A super mission (part two)
It's no wonder that King Fenghe, Li Chang, looked grim. In a monarchical country, once the emperor has his eye on someone and is determined to eliminate them, there are only two paths before them: one is for the emperor to order the subject to die, and the subject must die, so that the emperor can kill them to show his loyalty; the other is to rebel and treason.
Death? Even ants wear ropes, let alone King Fenghe. Naturally, he didn't want to die. But rebellion? Every rebel needs the perfect timing, Heavenly Timing and Favorable Terrain, and popular support, and they must be extremely well-prepared before daring to raise the banner of righteousness.
But now, how can a mere prince like myself, in such a hurried and chaotic situation, possibly contend with the ruler of a nation?
King Fenghe's face was grave. What Eunuch Lin said made perfect sense. Since His Your Majesty had been replaced or was being controlled by someone, he would naturally value the National Fortune and his own position very much. If Wu Zhao, who was associated with the fate of the National Fortune, really entered his King Fenghe's Mansion, it would be reasonable for the emperor to be wary of her.
"Your Highness, we are now in the same boat. For our lives, only by raising the banner of righteousness can we have a chance of survival," Eunuch Lin said earnestly, staring intently at King Fenghe, revealing his true feelings.
"But with our current abilities, how can we possibly fight the Emperor?" King Fenghe said with a heavy expression, his brows furrowed.
Although King Fenghe held a position second only to the emperor in the Great Tang Dynasty, he knew that with his current abilities, he was still far from being able to fight against the King Fenghe.
"Therefore, if we want our righteous act to succeed, there is only one way. That is to produce Evidence and find out whether His Your Majesty has been replaced or is being controlled by someone. As long as we obtain this concrete Evidence, our righteous act will have the advantage of Heavenly Timing and Favorable Terrain, location, and popular support, and will be in accordance with the will of Heaven..." Eunuch Lin said earnestly.
"To follow the will of Heaven?" Upon hearing this, King Fenghe's eyes lit up slightly. It has to be said that this phrase stirred King Fenghe's heart.
Most Cultivator defy the heavens in their cultivation path, which is why they experience numerous calamities and tribulations. The more evil deeds one commits in life, the more terrifying the calamities they will face. For example, Heavenly Tribulation are even more terrifying.
But are these Heavenly Tribulation truly beyond weakening? Heavenly Tribulation! In fact, there are ways to reduce the power of heavenly tribulations.
To follow the will of Heaven! If a Cultivator or a cultivation sect does something great in accordance with the will of Heaven, then they will be recognized by the Heaven's Will. This act is called Merit!
There are many different opinions about the effects of Merit, but regardless of the specific explanation, they all share one thing in common: Merit can bring benefits in return from the Heavenly Dao.
For example, in certain life-or-death situations, one might Luck to escape with their life, or one might be able to easily master a difficult cultivation Cultivation Technique, or even weaken the power of Heavenly Tribulation when facing Heavenly Tribulation.
The path of cultivation is fraught with thorns, but Merit is a pass that grants access to the benefits of Heavenly Dao's feedback. Therefore, every Cultivator is willing to earn Merit.
If King Fenghe can find irrefutable evidence that the current emperor has been replaced or is being manipulated, then their righteous act will no longer be without just cause, but rather an act in accordance with the will of Heaven. At that time, it is believed that countless Cultivator within the Great Tang Dynasty will be willing to come to their aid, and even the Large Sect will all come to their aid. With such help, overthrowing the current Imperial Throne will be a piece of cake.
Back then, the Great Qin Empire destroyed the Six Nations and unified the Heaven's will. This was the will of Heaven. Therefore, the Nine Great Sects devoted themselves to helping, all for the sake of these Merit. By following the will of Heaven and helping the Great Qin Empire unify the chaotic world, the Nine Great Sects have achieved their current prosperity and their incense has continued to burn.
The saying goes, "Man follows the Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Way, and the Way follows Nature." Although the Way of Heavenly Dao is elusive, no one dares to ignore its existence. As the mandate of Heaven is bestowed, no one dares to defy the Heavenly Dao.
All living beings must follow the rules of Heavenly Dao, so the Merit of Heaven's Will is something that countless Cultivator strive to obtain. Merit is thousands of times more valuable than any so-called spiritual energy.
If Heaven wants to overthrow the current Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, it must first investigate the emperor's identity. Otherwise, even with King Fenghe's formidable abilities, he is no match for the entire Imperial Clan.
"But now, Eunuch Lin, you are wanted by the authorities, and I am seen as a thorn in their side. It will be extremely difficult to investigate the current emperor's identity..."
Although the so-called Mandate of Heaven gave King Fenghe a glimmer of hope, how to investigate the current emperor's identity was the biggest problem facing everyone.
Under normal circumstances, with Eunuch Lin close to the Emperor and his identity as King Fenghe, he could secretly cultivate his network of connections and surely find some clues no matter what. Unfortunately, now that the Emperor has placed Eunuch Lin and King Fenghe in opposing positions, investigating him is as difficult as climbing to the sky.
"Ding, the quest 'Investigate the Emperor' has been triggered. The quest requires you to successfully investigate and find conclusive Evidence to prove that the current Great Tang Emperor is not himself. If the quest is successful, your level will increase by 10. If the quest fails, your level will decrease by 5. Accept or reject?"
A system notification suddenly rang in Zhuge Xiang's mind, and the appearance of this task almost startled Zhuge Xiang.
This task doesn't offer any other rewards besides levels, but it rewards a full 10 levels! That's equivalent to a minor realm! Although failing the task will result in a severe penalty of losing 5 levels, exchanging 5 levels for 10 seems like a win no matter how you look at it.
The appearance of the mission, with its terrifyingly generous rewards, certainly tempted Zhuge Xiang. However, such a rewarding mission was obviously also extremely difficult.
Over the years, neither King Fenghe nor even Eunuch Lin, who was always by the emperor's side, had detected any clues. This meant that the emperor's disguise was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Could he really complete this mission?
"Accept!" Although the chances of completing this task were slim, it was very difficult, and the punishment for failure was a staggering five levels, Zhuge Xiang was a free spirit and not the kind of person who would get stuck on a problem.
If you're interested, then take action! Difficulties? So what? Difficulties are meant to be solved by yourself, aren't they?
Besides, this task is, to some extent, linked to the task Bai Qi gave him. If he refuses this task, he might not be able to complete the task he received from Bai Qi, and wouldn't all his time in the Great Tang Dynasty have been wasted?
"Perhaps I can help with this..." Now that he had accepted the task, Zhuge Xiang was naturally in the same boat as Eunuch Lin and King Fenghe, so he took the initiative to speak up and express his willingness to help.
"Oh? Zhuge Consecrated is willing to help? That's wonderful..." Upon hearing Zhuge Xiang's words, both Eunuch Lin and King Fenghe were overjoyed.
As a respected figure, Zhuge Xiang wields considerable influence due to his impressive military achievements, making him a formidable ally for King Fenghe and Eunuch Lin.
"Perhaps I can help too?" At the same moment, Wu Zhao also spoke up, expressing her willingness to help. Zhuge Xiang's words had softened her heart, but she felt grateful and Guilt towards both the King Fenghe's Mansion and Li Zhi. Since Zhuge Xiang was willing to help, she naturally could not stand idly by.
"Thank you both very much, but the invitations have already been sent out. Even if Miss Wu Zhao helps, the Emperor will be suspicious of her. So it's better for her to stay at the King Fenghe's Mansion." Wu Zhao Eunuch Lin was naturally happy that Wu Zhao was willing to help, but he knew the Eunuch Lin's personality very well. Even if she was willing to leave the King Fenghe's Mansion, she would never be trusted by the Emperor. Instead, she would be sending a lamb to the slaughter.
"It seems that this Wedding is still necessary..." After hearing Eunuch Lin's words, King Fenghe pondered for a moment before speaking.
Zhuge Xiang slightly. Although he knew that the Marriage arranged by the King Fenghe was merely a formality for the purpose of Zhuge Xiang righteous cause, he still felt an instinctive aversion to the idea of having Wu Zhao and Li Zhi hold Wedding.
"Indeed, this Wedding is necessary. When it happens, Zhuge Consecrated should cause a huge scene at the Wedding, the bigger the better. That way, he can gain the emperor's trust." Knowing the emperor's personality well, Eunuch Lin nodded in agreement.
"Brother Zhuge, do you not trust my character? Even if it's for the sake of billions of people in the Great Tang Dynasty, this is just a formality and doesn't count," Li Zhi, who had naturally noticed Zhuge Xiang's slightly furrowed brows, stepped forward and said earnestly.
Zhuge Xiang did not respond to Li Zhi and Eunuch Lin's words, but instead focused his gaze on Wu Zhao, waiting for her to make a decision. Although it was just a formal Wedding, Zhuge Xiang would not agree if Wu Zhao showed any resistance.
"I'm glad I could help you," Wu Zhao replied. She understood what Zhuge Xiang meant with his eyes. After ten years of marriage, they understood each other with just a gesture or a glance.
"Alright, let's do it this way..." Since Wu Zhao was willing, Zhuge Xiang had no objection. Besides, it was just a formality. With Zhuge Xiang's carefree personality, he wasn't the kind of pedantic person who only cared about formalities.
Soon, after finalizing the initial plan, Zhuge Xiang and his group carefully discussed all the details. Then, Zhuge Xiang took action, displaying his full strength and causing a great disturbance at the King Fenghe's Mansion.
This commotion nearly destroyed the entire King Fenghe's Mansion, and Zhuge Xiang was so badly injured that he was almost dead before he managed to escape with his life. This battle shook the entire capital and even the entire Great Tang Dynasty... (To be continued...)