Night had fallen over the Imperial Capital, and the city was alive with music and dance. The citizens cheered and sang praises of the Empress and her husband, celebrating their virtues and achievements.
The rulers had personally led their troops to repel foreign invaders, inspiring the entire nation’s soldiers.
However, in Present Village, the atmosphere was quiet and desolate.
The Empress’ husband remained in a coma, but his breathing had become steadier. He had successfully crossed the Nine Layers of Divine Tribulation, which greatly benefited him. Having just broken through to the Morning Glow Realm, he had already stabilized his realm.
Unknowingly, he had reached the peak of the early stage of the Morning Glow Realm, just a step away from the mid-stage.
His Emperor Grade Sword Sense was flawless, and he was only a hair’s breadth away from achieving the Great Emperor Grade Sword Sense of Time and Space. Perhaps a moment of insight, a leisurely stroll in the garden, or a relaxed state of mind would allow him to break through effortlessly.
“The Prime Minister has led the army to the Western Buddhist Kingdom. By now, they must be lying in wait, ready to strike at any moment,” a villager said worriedly.
“The Big Column Kingdom is also in seclusion, with a self-imposed deadline of just half a month. They plan to forcefully break through, but the risk is too high…” Another person looked towards Cool Breeze Mountain outside the city, where Qin Fenghuo was in seclusion.
Both pillars of the Great Jin Dynasty had resolutely stepped into life-and-death situations. Today, the Empress and her husband had led by example, while the ministers could only watch helplessly, unable to feel any joy.
Though they had successfully dealt with Pu Lingzi and the Yin-Yang Elder, the current situation remained grim.
The shadow of the Ji family from Sky State loomed over them constantly, like a towering mountain pressing on everyone’s hearts.
The two who had died were, after all, just Ji Wushuang’s servants.
Killing Pu Lingzi and the Yin-Yang Elder today meant completely severing ties with the Ji family. There was no room for negotiation or compromise; only the total defeat of one side would end this conflict.
A cook carrying a bucket of gold juice took a moment to chime in, “Why worry? We have the Empress and her husband. What is there to fear from the Ji family? Ji Wushuang is nothing compared to a single leg hair of the Empress’ husband. As for the Ji family in Sky State, they are busy unifying their own territory and have no time to meddle in other affairs.”
His words were filled with boundless respect for the Empress’ husband.
An old man sunbathing at the village entrance glared and scolded telepathically, “Sea Prince, who allowed you to call the Empress’ husband by name in the village? Go and copy the village rules a hundred times! By hand!”
The Sea Prince, who was playing the role of the cook, twitched uncontrollably.
Motherfucker, copying a hundred times again? How am I supposed to live like this?
“Fine, I’ll copy it. But can I play a different role? Is it not too degrading for a noble prince like me to carry gold juice?” The Sea Prince wanted to quit.
Regretting his decision, he thought he shouldn’t have gone out to watch the battle when the Empress’ husband appeared.
He had accidentally seen the Empress’ husband’s true face and was immediately caught and sent to play a villager in Present Village.
“This is the Empress’ decree. As the Minister of Household Affairs, I am ordered to supervise the village rules. I only oversee the villagers’ behavior and nothing else,” the old man lazily transmitted.
The Sea Prince was indignant, “Why did the Empress choose me for this task?”
The old man squinted at Jiang Xiaoqing and chuckled without expression, “Don’t you know what foolish thing you did?”
“Weren’t you the one who led the call to depose the Empress’ husband and install Meng Qin as the new ruler? You often badmouthed the Empress’ husband. The Empress remembers all of this.”
Jiang Xiaoqing was speechless, unable to say a word.
Who could have known that the Empress’ husband and the Space-Time Sword Saint were the same person?
Moreover, a significant portion of the Great Jin Dynasty’s court had been involved in the Present Village project long before, helping the Empress’ husband conceal his identity.
“Be grateful you’re not cleaning latrines. The Empress is already being lenient. Keep complaining, and you might end up as a madam in a high-class brothel,” the Minister of Household Affairs laughed and closed his eyes to continue napping.
“Old rascal,” Jiang Xiaoqing muttered, almost dumping the buckets of gold juice on the old man’s head.
The dignified Sea Prince, full of grievances, carried the gold juice away in frustration.
The Minister of Household Affairs opened one eye slightly, watching the Sea Prince’s retreating figure with schadenfreude, “Heh, fool! I’ve been waiting for you to join Present Village. I knew you’d get your comeuppance eventually. Now you’re finally quiet.”
…
Meanwhile.
Above the Imperial Capital.
A tall figure walked on air, stepping through the void, looking down at the city below.
Ji Wushuang’s ears twitched as he listened to the discussions of the Imperial Capital’s citizens.
After a while, his expression grew more puzzled.
“Wow! The Empress’ husband crossed the tribulation today. Truly unprecedented and unparalleled. I heard it was called something special. Can you guess what it was?”
“The Divine Tribulation! And the highest difficulty of nine layers. I heard the top genius in Sky State only crossed eight layers. Compared to our Empress’ husband, it’s like comparing a firefly to the moon.”
“Hahaha, exactly! That so-called top genius in Sky State is nothing but dog shit compared to our Empress’ husband!”
…
A shadow of gloom flashed in Ji Wushuang’s eyes, mixed with surprise and confusion.
The Empress’ husband of Great Jin?!
It wasn’t what he had expected. It wasn’t the Space-Time Sword Saint who had drawn the Nine Layers of Divine Tribulation.
“Wasn’t the Empress’ husband of Great Jin supposed to be a mere mortal without any power? Were the rumors wrong, or has he been hiding his true strength?”
“If that’s the case, things might get complicated.”
Ji Wushuang’s mood soured.
Originally, he thought that since the Empress’ husband of Great Jin was a mortal, Dongfang Liuli must be a woman who admired strength. She had likely set up a puppet ruler with an empty title to serve as a shield, ensuring her long-term stability. That’s why he had sent Pu Lingzi and the Yin-Yang Elder to directly confront the Empress, openly revealing Ji Wushuang’s name.
He had thought that Dongfang Liuli would then willingly submit.
But now, it seemed the situation was entirely different. The Empress’ husband was neither useless nor a puppet!
It was very likely… the Empress and her husband were a true couple, merely pretending otherwise!
“Very well, very well!” Ji Wushuang laughed in anger, his killing intent spilling out as he looked down at the Imperial Capital, saying:
“In my fifty years of life, no one has ever dared to toy with me like this. If that’s the case, Great Jin… no longer needs to exist.”
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