Zheng Yi had someone bring a torch and attempted to burn the wall.

A strange occurrence happened as the torch approached the wall; the wall emitted a peculiar red glow.

Then a strange smell emitted from the wall, so vile it made people want to retch.

Yue Chan quickly said, “Stop burning it, stop burning it, it smells terrible!”

Zheng Yi nodded, signaling the guard to move the torch away.

“Your Majesty.”

Hu Bafeng came over to explain, “This place is underground, burning things here might lead to unforeseen accidents.”

Zheng Yi nodded and said, “Indeed, this is a sealed place, without air circulation, carbon dioxide poisoning is quite likely.”

Although Hu Bafeng didn’t understand what Zheng Yi was saying, he still put on a look of admiration and said, “Your Majesty is wise.”

“Here’s what you do: create several burglary passages along the direction you came through, ensuring air circulation, then use fire.”

“Ah?”

“What do you mean, ‘ah?’ Still not going to do it quickly?”

“Yes, yes!”

Hu Bafeng ran a few steps, then suddenly stopped and said, “Your, Your Majesty, we spent two years digging this passage. If we dig burglary holes, who knows how long it will take?”

Zheng Yi calmly said, “I’m not in a hurry, take your time, I have plenty of time.”

“Yes!”

Zheng Yi paced back and forth, carefully inspecting the strange wall, even touching it with his hand.

Cold and smooth.

He looked at the wound Cui Xiabing had opened with a single sword strike, muttering, “No wonder it’s a spiritual object from over three hundred years ago. Even in death, it holds such powerful strength.”

At the site of the wound, strands like flesh and blood were still connected, and they were slowly healing.

“Hmm…”

Staring at the slowly healing wound, Zheng Yi suddenly thought of a good idea.

“If explosives are placed inside this wound, I wonder if it will be effective?”

Without delay, Zheng Yi immediately ordered a batch of Thunderbolt explosives to be brought.

The military camp was right under Celestial Longevity Mountain, so transporting Thunderbolt explosives and other items was quite convenient.

After setting the explosives, everyone retreated a hundred steps back, using a fuse to ignite the explosives, waiting quietly.

Zheng Yi thoughtfully covered Cui Xiabing and Yue Chan’s ears with his hands, one each, and the two women obediently covered the other ear of the Emperor.

After more than ten breaths, a violent roar suddenly erupted.

“Boom~!”

The massive roar resonated, causing the dust on the ground to tremble and spread throughout the air.

Zheng Yi also clearly felt the ground shaking, with a strong smell of gunpowder permeating the air.

After another ten breaths, once all the dust had dispersed, a hole more than a person’s width appeared before everyone’s eyes.

A single Thunderbolt explosive, with enough power to even blow down city walls, could only make such a hole in this Konjac Sea Lotus?

However, Zheng Yi noticed something. The healing speed of a hole blasted by the explosives was clearly slower than the wound left by Cui Xiabing’s Flying Sword.

The area around the wound was covered in a layer of scorched blackness, which made people want to retch.

“It works!”

Zheng Yi immediately said, “Order, priority be given to supplying this place with explosives from the arsenal. This Tomb Raider Captain will continue to excavate ventilation holes. I refuse to believe this array cannot be blown open!”

“Yes!”

Liu Cheng’en helplessly commented that in the Emperor’s pursuit of immortality, he had indeed gone mad.

After all, this was the tomb of the Great Yu’s founding Emperor, and eventually, someone with intentions would discover it.

If this information got out…

Liu Cheng’en shivered instinctively, quickly realizing.

“No! No one with intentions can discover this place. It seems our Eastern Depot’s attention must shift here.”

“As long as His Majesty achieves immortality, our family too will rise to the heavens with him, hahaha~!”

Laughing heartily in his mind, Liu Cheng’en quickened his pace.

And Zheng Yi, after lingering in the area for several days, returned to Baiyu City with Cui Xiabing and Yue Chan.

This was because the two women trusted Zheng Yi immensely after his eloquent words and heartfelt confessions.

Nothing mattered more than searching for Immortal Fate, but it was actually for the sake of his two beloved consorts’ longevity, to share in eternal happiness and thrive for ten thousand years.

After all, in the entire Imperial Palace, including Zheng Yi, there were only four cultivators.

And Cui Xiabing and Yue Chan were undoubtedly the strongest.

Both were at the third layer of Qi Cultivation, with Yue Chan on the brink of breaking through.

The reason was quite simple.

Yue Chan had follow-up cultivation techniques provided by the High Priest of the Baiyue Race in Nanyue County.

Whereas Cui Xiabing only had the first three volumes of the cultivation techniques.

She had to wait for her master’s return to continue her cultivation.

Nonetheless, over the past two years, she had been solidifying her realm while also studying the art of arrays.

Her master had left her several cultivation classics before leaving.

Upon returning to Baiyu City, Zheng Yi received two pieces of news.

One good news.

And two bad news.

The good news was that General Cui Xiawu had already stationed troops in Bingzhou Jinyang County, just waiting for Zheng Yi’s holy decree and orders.

The first bad news was that the envoy from the Tuoba Family, who had been sent to Yunmeng Marsh, was retrieved by the surrounding fishermen of Yunmeng Marsh.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard bought the corpses immediately and let professional forensic doctors perform autopsies.

Unfortunately, the bodies had been soaking in water for months, swollen and rotten, rendering autopsy impossible.

Regardless, since the individuals died within the Yunmeng Marsh borders, Zheng Yi was certain that the Tuoba Clan did not heed the holy decree.

And they didn’t regard Great Yu at all.

Where did their confidence come from?

The second bad news was that Xu Xuanwu from Nanyue County reported that Nanzhao Country and the Heiyue Tribe were invading en masse, already breaching over a dozen villages of the Baiyue Race in a short time.

Upon receiving the holy decree, he wanted to return to the Capital City swiftly, but for the sake of Great Yu’s border, he had to stay and fend off Nanzhao Country.

Upon reading the memorandum, Zheng Yi lightly chuckled and tossed it aside.

At this point, Xu Xuanwu was still nurturing bandits to build his power?

But that no longer mattered.

If it were two years ago, upon hearing that Xu Xuanwu intended to rebel, he might have been somewhat nervous.

But now, he could crush it with a single hand!

“Cheng’en, issue the decree.”

“Yes!”

“Instruct Cui Xiawu to arrest the Bing Merchants and associated individuals according to the list, execute the heads of the Eight Great Bing Merchants and exterminate their Nine Clans, and if any resist, kill them without mercy!!!”

Zheng Yi’s tone was exceptionally cold, causing Liu Cheng’en, who was grinding ink nearby, to tremble and instinctively stop.

“Your, Your Majesty, should we notify the Cabinet Ministers first?”

“If, if this Holy Decree is issued…”

“Hmm?”

Zheng Yi replied indifferently: “Are you afraid? If you are afraid, then step down from your positions as Eastern Depot Admiral and Chief Eunuch of the Ritual Department!”

Liu Cheng’en suddenly felt a surge of anger rising to his head and gritted his teeth: “What is Your Majesty’s meaning? All the glory and wealth I enjoy were granted by Your Majesty; if Your Majesty commands me to die, I will do so without so much as a frown!”

“Your Majesty! This matter is of great significance; I’m afraid of indiscretions in transmission. Why don’t I personally go to General Cui Xiawu to convey the decree?”

Zheng Yi glanced at Liu Cheng’en, who steadied his nerves and calmly returned Zheng Yi’s gaze.

“Your Majesty, my loyalty is clear as day and night!”

“Good!”

Zheng Yi said, “I shall give you a battalion of the New Army for your command and also summon a squad of Imperial Guard to ensure your safety.”

“When conveying the decree, if Cui Xiawu complies with the imperial command, you may assist him as needed.”

“If he is duplicitous and harbors other thoughts, execute him on the spot; you will serve as Commander-in-Chief to carry out the imperial mandate.”

“Yes!”

Liu Cheng’en accepted the decree and solemnly expressed his gratitude: “Your Majesty, I will take my leave now!”

Having said that, Liu Cheng’en turned and departed.

The wind was cold and bleak, reminiscent of the melancholy at River Yi.

“Attend me.”

A Shadow Guard appeared from the shadows: “Your Majesty.”

“Summon Wang Anshi and Yuan Qichang to see me.”

“Yes!”

Wang Anshi had always been his plant within the Six Ministries, and besides him, there were more than a dozen others like this.

Apart from these ten-odd people who had successively joined the Emperor Faction from mid-to-low level officials, nearly a hundred members of the Imperial Guard held various positions.

These hundred individuals were taught by the Shadow Guard from a young age, utterly loyal to Zheng Yi, even fanatically so.

He intended to move against the Bing Merchants, which would inevitably affect the interests of Noble Families.

At that time, imperial power would clash with the Cabinet, or even the entire officialdom system.

In that case, he would need the support of another group.

This group is… the Emperor Faction!

Not long after, two slender figures quickly entered Baiyu City.

“Minister Wang Anshi/Yuan Qichang, pay respects to Your Majesty!”

“Rise!”

In the flickering lamp light, Zheng Yi sat alone on the Dragon Throne, almost merging with the bright yellow Divine Dragon behind him.

The two only dared to glance up briefly and did not dare a second look.

Emperor!

Zheng Yi said calmly: “My dear ministers, the matter of Bingzhou has been settled, have you any regrets?”

The two looked up abruptly; they were aware of the matter regarding the Eight Great Bing Merchants and the Noble Families behind them that His Majesty sought to address.

However, they did not expect it to be so swift!

Wang Anshi hesitated: “Your Majesty, isn’t this too hasty?”

“Now that Yongzhou is still in rebellion, the Imperial Court has sent 150,000 troops to Yong Town to suppress the revolt. If Bingzhou also descends into chaos…”

Zheng Yi said calmly: “What I want is for them to descend into chaos!”

“Only after chaos ensues can all contradictions be laid bare, and I can rectify the chaos and sweep the world clean!”

Yuan Qichang exclaimed excitedly: “Your Majesty! I resolutely support Your Majesty!”

“The court is now filled with those who occupy their positions without achieving anything. How can they be counted as national pillars?”

“I have heard that, two years ago, during the grace examination at the grand hall, the top scholar and the runner-up didn’t even know the price of grain. It’s utterly laughable!”

“How can such officials govern the realm?”

Wang Anshi was still somewhat hesitant: “Your Majesty, what if this matter spreads to the south? The troubles of the southern Noble Families are no less than those in the north, and there are numerous Martial Arts Sects and Noble Families in the south…”

Zheng Yi stated calmly: “The great trend of the world divides for long and unites for long, and then it divides again!”

“Our Great Yu has already enjoyed peace for over three hundred years, experienced twenty-one emperors, and is akin to a terminally ill and dying elder.”

“At the current juncture, only strong medicine can cure it.”

“If it works, it will be the reconstruction of Great Yu. If it doesn’t… my dear ministers, are you willing to take a gamble with me?”

The two were excited, and even Wang Anshi, who had been considering the bigger picture, was enthusiastic: “We are willing, Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty!”

Wang Anshi added: “Does Your Majesty intend to force those harboring treacherous intentions to rebel?”

“Precisely.”

Zheng Yi stated: “Whether it’s the Fine Silver Penalty or the Eight Great Bing Merchants, my aim is to nationalize certain things and prevent merchant families from interfering.”

“For example, lands! Salt and iron must be nationalized, with state decisions allocating them, instead of letting officials and Noble Families below retain them, causing them to become uncontrollable.

“Only by clearing out these parasitic worms can Great Yu be reborn!”

“The Pseudo-Yan King, Zheng Yuantao, was right: the ruler of the world will be he who has a strong army!”

“I have two hundred thousand New Army, and in the Northern Territory are a million soldiers, with justice on my side.”

“Even if the world falls into chaos, the one who redominates the Central Plains will definitely be me!”

“I will wipe out that group of treacherous rebels all at once!”

The two took a cold breath, momentarily daunted by Zheng Yi’s words.

Wang Anshi still felt uneasy: “Your Majesty, such actions will surely bring suffering to the people.”

Yuan Qichang argued: “Why do you say that, Brother Wang? In my view, Your Majesty’s actions are precisely for the sake of the people!”

“If the Dukes, Noble Families, and Vassal King Sects are not eliminated, they will eventually become a scourge to the world. So why not take this advantage to crush them decisively?”

Yuan Qichang once again knelt, performing a grand salute: “For the sake of the world, we can only first let the people suffer a little!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep