Passing the Buck

Few officials near the Imperial City District could travel to the Imperial Palace, and the pool of people with the authority to freely enter and exit the palace would be further narrowed.

The three highest officials of the court could freely enter the palace, but the rest were the "censors," and even the many high-ranking officials of the Nine Ministers found it difficult to enter the palace easily.

There were not many officials within the scope of Sima Tan's notification, and even fewer who could arrive in time.

"Lord Dongfang... wake up! Your body is either in a long sleep or a long wakefulness when you're sick. When you're healthy, you don't need to sleep at all. You can't fool me. Pretending to be deaf and dumb during the reckoning is useless. You can't escape trouble even if you don't want to get involved!"

Sima Tan rattled off the facts, which gave Zhang Xuezhou a terrible headache.

Since the Empress Dowager was not Princess Dou, Zhang Xuezhou tried his best to avoid getting involved in the Weiyang Palace.

If he could participate in the power struggle between the new emperor and the empress dowager, he would have already jumped up and down.

Outsiders getting involved in these matters can easily make them look bad to everyone. If the mother and daughter end up together, any of these outsiders who take sides beforehand will be finished, either being purged by one side or the other.

Especially since both sides are cultivators of magic, getting involved with either of them could easily lead to conflict.

Zhang Xuezhou has an extremely strong will to survive; he would never do something so strenuous and thankless.

But he couldn't pretend to be asleep anymore, since he had shared a carriage with Sima Tan, and the Grand Historian knew his sleeping habits very well.

"Huh, is that the Grand Astrologer? What did you just say?"

"His Majesty and the Empress Dowager have started fighting! It's not a verbal discussion, they're actually hitting each other, and it's a really fierce fight! You need to break them up!"

Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou was still pretending to stall for time, Sima Tan wished he could strangle the bastard.

"His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are evenly matched, and neither can gain the upper hand at the moment. The struggle will last for some time, so you'll definitely make it if you go this way," Sima Tanyangpo said, then added, "Even if you dawdle a little longer, you'll still make it!"

"I'm sick, why are you looking for me? Aren't you trying to harm me?"

Seeing that he couldn't stall for time, Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to get out of bed.

He grumbled, but Sima Tan didn't respond.

This isn't a question of whether he intentionally harmed anyone or not. If Sima Tan, who possesses the power to patrol the world, saw a calamity but didn't report it, he would be the one who suffered.

In short, officials who fall within the scope of the requirement have no choice but to go.

As for what use going there would be, Sima Tan didn't know either. In any case, his official position was unique, and once the notification was given, there would be no entanglement with past grievances.

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou push off with his right hand and leap out of the second-floor bedroom, then gracefully land and run towards the East Sima Gate, Sima Tan changed direction.

"Ji An, you have to get up, even if you're sick..."

In the distance, Sima Tan's voice clamored, his eyes now fixed on the officials who had the privilege of entering the palace.

Princess Pingyang and others were among the first to be summoned to the palace, while Zhang Xuezhou and others were among the second.

As Zhang Xuezhou passed through the East Sima Gate, he kept thinking about how to avoid accidents, make himself as transparent as possible, get involved in as few troubles as possible, and also demonstrate certain abilities in front of the new emperor.

The various demands gave Zhang Xuezhou a headache. He felt that it would be better not to return to Chang'an City and enjoy peace and quiet without any entanglements.

The imperial palace was the largest building complex in Chang'an City. Such a place did not require running on foot. After entering the palace, Zhang Xuezhou found a carriage to travel through. The vermilion city walls kept receding, and the muffled sound of explosions gradually reached his ears.

Sima Tan was right; the struggle continues.

Cultivators' battles are not long-lasting; sometimes, a few exchanges of Technique Method can determine life or death. Most cases of prolonged fighting involve pursuit and escape.

"It wasn't a chase-and-escape situation after all?"

Zhang Xuezhou can tell the situation just by listening to the sounds; after all, he is a professional when it comes to escaping.

If it doesn't involve pursuing fugitives and the fighting continues, the situation might not be as bad as he imagines.

"Whoa!"

The imperial guards quickly pulled the reins to stop the carriage. Zhang Xuezhou peered out of the carriage and saw that the road ahead was completely blocked.

The guards of Changxin Palace and Weiyang Palace had already formed groups, and under the command of Li Guang and Cheng Bushi, they were often in pairs facing each other.

Many people came, but no one dared to rush in and pull or shove.

In the distance, several women in palace robes were running, indicating that it was not only Princess Pingyang who had come, but also Princess Dou, the Empress, Princess Longlu, and others who had entered the palace together.

Princess Pingyang had just met him, and another princess Zhang Xuezhou had never met before, Princess Longlu, was also the new emperor's sister and married to the son of Princess Dou. She rarely appeared in public, but it was highly likely that she had no choice but to come.

Many members of the imperial family held prestigious positions, but this status was brought about by the new emperor and empress dowager.

No matter which side collapses, this kind of thing will cause a huge uproar. If both sides are affected, it will undoubtedly be like the sky has fallen for many people.

Even though Princess Dou was caught up in the situation and unable to act independently, although she was forced out of power in Anle Palace, the Dou family had placed almost all their bets on the new emperor.

"We can't fight anymore, Li Guang Li Guang, go and stop them!"

Princess Dou shouted from afar, and Li Guang looked like he had a headache.

He could kill people with his arrows, but he wasn't good at separating fights. Getting Li Guang to break up a fight would be simple: just shoot one person dead or wounded, and the matter would be over. But Li Guang dared not shoot an arrow.

"General Cheng, you go!"

Cheng Bushi opposite Li Guang, was blushing.

Cheng Bushi was extremely skilled at defense, could indeed break up fights, but he couldn't do it in either direction. He had already been slapped twice in the face by the Empress Dowager and also received a sword hilt from the new emperor.

Although he was very resilient with his shield, he couldn't withstand the attack from both sides, especially since the two attackers were incredibly fast and their cultivation levels were no less than his.

"Damn it!"

The Empress Dowager, who usually enjoys reading, is surprisingly skilled in close combat, while the new emperor, who has been on the throne for nearly ten years, has been playing around, but his hidden strength is already close to his own. Cheng Bushi but feel bitter.

"Prime Minister Tian's cultivation is superior, Prime Minister Tian, advance!" Cheng Bushi, shield in hand.

"I... I can't do it!"

Tian Fen called out.

He may show off, and he may practice diligently, but it's also true that he can't fight; how could a mere martial arts practitioner like him possibly hold someone up?

"You should take Tongtian Town," Cheng Bushi suggested.

I can't control them!

Tian Fen shouted.

This isn't just a matter of him being unable to suppress the enemy with the Prime Minister's Law Artifact; it's about which side he's suppressing.

Whichever side he sided with, the other side would inevitably gain a significant advantage, so Tian Fen dared not intervene in such a conflict.

This could be described as mediating a conflict, or it could be seen as regicide or murder of the empress dowager.

"Dr. Han?"

"I... I'm having trouble getting it in!"

Han Anguo gritted his teeth so hard they almost broke; for the first time, he felt that having too high an official position wasn't a good thing.

He did have the ability to break up fights; his Iron Armor Technique could protect his body from the front and back, far Cheng Bushi Bushi's large shield. However, Han Anguo was genuinely afraid of the sword the new emperor held.

The Red Empyrean Sword flashed with red light. The Empress Dowager could catch it with two short swords, but Han Anguo couldn't be sure that it would be different when the sword fell on him.

When gods fight, mortals suffer.

The power struggle at the top level is not easy for these ministers either.

Most importantly, Han Anguo struggles to discern which side he should take.

A woman could never become the emperor of the Great Han Dynasty. He had to stand on the side of the new emperor, but the current emperor was like a caged bird, always at a disadvantage in the struggle, even when he angrily retaliated.

No matter how much the new emperor struggled, the Empress Dowager was always able to keep him under control.

Han Anguo had not expected the new emperor's swordsmanship to be so powerful, nor had he expected the empress dowager to be as secretive as Emperor Jing, making it difficult to discern her true strength.

There are numerous rumors that the new emperor is incompetent, and that the King of Huainan is the true sage-born emperor.

There are also rumors that the new emperor did not receive a complete royal education, and that the royal family's focus is on cultivating the next generation.

Han Anguo had difficulty discerning the source of these rumors, but he knew very well that his lifespan and period of glory were only a short ten to twenty years, and that it would take the new emperor just as long to smoothly and completely seize power. He could not wait until then.

When Han Anguo looked around, all he saw were people from Changxin Palace.

Even though Han Anguo had the answer in his heart, he could only go with the flow and had no choice but to side with the Empress Dowager because of the situation in the court.

As he kept searching for excuses and trying to shift the blame to the next person, his gaze inadvertently swept across a face and finally he saw the person next to the new emperor.