Chapter 324: Using the Emperor to Command the Nobles?
Heaven Dou City, Royal Palace, outside Emperor Xue Ye's Sleeping Quarters.
At this moment, the atmosphere here was already at daggers drawn.
Led by the Clear Sky Sect's Sect Master Tang Xiao, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, as well as several Clear Sky Sect Elders and elite Disciples, had already gathered outside the main gate of the Sleeping Quarters.
The flags of the Clear Sky Sect fluttered in the wind within the group, revealing the identity of the visitors.
However, their path...
...was still firmly blocked by those squads of Crown Prince's Personal Guards with cold eyes and faint Soul Power.
In front of them, spears were like a forest, and the Soul Power Auras were faintly connected, forming an invisible high wall.
Tang Xiao held a letter stamped with the Royal Seal, his expression somber, his voice loud, carrying the majesty of a long-time superior and a hint of undisguised anger as he said:
"I am the Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Xiao. I was summoned by a letter written by Emperor Xue Ye himself in the past. I have important matters to discuss with His Majesty immediately! How dare you mere guards block the way? Step aside quickly, or if His Majesty's important affairs are delayed, can you bear the responsibility?!"
In his words, he deliberately emphasized His Majesty instead of the Crown Prince.
Clearly, he wanted to use Emperor Xue Ye's status to pressure everyone.
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The leading Soldier Captain, still the same man who had blocked Ning Fengzhi before, remained expressionless, ignoring the letter in Tang Xiao's hand, his voice cold and hard as iron as he said:
"Sect Master Tang, His Highness the Crown Prince has strict orders. His Majesty's health is compromised and he needs absolute rest. No one is allowed to disturb him, lest the imperial presence be startled. Let alone a letter from the past, even if it were His Majesty's handwritten decree from today, without the Crown Prince's personal company or a written order for passage, we would not dare let anyone in! This is our duty, so please do not make it difficult for us, Sect Master Tang!"
"Duty?"
Hearing this, Tang Xiao laughed out of extreme anger and said:
"Your duty is to protect His Majesty's safety, not to block the people His Majesty wants to see! I think you intend to commit some foul deed! If you don't step aside now, it will be a public defiance of imperial orders, equivalent to rebellion!"
"Presumptuous!"
The Soldier Captain's face darkened as he said sternly, "We only take orders from His Highness the Crown Prince and protect the palace's security! If Sect Master Tang continues to speak nonsense and tries to force his way into the Forbidden Land, do not blame us for being impolite!"
"Impolite?" A cold light flashed in Tang Xiao's eyes. He took a step forward, and the Soul Power pressure of a Titled Douluo level erupted from his body, crushing forward like a mountain mountain.
"I would like to see just how impolite you can be! Get out of my way!"
As he took this step, the Auras of the Clear Sky Sect members behind him rose simultaneously, their hammer intent cold and stern, clashing violently with the Soul Power barrier of the opposing guard!
In an instant, the surrounding air became incredibly viscous!
"Formation! Stop them!" the Soldier Captain shouted sternly, refusing to back down.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
As his voice fell, all the guards slammed their spears onto the ground, Soul Power light flared up, and the Formation was instantly activated. Their momentum merged into one, barely resisting Tang Xiao's pressure.
"Stubborn and foolish!"
Seeing this, Tang Xiao's expression changed, and he completely lost his patience. Or rather, this was a planned part of his strategy to strike the mountain to shake the tiger; if the other party insisted on blocking, conflict was inevitable!
"Clear Sky Sect Disciples, hear my command!"
"Follow me into the palace to request an audience with His Majesty!"
Tang Xiao stepped forward and shouted loudly.
"Roar—!" Immediately, the Clear Sky Sect members responded in unison. Their Soul Rings lit up one after another, and they all summoned their Martial Soul Clear Sky Hammers. Violent Soul Power fluctuations surged into the sky!
"Kill anyone who intrudes without authorization!" The Soldier Captain's eyes turned red as he warned again.
Almost at the same moment the order was given,
Several Spirit Hall Soul Masters who had been hiding in the shadows suddenly appeared. They instantly completed their Martial Soul possessions and then shot toward Tang Xiao and the others who were charging at the front!
At the critical moment when the conflict was about to erupt,
"Stop!"
A clear and somewhat majestic voice came from behind the closed doors of the Sleeping Quarters.
Then, the doors slowly opened inward.
Xue Qinghe, dressed in bright yellow Crown Prince attire with a calm and gentle expression, walked out slowly, accompanied by two Elders with heavy Auras and cold gazes.
Seeing the sudden appearance of Xue Qinghe, Tang Xiao and Ning Fengzhi, who were about to attack, were both stunned, and their offensive momentum subconsciously slowed by half.
They had previously thought that Xue Qinghe was either being held hostage and controlled by Spirit Hall like Emperor Xue Ye, or at least cut off from information.
But this Crown Prince before them had a calm expression and a steady gait, even faintly possessing a posture of dominating the entire scene. Where was there any sign of him being coerced?
Could it be... that the one controlling the palace was actually the Crown Prince himself?!
Or rather, the Crown Prince and Spirit Hall had already... This thought, like a cold poisonous snake, instantly crawled into the minds of Tang Xiao and Ning Fengzhi, making their spines go cold.
The two quickly exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock and confusion in each other's eyes.
Tang Xiao quickly sent a sound transmission to Ning Fengzhi, his voice filled with disbelief:
"School Master Ning, what's going on? The Crown Prince doesn't look like he's being controlled. Could he..."
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi was slightly startled at first, then after a moment of silence, he said in a heavy tone:
"But the Crown Prince... has no reason to defect to Spirit Hall! He is the heir to the Heaven Dou Empire, the future ruler of a nation. What could Spirit Hall give him? Unless... unless the Crown Prince before us is a fake, or he has an even greater ambition."
He really didn't dare to think too deeply about the latter point for the moment.
Although he was puzzled, now was clearly not the time to investigate.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince." Ning Fengzhi was the first to compose himself, then stepped forward, his tone testing: "We heard that His Majesty is unwell and were extremely worried, so we came to visit. Sect Master Tang Xiao also came to visit with a past letter from His Majesty to discuss the matter of the Alliance. We didn't expect to be blocked by guards and even faced with weapons. May I ask what is the meaning of this?"
Due to the special situation, Ning Fengzhi even changed the way he addressed him. As the Crown Prince's teacher, he used to call him 'Qinghe', but now he changed it to 'Crown Prince'.
Hearing this, Xue Qinghe's gaze calmly swept over everyone, lingering for a moment on the Clear Sky Hammer flag and Tang Xiao, and said gently: "School Master Ning, Sect Master Tang, and everyone, please calm down first. Imperial Father is indeed seriously ill and needs extreme rest. The Imperial Physicians have repeatedly instructed that he must not be disturbed in the slightest. I strictly ordered the guards not to let anyone in, precisely for the sake of Imperial Father's safety, with no other intentions."
"Sect Master Tang is a guest from afar, and holding a letter from the past shows even more sincerity."
"It's just that at this moment, Imperial Father really cannot see guests. Why don't you all go to the Side Hall to rest for a while? Once Imperial Father's condition improves slightly, I will personally introduce you. How about it?"
...Meanwhile, at the gate of Tianxing Academy.
Dugu Bo had just received an urgent report from his informants in the city, learning that Tang Xiao and Ning Fengzhi had led people to charge into the palace. He was about to go and investigate the situation himself, but just as he stepped out the gate—
"Is that Senior Dugu Bo, the Poison Douluo, ahead?"
Just then, a loud voice tinged with a bit of exhaustion rang out.
Dugu Bo looked up and saw two burly Elders standing not far away, their Auras unstable, with obvious injuries and signs of travel-weariness on their bodies.
One of them had long black hair draped behind him, and his gaze looked very sharp; it was Yang Wudi of the Breaking Clan. The other had a ruddy face but a weak Aura; it was Niu Gao.
"It is I. And you are?" Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow, stopped in his tracks, and asked in confusion.
Hearing this, Yang Wudi stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said:
"I am Yang Wudi of the Breaking Clan, and this is Niu Gao of the Defense Clan. The two of us... under the orders of Hall Master Tang Chuan, have come to Tianxing Academy to seek refuge with Senior Dugu!"
"Tang Chuan?"
Hearing this name, a sharp light flashed in Dugu Bo's eyes, and his heart was even more surprised.
Didn't that kid go to the Extreme North Land?
How did he get involved with the Breaking Clan and the Defense Clan, and even have them come to seek refuge?
"Indeed." Yang Wudi took out a sealed letter from his robe and presented it with both hands, saying solemnly: "This is a personal letter from the Hall Master. Please have a look, Senior Dugu."
Dugu Bo took the letter and quickly opened it to read.
The handwriting on the letter was scrawled but forceful, exactly Tang Chuan's style. The letter briefly explained that he had persuaded the Defense and Breaking Clans to join his ranks, and now ordered the two clans to come to Tianxing Academy to follow Dugu Bo's instructions, and stated that he himself was handling some matters in the Star Dou Great Forest and would return soon.
But the content of the latter half of the letter caused Dugu Bo's expression to suddenly turn grave.
Tang Chuan explicitly mentioned in the letter that Spirit Hall was very likely planning and launching a Heaven Dou Coup in the near future, intending to seize the power of the Heaven Dou Empire in one fell swoop!
He requested Dugu Bo to find a way to unite with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Clear Sky Sect, which might enter the city, to stabilize the situation in Heaven Dou City at all costs and prevent Spirit Hall's conspiracy from succeeding!
At the end of the letter, Tang Chuan also explained why he was doing this.
"If the Heaven Dou Empire falls into the hands of Spirit Hall, we will probably have no place to stand in Heaven Dou City and will surely face a full-scale encirclement and suppression."
"Conversely, if we can thwart this coup, we can also take the opportunity to support an easily controlled royal Puppet to ascend the throne, doing the deed of using the Emperor to command the nobles, thereby completely controlling the entire Empire! In this way, we can attack or defend, and have the capital to deal with or even contend against Spirit Hall!"
"Time is of the essence, I hope Senior makes a quick decision! I will return in a few days to discuss the grand plan!"
After reading the letter, Dugu Bo took a deep breath, feeling a chill rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Tang Chuan's prediction perfectly matched the current situation!
Moreover, not only had this kid not returned, but he had already brought the Breaking and Defense Clans under his command and even planned the political blueprint after the coup... This level of scheming and layout was truly terrifying!
Suddenly looking up, Dugu Bo looked at Yang Wudi and Niu Gao, who were just recovering from serious injuries but had firm gazes, and then thought of the news of the palace conflict he had just received, and already had a decision in his heart.
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