Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 268 - 265 February 2, the Dragon Raises its Head

Chapter 268: Chapter 265 February 2, the Dragon Raises its Head

In the Imperial City, the once resplendent and warm Linhua Palace had truly become the notorious Cold Palace.

Even on New Year’s Eve, not a trace of the festive spirit could be felt.

Perhaps it was because too many palace maids and eunuchs had recently died. Anyone staying here could constantly feel a creeping coldness seeping into their bones.

It made one’s skin crawl.

Consort Shu, Su Yuru, still stunningly beautiful in her plain dress and simple hairpin, sat on a small stool clutching a plain flatbread with not even a sesame seed on it.

Looking around the somber palace, she could not help but feel overwhelmed by sorrow.

Tears trickled down from the corners of her eyes.

She who was once celebrated, now seemed like the person utterly forgotten within these walls.

Thump!

Suddenly, she threw the coarse flatbread on the ground and stomped it into mush, crying out hysterically:

"Nothing but plain flatbread and water every day! Even during New Year’s, it’s the same. Zhou Wenrui, your heart is truly cold!

The rice fields are overgrown with weeds; if you won’t till them, someone else will. How can you blame us women for this? You are not even a man! Worthless! Worthless!"

It had been two months since all the palace attendants had been killed or confined here.

Until today, the standards of Consort Shu’s meals had been changed to match those of Zhou Wenrui himself.

The thrifty Emperor dined simply, and she ate as he did, the most basic meals in the entire Imperial Palace.

Even more deplorable was that even the last cucumber in the palace had shriveled up and was no longer usable, practically driving this noble consort mad.

Still just plain flatbread and water on this grand New Year’s Eve. If only she could have had just one cucumber, just one!

The miserably harsh reality finally drove her to the breaking point!

After venting her fury on the flatbread, her heaving chest rose and fell as she looked down at the mess on the ground; tears uncontrollably streamed down her face again.

Of course.

She was well aware that had it not been for her son outside, she might not even have this meager meal.

This world also harbored the differing ideologies of appointing the eldest or the most virtuous to rule.

The old emperors had soon discovered that appointing the eldest had clear criteria and was uncontroversial; appointing the virtuous, however, led everyone to believe they were wise and often only a fierce confrontation could decide who would ascend to the throne.

It often resulted in bloody conflicts, to the benefit of the "Weird."

Thus, appointing the virtuous was seen as the root of disaster and was generally regarded by many emperors as detrimental to the state.

The same logic applied.

With the continuous weakening of the "Dragon Qi Prohibition," the primary criterion for which prince would inherit the throne became the ever-important "Dragon Energy"!

Measuring directly by the amount of Dragon Energy could greatly minimize internal strife.

Theoretically, as long as one was a prince, there was always a chance of succession until the "Sacrificial Technique" was used to measure the amount of Dragon Energy one possessed.

Even the will of the Emperor himself was secondary in the selection of his successor, yielding to "Dragon Energy."

It was precisely because Consort Shu had given birth to the third prince, Zhou Jingliang, that despite his minor age, those palace attendants dared not treat her too harshly.

"Right, I still have Jingliang. I must pull myself together.

As long as Jingliang could ascend the throne in the future, I could once again rise and become the most esteemed woman in the world!"

Consort Shu was, after all, a figure who had been tempered in the treacherous back halls of the palace. Thinking of her son, she soon regained her composure.

It was at this moment that she suddenly noticed something unusual behind her.

"You..."

The palace attendant responsible for delivering her meals, aside from his duties, never dared involve himself in anything extra.

Fearing that he might meet the same fate as those former companions in Linhua Palace.

But today was different; he kept standing at the door, not leaving at all.

When Su Yuru looked over, the elderly eunuch, who had always been meek, suddenly straightened his back.

He sized her up from head to toe and then smirked:

"It seems, your Highness, you have finally decided to make our ungrateful, merciless Emperor pay the price?"

Hearing this, Su Yuru instantly sensed something was amiss and took a step back in panic, trying to feign calmness as she demanded:

"You are not one of the palace eunuchs. Who are you really?!"

She had thought that Zhou Wenrui was moving against her.

Hearing his tone, showing no respect to the Emperor, it was clear he wasn’t sent by the Emperor.

The "old eunuch" didn’t play coy and his body crackled.

Eventually, he revealed a face that Su Yuru found all too familiar.

More precisely, he was an old acquaintance she had known for twenty years, starting from the King Jing Mansion.

But seeing him did not bring relief; rather, her vigilance intensified.

"Xue Jiexi? You’re so bold to sneak into the rear palace as a man. What on earth do you intend to do?"

Quite unexpectedly.

The man was none other than Xue Jiexi, the Prime Minister of the Great Yan Dynasty, holding sway over thousands below and second only to one above.

More than his audacity to abuse his power and sneak into the rear palace, his mastery of the "Hundred Birds Battle Formation" at the Military Leader level hardly came as a surprise.

Xue Jiexi walked towards Su Yuru, step by step.

Although dressed as a eunuch, this Prime Minister had a naturally imposing stride, stepping right into her heart with each move.

With an aggressive gaze fixed on Su Yuru’s eyes, Xue Jiexi toyed with a smile:

"What do I intend to do? Naturally, to help you, Yuru, fulfill the wish you just expressed!"

To tell the truth, these days had been incredibly tough for Xue Jiexi.

At the core of the court, the Cabinet had four Prime Ministers, namely the Great Scholars of Wuying Hall, Huagai Hall, Jinshen Hall, and Wenyuan Pavilion.

Under their leadership, the courtiers subtly split into four factions. Although in previous years the Xue Faction had dominated, the combined force of the other three was by no means to be underestimated.

A few days ago, Zhou Wenrui merely hinted slightly and the other three factions immediately attacked the Xue Faction like rabid dogs.

Especially within the Border Army, those generals acquainted with Xue Jiexi were transferred from key positions on false charges, some were redeployed, others reassigned, and some even imprisoned.

The changing winds at the court further complicated matters for Xue Jiexi, who already felt like he was at his wit’s end.

However.

Since being Emperor was about Dragon Energy rather than capability, an efficient central bureaucratic system becomes critically important.

Zhou Wenrui, who rose unexpectedly within the court without any foundational support, let Xue Jiexi, eunuchs, and various old forces duel.

Over the years, Xue Jiexi’s accomplishments were evident to all, yet he also grew into another towering giant that was hard to shake.

Zhou Wenrui found him extremely useful at times, but now wanted to eliminate him, he hesitated to act rashly.

With a nationwide severe ice disaster causing turbulence everywhere, if infighting at the core led to chaos, there was no talking of reviving the dynasty—Great Yan might well have come to an end.

Zhou Wenrui also dared not push Xue Jiexi too hard before finding a decisive chance to strike.

Should he push him to reveal the secret of his ascension to the throne with the help of "No-Life Dao," it would indeed spell major trouble.

Every man has a weakness.

Zhou Wenrui was not lustful, greedy, or indulgent, but he couldn’t let go of the title of the "reviving monarch," the "Holy Monarch"!

If it became known that his throne was illegitimately supported by rebels, and he obtained it by abandoning his wife and imprisoning her—

It would become a massive joke.

It was exactly because of Zhou Wenrui’s indecision and heavy concerns that Xue Jiexi, besieged on all fronts and exhausted from running, found room to maneuver.

While vigorously fending off attacks from his political enemies, he also started looking for allies.

Consort Shu, Su Yuru, who had just been sent to the Cold Palace, and her son Zhou Jingliang, immediately came into his radar.

Fifteen years ago, Xue Jiexi helped Zhou Wenrui "steal the robe"; now, he was going to "steal the state" for himself!

Consort Shu blushed under Xue Jiexi’s intense gaze, yet her heart thumped at his proposal.

Looking at her own dire situation, she couldn’t help but become anxious, saying,

"Prime Minister Xue, you... are you really willing to help me and my son?

But even if Zhou Jinhuan was dispatched early, there’s still the Eldest Prince, Zhou Jingzhi, in the court. Even if that old man passes away, how can it be guaranteed that my son will ascend the throne?"

"Hahaha, Zhou Wenrui has only three sons in total. If the other two are gone, who else could the throne pass to?"

Xue Jiexi waved his hand confidently, clearly indicating that his planned allies were more than just Su Yuru and her son.

While speaking, he even boldly wrapped his arm around Noble Consort’s slender, soft waist.

As Su Yuru was not exactly a paragon of chastity, she struggled briefly before yielding and no longer resisted.

Without needing further thought, Xue Jiexi was undoubtedly the most reliable ally she could find.

When dry wood meets fierce fire, why would one resist?

Feeling the strong force from Xue Jiexi’s arm, Noble Consort’s face turned slightly red, and a haziness appeared in her eyes.

"If Jingliang can sit on the throne, Xue... Lang, you will be his Second Father!"

Xue Jiexi then laughed heartily,

"Why wait for him to sit on the throne? I want to be his Second Father now!"

He reached out and untied the beauty’s robe, exposing the smooth, alabaster skin underneath.

To Su Yuru, who had not known "fleshly delights" for two months and who was seeking help, resistance was far from her mind.

She only showed a bashful face, with some apprehension,

"Stop! This is the harem. If we are found, we’re both finished."

"What’s there to fear, on New Year’s Eve Zhou Wenrui and the others have all gone to Compassionate Saint Palace, the residence of the Zhou Family ancestors, and can’t be bothered with us.

Come, Yuru, let me show you a real treasure, which you probably haven’t seen in many years, hahaha..."

Not long after, some warmth emerged in that Cold Palace.

...

Time rushed by, and the Lunar February 2nd arrived quickly.

The aura on Wang Yuan grew increasingly dense. Inside him, the Five Senses Altar City had nearly solidified, leaving no trace of the past instability.

The black Water Attribute Altar City was topped with the Abyssal Ghost King Banner, which fluttered in the wind like a dense cloud, black as iron, with a fierce blood-red Ghost King seated upon it.

Carrying all the Daoist Skills and Dharma Light of the Earthly Que Golden Book, it continually refined the inferior Daoist Skills within the Five Organs Temple in an ongoing cycle.

The dirty bloody color on the banner was completely washed away, replaced by a more pure blue-black hue.

After an unknown duration,

Clang—!

A light sound resounded as a streak of golden blue Dharma Light burst forth atop this Taoist Inheritance Artifact, the Fengdu Iron Enclosure.

"Finally caught up!"

Wang Yuan’s Yin God burst forth and dove into the banner.

With a swirl of the banner, it transformed into a black-robed youth.

The Taoist Inheritance Artifact replaced the Dharma Body, merging with Wang Yuan’s Yin God and Dharma Light, instantly bridging the gap between him and the Yellow Seal Mage!

He then took out the Old Almanac and solemnly wrote down a line,

Lucky: "Transforming Dragon"!