something else happened?

Thinking about the Magic Array in the mining area that had suddenly become ineffective overnight, it seemed indeed there might be something peculiar going on.

Yun Sheng’s mind stirred slightly as she glanced at Ye Beiming; she saw Ye Huli smiling with a playful look in his eyes, winking at her.

Could it be?

"Crown Prince, perhaps listen to this servant," Tian Quezi, who hadn’t spoken since entering except at the door, suddenly spoke up.

"Master Tian, just speak your mind," the Dark Crown Prince was still respectful to Tian Quezi.

Tian Quezi was a Martial Saint of Post Qin and head of the premier Seven Stars Martial Arts Hall in Post Qin. The Dark Crown Prince had learned combat skills there during his younger years.

"In my view, a war among the three nations will inevitably result in rivers of blood and countless casualties. Eight years ago, for that Purple Gold Vein along the border, the sight of starvation and death everywhere was so miserable that every time I think of it, I am deeply pained," Tian Quezi spoke emotionally, appearing not just a warrior but more like a great scholar concerned about his nation and people.

Yun Bahe cursed in his heart as he listened; Tian Quezi had a good reputation outwardly, but he was actually a hypocrite.

Yun Bahe despised people like him the most.

Yet as he spoke so rashly, Yun Bahe already had an ominous feeling.