The two groups who had come calling—one led by Great Zhou's former Grand Priest Bai Xiang and former Prime Minister Wen Gang, the other the former High Priest of Phoenix God Palace, the old matriarch who claimed she had come bearing brambles to plead guilty, Caiyi's grandmother.
Ye Zhen understood their intentions perfectly. In fact, he had anticipated them long ago.
Without even meeting Bai Xiang and Wen Gang, Ye Zhen could guess why they had come.
The Great Zhou Emperor and Empress had suddenly perished together, while Great Zhou itself was in a particularly delicate situation. The rebellion of the various kings had only recently been quelled. In the mere two years since devastating blows had been dealt to the Devil Race's upper echelons, all lost territory had been recovered.
Previously, with Ji Bang holding things down, Great Zhou's nobles had still been dividing up benefits in an orderly fashion and rebuilding order in the recovered territories.
But with the Emperor and Empress suddenly dead, no matter which new emperor abruptly ascended the throne, he likely would not be able to cow Great Zhou's countless nobles, great and small, as Ji Bang had—let alone the innumerable proud soldiers and fierce generals forged by this war.
It could be said that under the present circumstances, no matter who ascended the throne, Great Zhou would inevitably suffer internal turmoil.
But if Ye Zhen stepped forward, it would be different.
Ye Zhen's status and achievements as Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expeditionary Army could make Great Zhou's innumerable proud soldiers and fierce generals gentler than sheep, and silence those nobles harboring other intentions.
As for Ye Zhen's current strength as a Dao Ancestor, it could suppress every unstable factor within the country and allow Great Zhou's imperial throne to pass smoothly to