Once they reached a deserted place, Prefect Gong swung a slap, sending the Jiang Clan Leader spinning twice in the air before he landed, his mouth full of blood.
"Bastard, serving as the City Lord in Green City was the biggest mistake of my life! If your Old Ancestor wants to live a couple more years, let him figure it out himself. Don't make us clean up his mess!"
"Didn't you say your Old Ancestor's cultivation of the Demonic Path was secretly approved by Human Emperor Jiang? Hurry up and contact Human Emperor Jiang! Right now, only his word can save us!"
The Jiang Clan Leader swallowed, spat out the blood in his mouth, and said, "It has always been Human Emperor Jiang who contacts us. We have never contacted him." Prefect Gong now suspected that Human Emperor Jiang had no idea about Jiang Yixing cultivating the Demonic Path.
Perhaps Human Emperor Jiang was truly selfless and impartial, and had never returned to the Jiang Family. But there was no use dwelling on these details now.
"So you're saying we can't rely on Human Emperor Jiang, is that it!"
Prefect Gong's face was so dark it looked like water could drip from it.
"Right now, there's only one viable plan."
"What is it? Send someone to get rid of that Zhang Li?" the Jiang Clan Leader and City Lord Zeng asked hurriedly.
"Idiots! If Zhang Li is killed right after applying for a Time Trace, that's not just killing Zhang Li, that's slapping the Imperial Court in the face! If the Imperial Court doesn't intervene, where would its authority be? When they investigate, we'll all be finished!"
Prefect Gong cursed loudly. His century of cultivated composure had been shattered twice in one day—once by Zhang Li, and once by these two fools.
"The Third Prince admires the Human Emperor's achievements, so he is inclined to promote officials like us who have served as City Lords in Green City. Right now, the only person we can persuade is the Third Prince. If we can get him to conduct the Time Trace and cover for us, only then will we have a chance to live!"
"But who among us is qualified to see the Third Prince?"
Prefect Gong gave a cold smile.
"I'm not the only one who got promoted after being the City Lord of Green City. Their current positions aren't low. Now that the cat's out of the bag, no one can escape. We'll have them help pull some strings." ...
"Human Emperor Jiang's cousin cultivates the Demonic Path, and with the Human Emperor's approval? Is this true?!"
The Third Prince shot to his feet, his face filled with disbelief.
"Replying to Your Highness, it is true. I learned of this matter when I was an official in Green City, and I was also extremely shocked in my heart."
In the past few days, the officials who had served as City Lord in Green City had used every connection they had, finally getting an opportunity to send Prefect Gong before the Third Prince. After Prefect Gong entered the capital, he rehearsed his speech several times before daring to seek out the Third Prince.
"Human Emperor Jiang holds a high position of immense power, and has but two or three confidants. Therefore, he places extraordinary value on kinship. But as the Human Emperor, he cannot show it too obviously. The truth is, he couldn't bear to see his own cousin die, so he secretly instructed his cousin that he could cultivate the Demonic Path to break through to Nascent Soul and extend his lifespan."
"Now, once the matter of the Human Emperor's cousin cultivating the Demonic Path is confirmed by those two blockheads, it's possible the matter of Human Emperor Jiang authorizing it will also be exposed. If that really happens, Human Emperor Jiang's reputation will plummet, Your Highness!"
"If we cover this matter up, when Human Emperor Jiang finds out, he might even be grateful to us."
The Third Prince paced back and forth in the room several times, a joyous glint in his eyes. He muttered to himself, "The Human Emperor's prestige... grateful to us... the Human Emperor is benevolent and couldn't bear for his brother to die... the Demonic Path is not greater than brotherly affection."
Finally, he said to Prefect Gong: "I am aware of this matter." ... Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, Hall of Proclaimed Governance. Emperor Zhou, Ji Zhi, was a man with double pupils.
He had a slender build and a handsome face. Just sitting there, he exuded a sense of majesty and righteousness. This was not an illusion, but a tangible feeling created by the National Fate that blessed his body.
The National Fate of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty was inextricably linked to its laws. The more just the laws, the stronger the National Fate. As the bearer of the National Fate's protection, if Emperor Zhou Ji Zhi acted unjustly, he would find it difficult to bear the weight of the National Fate and would eventually be crushed by it.
Emperor Zhou Ji Zhi flipped through the memorials and application forms requesting a Time Trace and asked, "In Green City, a Nascent Soul Cultivator is suspected of cultivating the Demonic Path. The Green City Lord may be guilty of bending the law for personal gain and destroying evidence.
Someone is needed to go to Heavenly Celebration Prefecture to perform a Time Trace. Who wishes to go?" Several princes and princesses remained silent.
There was no merit in handling such a matter well, but demerits for handling it poorly. The Father Emperor had always appointed two people, one to execute and one to supervise. Today was merely a formality.
"Replying to Father Emperor, your son wishes to go."
The Third Prince stepped forward, causing the other princes and princesses to glance at him sideways. They didn't understand why Old Third was being so proactive. Was he trying to show off in front of Father Emperor?
"Then let Old Third go. Old Fourth will accompany him. This matter is settled. Court is dismissed."
After the court session ended, the Third Prince called out to the Fourth Prince.
"Fourth Younger Brother, come here for a moment."
The Fourth Prince frowned. His relationship with the Third Prince was not particularly good. Both had their eyes on the throne, and their open and secret struggles were countless.
Many ministers in the court had already begun to pick sides. Being called over now, the Fourth Prince could only think it was related to the Time Trace.
"Third Elder Brother, what is it?"
"Do you know the background of the case Father Emperor has sent us to investigate with the Time Trace?"
"Isn't it just about the Green City Lord helping a Nascent Soul Cultivator cultivate the Demonic Path?"
"That Nascent Soul Cultivator's background is not simple. He is Human Emperor Jiang's older cousin, and what's more, he is the Human Emperor's only living relative of the same generation."
"What?!"
The Fourth Prince was startled. When he first heard the Third Prince say the case had a background, he hadn't thought much of it. With the power of Great Zhou, even if the other party were a Dao Sect Walker, they would still dare to act according to the law—arresting who should be arrested, and sentencing who should be sentenced.
Unless the other party had a background so immense that even Great Zhou dared not provoke them. The identity of being the Human Emperor's cousin and only relative fit this condition. Furthermore, if the Human Emperor's cousin cultivated the Demonic Path, could the Human Emperor be completely unaware?
The Human Emperor is unimaginably powerful. Could it be that he also cultivates the Demonic Path? If the Human Emperor cultivates the Demonic Path, should Great Zhou interfere or not?
Hiss... the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. No wonder Father Emperor didn't mention this immense background in court. He was afraid that if he had, then regardless of whether the Human Emperor's cousin had cultivated the Demonic Path or not, the final result could only be "no"!
The Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty had the authority to manage the Human Emperor, but not the ability. That was a Mahayana Stage cultivator; for the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty to use all its power against him would be like a moth flying into a flame.
The Fourth Prince's thoughts spun rapidly, and he quickly reached a tacit understanding with the Third Prince. Although they had their conflicts, when it came to the face and survival of Great Zhou, they could still reach a temporary reconciliation. ...
The location for the Time Trace was set in the outskirts of Green City, so after submitting the application, Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing returned to Green City. These past few days, Yuan Wuxing had been living in constant fear. Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation cultivators, rarely seen on a normal day, visited one after another.
Inside and out, it was all threats and enticements, telling Senior Zhang Li to know what was good for him and withdraw the application. The reasons were nothing more than things like "affecting the Human Emperor" or "seeing the bigger picture." Jiang Li yawned as he listened; it was completely unoriginal.
He politely retorted against every single one of them. One Spirit Transformation cultivator lacked sufficient composure and was provoked into a rage by Jiang Li's single sentence, "What do you know about Human Emperor Jiang?"
He attacked in a fury, and Jiang Li, right on the spot, performed for Yuan Wuxing a classic tale of a genius Nascent Soul fighting back against a veteran Spirit Transformation. There was a knock on the door. Yuan Wuxing sighed and went to open it again.