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Yan Yunshuo stared at her tall and slender back, a sudden ominous premonition rising in his heart, feeling as though he had once again made a wrong decision.
The atmosphere within the hall was oppressively terrifying, the wind rustling through the treetops as if carrying an overwhelming sense of eerie death.
He turned to gaze out of the window at the dark night, closing his eyes gently, “With Consort Ying going to battle, how long do you think she can hold out?”
The hall fell silent, then the old minister guessed, “Three days should be no problem, right?”
“I believe that with Consort Ying’s abilities, she can hold out for half a month.”
“Your Majesty, the forces within the imperial city are insufficient. Even with Consort Ying’s exceptional talents, she can only delay them for a period of time. The most urgent matter at hand is for Your Majesty to leave this place of danger as soon as possible.” The old minister earnestly advised, kneeling, “The Yong army is fierce. Once they breach the city, they will surely pillage and burn. The concubines and Princesses within the palace will become their slaves. Your Majesty, please take the Empress and the Princes and Princesses and leave first. We, your subjects, will hold the rear—”
“Is it that you want me to leave, or are you all eager to flee?” Yan Yunshuo looked coldly at the kneeling officials, his eyes dark and murderous, “This empire is mine. If I am not afraid, why should you be? Even if it means death, I shall be the first to die. What more could you possibly want?”
“Your Majesty—”
“To die alongside me is your honor.” Yan Yunshuo’s voice was sinister, “Don’t you all claim to be loyal? This time, I want to see who among you is truly loyal!”
The officials were instantly silenced, their faces pale, not daring to speak further.
Yan Yunshuo sat on the dragon throne, coldly watching the group of cowardly officials before him, yet his thoughts inexplicably drifted to the person who had already died.
If asked whether he feared death?
Yan Yunshuo could now say with unwavering resolve that he was not afraid. He truly did not fear death. From a young age, he had faced countless brushes with death, each time stepping into the gates of hell only to miraculously be pulled back from the brink. Thus, he deeply understood the importance of power.
Within this imperial palace, the Emperor was the ruler of all. His sole purpose in living was to ascend the dragon throne and become the most esteemed man in the world.
Later, he achieved his wish.
Looking at the entire court prostrate at his feet, he knew he had no regrets in life. Ruling Nan Dynasty, holding the power of life and death over the world, who could possibly threaten his status?
However, the borders of Nan Dynasty were never peaceful, with wars waged year after year, and the capable generals in the court fell one by one on the battlefield.
Yan Yunshuo once believed that the old must give way to the new, and that there would always be new generals to replace the fallen ones. The activity he was most enthusiastic about each year was hosting the martial arts championship, selecting men with superior martial skills and strategies, and appointing them as generals.
This way, he could prevent them from becoming too powerful and threatening the imperial authority.
However, those generals were too useless, barely winning a single battle, and it was ultimately the War Goddess Princess who protected the borders for seven years.
But the Princess was too dazzling.
On the day of her triumphant return, the entire city’s populace cheered and knelt to welcome her, their voices continuously shouting, “Long live the Princess!”
The sound of firecrackers echoed through the heavens.
Such a grand and excited spectacle was something Yan Yunshuo felt he had never experienced at his own coronation. The dark mass of soldiers behind the Princess, their uniform steps, and their respectful yet formidable presence, made him uncontrollably feel a sense of crisis.
Nan Dynasty had never had a precedent of a woman ascending the throne, but this did not mean that women were devoid of ambition. If his sister were to become too powerful, if she believed she could lead troops and also govern the world, if even without ambition, her generals were to incite her to commit treasonous acts, with her military power, it was entirely possible.
Even if she did not become the Emperor, she could still disregard the Emperor.
This was something Yan Yunshuo could never tolerate.
He sought power, supreme and unchallenged power, the power to control life and death throughout the realm.
He would never allow anyone to threaten his throne, nor could he tolerate any disrespect towards him.
Therefore, Princess Yan Jiuli died.
Yan Yunshuo lowered his gaze to look at his own hands, the hands that wielded the power of life and death. He had personally orchestrated the death of the War Goddess Princess, his own sister, and also destroyed the last glimmer of hope for Nan Dynasty.
But he did not feel he was wrong. Throughout history, generals whose achievements overshadowed their rulers never met a good end. He was merely repeating history, what kind of mistake was this?
His only mistake was in not selecting more suitable generals to lead the army, in the fact that Nan Dynasty’s treasury was becoming increasingly depleted, in the fact that Nan Dynasty had no one of use, just a bunch of useless people!