Chapter 5 Emperor's Majesty_1
"I am aware. I will meet with the envoy team from the Great Qian Dynasty here in the Divine Martial Hall three days later."
Chu Yuan made a decision.
"Ding! The host made Choice Two, awarded one hundred Destiny Points."
"Remaining Destiny Points, one thousand four hundred."
"Is it appropriate to meet them three days later?"
Li Yun furrowed his brows, still somewhat unwilling, "The envoy team from Great Qian has been waiting outside the hall for a while. Delaying them for three days will likely incite their discontent, given the turbulent current situation. The southern border is on the brink of war at any moment. I suggest meeting them immediately."
"I also perceive it as inappropriate."
The Grand General and the Prime Minister, both influential officials, immediately voiced their objections.
If it were any other emperor, they would likely be unable to withstand the pressure and would be controlled by these two to meet the envoy team immediately.
"There is nothing inappropriate. The envoy team is here simply because they want me to cede territory and pay compensation. I understand their hidden motives, but let me make it clear to you, this is absolutely impossible. Not a single piece of our land will be ceded, no compensation will be paid. If the Grand General and Prime Minister have doubts, you can negotiate with them after you withdraw from the court. I won't mind."
Chu Yuan scoffed, he wouldn't be controlled by these two.
He well knew that these two had already betrayed him, and were trying to steadily chip away at his interests.
As emperors come and go, even if the Great Wu collapses, their families will not only survive, but prosper.
He'd had enough of these tactics before.
Chu Yuan waved his hand, and immediately Eunuch Wei hurriedly announced, "Everyone dismissed!"
"Our Emperor isn't quite the same as he used to be today."
Standing in the court, watching Chu Yuan's retreating figure, Li Yun's aged face darkened.
In today's confrontation, they didn't gain any advantages, but instead were oppressed.
"His every sentence hints at something. Could he know that we've already colluded with the Great Qian Dynasty?"
"Hmph! He's just a fifteen-year-old little emperor. Even if he's heard some rumors, so what?"
Shangguan Yun sneered, "Even if he knows, what can he do? Without the elite Divine Martial troops, what can he use to confront us? We fear him now because there are still loyalists in the Great Wu. Otherwise, we would've already stripped him of his throne. Does he think he can act so arrogantly in front of us?"
"We have no ill will towards the Emperor, but the fate of the Great Wu has reached its end, being faced with divine punishment. It's time for it to fall. The allied force of four nations is unstoppable. A deadlock will just leave us without a place to die. The Great Qian has already promised us that they will cooperate from inside and outside to ensure that our families will be untouched."
Li Yun said casually, "If he would just be obedient and follow our plan, he could still enjoy a few years as Emperor. But if he insists on opposing us, don't blame us for ending the Great Wu Dynasty and supporting another Imperial Dynasty."
"How many dynasties have replaced each other over the hundreds of years in this region? It's nothing more than changing the ruling power. But our two families have always remained standing."
"He who understands the times is a great man."
....
"The mess of flowers gradually blurs the eyes. Though the flowers are beautiful, they're but fleeting and even the most gorgeous bloom will wither in the face of war."
After his withdrawal from court, Chu Yuan didn't use the royal carriage, instead choosing to walk back to the Imperial Garden.
The sprawling architecture before his eyes was filled with a variety of exotic flowers and plants. The beautiful flowers bloomed, their fragrance filled the air. But in three years, Chu Yuan had personally seen the Imperial Garden turn into ruins.
"Your Majesty seems to be in a poetic mood."
A voice reached Chu Yuan's ears, full of teasing.
Chu Yuan frowned slightly, turned around, and saw a young man clad in golden armor, his face full of mockery, showing no respect for his monarch.
"Shangguan Yun." Chu Yuan showed no emotion, "Is the Imperial Garden a place you can tread without my command?"
"Your humble servant is a Colonel of the Forbidden Army, and I have received the Grand General's command to protect Your Majesty from treasonous harm."
Shangguan Yun did not move, "Wherever your majesty is, so shall I be."
"If I went back to the Imperial Residence to rest, you would still follow?" Chu Yuan squinted his eyes slightly.
"Protecting the Emperor is my duty." Shangguan Yun said.
[Choice One: Pretend not to see and let Shangguan Yun continue following you, reward of one hundred Destiny Points.]
[Choice Two; The next Imperial Decree shall command Shangguan Yun to step down, rewarding one hundred Destiny Points.]
"Step down!"
Chu Yuan strongly commanded.
"Ding! Host chooses Option Two, gaining one hundred Destiny Points, remaining points total fifteen hundred."
"His Imperial Majesty has commanded! General Shangguan, you should quickly step down to avoid invoking the Emperor's wrath with your insolence!"
Eunuch Wei, who had served two Emperors, knew very well by observing Chu Yuan's temperament that his mood was already far from pleased.
"These are the orders from the Grand General. The military orders are weighty as a mountain and cannot be defied. Unless this humble servant is dead, Your Majesty will have to forgive me."
Shangguan Yun, the nephew of Shangguan Qingyun, had been given the order to meticulously watch the Emperor's every move. As the Emperor barely held significant imperial authority, why would he obediently step down?
[Choice One: Teach Shangguan Yun about higher truths, that the will of the Emperor supersedes all else, and his loyalty is to the Emperor rather than to the Grand General. Educate him to earn one hundred Destiny Points, complete the achievement of eloquent persuasion. Note: equip this ability to enhance persuasiveness, and overpower everything with words.]
[Choice Two: Since he wants to die, we grant him death, the majesty of the Emperor is inviolable, those who violate it must die. When the sovereign wishes his subject dead, the subject must die. Reward of one hundred Destiny Points, complete the achievement of Emperor's Majesty. Note: equip the Emperor's Majesty to increase intimidation by ten percent.]
But Chu Yuan shook his head. Teaching him grand truths would be pointless; the only option was to let him die.
"Shangguan Yun, you're good, however it seems you've lost sight of me, your Emperor."
Chu Yuan indifferently looked at Shangguan Yun, "You refuse to violate a military command but dismiss my Imperial decree. Since that's the case, death is the only alternative."
"What? You want to execute me!" Shangguan Yun's face showed a hint of change. "I am a colonel of the Forbidden Army. Even the Emperor can't simply execute me!"
He didn't think much of this second-generation young emperor. Even the most loyal Divine Martial Hall had been completely wiped out, with the remaining troops mostly under control of the Grand General.
"I am Emperor Dawu, your ruler, your sky. If I want you dead, you die!"
Chu Yuan, a fourth-level soul refiner, wielding the Human Emperor Sword, has a strength level equivalent to a fourth-level Yuan spirit. This Shangguan Yun is just a first-level Yuan spirit.
The Human Emperor's Sword is drawn out, invoking the Great Thunder Technique. The overwhelmingly terrifying imperial aura surges towards Shangguan Yun.
Thud!
Under this pressure, even Shangguan Yun could not hold up and fell on his knees, eyes full of terror, he exclaimed in fear, "Your cultivation level!"
"I grant you death."
With a wave of Chu Yuan's Human Emperor Sword, Shangguan Yun's head flew off instantly. The pillar of blood squirted on the flowers and plants only revealing a more bizarre sight.
On his severed head, a look of fear, resentment, and confusion filled his face.
A colonel of the Forbidden Army, who was a first-level Yuan spirit, was beheaded with a single swing.
Looking at the deceased Shangguan Yun, Chu Yuan remained expressionless. Although he had crossed over, he had merged with the world's eighteen years of memory, as if he personally experienced those eighteen years, so he understood the rules of this world.
Instead, he felt a sort of excitement, a thrill akin to a bloodlust.
Strength is revered, the strong are kings!
Without powers, even if you're an emperor, others won't take you seriously.
He, as the emperor, would not tolerate Shangguan Yun being blatant in front of him.
The Grand General and his men may all go to death.
As an emperor, you need to have the temperament to kill everything in your path!
"Ding! The host makes a choice, beheads Shangguan Yun, gains one hundred Destiny Points, completes the achievement of Emperor's Majesty, remaining Destiny Points, one thousand and six hundred."
The wonderful voice of the system sounded.
However, this Shangguan Yun was quite good.
He sent his head forward, not only allowing Chu Yuan to gain two hundred Destiny Points but also allowing him to complete the achievement of Emperor's Majesty.
"Eunuch Wei, deal with this. Return Shangguan Yun's head to the Grand General and tell him that Shangguan Yun was executed by me."
Chu Yuan raised an eyebrow, barely glanced at Shangguan Yun's corpse, and headed towards the Divine Martial Hall.
He recalled that he still had a chance for a random draw when he activated the Destiny Choice system.