Wu Junzheng suddenly began pestering him. "Grandfather, let's go. I'm so sleepy, and all the ministers are tired too."
The Retired Emperor also felt that, since this generation's Flood Dragon had already appeared, there was no need to hold another general-selection ceremony.
"Thank you for your efforts tonight, my ministers. You may all leave."
A surge of fury flared inside Emperor Zhou. You old bastard!
"Let me see who dares leave!"
"Chen Yang! Block the door!"
Chen Yang appeared soundlessly before the entrance. The rustle of armor came from outside the hall; cold steel gleamed through the night, and a chill wind swirled as the great doors slowly closed from the outside.
Boom-
They shut without a gap.
The general-selection ceremony required fortune to guide the way and establish contact with the ancestral spirits, allowing them to awaken the general steles. For an emperor to do it alone was far too strenuous and consumed an enormous amount of strength.
Usually, all court officials of Principal Fourth Rank and above joined forces, using their vast righteous qi as a guide.
Under normal circumstances, both princes would select their generals together, which also saved some effort.
Yet the Retired Emperor had begun the ceremony ahead of the agreed time. He was clearly making things difficult on purpose!
The Retired Emperor had already attained golden dragon fortune. Although Emperor Zhou had ascended the throne, he was still a Flood Dragon. Great Zhou went to war with the Demon Domain once every ten years and needed an emperor with golden dragon fortune to preside over it. There were still five years until the next war.
Emperor Zhou could not attain his rightful position as a Golden Dragon within five years and still needed to rely on the Retired Emperor. Thus, the ministers at court were all the Retired Emperor's old retainers. It was not that Emperor Zhou did not want to replace them-he did not dare.
This was not a struggle within one family. This concerned the survival of an entire race!
The court officials' loyalty to the emperor determined victory or defeat in the war against the demons.
Emperor Zhou could not shoulder that war, so he could only let the Retired Emperor shoulder it.
But those were separate matters. The two princes were clearly supposed to select their generals together. What was the Retired Emperor playing at, letting only the other prince do so?
Holding the little Crown Prince, Emperor Zhou spoke with ruthless finality:
"I'll make myself clear right now! Until the Crown Prince selects his generals, no one is leaving through that door today!"
"All of you would do well to consider whether my father can live for a thousand years, or whether I can live to a hundred!"
"It's only a matter of time before I attain my rightful position as a Golden Dragon. But my father is old. How much longer can he protect you?"
Most of the courtiers had no desire to get involved in the emperor's family affairs, but the guiding ritual was extremely taxing. Once a day was their limit.
Besides, this generation's Flood Dragon had already appeared. No one wanted to waste their strength.
The Grand Court Minister stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, everyone knows that each generation produces only one Flood Dragon. The second prince is now Great Zhou's next heir. There can be no doubt about that."
"To hold another general selection for the Crown Prince would be rather... unnecessary."
Voices of agreement rose all around.
"Moreover, we are exhausted and cannot conduct a second general-selection ceremony."
"If Your Majesty insists on examining the Crown Prince's fortune, why not allow us two days of rest before discussing it further?"
Two days of rest?
Emperor Zhou knew perfectly well that once they left to rest, there would never be another opportunity.
One of the officials suddenly collapsed to the floor with a string of groans.
Everyone hurried to gather around him.
"Your Majesty, Minister Li has exhausted himself drawing upon fortune."
"Not a single participant can be missing from the general selection. We absolutely cannot proceed today. If something were to happen to Minister Li, what would we do about the war against the demons five years from now?"
A babble of supporting voices rose, making their stance plain: they would not agree, would not do it, would not consent.
Emperor Zhou's expression grew uglier and uglier.
Wu Junzheng silently watched the little Crown Prince nearby, his chest full of tangled emotions he could not put into words.
When Wu Junji first arrived in Chang'an, he had thought nothing of him. Yet that monster had actually shaken divine power with human strength.
How could he not be afraid?
Who could have imagined that, in an age where fortune reigned supreme, a man without fortune could stir the hidden currents of an entire dynasty through meticulous calculation alone?
Countless people had wanted him dead because he was an unpredictable variable, yet he had forcibly brought forth human emperor fortune of his own.
Of the nine brothers, he had flayed six and used two as living sacrifice pillars.
Had Wu Junji's body not finally failed him, he could have overturned the rules of the entire world, defying every sacred convention until humans and demons were slaughtering each other!
He had even orchestrated this rebirth with his own hands. Rather than wait for him to recover his memories and settle every score, why not strike first?
Even in his dreams, Wu Junzheng was killing Wu Junji.
Yet every time he wanted to act, he would think-Had he anticipated this too?
The mere thought that his every move lay within Wu Junji's grasp sent boundless terror flooding into his heart.
Floods could not drown him, earthquakes could not crush him, and even torture that pierced his eardrums could not break his spirit. When rampaging horses broke his right hand, he trained his left.
His followers all deserted him, his teacher played favorites, and his confidants betrayed him. Countless people wanted him dead at every step. He spent ten years forging a single sword, hoping to clear his name, only for it all to be buried in flames overnight. Surely his heart should have died then?
Yet that ruthless man, with his crippled hand, deaf ears, half-blind eyes, and ruined reputation, still managed to scrape together eight hundred men from forgotten corners.
Holding the emperor in his grasp, he pushed north against the current, quelled rebellion, secured the nation, and brought peace to the people.
Wu Junzheng had wanted to rush up and roar, Are you fucking blind? Look at those Eighteen Lords! Are they human?!
They're demons! Demons!
How could you, a mere mortal, defeat demons?!
The history books reduced it to the simple phrase "Vertical and Horizontal Alliances," but behind those words lay three years of bloody war, horses galloping a hundred thousand miles, corpses strewn across the wilderness, and the whole world as his enemy.
That madman who could not see demons knew only that civil strife had to be quelled, or no one could farm; foreign invaders had to be fought, or no one could farm; and if the emperor would not let them farm, they would replace the emperor.
One madman had raised a whole band of madmen. Under the banner of purging the wicked ministers around the sovereign, their armies marched north and assembled, acclaiming Wu Junji as their commander.
Blind eyes could be treated, a crippled hand could heal, and though the body was weak, the heart was not. So they fought their way back. In the upheaval at the Azure Dragon Gate, Wu Junji kicked the eighth brother off the throne and proclaimed himself emperor.
History called it-the Revolution of the Old Days.
Wu Junji had killed his teacher, his friends, his ministers, his brothers, his wife, and his father. How could someone so disloyal, unfilial, heartless, and unjust possibly become a Human Emperor?!
What a joke!
In his previous life, Wu Junzheng had possessed python fortune. His struggles with Wu Junji at court had accidentally elevated it to flood dragon fortune. In this life, he had started with false flood dragon fortune.
Without Wu Junji, could he also attain his rightful position as a Golden Dragon?
Wu Junzheng's throat bobbed again and again.
-Grandfather, let's hurry and leave. The ministers need medical attention.
-Father, no one but me can be this generation's Crown Prince. Why go to all this needless trouble?
Yet what finally came out of his mouth was-
"Grandfather... letting my elder brother try would be fine too."
Wu Junzheng nearly tore his clothes apart, hating himself for his cowardice. Yet before Wu Junji, he could not muster even the courage to resist.
Why couldn't heaven just strike this archfiend dead out of nowhere?!
Chen Yu! He had to win Chen Yu over! Chen Yu was the only person who could fight the archfiend to a draw!
Displeased, the Retired Emperor looked down at his grandson and judged him utterly oblivious.
"If the emperor wants the Crown Prince to select his generals, he can guide the ritual himself."
"If you cannot do it yourself, do not blame others for disobeying your orders."
The Retired Emperor picked up Wu Junzheng and said coldly, "It is late. I am returning. My ministers will come with me."
As soon as the Retired Emperor moved, all the ministers followed, their red and black official robes pressing toward the doors.
One imperious shout after another rang through the ancestral hall.
"Stand aside!"
"Stand aside!"
"Stand aside!"
Chen Yang stood before the doors, immovable as a mountain.
Emperor Zhou silently stared at the dozen or so spirit tablets before him, his nails digging into his flesh until they tore it open.
Emperor Zhou forced one word through his teeth. "Withdraw."
Chen Yang's heart trembled, and he reluctantly stepped aside.
Wu Junji quietly watched the dispirited Emperor Zhou, then slowly pressed his little face against his.
Father and son nuzzled cheek to cheek like cats.
Wu Junji rubbed his chubby cheek against Emperor Zhou's face.
Then he wrapped his arms around his neck.
"Is selecting generals very important?"
Emperor Zhou sighed softly. "Very important."
After only a brief moment of dejection, Emperor Zhou's true nature reasserted itself.
"A pack of dogs that look down on everyone. The Crown Prince I fathered would be the mightiest snake of all, even if he were only a snake."
Wu Junji chuckled twice.
"Then I'll recite all of it and scare them to death."
Emperor Zhou smiled too, though his smile was bitter. "All right. I'll guide you. Go scare them to death."
Before you continue