67. The Four Great Sins
The next day.
After being kept waiting for an entire day, the former members of the Yan Army at the city gates grew restless.
“No matter what, all we want is an explanation. Is that so difficult?”
Discontent began to spread through their ranks. Although they argued amongst themselves, they adhered to the principle of not clashing with the city guards.
Finally, a turning point arrived.
“Generals,”
Shangguan Lingyue herself came to them, getting straight to the point. “All former officers of the Yan Army, please follow me.”
Regardless of their suspicions, they trusted Shangguan Lingyue. Several generals emerged from the crowd and followed her into Yanlie City.
The city was still shrouded in a tense, somber atmosphere.
Shangguan Lingyue led them through half the city to the inner palace.
And what they saw puzzled them.
Rows of soldiers lined the path from the main gate to the palace.
But instead of weapons, they held ceremonial staves, used only in court rituals or important ceremonies.
These staves were purely decorative, with no combat capabilities.
The question was…
Why were the guards holding these? Was today’s event related to some kind of ceremony?
The generals then stepped into the palace.
In the main hall, all the officials were present, but the throne was empty, which was peculiar.
A moment later, their curiosity turned to astonishment!
A woman with purplish-red hair, dressed in a long, flowing red dress adorned with phoenix feathers, slowly walked in from the main entrance.
Behind her were two figures: the Grand Elder and a woman in a simple white dress, her face veiled, exuding an ethereal aura.
“This is…?”
Not just the generals, but the officials also exchanged confused glances.
They had been summoned here early in the morning, but they didn’t know why. Was it related to yesterday’s demonic attack?
But where was the Emperor? And who was this unfamiliar woman?
—Of course, traditionally, they rarely saw the royal princesses. Even the most famous Fifth Princess was a rare sight.
And to their greater shock, this woman walked to the side of the throne and turned to face them.
“Honorable officials, pay respects to the young Empress.”
The Grand Elder’s five words stunned the entire hall.
The… the young Empress?
They had just seen Shangguan Long yesterday, and now a young Empress had appeared out of nowhere.
“Honorable officials, pay respects to the young Empress.”
Seeing their hesitation, the Grand Elder repeated his words, his voice filled with an imposing aura, pressing down on everyone present.
The officials could only bow to the woman standing before them, offering the customary respects to a young ruler.
“Long live our Empress, may she live ten thousand years.”
Hearing this, Miss Gong, standing beside Lu Xinyao, finally understood the appeal of the throne.
To be worshiped, to hold power, to control the lives of countless people with just a few words.
Well…
This had nothing to do with her. She had no desire to be an empress.
She wanted to be the empress’s father.
Ahem, that was a joke. But the Grand Elder’s words were not.
Although it sounded like a joke, after the ceremony, someone asked,
“Grand Elder, what is going on? Where is… the former Emperor?”
“Regarding that,”
The Grand Elder said, “I have something to explain. Please listen carefully.”
“The former Emperor Shangguan Long usurped the throne decades ago through despicable means, ordering the imperial guards to assassinate high-ranking officials, then burning the guards along with the officials in the palace. This is his first sin.”
The hall erupted in an uproar.
They had all heard rumors about this, and some had suspected Shangguan Long, but no one had ever dared to voice it.
The Grand Elder was in seclusion at the time, and by the time he emerged, the matter had long since passed.
Now, this old case was being brought up again, and by the Grand Elder himself. The officials sensed something was amiss.
“He schemed against the children of noble families, intending to trap them in a secret realm and absorb their families’ power. This is his second sin.”
“He secretly entered the royal ancestral grounds, attempting to drain the entire country’s luck and earth meridians, but suffered a backlash from the dragon vein. This is his third sin.”
“And…”
He looked at the Yan Army soldiers and sighed regretfully. “The final sin, I only learned of his actions afterward.”
“He feared the Yan family’s influence and prestige in the army, so he orchestrated the assassination of General Yan and his wife. Then, he disbanded the Yan Army. This treacherous act is his fourth sin.”
For the former members of the Yan Army and other military officials, this was even more shocking than the first sin.
General Yan was a legendary hero.
Everyone in the Heartflame Empire knew his name.
Even after his death, stories of his exploits, like the raid on Tianmen Cliff with only 600 men, defeating an army of 80,000 without a single casualty (even Sun Quan would be impressed), were still told by storytellers and performed in plays, providing a livelihood for many.
And General Yan himself was a humble and kind man, always seen in his white armor, exuding a heroic aura.
And his wife was a descendant of the prestigious Luo family—it was said that the Luo family’s ancestors had even saved the world.
The two were a perfect match, their love story the stuff of legends.
But… these two stars of the Heartflame Empire died in the most unlikely of places, and together.
At the time, the entire empire was united against the Five Demonic Abysses. The Myriad Demons Palace wouldn’t dare openly admit their involvement.
—The public’s outrage alone would drown them.
And now they were told that the true culprit behind their deaths was Shangguan Long.
This was as shocking as hearing The Emperor has surrendered while you were still fighting to the death.
For a full five minutes, the hall was silent.
Then… “Waaaaaaaaah!!!”
A group of grown men burst into tears.
