Prime Minister Li let out a dramatic cry of “Awoo!” and threw himself at the emperor, wailing, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You… you ate one before! Spit it out quickly!”

The Crown Prince and Prime Minister Wang lunged forward at the same time.

The emperor deftly sidestepped, evading the three hands reaching for his back, and calmly said, “Compose yourselves; I am fine.”

At that moment, a voice resounded.

System: [Don’t worry, I just checked. The pigeon didn’t die from poison. The pill got lodged in its windpipe and choked it to death.]

Everyone: …

Yuan Ruan: [Is that so? Thankfully, my elder brother and the others don’t know that. I suppose this mistake worked out for the best. Honestly, I was just panicking. If my elder brother were in real danger, it would definitely trigger a mission to protect him through national fortune.]

System: [Uh… not necessarily. Ah Ruan, have you forgotten the twelve-hour plot kill from before? And remember how many dangers the emperor encountered along the way? None of those triggered a national fortune mission either. Maybe the national fortune doesn’t feel inclined to help a tyrant.]

Emperor: …

The group worked hard to maintain neutral expressions, pretending not to have heard anything as they resumed eating.

Yuan Ruan: [Ahem, no. I think it’s because the national fortune believes I’ve got my elder brother’s back. No matter what happens, he’ll always escape danger under my protection.]

The emperor’s heart warmed. His child was absolutely right.

After eating just enough to be full, Yuan Ruan was escorted back to Kunning Palace by the Crown Prince to rest.

Later, the emperor held a small court session to discuss how to handle the Daoist priests.

The Minister of Rites suggested, “Your Majesty, Wen Daozhang’s actions are indeed despicable, but he is likely an isolated case. Perhaps we should observe other Daoist priests before making judgments.”

The Minister of War furiously objected, “Your Majesty, I see no need for that. So far, out of the two Daoist priests we’ve seen, one is incompetent, and the other is extremely immoral. I believe it’s a waste of the national preceptor’s time to filter through these so-called Daoist priests.”

The Minister of Revenue interjected, “What about the tofu and explosives that the national preceptor mentioned?”

The Minister of War replied, “The national preceptor also said there’s no rush. We can wait until she’s older. Besides, since Daoist Zhou has already submitted to us, if the national preceptor decides to act on a whim, we’ll have someone to rely on.”

This statement sparked a heated debate among the officials.

Some supported the Minister of Revenue, while others sided with the Minister of War. Both sides began quoting scriptures and precedents to argue their points.

At that moment, the Crown Prince returned after escorting Yuan Ruan.

The emperor turned to him and asked, “Crown Prince, do you support the Minister of Revenue or the Minister of War?”

The Crown Prince thought for a moment before responding, “Father, I support neither.”

No one was surprised by his response. After all, the Crown Prince had built a reputation as a benevolent and fair-minded person. The officials assumed he would try to mediate the argument.

However, the next moment, everyone’s eyes widened in shock at his words.

The Crown Prince said, “Wen the fraud has committed countless misdeeds. I believe he should be paraded through the streets to confess his crimes and then be executed at the Meridian Gate as a warning to others. At the same time, all Daoist priests within Da Xia should be thoroughly investigated, and those found guilty of breaking the law should be punished accordingly.”

As his words fell, the hall fell into complete silence.

The officials were slightly stunned. Execution? This was something they never expected the Crown Prince to say.

After a brief pause, the emperor burst into laughter and said, “Very well! Prime Minister Li, Captain of the Imperial Guards!”

Prime Minister Li and the captain stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty?”

“This task will be carried out under the Crown Prince’s leadership, with your assistance,” the emperor ordered.

The two bowed again. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The emperor nodded slightly and added in a calm tone, “Also, it will not stop at execution. The Wen family village shares the same guilt. Wipe them out completely—execute the entire clan and their relatives across three generations. Dismissed.”

The officials trembled as a familiar sense of dread washed over them.

The Crown Prince was startled and wanted to speak, but Prime Minister Li quickly pulled him back, forcing him to bow and accept the decree.

That night, the Wen family village was surrounded by a large group of soldiers.

Simultaneously, Da Xia abandoned its attempts to recruit other Daoist priests, instead beginning investigations to root them out. Those claiming to produce immortality pills were proven to be frauds and thrown into prison.

Two days later, Daoist priests gathered again, waiting for Wen Daozhang.

They waited and waited, but Wen Daozhang never appeared.

The expressions on the Daoists’ faces grew numb, almost as if they had expected this outcome.

Someone couldn’t resist making a snide remark: “Ha! So much for his lofty promises. In the end, he’s just jealous of others’ privileges and ran off to enjoy luxury alone.”

This comment quickly gained agreement from many.

Daoist Fang slammed the table and said, “I’ve already sent someone to investigate. There’s no need to…”

Just then, the messenger from earlier burst in like a whirlwind, shouting, “Daoist masters, there’s news!”

The gathered Daoists remained indifferent. One muttered sarcastically, “Oh, I get it—it’s good news, right?”

The messenger exclaimed anxiously, “No! It’s terrible news! Wen Daozhang is being paraded through the streets at the East Gate and will be executed at the Meridian Gate tomorrow!”

Everyone: !!!

What?!

Paraded through the streets? Execution at the Meridian Gate?!

Daoist Fang jumped to his feet in alarm and ordered, “Quick, take me there to save him!”

He led the way in a hurry, and the other Daoists followed anxiously.

When they reached the procession, they saw Wen Daozhang bound in iron chains, looking utterly dejected as he loudly proclaimed his innocence.

Among the crowd, some citizens shouted in support:

“Wen Daozhang is a highly skilled and virtuous Daoist master, a renowned immortal! You can’t arrest him!”

“Yes! There was once a village that didn’t believe him, and they were completely looted by bandits afterward!”

“What?! He’s the immortal from Wen family village? You can’t touch him! My son didn’t listen to his advice and ended up breaking a leg!”

…

Hearing this, Wen Daozhang, sitting in the prisoner cart, sighed even louder. “I’ve spent my life diligently pursuing the Dao, never committing any heinous acts…”

Before he could finish, an official stepped forward and exposed Wen Daozhang’s five-generation lineage. He revealed how the Wen family village had used deceit to make everyone believe in Wen Daozhang’s supposed divine powers.

The official concluded by shouting, “This man is not Wen Daozhang but the fifth-generation descendant, Wen Li! Wash off his fake makeup at once!”

Crowd: !!!

Wen Daozhang panicked, while the Daoists were equally shocked.

Soon, an official climbed into the cart and scrubbed Wen Daozhang’s face with water. His gray hair turned black, and his youthful face, clearly no older than twenty-five, was revealed.

The crowd erupted into an uproar.

One person began wailing, “Ahhh! He’s a fraud! I specifically sought his help, and my sister’s illness went untreated because of him!”

Several others who had sought Wen Daozhang’s pills but failed to save their loved ones also began crying:

“My son’s leg! It was you who broke it!”

“You fraud! My in-laws starved to death because of you and your schemes!”

…

The crowd’s fury turned to rage. Some young and hot-headed individuals began throwing objects at the prisoner cart.

In their anger, anyone wearing Daoist robes in the crowd became a target for their wrath.

At that moment, a lame Daoist in a blue robe hobbled forward with a cane, standing between the angry citizens and the Daoists. He patiently tried to calm the mob.

The citizens recognized him as Daoist Li, who had been providing free medical care in Da Xia for three years. Only then did they suppress their anger and gradually disperse.

Daoist Fang looked at Daoist Li in disbelief and quickly lowered his head.

The other Daoists, who had scrambled out of the mob, stood around awkwardly, covered in rotten vegetables.

Recognizing Daoist Li, they cried out in surprise: “Senior Brother!” “It’s Daoist Li, the most virtuous of us all!” “Why did you disappear without a word, Senior Brother?”

Daoist Fang maintained a constant forced smile.

At that moment, several men in embroidered flying fish robes surrounded the Daoists. The leader of the imperial guards sneered and said, “So these are the fraudulent Daoists? Hah, come with us to the authorities for a thorough investigation.”

One Daoist, trembling, whispered, “Senior Brother Li… what do we do now?”

“Fool!” another Daoist scolded. “Ask Daoist Fang, not him!”

Daoist Fang silently cursed Wen Daozhang in his heart. He wanted to flee but knew that abandoning Wen Daozhang now would ruin his own reputation—especially with Senior Brother Li present.

Feigning calm, Daoist Fang said, “He committed grave errors.”

The Daoists nervously watched him.

Daoist Fang added, “But he’s still my junior brother. I will request an audience with the national preceptor and offer the unique techniques of the Shenxiao Sect in exchange for mercy on his behalf.”

Some Daoists were moved, while others hesitated.

“Nonsense! What garbage! He deserves his punishment!” A cane struck Daoist Fang, leaving him wincing in pain. But he didn’t dare argue with Senior Brother Li’s authority.

Daoist Li said firmly, “He may have erred, but the rest of you shouldn’t suffer because of his actions. Don’t worry; I’ll request an audience with the national preceptor. The lightning techniques of the Shenxiao Sect originated from our sect. Even if we must give them up, I’ll ensure your safety.”

Daoist Fang hurriedly added, “Yes, yes! I’ll go with Senior Brother.”

The other Daoists, moved to tears, cried out, “Please! It’s The Third time! This time, don’t let us down!”