Clang, clang, clang…
As the sky was just beginning to turn a fish belly white, at the sound of the bell ringing at the hour of mao, all civil and military officials in Tiandu hurried towards the Imperial City.
This was considered the first Great Morning Meeting after the emperor's death, with all civil and military officials in Tiandu of seventh grade or above allowed to participate.
Even the most significant figures from various provinces had dispatched their own confidants, representing their will to participate in this Great Morning Meeting.
At this moment, there was still a full two incense sticks' worth of time before the start of the Great Morning Meeting, but all officials had already arrived, standing on the plaza outside the Da Ming
Gate.
They stood separate as civil and military officials, nobles, and members of the Royal Family, each in their designated locations, silently awaiting the arrival of the high -ranking personages.
On this extraordinarily vital day, everyone wore solemn expressions, ever so serious, daring not to reveal any hint of levity.
At a distance, a group of principals from various powers waited, serving as witnesses to this day'S happenings.
On normal days, these high-ranking officials and Royal Family members definitely wouldn't have allowed these so-called uncouth martial artists into the Imperial City.
But they had no choice, since when the Great Ming dynasty's founder overthrew the previous Yuan dynasty, these martial artist made significant contributions.
So to show gratitude for these people's help, during his coronation, he invited these individuals to be his witnesses.
Likewise, the subsequent Emperor Jingnan, in order to demonstrate the legitimacy of his succession and reward those in the martial world who had lent a hand, invited these forces according to the founder's practice.
One could say that after this approach, established by the founder and the subsequent emperor, it then gradually became a precedent for each succeeding Great Ming emperor, symbolizing a part of the emperor's legitimacy, which thus became unalterable.
That's why, even with the recent disturbance in Tiandu, these officials had no choice but to politely invite these major forces to observe the ceremony.
At this moment, Wang Qiong, the Minister of the Ministry of War, and Yang Tinghe, the Chief Minister, who were the key figures of this Great Morning Meeting, each appeared on the plaza with their own followers.
Upon seeing each other, they exchanged a nod, then without uttering a word, they each went to stand in their respective positions.
Following that, the first rays of morning light sprinkled down from the heavens and illuminated the land. The quiet Imperial City gradually stirred to life.
The slow opening of the sealed Palace City gate allowed a grand procession to walk out, comprised of the Brocade Guards wearing the Flying Fish Uniform and eunuchs in official clothing.
The Brocade Guards positioned themselves in various strategic locations, maintaining security along all routes. The eunuchs erected a screen at the front of the plaza.
Keen-eyed individuals clearly saw the Empress Dowager's litter being carried out from the palace gate and placed behind the screen.
"Let the session begin!" A loud and clear voice resonated across the plaza.
"Long live the Empress Dowager!" All officials paid their respects.
Afterwards, the Empress Dowager's voice echoed from behind the screen: "Our late emperor has ascended to the heavens, leavinz behind this vast land of the Great Mine. Thouzh I am merelv a woman, I understand well that the kingdom cannot be without a monarch for a single day. Originally, the late emperor instructed me to choose a worthy candidate from the royal family to be our monarch. However, I also clearly understand that the matter of choosing the next monarch should not be decided solely by me. Therefore, I have summoned you all here today to participate in the court debates and help me select a wise and enlightened ruler, who would inherit the mandate of heaven and protect our Great Ming civilians."
"The Empress Dowager is wise."
All officials paid their respects again, praising the Empress Dowager. Following a brief pause, the Empress Dowager contin ued: "Where is the Grand Minister of Rites?"
The Grand Minister of Rites stepped forward and said loudly, "Present!"
"Where is the Duke of Sagacity?"
"Present!"
"The two of you, one a senior member of the royal family, and the other a descendent of a sage. I entrust you both to preside over today's matter."
"I obey your command!" both responded in unison.
The two men bowed and accepted the order, before respectfully yielding to each other. The Grand Minister of Rites then began:
"In accordance with the late emperor's will, we members of the cabinet have deliberated and determined that there are two candidates for succession. One is the late emperor's cousin, King Xing. The other is the grandson of the Anshan King."
He glanced at the gathered officials and said, "Whoever among you has an opinion, regardless of rank or office, feel free to speak freely, without restraint."
Surprisingly, after these words were spoken, the officials present fell silent, and no one immediately spoke up.
After all, the Great Meeting held today was exceptionally peculiar. In essence, such a meeting was not supposed to be held today.
Selecting a new monarch was a matter that each official would like to use to gain favor. However, they also needed to grasp the situation clearly.
Normally, they should have been the ones to discuss this matter, express their support, and nominate representatives to further this cause.
But in the end, the final decision of who is to be the emperor should be made by those in power, not these low-ranking officials.
But today, the question of who should be emperor was laid out publicly and decided by a court debate, which was utterly unprecedented.
Such a situation naturally caused them to feel anxiety and trepidation.
For a time, no one dared to speak.
Normally, the matter of who becomes the new ruler would be discussed by the members of the royal family and several high-ranking ministers.
Yet, these individuals had been speaking in whispers and openly discussing the situation in private. They even wished they could officially decree the succession, which led to today's events.
But now, at this moment, they appeared cautious and silent, hesitating to speak. Seeing the meeting turn cold, the Grand Minister of Rites was speechless and held a sense of disgust for these officials.
His gaze wandered over Chief Minister Yang Tinghe and Minister Wang Qiong. The implication was evident.
'You all caused this situation. Now that things have gotten serious, why aren't you speaking up?'
Wang Qiong naturally understood the Grand Minister of Rites' meaning and hesitated no longer before stepping forward.
This action surprised many who witnessed it, causing their hearts to pound.
They knew that according to the normal proceedings, it was supposed to be the lower-ranking officials who first express their support, followed by those in high -ranking positions.
Yet, Wang Qiong, as a person of significant influence, rolled up his sleeves and took on the task directly. This left many in shock, even catching Yang Tinghe off guard.
Regardless, Wang Qiong paid these individuals no mind. He stepped forward and said in a clear voice, "The state needs a mature king, and King Xing, being a cousin to the late emperor, should logically be the successor, in accordance with the Great Ming dynasty's tradition of succession by a deceased sovereign's younger brother."
Without any disguise or tactful phrasing, he declared his position promptly in support of King Xing, leaving everyone somewhat dumbfounded.
Since Wang Qiong had stepped forward, Yang Tinghe knew that he had no choice but to follow. After all, no one else had the qualifications to stand up to the opposition in the center of the stage.
Pei Xuanjing and Bai Xiaosheng stood on a viewing platform in the distance. This location was specifically arranged by Wang Qiong, the Minister of the Ministry of War. From here, they had a wide view of the plaza outside the Da Ming Gate.
"Who do you think will win?" Pei Xuanjing asked with a smile.
According to their estimations, Wang Qiong and Yang Tinghe were fairly evenly matched.
Both of them had strong forces backing them. It was very much like the intense debate that had happened in the royal court when the previous emperor wanted to establish the Martial Academy and send troops outside the border.
Whether they chose an older king or a young king, their choice would dictate their subsequent actions and involved many people's lives and fortunes. Bai Xiaosheng shook his head and said, "I don't Imow."
Even for him, it was impossible to make an accurate prediction.
People's minds were unpredictable, and no one knew how they would choose under these circumstances.
Sometimes, people have a herd mentality. If one side gained a significant advantage, others might feel compelled to switch allegiances..
"Do you think that if the Grand Marshal wins… and if Prime Minister Yang Tinghe admits defeat, the opponents would break our pact?" Pei Xuanjing asked curiously.
If Wang Qiong triumphs and Yang Tinghe is willing to accept defeat, perhaps there will be no need for them to step in.
At that point, they wouldn't know whether the Minister of the Ministry of War would still honor the agreement as everything would be settled in the dust.
Bai Xiaosheng calmly said, "No."
"Are you certain?"
Bai Xiaosheng confidently replied, "If they do break the pact, don't we have ways to restrain them?" With their arrangements, they would certainly have measures against any breach of agreement.
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Moreover, I can guarantee that Prime Minister Yang will not concede easily."
"Indeed, this concession, with the worst outcome being death, and the least retirement, no one would want to bet their life on a new monarch's mercy at this point," Pei Xuanjing chuckled.
"There's more!" Bai Xiaosheng said.
Seeing his confidence, Pei Xuanjing looked at him and said, "It seems you have received some news?"
Bai Xiaosheng nodded, "According to the report from my men, this Prime Minister has quite an extraordinary background."
From the report he had just received, it seemed the Prime Minister had staked all his resources and had prepared measures to ensure his success this time.
"That's hardly surprising," Pei Xuanjing chuckled.
The two stood on the loft, talking, observing but not caring about the proceedings on the square.
No matter what the outcome of the Court Debates was, whether Wang Qiong or Yang Tinghe won, they would determine if the final result counted.
At this moment, the Court Debates reached a critical point. With the initial success for Wang Qiong, many people voiced their support. Yang Tinghe naturally refused to admit defeat, with many officials voicing their support behind him.
"Mr. Yang, are you still stubborn?" Wang Qiong smiled slightly, confidently looking towards Yang
Tinghe.
At this moment, he was clearly at an advantage and yang Tinghe's defeat was imminent.
"Does the Grand Marshal think he has sure victory?" A chill flashed in Yang Tinghe's eyes as he retorted defiantly.
"Does Mr. Yang think he can still win?"
"Who knows until the end?"
"Is Mr. Yang that confident?" A loud voice came from behind.
At this moment, on the square, the two sides were clearly divided, and the observing factions stood on one side in respect.
A young man in a blackish-brown robe slowly approached, a long sword hanging from his waist.
Yang Tinghe looked at the young man he seemed to have met somewhere before and scolded with a frown, "Who are you, and do you realize where this is? Disrupting the Morning Meeting is a crime!"
Gasps filled the surroundings. Many who recognized the young man were startled — why had he come?
Although many already knew he was in Tiandu, nobody imagined he would appear here so blatantly. It was tantamount to disregarding the Imperial Court of the Great Ming.
The leaders of various factions attending the meeting showed slight changes in their expressions. They all tried to guess why Pei Xuanjing had come.
Some remembered some of Pei Xuanjing's deeds and decided to leave immediately if the situation turned bad.
Some clever persons noted that Pei Xuanjing seemed to be staying in the Baiyun Temple recently, and their gaze shifted to the ever-smiling Daoist Xuanming.
"I am the Long Life Son from the Shenxiao Sect, " Pei Xuanjing chuckled as he introduced himself.
Yes, it was Pei Xuanjing who was just watching the fun from the loft.
Originally, he and Bai Xiaosheng intended to watch the whole proceedings without interfering. However, unforeseen circumstances arose, forcing them to alter their plans temporarily.
Bai Xiaosheng left the Imperial City to handle external matters, whereas Pei Xuanjing appeared in person to handle the situation.
Upon hearing the name, Yang Tinghe immediately recognized Pei Xuanjing•s identity. He sternly said, "Insolent rebel, you are a remnant of the Shenxiao Sect, Pei Xuanjing! You dare to show up here – are you not afraid of being executed here today?"
"Rebel? Remnant of Shenxiao?" Pei Xuanjing smiled, "Frankly, I dislike such titles. It makes you seem too aloof."
"As for executing me?" he paused and said dismissively, "Mr. Yang, you are welcome to try." Enraged, Yang Tinghe shouted, "Where are my guards, why haven't they captured this rebel?" As his words echoed, the surrounding imperial guards moved towards Pei Xuanjing.
A strong aura emanated from Pei Xuanjing, instilling a deep sense of oppression in everyone present.
However, before they could move, a voice sounded,
"Stop!"
The Minister of the Ministry of War, Wang Qiong, halted the guards. Then he loudly said, "Pei Xuanjing, why are you here?"
Before Pei Xuanjing could speak, Yang Tinghe, with a flash of cold light in his eyes, pointed at Wang Qiong and coldly said, "So you've been colluding with this rebel."
At this point, if he hadn't figured out that Wang Qiong was in cahoots with Pei Xuanjing, he would have wasted all his years in the Court.
Wang Qiong just sneered at him. Then, Pei Xuanjing's loud voice echoed all around, "Today, I have come here for two things. One, to seek justice for the millions of disciples of Shenxiao Sect who were killed two hundred years ago. And the second is to challenge the leader of the Demonic Cult Blood Demon Sect to a duel."
The men and women in the square, whether officials or leaders of the observing factions, were taken aback. They thought Pei Xuanjing's actions to be a sign of insanity. The destruction of the Shenxiao Sect by the Great Ming's imperial court, a strong, undeniable case, would be hard to overturn.
After all, to overturn it would mean to deny many things done by many people in the past. How could the Great Ming's imperial court tolerate this?
Moreover, the second task he mentioned seemed even more absurd.
Not to mention the well-known rumors in the jianghu that decades ago the current Blood Demon of the Demonic Cult Blood Demon Sect had fallen into a forbidden place in a blessed land. Even if he had already left this forbidden land and blessed place, he wouldn't appear in Tiandu.
Though some wanted to object, they all felt an eerie tension.
Surprisingly, whether it was the leader of the True Martial Sect, Daoist Qingxu, the Master of the Baiyun Temple, Daoist Xuanming, the real person of the Dragon Tiger Mountain, Yu Yangzi, or the head of the several major clans, no one commented on this matter — neither supporting nor denying it.
Naturally, no one noticed that the once furious Prime Minister Yang Tinghe, upon hearing Pei Xuanjing's words, had a fleeting look of astonishment in his eyes, a spark that was quickly extinguished..
To others, it seemed as though Wang Qiong held no contempt for Pei Xuanjing, a bandit who was wanted by the imperial court. He said loudly, "You daring Pei Xuanjing, stop blathering. Even I Imow that the Blood Demon Sect Master disappeared decades ago. How could he possibly show up in Tiandu?"
He continued to Pei Xuanjing, "As for your claim of seeking justice for your Shenxiao Sect disciples, it's simply impossible. Your Shenxiao Sect has a long-standing feud with the imperial court, and it's hard to tell right from wrong in such a brief moment. If you genuinely want justice, write a petition after today, submit it to the Three Judicial Departments, and wait for a retrial."
"Today is the day we elect a new emperor for the Great Ming, your presence here is already disturbing the morning meeting. However, considering a new emperor will soon ascend the throne, I will spare your life. Withdraw now."
His words were sound and heartfelt, without lofty airs. Everyone present couldn't help but admire his magnanimity, deeming the minister deserving of his reputation.
"Hahaha…" Pei Xuanjing's hearty laughter echoed around, reaching everyone's ears.
When everyone's attention was on him, Pei Xuanjing stopped laughing and slowly said, "Minister, you truly are magnanimous. They say that a minister's mind is as deep as the sea, and it doesn't seem untrue. I just hope that the Three Judicial Departments you speak of, are as reasonable as you are, and wont De arrala to accept our petitions In me ruture…"
"I am Gu Ji, the Left Deputy Imperial Censor of the Ducal Palace! You may hand your petition to me!" Gu Ji stepped forward decisively without Wang Qiong's prompting, taking a direct approach.
Ten years had passed, and not many knew about the relationship between the two of them. Those who did know, found the situation even more peculiar, but no one dared to expose it.
"Alright!" Pei Xuanjing nodded, putting the matter aside.
Mentioning it here today was merely to establish a premise, foreshadowing future actions. His true intention was not this.
"If the first matter already has a response, let'S talk about the second one…"
"That Blood Demon disappeared decades ago. How could he possibly be in Tiandu!"
"Exactly! We have already agreed to the first matter. Is this another attempt to implicate us?"
"Your challenge to the Blood Demon is a matter of the martial world. Why are you making a fuss about it here in Tiandu?"
At this moment, those officials began to grumble with dissatisfaction.
They felt that Wang Qiong, the Minister of War, had already been overly merciful to a bandit like Pei Xuanjing.
The latter kept pestering them, which seemed a bit too excessive.
If it was not for their fear of Pei Xuanjing's unfathomable strength, someone might have already scolded him to gain some merit.
Wang Qiong raised his hand to signal the officials to calm down. He looked at Pei Xuanjing and said gravely, "May I know why?"
"Or are you saying that the Blood Demon, who disappeared decades ago, is now in Tiandu, or even inside this Imperial City?"
His words made everyone's faces change slightly, wondering whether such a possibility might exist.
The Blood Demon of old was ruthless and caused countless deaths. His feared name still made people tremble today which was enough to stop a child's tears.
If that Blood Demon were to return to the martial world, it would certainly cause a wave of turmoil in the world and its martial arts circles.
All eyes fell on Pei Xuanjing, waiting for his answer.
Judging from his confident attitude earlier, it seemed he had substantive information about the Blood
Demon.
Indeed.
Pei Xuanjing nodded slowly and said, "Yes, the ruthlessly infamous Blood Demon from decades ago is currently hiding within this Imperial City."
Whoa!
The news was confirmed, instantly causing substantial shock.
The civilian and military officials on the square were somewhat composed. Still, aside from a few confident individuals, the rest of the people watching the ceremony from afar changed color dramatically.
They looked around in all directions, guessing whether the Blood Demon was lurking near them, waiting to attack unexpectedly.
After all, the Blood Demon was notorious for his mysterious and adept ability to hide behind others' identities. They had every reason to be fearful.
In consideration of their safety, the crowd instinctively started to keep a distance from each other.
"If it's truly so! " Wang Qiong's eyes were like torches, shining brightly.
He frowned and asked, "Could you tell us who it is!"
Everyone looked at Pei Xuanjing, who glanced around the room before landing on someone whom everyone thought would have been impossible.
He pointed at the figure and said, "That is Yang Tinghe, the First Assistant, the Senior Scholar of the
Cabinet."
"Stop your reckless conjecture!" Wang Qiong•s face changed and he rebuked.
"Nonsense!" Yang Tinghe roared in fury.
Boom!
Shock chased across the faces of many, their ears ringing as if thunder had struck.
First Assistant Yang Tinghe was the terrifying Blood Demon, the master of the Demonic Cult Blood Demon Sect of yesteryears.
Can this be a joke?
The moment they heard the accusation, the first thought that came to most people was to deny it.
But recalling that the accuser was Pei Xuanjing, widely regarded as the top martial artist, they instinctively felt that he would not lie because there was no point.
"Pei Xuanjing, I originally thought you were a fugitive of the court, yet a heroic man. But…" Yang Tinghe sighed lightly, seemingly disappointed in Pei Xuanjing, "I never expected you to be a maniac spouting nonsense."
At this moment, Yang Tinghe seemed to have let go of all anger, and no sign of fury remained. Regarding the accusation that he was the Blood Demon, he only looked at Pei Xuanjing with an expression of disappointment.
Witnessing Yang Tinghe's aloof demeanor, those who were already skeptical of the claims joined in to agree.
As a partner who helped Pei Xuanjing stir up the issue, Wang Qiong was silent at the moment, his eyebrows furrowed as he examined Yang Tinghe quietly.
"Although I've had quite a few quarrels with him over the decades, I have never noticed anything unusual about him," thought Wang Qiong.
He had undoubtedly played along with Pei Xuanjing earlier, with revealing Yang Tinghe being a prearranged plan.
But he had to admit that until Yang Tinghe was genuinely confirmed, he held a neutral position on this matter.
He has done what he had to, and what was left was to see how Pei Xuanjing and his collaborators would act.
"Still not admitting it?" Pei Xuanjing unsurprisingly asked, unaffected by the denial.. He casually asked, "Or perhaps you believe you can deceive everyone?"