Chapter Fourteen: The Prosperous Future of the Great Qi Dynasty

Up to this moment, Yang Chuan, who had stood silently on the main hall’s dais, suddenly spoke.

“Come up together.”

Enjoy using force to seize power?

Very well, then today he would make everyone in Great Qi give up that thought.

“Yang Chuan, your body has just recovered. Can you handle five martial artists?”

Over the years, Tian Yueying had secretly practiced some martial arts and could roughly gauge the level of the men below the stage.

“I see these men’s cultivation ranks are around the fifth level; you must not be careless.”

“Yet with only fifth-rank cultivation, they dare oppose me? They’re truly courting death!”

Hearing Yang Chuan suddenly spout such reckless words in the hall, Cao Ding immediately burst into laughter.

After a hearty laugh, he drew his sword and pointed it at the dais.

“Yang Chuan! You’re a cripple whose cultivation was stripped by the Empress of Dakang. How dare you shout at my fifth-rank warriors? Don’t think that because the Emperor supports you, I won’t dare move against you!”

“Today, not only will I cripple you in front of the Emperor, but I will also force her to abdicate publicly. It would be far better for me to govern Great Qi!”

At Cao Ding’s command, five warriors drew their swords and rushed forward, prepared to fight Yang Chuan to the death.

Yet, before they had taken two steps, a powerful pressure suddenly pressed against their chests.

Seconds later, the warriors let out tragic screams as their internal organs exploded, blood spurting from their seven orifices and splattering the entire court.

Even Yang Chuan himself, standing high above in the hall, was startled by this deadly technique.

Withdrawing his palm, he murmured to himself, “Hiss, the perfect form of the Ten Thousand Yuan Return to Truth Technique seems even more effective than when I was at the Grandmaster level.”

In the past, though Yang Chuan had inherited the true transmission of the Dakang “Heaven Pacifying Technique,” even upon reaching Grandmaster level, he still had to engage in close combat.

And close combat inevitably carried the risk of injury.

Back then, using the Heaven Pacifying Technique, he had beheaded two Grandmaster warriors in Great Qi, but he had suffered some internal injuries himself. Fortunately, after returning, he gradually recovered with herbal remedies.

Now, with the “Ten Thousand Yuan Return to Truth” technique, as long as his opponents’ cultivation was below his own, he didn’t need to advance. Simply reciting the incantation allowed him to gather countless qi into his palm and kill with a single strike.

At this, the hall fell silent once more, deathly quiet.

Even Cao Ding, who had been so arrogant moments before, stood rooted to the spot, stunned for a long while.

“Dakang envoy has wronged me, the Dakang envoy has wronged me!” After a wave of inner frustration, he wished he could immediately slit his own throat.

But since seizing power, Cao Ding had come to cherish his life dearly.

After all, replacing Tian Yueying as emperor was an exquisite feeling!

Every day, apart from morning court sessions, he spent his time in drunken revelry, living leisurely and happily.

But now, having offended the newly arrived Prime Minister Yang Chuan, escaping from the tiger’s jaws would not be so simple.

Steeling himself, for the sake of his remaining days, Cao Ding threw his sword aside, dropped to his knees, and knelt all the way to the base of the dais.

“Your Majesty, Prime Minister Yang! I was momentarily confused, possessed by demons, which led me to commit such treason. I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of my three years managing state affairs, to spare my life!”

With that, he bowed his head repeatedly against the ground, showing no sign of stopping without a reply from above.

Tian Yueying, already deeply disgusted with Cao Ding, heard this shameless excuse invoking his role as prime minister and only felt her desire to kill grow stronger.

Just as she was about to speak, Yang Chuan abruptly pulled her back.

On the dais, he lounged playfully in the Grand Tutor chair, propping up his chin as he observed Cao Ding kowtow.

Don’t they like kowtowing?

Since this was his first court session and he was still unfamiliar with Great Qi’s politics, he might as well watch the Grand Marshal perform his little act.

After about fifteen minutes of kowtowing, Cao Ding suddenly sensed something amiss. He slowly raised his head and looked up at the dais.

To his shock, the first thing he saw was Yang Chuan’s face, twisted with sinister amusement as he watched Cao Ding make a fool of himself. A burning rage surged in his heart.

But what use was anger?

With his martial skill, there was no way he could match Yang Chuan.

If Yang Chuan refused to forgive him, then death was the only option!

Grabbing a sword from the ground, Cao Ding aimed it at his own neck, preparing to end it all.

Yet just as he was about to do so, he felt his hand holding the sword gripped by an unseen force, preventing him from reaching his neck.

Looking up again, he saw Yang Chuan grinning even more wildly.

“Your Majesty, according to Great Qi’s laws, how should one who insults the sovereign and attempts usurpation be punished?”

“Previously, there was the punishment of dismemberment by chariots, but since my ascension, I found such punishments too cruel and abolished them.”

“Alas, what a pity.”

Yang Chuan clicked his tongue, then suddenly summoned a group of guards outside the hall.

He ordered them to temporarily imprison Cao Ding. As for how to make the rest of his life more ‘enjoyable,’ that was something he would consider later.

After all, this traitor was eager to die, but Yang Chuan was determined not to let him die so easily.

For death would be too cheap a resolution for such a rebel.

Letting him live, to experience the torment of being unable to live freely nor die, was the best way to kill one and warn a hundred.

With the Empress backing him, and as a newcomer, the guards dared not slack off for even a moment. They dragged the utterly despondent Cao Ding away from the hall.

After this episode, when Yang Chuan looked again at the ministers below, he saw fear had taken root among them.

“Gentlemen, today Cao Ding committed treason in the court and deserves death. As for his former accomplices, if they sincerely assist the Empress and me in our grand plans, I will not pursue their past offenses.”

“However, if anyone dares again to call the current sovereign a foolish ruler, do not blame me for taking ruthless action!”

You give a peach, I repay with a plum.

Even though betrayed by Yan Wukou, Yang Chuan was still willing to treat Tian Yueying as a gentleman.

Moreover, on his very first day in Great Qi, the Empress had directly appointed him Prime Minister, granted him nine honors, and bestowed upon him the title “King Standing Shoulder to Shoulder”—a truly magnificent imperial favor, elevating him to the highest possible rank from the start!

But Yang Chuan was no stranger to holding a position equal to the emperor; such hollow titles were not his true pursuit.

If he could truly aid Great Qi, pacify the nine provinces, and take control of the Central Plains, unifying all of China, that would be a truly satisfying life.

At that moment, Protector Gongsun Xin quietly returned to his seat, his gaze fixed on the Prime Minister and the Empress.

Their eyes occasionally met with a hint of intimacy, clearly revealing a profound bond already established.

Witnessing this, Gongsun Xin could not help but sigh.

“Excellent, excellent! Since the late Emperor’s passing, Great Qi has not seen a worthy minister. Now with Prime Minister Yang here, the fortune of Great Qi is bound to flourish!”