Outside the main hall, the spring rain was pouring down.
The rain pattering on the glazed tiles, each sound stirring the heart.
The entire court of nobles, adorned in crimson and purple, now appeared as if they were clay or wooden sculptures.
Standing in front of the crowd, Cheng Buxiu, his cloak clinging to his body, his hair disheveled, showing no trace of the demeanor of a Martial Venerable of Mountain-Viewing.
No further explanation is needed.
Just by looking at Cheng Buxiu's current appearance, everyone had already guessed the outcome.
Five Immortals Mountain left the Great Tang no way out.
But simply not taking action would have been fine...
Imitating a dog's bark, being teased.
Finally, they were driven off the Mountain Gate like a stray Stray Dog...
This is not just an insult to Cheng Buxiu alone.
This was clearly a slap in the face of the emperor, a slap in the face of all the officials, and a slap on the eight-hundred-year reign of the Great Tang!
" His Majesty..."
a long time.
Eventually, someone broke the silence.
The man who stepped forward was dressed in a purple robe with a jade belt around his waist, and possessed an air of elegance and composure.
He was Liu Xingyun, a member of the Empress Dowager Liu clan and a member of the Secretariat.
"For the sake of the Great Tang, Offering Cheng did not hesitate to humiliate himself. His loyalty and righteousness are witnessed by heaven and earth, and we, your subjects... also feel the same way."
"However, I believe this is not the time to be resentful."
These words created a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
Liu Xingyun, however, remained unmoved, straightened up, and slowly said, "Since Five Immortals Mountain has refused to see anyone and even Offering Cheng, their mind is made up. They are determined to sit idly by and do nothing, or even... watch our Great Tang Dynasty perish on its own."
"Since that's the case, further seeking is futile, and further anger... is also pointless."
"The situation in Jiannan and Longyou is currently in a state of chaos, and the people are suffering terribly. Every moment, countless lives are being devoured by Demon."
" His Majesty..."
Liu Xingyun raised his head and looked directly at the emperor. "The most urgent matter is not to demand an explanation, nor is it to argue with the Five Immortals Mountain for the sake of saving face."
"If the Great Tang falls, today's humiliation will be a humiliation for all eternity; if the Great Tang can survive this calamity, even if we kneel today, tomorrow..."
"Perhaps we can also get others to kneel down!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
"Bullshit!!!"
A loud shout, like a thunderclap, resounded throughout the hall.
A burly military officer with a full beard strode out of the ranks.
He rushed up to Liu Xingyun and grabbed him by the collar. "You, Liu! Are you even speaking human language?!"
" Elder Cheng has lost all face in this life for the sake of the Great Tang! He's been treated like a dog! And now you're talking to me about the big picture? Saying that getting angry is useless?!"
"Look closely! That's Elder Cheng! He's kneeling there, and what he's kneeling down isn't just his own face, it's the face of our Great Tang! It's the face of all of us men!"
"They're practically shitting on our necks now, and you expect us to put up with it? How long are we supposed to put up with it? Until we're all dead?!"
Faced with such a collision.
Liu Xingyun did not struggle, letting the other person grab her collar.
He simply looked at the other person quietly and asked calmly, "So, what do you intend to do?"
"Gather our troops and march on Five Immortals Mountain?"
The general froze. "I..."
Liu Xingyun continued, "We both know what kind of existence the Five Immortals Mountain is. Now that the Demon of Spirit Mountain have not been eliminated, the Great Tang is already struggling to survive. If we were to provoke the Five Immortals Mountain now..."
"Do you want this Great Tang Dynasty to collapse right now?!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
The military officer opened his mouth, wanting to refute.
A thousand words stuck in his throat, ultimately turning into a powerless roar.
"Useless..."
He released his grip, covered his face, and his burly body convulsed slowly. "Damn... what a coward!!!"
Inside the main hall, many military officers also turned their heads away.
Among the civil officials, several senior ministers sighed deeply, their expressions somber.
Who doesn't want to stand tall and proud?
Who doesn't want to settle scores and seek revenge?
Weak nations have no diplomacy.
The Great Tang is no longer as powerful as it was during the reign of Grand Ancestor Taizu, and now... it truly has no way to deal with the Five Immortals Mountain...
Liu Xingyun took a deep breath, turned to face the emperor, and bowed again.
" His Majesty."
Only by enduring what ordinary people cannot endure can one achieve what ordinary people cannot achieve.
"We, your humble servants, will never forget the humiliation Offering Cheng Gongfeng."
But right now...
"Your Majesty His Majesty, please consider the plight of the people, temporarily Thunder your wrath, and devote all your strength... to subduing the demons!"
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, watching the scene unfold below.
He slowly closed his eyes.
In a daze.
Then I thought back to the time of Grand Ancestor.
He unified the six directions, swept across the Eight Desolations, established his rule in the Central Plains, and made all that the sun and moon shone upon and rivers flowed upon his lands the Han territory.
How spirited and vigorous the Great Tang was back then!
He reflected that since ascending the throne, he had not dared to slacken for a single day.
He rose at cockcrow every day and rested late at night, reviewing memorials, rectifying official corruption, reducing taxes and levies, and allowing the people to rest.
Do not indulge in pleasure or become addicted to alcohol and women.
But why...?
By his generation, it had become like this?
He clearly wanted to be a good emperor, to preserve the ancestral legacy, and to allow all the people of the land to live in peace for a few days.
But the result...
But Demon were at the city gates, and the two groups of people became food for the enemy.
Elder Cheng should be like a dog, kneeling before someone's Mountain Gate, wagging his tail and begging for mercy.
Her only younger sister has to face this crisis alone!
Thinking of this...
The emperor slumped his shoulders, his fingers digging into his hair.
Is it true that he is simply not worthy of sitting on this dragon throne...?
If he possessed even half the talent of the Grand Ancestor, if he could reach the realm of the Lamp-Lighting...
Why is the Guyue in such a state?
Why did Elder Cheng go to such lengths?
How could the Great Tang have come to this?!
A profound sense of powerlessness overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.
He was the Son of Heaven of the Great Tang.
But at this very moment.
But he felt like a useless person.
"Report--!!!"
At that very moment.
A mournful howl tore through the wind and rain.
The imperial guards were in a panic, and disregarding their own decorum before the emperor, they scrambled and stumbled into the main hall.
Your His Majesty! Lu Qinghou, the Left Demon Suppression Envoy Demon Suppression Bureau, requests an audience!
Upon hearing this statement...
The once lifeless hall was instantly filled with a commotion.
Lu Qinghou?
As one of the few remaining Mountain-Viewing Martial Venerable who can still be mobilized, why would he suddenly return to the capital when he's not in Jiannan at the moment?
Could it be...?
Liu Xingyun's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed drastically.
Could it be that the front lines have already suffered a complete defeat?!
The emperor's expression tightened, and he quickly said, "Summon him in!"
"Summon— Left Demon Suppression Envoy Lu Qinghou to an audience!!!"
His voice pierced through the rain.
Not long after.
A figure strode into the main hall.
Heavy breathing echoed in the hall.
Clearly, this Mountain-Viewing Martial Venerable had been flying at top speed to save time, and his breathing was now somewhat unstable.
Liu Xingyun's eyes flickered, and he asked in a deep voice, " Lord Lu, you've returned to the capital at this time. Has the Jiannan defense line collapsed?"
Among the military officers, some clenched their fists and held their breath.
At this juncture.
The fact that a Demon Suppression Bureau Sea-Stabilizing Needle abandoned his post and returned to the capital could only be explained by defeat; no one could think of another reason.
Lu Qinghou stopped in his tracks, not looking at Liu Xingyun, but bowing deeply to the emperor.
His voice was hoarse, yet it was like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
"Your subject Lu Qinghou, has returned to the capital to report the victory! The Demon of Jiannan Circuit have been completely annihilated, and Yizhou Prefecture has been recovered!"