Sirius Ji kept his head lowered, the strings of pearls hanging from his crown obscuring his furious eyes.
He had never felt such anger before.
Since taking the throne, he had indulged in pleasure, acted foolishly, all as part of a facade.
In truth, he harbored great ambitions.
But he knew that the more competent he appeared, the more he would become a target. Only by acting like a fool could he lull the Immortal Sects into complacency, while secretly gathering power.
However, today, he realized the bitter truth.
It didn't matter how incompetent he pretended to be. The Immortal Sect was determined to dismantle the Empire of Da Zhou.
His constant retreat had only emboldened them to press forward with more aggression.
Even the forces he had been secretly amassing could be crushed before they were ready.
Now, six of the nine regions under the empire's control had already been lost to Six Kings (Chinese mythology). If a seventh kingdom were to be established, the empire's fortune would take an enormous hit.
At best, the people would lose all faith in the dynasty, and the Empire of Da Zhou would be left in ruins.
At worst, the imperial fortune itself could collapse!
Once the imperial fortune shattered, chaos would reign, and he would lose his claim to the throne.
Without the protection of the imperial fortune, the Immortal Sect could kill him with ease.
"I have no room left to retreat!" Sirius Ji's slender frame was swallowed up by his oversized dragon robe, his pale hands clenched tightly within his sleeves.
He couldn't agree to this.
While establishing a seventh kingdom might not immediately shatter the imperial fortune, he couldn't take that risk!
For the first time since ascending the throne, the ever-submissive Sirius Ji defied the will of the Immortal Sect.
"And if I refuse?" he repeated, his voice firm.
His words stunned the entire court.
Gavin Tsai raised an eyebrow, a cold glint in his eyes. "Your Majesty refuses?"
For years, Sirius Ji had played the role of the obedient lamb, fooling everyone. Gavin Tsai had never expected such defiance.
"The Li family of Jinyang has some merits, but they are far from worthy of kingship. If they are granted a kingdom, how can the people accept it?" Sirius Ji countered, trying to reason with him and avoid a direct confrontation.
"The people?" Gavin Tsai sneered in disdain. "And who are these people you speak of, Your Majesty?"
Without waiting for an answer, Gavin Tsai stood, his horsetail whisk in hand, his posture exuding arrogance.
"If you mean the Immortal Sect, then let it be known: my will is the will of the Immortal Sect."
Sirius Ji gritted his teeth. "The Immortal Sect cannot represent the people!"
Gavin Tsai chuckled mockingly. "If not the Immortal Sect, then who can? The noble lords? The court officials?"
His cold gaze swept over the court.
The officials trembled, scrambling to kneel and bow.
"The Li family has served the empire well and deserves a kingdom. We have no objections!"
"The Li family deserves kingship!"
"The Li family deserves kingship!"
Their voices echoed throughout the hall, growing louder as more officials chimed in. Even Six Kings (Chinese mythology) nodded in agreement.
Not a single person stood by the Emperor.
Sirius Ji, seated on his dragon throne, felt a chill pierce his heart as despair consumed him.
His face turned pale, and his heart filled with fury and sorrow.
"You all live off the empire's riches, yet none of you understand loyalty! What does it mean to be a subject of the emperor?" he muttered bitterly.
Was this truly the end of the thousand-year-old Empire of Da Zhou?
With enemies surrounding them and traitors within, Sirius Ji's emotions were beyond words. He was on the verge of collapse, his voice growing sharper, almost like that of a woman.
"How dare they? Traitors! Cowards!" Leo Kim, who had been watching from the shadows, gritted his teeth in fury.
Nathan noticed Leo Kim's face turning red with anger and couldn't help but ask, "Hasn't the Emperor had any loyal allies all these years? Not a single person in this entire court is willing to stand up for him?"
Leo Kim was even more incensed by this question, his voice trembling with rage. "Of course, His Majesty has had close allies. The treacherous Chancellor Duke Liu is one of them!"
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Treacherous Chancellor?"
Leo Kim nodded vigorously, his voice filled with bitterness. "It's because of him that His Majesty has been blinded! Duke Liu has been siphoning off the people's wealth and spreading corruption, all while deceiving the Emperor. Many have tried to bring him down, but the Emperor favors him... And today, when the empire is in peril, Duke Liu conveniently 'fell ill' and didn't attend court, along with all his cronies!"
Nathan chuckled to himself. So, they ran off when things got tough. That made sense.
Chancellor or not, a traitor would always look out for himself first.
But with all of his allies gone, the young Emperor was in for a rough time.
"Does Your Majesty have anything else to say?" Gavin Tsai asked, his tone dripping with disdain.
The court officials? The noble lords? They were nothing but ants!
In the face of the Immortal Sect, who dared to stand tall?
"You may control the court, but you cannot represent the people. The empire belongs to its people, and only they can decide its fate!" Sirius Ji said, refusing to back down, though he stood alone.
"What a joke! How many people live under the empire? Are you going to ask each and every one of them?" Lord Xiang Yun, the King of Chu, scoffed.
"There's no need to ask them all. I've already sent men to Jinyang to gather the people's opinions," Sirius Ji replied, waving his hand.
Several eunuchs stepped forward, carrying thick ledgers.
"These are petitions from the people of Jinyang, with their signatures and seals. The Li family has committed countless atrocities—robbing land, stealing women, and driving the people to despair!"
"Everything has been recorded here. How can someone like that be worthy of kingship?"
Sirius Ji's words were like a thunderclap, stunning everyone in the hall.
No one had expected this so-called "tyrant" to be so well-prepared.
"Hah! Let's see what they have to say now!" Leo Kim cheered, his heart swelling with excitement as he watched the officials fall silent.
But Nathan simply shook his head.
None of this mattered.
In the end, only one thing held true: power was the ultimate truth.
If reason and justice were enough, the Empire of Da Zhou wouldn't be in this mess.
Sure enough, after a moment of stunned silence, Lord Max Cao of Wei stepped forward, kicked the eunuchs aside, and drew his sword.
With a single slash, his blade erupted in flames and instantly reduced the petitions to ashes.
His sword had been a gift from the Immortal Sect.
"It's a shame. It looks like an unfortunate fire destroyed the people's petitions," Max Cao said with a sinister smile.
"A fire?" Sirius Ji stood up abruptly from his dragon throne, glaring at Max Cao.
But Max Cao showed no fear, meeting the Emperor's gaze with defiance.
Sirius Ji's chest heaved with anger. He looked around the hall, seeing only the lifeless faces of the officials, the disdainful expressions of Six Kings (Chinese mythology), and the smug confidence of the Immortal Sect. It was as if each glance stabbed his heart.
This day would go down as one of the greatest humiliations for the Emperor.
But what could he do?
He couldn't even get out a complete sentence because deep down, he knew nothing he said would make a difference.
"Your Majesty, please grant the title," Gavin Tsai said with a satisfied smirk, giving a nod of approval to Lord Max Cao.
"Grant the title!" the officials shouted in unison, their voices booming like thunder throughout the hall.
The overwhelming force of their words sent Sirius Ji stumbling backward, collapsing onto his throne.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
It was too much.
The Emperor wanted to cry, overwhelmed with sorrow.
"Traitors! Every last one of them!" Leo Kim trembled with anger, muttering furiously to himself.
Today's events had shattered his worldview.
The once supreme ruler of the Empire of Da Zhou, now humiliated like this!
Was there not a single righteous soul left in this court?
"The Emperor has already given his tacit approval," Max Cao said, no longer even looking at Sirius Ji. He handed the decree to the desk.
"Seal Keeper, where are you? Hurry and present the Imperial Seal for His Majesty to issue the decree!"
Everything seemed settled now. There was only one step left.
But to everyone's surprise, something unexpected happened.
From the shadows of the hall, a young official stepped forward, holding a wooden box. He was about twenty years old, with a handsome face. His expression was one of fury as he clutched the box tightly.
Instead of handing over the Imperial Seal, he glared at the entire court and shouted, "Traitors! I will never hand over the Imperial Seal!"
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