Panic

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is bad! Something terrible has happened!"

Inside the Izumo imperial palace, a eunuch hurried anxiously to the rear garden and found the Izumo Emperor.

"So flustered—what kind of conduct is this? You've completely ruined my mood." The Izumo Emperor, who had been frolicking with an imperial concubine, was startled by the eunuch. Fury instantly rose within him as he berated the eunuch.

Rebuked by the Emperor, the eunuch immediately fell to his knees and hurriedly begged for mercy.

The Izumo Emperor's temperament was unpredictable. Serving such a master was no easy job. One had to remain on edge at all times, terrified of saying something wrong and being cut down by the Izumo Emperor in a single stroke.

"Enough. Get up. Tell me, what is it?" After a while, the Izumo Emperor finally calmed down, walked over to take a seat, and questioned the eunuch.

Seeing that the Izumo Emperor's anger had subsided, the eunuch's terrified heart finally eased somewhat.

"Your Majesty, our covert agents have learned that An Yang Marquis Chen Yuan has found his son." The eunuch reported everything truthfully. By the time he finished speaking, his face had already gone ashen.

Upon hearing the eunuch's report, the Izumo Emperor was suddenly overcome by an exceedingly heavy feeling. His hand clenched tightly around his teacup, and for a moment, he did not know how to decide.

The imperial concubine who had been frolicking with the Izumo Emperor earlier also turned deathly pale the moment she heard the eunuch's words.

"He has found an heir. The Chen Family will surely rebel. What are we to do?" The Izumo Emperor's eyes openly revealed his panic and helplessness.

"Quickly! Go summon the ministers at once and have them come discuss this matter!" After a moment, the Izumo Emperor suddenly seemed to find hope and hurriedly shouted at the eunuch.

"Yes." The eunuch answered, then swiftly withdrew from the rear garden to gather the court officials.

After the eunuch left, the imperial concubine's body suddenly went limp, and she collapsed into her chair.

"Your Majesty, what are we to do? The Chen Family has always harbored ambitions. The only reason they had never acted was because he had no heir. But now, the son who vanished eleven years ago has suddenly been found. He will certainly raise an army in rebellion. What are we going to do?" The imperial concubine spoke urgently, her eyes filled with helplessness.

"It's fine. Nothing will happen." The Izumo Emperor spoke vacantly, utterly lost.

There were rebels within the empire, yet he lacked the power to suppress them. He could only watch as the enemy gradually grew stronger, then slowly devoured the empire.

The Izumo Emperor flicked his sleeve, ignored the imperial concubine who had been playing with him earlier, and hurried toward the court hall.

The Izumo Emperor was so flustered that he did not even bother with his imperial retinue.

Inside the court hall, after receiving the summons, the ministers all dressed in their official robes and hurried over.

"My ministers, I have just received some bad news." Once most of the officials had arrived, the Izumo Emperor spoke.

Hearing the gravity in the Izumo Emperor's voice, all the ministers' hearts tightened.

It was not even time for the morning court, yet the Emperor had urgently summoned them. Something momentous must have happened.

"Chen Yuan has found his son," the Izumo Emperor said heavily.

His words left everyone standing in the hall utterly shocked.

This truly was shocking news.

Anyone capable of serving as a court official had an active mind. They understood perfectly well the implications of what the Izumo Emperor had said.

"Your Majesty, the Chen Family's wolfish ambitions are known to all. This old minister believes we must act swiftly and decisively—send troops to Yanling County and suppress the Chen Family before they can react." After understanding the consequences of this matter, an upright high-ranking official immediately voiced his opinion.

"Minister Shen, I believe what you've said is complete nonsense," a civil official said.

"The Chen Family is one of the empire's great clans. Moving against such a family lightly would shake the very foundations of the state. Moreover, Prince Chen has rendered outstanding service to the empire. To treat a pillar of the nation in this manner—would that not chill the hearts of all under heaven? Besides, the Chen Family has not violated imperial law. On what grounds would we send troops? On the contrary, you are deliberately provoking war. What exactly are your intentions?"

The civil official spoke loudly and righteously, looking as though he were defending a loyal servant of the state against a treacherous villain.

"Lord Han speaks reasonably. Minister Shen's provocation is truly ill-intentioned," an official said.

"Exactly, exactly. Prince Chen is such a noble and upright man, yet this old dog Shen judges a gentleman's heart by his own petty mind. He is truly a criminal of the empire. Your Majesty, this old minister begs you to swiftly arrest this man who spreads such bewitching lies to deceive the public." A civil official criticized the old minister, speaking with righteous indignation.

Hearing the others condemn him so fiercely, anger surged within Minister Shen.

Minister Shen was fiercely loyal and devoted wholeheartedly to the empire, yet now he was being slandered like this.

He also felt deeply that the empire was in troubled times. Rebel forces everywhere were springing up like bamboo shoots after rain. Minister Shen only wished to use all he had learned in his life to restore order from chaos.

Yet the empire was tottering in the wind and rain, while the court was filled with parasites. In the end, though he had the will to slay traitors, he lacked the power to turn the tide.

"Preposterous!" Minister Shen faced the assembled officials and shouted angrily.

"Who does not know of the Chen Family's ambitions? Even children by the roadside say that the Chen Family intends to contend for the throne. They may not have rebelled yet, but once they do, it will be too late for everything. Generals, are you truly going to stand by and watch these rebellious traitors usurp the throne?" Minister Shen's tone was stern. As he spoke the latter half of his words, however, his gaze fell upon the military officials.

In the end, war still depended on military commanders.

Upon hearing Minister Shen's words, most of the military officials lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

It was not that they lacked the desire to serve their country.

The Chen Family was simply too powerful. Chen Yuan had two Dou Emperors and seven Dou Wangs. They truly could not fight a war with such a disparity in strength.

Seeing the heated arguments below, the Izumo Emperor immediately felt his head ache. He truly could not tell how many of these ministers were still loyal to him.

There was the powerful Chen Family outside, while the ministers within were constantly divided by conflict. With the empire in such a state, the Izumo Emperor truly had no confidence that he could survive this calamity.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has something to say." At that moment, a white-haired elder among the officials below spoke up.

The overwhelmed Izumo Emperor looked at the speaker and saw that it was Prime Minister He, a veteran minister who had served two reigns.

Seeing Lord He, the Izumo Emperor suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.

During the reign of the late Emperor, Lord He had already been an important court minister. In forty years of office, he had never made a mistaken decision.

"My loyal minister, what brilliant insight do you have? Speak without hesitation," the Izumo Emperor asked anxiously.

Everyone in the grand hall stopped arguing when the prime minister spoke, turning their attention toward Prime Minister He.

"Your Majesty, at a time when we face troubles both within and without, with the empire tossed about by wind and rain, rashly going to war with the Chen Family is by no means a wise move. The Chen Family holds immense power, and all the major sects and factions follow their lead. Even within this court, quite a few people are secretly colluding with the Chen Family."

"If we go to war with the Chen Family, our only apparent enemy will be the three hundred thousand troops in Yanling County. But in secret, we have no idea how many troops the Chen Family can mobilize. Once war begins, the empire will have no chance of victory."

"This old minister believes that we can only seek peace."

Prime Minister He's voice carried a touch of age, but his words were forceful and resolute.

Yet upon hearing Prime Minister He's words, Minister Shen became even more furious and cursed, "Absurd! Before the war has even begun, you already want to seek peace. How will the people of the realm view the court then?"

"You old bastard He, I've long heard that you have ties with Chen Ye. Could it be that you accepted Chen Ye's benefits and came here to spread such nonsense? To speak such words that endanger both the nation and its people!"

Minister Shen paid no heed to the difference in their official ranks, pointing at Prime Minister He as he cursed.

Prime Minister He stood ramrod straight and looked directly at the Izumo Emperor, turning a deaf ear to Minister Shen's abuse.

Hearing Prime Minister He's words, the Izumo Emperor also felt stifled in his heart.

Rebellious traitors had risen against the throne, yet as emperor, not only was he powerless to suppress them, he instead had to humiliatingly seek peace.

"Your Majesty, this minister believes Prime Minister He's proposal is feasible." At that moment, a middle-aged man dressed in a python robe spoke.

"The Chen Family's strength is plain for the entire empire to see. Some time ago, Family Head Chen Yuan hunted a Rank 6 Poison-type Magical Beast, greatly advancing his strength. As for Old Master Chen, he is an unparalleled, peerless Nine Star Dou Huang.

"Although the Hundred Poisons Sect promised to protect the empire, its sect master is merely a Six Star Dou Huang, and the sect does not have many experts. Compared to the Chen Family, they are simply not worth mentioning.

"Though this minister is a Dou Wang, against any one of the Chen Family's Dou Wangs, I would not have the slightest chance of victory."

The middle-aged man in the python robe spoke with vigor. Standing with his hands clasped, he appeared calm and composed, carrying himself like an expert.

The Izumo Emperor recognized the middle-aged man in the python robe as one of the empire's princes. He possessed the cultivation of a Dou Wang and was one of the empire's foremost experts. Since both he and Prime Minister He had said so, no one in the empire had any better solution.

"Then... let us negotiate peace. Who is willing to serve as envoy and travel to the Chen Family?" the Izumo Emperor said with a sigh. After speaking those words, he slumped weakly against the imperial throne, seeming to age several years in an instant.