Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 209 - 130 Spring Blooms

Chapter 209: Chapter 130 Spring Blooms

Imperial Observatory, Star Plucking Tower.

Emperor Zhou Chang of Dazhou stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze cold and sharp as he looked at the vast Formation in the distant sky that was gradually fading away.

Behind him, the seriously injured sages of Confucianism and the Military School stood on each side.

The faces of both men were complex.

The pale-faced Chief Astronomer stood beside the Emperor and looked down at his bloody and mangled chest, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and sighed, "This act was not easy to perform, luckily, although there were some complications, Empress Dowager Yan Rong eventually took the bait. Our Dazhou has finally managed to remove a major internal threat. It’s just a pity about the Crown Prince..."

The Emperor said indifferently, "A Crown Prince can be appointed again, but there is only one Yelv Shenye. Besides, from the very beginning, I never intended for Wei’er to take over this country. I gave him many opportunities before, but he failed to seize them."

In the past, many people within the court and beyond knew that the Emperor had always wanted to appoint the third son as the Crown Prince.

However, as Zhou Wei obtained the Heavenly Mandate and was taken as a disciple by the Confucian and Military Schools, eventually being appointed by the Emperor as the Crown Prince, everyone thought Zhou Wei would be the successor to the throne of Dazhou.

It wasn’t just the officials of Dazhou who thought this way, even the officials of Yanrong did too.

Yet no one expected that this was actually a trap.

A trap meticulously set from the moment the Heavenly Mandate was obtained, all for this day!

The moment the Chief Astronomer obtained clues about the Heavenly Mandate and secretly found Consort Lan, the eldest son, Zhou Wei, was destined to become a sacrificial pawn.

The trap had been set for over a year, during which information both false and true was difficult to discern. Spies from Yanrong constantly probed and investigated, sending countless reports like snowflakes flying onto Empress Dowager Xiao’s desk.

In the end, it was the Emperor, the Chief Astronomer, and the two saints’ acting skills that directed a grand play.

During this time, Emperor Zhou Chang even brazenly laid out his own strategies, telling Empress Dowager Xiao that she could either watch the Heavenly Mandate be assimilated helplessly or hurry to send someone to stop it.

Zhou Chang even enlisted the help of the Yin Yang Sect to help repair the Heavenly Execution Formation. Even if the Yin Yang Sect might leak this information, so what?

The leak, in turn, made Yanrong even more convinced that the Crown Prince would assimilate the Heavenly Mandate.

Only by making everything real can the enemy believe you.

The Heavenly Mandate was real.

The need for assimilation was real.

Setting an ambush was real.

This was a conspiracy wrapped in an overt plot!

Empress Dowager Xiao had no choice but to send her strongest master, Yelv Shenye, to stop it, and Zhou Chang had to eliminate this major internal threat who had breached the palace alone four times... As for who could have the last laugh, it all depended on who was more ruthless.

Clearly, Zhou Chang had the last laugh.

Because he dared to sacrifice his own flesh and blood son!

This time, he aimed not only to remove the great internal threat of Yelv Shenye, but also to kill the many masters trained by Yanrong, and to root out the enemy spies and hidden agents embedded within the Capital.

Sacrificing a Prince was worth it!

Zhou Chang clenched his fist tightly, suppressing the pain in his heart, and said impassively:

"I have already sent people to rescue Wei’er. If Wei’er happens to be alive, I will let him live peacefully as King Taiping, enjoying a lifetime of glory and wealth, and all his descendants will be protected and safe.

If he has died, I will leave a decree for later generations, posthumously canonize him as Emperor, and bestow upon him a temple name..."

As he spoke, tears shimmered in the corners of Zhou Chang’s eyes.

After all, he was his own flesh and blood son.

His firstborn son, at that.

The Confucian sage quietly said, "Actually, the Crown Prince is not bad."

"I know he is not bad!" Zhou Chang said gravely, "But he is only suitable to be an Emperor in a time of peace and prosperity. With the current situation, I need a ruler who can expand our territory and make Dazhou the supreme power of the world!

I don’t have the luxury of time to pave the way for him. I can only lay down a foundation and expect my son to use it to fulfill my and his ancestors’ unachieved wishes—not to merely enjoy life while guarding this legacy."

Everyone remained silent.

In this era surrounded by fierce enemies, Zhou Wei indeed was not suited for tearing and biting with those adversaries.

The Chief Astronomer said, "It remains to be seen whether the third Prince can assimilate the Heavenly Mandate. Although we used the eldest son as bait in our plan, after all, it was indeed with him for a period of time, otherwise we couldn’t have deceived Empress Dowager Xiao and the others. And during that time, the Heavenly Mandate fiercely resisted..."

The Chief Astronomer did not continue.

But everyone present understood the insinuation.

From the moment they acquired the Heavenly Mandate, they had tried countless methods to assimilate it, but had never succeeded.

Put simply, the "Heavenly Mandate" looked down upon the Zhou Royal Family.

This left Zhou Chang feeling helpless and angry.

As the legitimate great nation of the Central Plains, he couldn’t earn the recognition of the Heavenly Mandate. What did that mean? Could it be that Empress Dowager Yan Rong could do it? Or the rulers of other small nations like Loulan?

Or perhaps only that mysterious person who initially possessed the Heavenly Mandate could?

No!

The rightful sovereign of the Central Plains could only be Dazhou!

The Confucian sage said wistfully, "The court ministers observe the changes in the stars and the fortune of the clouds to divine the will of heaven. The populace looks to the brilliance of the Saint’s virtue, hoping for peace and good harvests to prove the divine right of the ruler. This Heavenly Mandate, we do not know if it is a blessing or a curse."

Zhou Chang calmed his emotions and said quietly, "If one is to be mandated by heaven, one must perform deeds worthy of heaven’s recognition. The Heavenly Mandate is not without a master; it requires one to show they are worthy of possessing it, just as one demands a suitable match in marriage. I believe the third son can do it."

The Chief Astronomer nodded, "The Mandate has its own pride, and I hope the third Prince can shoulder this responsibility. It’s just a pity that the mysterious person has disappeared, otherwise..."

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