fifth form

Chapter 3228 Tian Fen felt that the Celestial Court was uncivilized.

The new emperor in the main hall of Weiyang Palace adopted a delaying tactic.

He could not deny the secret edict written by Emperor Jing himself; denying Emperor Jing was tantamount to denying the legitimacy of his succession by Emperor Jing.

He could not admit to this secret edict, for to do so would be tantamount to implying that the Empress Dowager was corrupt, Tian Fen was corrupt, and he himself was corrupt.

Dou Ying's secret edict put him in a very difficult position, and also made the new emperor's face as heavy as a winter cloud.

He sat in the main hall of Weiyang Palace and spouted a bunch of nonsense, then ordered the imperial physicians to enter the hall to treat Dou Ying and Tian Fen, completely ignoring the core and crucial matter at hand.

The court struggle, which escalated from a street fight, only temporarily ceased when the imperial physician carried Dou Ying away.

Not only did the new emperor sense great trouble, but Tian Fen also felt that disaster was imminent.

Before the court assembly at Weiyang Palace ended amidst the turmoil, Tian Fen didn't even bother going home to drink his health-preserving medicine; instead, he hurried towards Changxin Palace.

How did Dou Ying obtain this secret edict?

Emperor Jing didn't even trust his bedmate, so the Empress Dowager found it hard to believe that Emperor Jing actually trusted Dou Ying.

She racked her brains trying to recall, but for a moment she couldn't figure out when Emperor Jing and Dou Ying had become so close.

"What's the point of him doing this? Does he not accept His Majesty's ascension to the throne? Then why would he pass the throne to His Majesty?"

What emperors fear most is that their own position is not righteous, which would give the feudal lords an excuse.

The Empress Dowager couldn't understand why Emperor Jing had created such a big problem. It wasn't just targeting her; it would also destabilize the new emperor's position.

If it weren't for the fact that the court had changed officials three times in succession, the new emperor would already be feeling uneasy, and might even be imprisoned along with her.

"Liu Qi couldn't possibly be that mentally deficient; he must have set up a trap!"

Tian Fen was welcomed into Changxin Palace. Faced with Tian Fen's embellished account, the Empress Dowager did not show any irrational anger or condemnation, but instead kept recalling all the relevant details.

"What about Your Majesty?"

Countless responses from Emperor Jing flashed into the Empress Dowager's mind, and she felt a bit dizzy. She then pressed the new emperor for his current attitude.

"Your Majesty is following the usual procedure with Dou Ying," Tian Fen replied honestly.

"Why does Dou Ying need Your Majesty's care?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"I don't know what's wrong with Dou Ying. I just hit him with my crown, and he fell to the ground and kept vomiting blood. Then, in front of the court officials, he pulled out a secret edict. He's using the secret edict to command His Majesty and force him to punish us!"

Tian Fen looked dejected.

Trivial edicts are one thing, but edicts concerning the stability of the Han Dynasty are another matter entirely.

The entire court was filled with unease, and the new emperor would inevitably have to deal with it.

"I didn't even know I was part of the Celestial Court faction," Tian Fen said dejectedly. "The Celestial Court is really shameless. I'm so old and I haven't seen them support me in any way, but they've dragged me into this mess to take the blame!"

"Ignore the cultivators from the Celestial Court," the Empress Dowager said. "I have spoken frankly with His Majesty about this matter before. We cannot choose our birth, nor can we change the identities of our ancestors and parents, but we can say that we have acted with a clear conscience!"

"I'm so angry! I used to be hoping to get some medicine from the Celestial Court to cure my illness and extend my life by several decades. Why haven't they come looking for me yet?" Tian Fen said unwillingly, "If I didn't have any illnesses and could extend my life by several decades, I would have left the Great Han Dynasty. But I didn't get anything. This is such a loss!"

After a brief exchange, even the slow-witted Tian Fen understood that the secret decree was correct, and his family tree was also accurate; they were indeed members of the Celestial Court's forces.

For ordinary cultivators, being able to recognize their ancestors and return to their clan would be an extremely good thing.

But Tian Fen felt he hadn't gotten any benefits, only a lot of trouble.

Having become a high-ranking figure in the Han Dynasty, Tian Fen had little interest in becoming a member of the Celestial Court, nor did he want to become its subordinate. The only attraction he had was the legendary life-extending elixir of the Celestial Court.

He hadn't managed to get any elixirs yet, nor had any immortals come to tempt him. If he were to be brought down by Dou Ying and the others because of this, Tian Fen would be extremely unwilling.

"Don't think about those things," the Empress Dowager stopped Tian Fen's chatter. "We need to resolve this matter now, or we'll all be in big trouble!"

The Empress Dowager really didn't want to get involved in outside affairs, but she couldn't help but get caught up in them.

If the new emperor carries out the secret decree, she will be banished to the cold palace, Tian Fen will be stripped of his titles of prime minister and marquis, and Zhouyang Marquis Tian Sheng, Xiucheng Jun Jin Su, and others will all be implicated, and the entire Wang and Tian families will be uprooted.

Stripped of her status, the Empress Dowager no longer possessed the power to utilize the resources of the Han Dynasty, let alone use large quantities of elixirs to aid in her recovery. If she were to lose in this matter, she would face certain death.

"Should I gather my retainers and launch a charge? I feel that this guy surnamed Dou is having an attack. As long as we're not afraid to die, we can chop off his head and that'll solve the problem..."

"You're thinking too simply. This isn't just about Dou Ying anymore, and do you really think there's no one else around Dou Ying right now?"

Tian Fen considered assassination, but the Empress Dowager shook her head.

There was no need to check; the Empress Dowager knew perfectly well that any influence involving the Dou family would inevitably side with Dou Ying.

This involves the power of Princess Dou, the Empress, and the Taoist priest Huang, as well as many established marquises in Chang'an. These forces would inevitably band together around Dou Ying.

Once this group falls, another group will rise to power, and people will inevitably take sides when faced with something of great importance.

"If you wanted to kill Dou Ying, you should have done so in the imperial court, not by making amends afterward," the Empress Dowager said with exasperation. "Once you decided to take action, why didn't you kill him before he produced the secret edict?"

"I never expected this to happen, and besides, I'm physically weak, it would be very difficult for me to kill him!"

"If he dares to break off relations, he must have the confidence to do so. At the very least, he can fight us to the point of mutual destruction," the Empress Dowager said.

"What do we do now?"

Tian Fen shook his head, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

As he wandered around, he noticed that there were still people squatting in the corner of the Changxin Palace, a place usually deserted by outsiders.

"Dongfang Shuo, what are you doing here?" Tian Fen exclaimed. "Sister, he overheard what we were saying! Quickly, call someone to kill him!"

"Bah! I even saved your life back then, and you're so ungrateful!"

Zhang Xuezhou spat at Tian Fen, causing Tian Fen's face to turn red and then white.

"You pulled me to shield you from the attack while I was piloting the Sky Shuttle, and I was already sick at the time. Consider it repaying you with my life," Tian Fen shouted. "I don't owe you anything!"

“It’s perfectly normal for you to serve your country, what does it have to do with me? Can this be considered paying with your life?” Zhang Xuezhou spat and said, “Well, I was injured too, so you owe me another life!”

"I don't owe you anything!"

Tian Fen jumped up and down, realizing that he had overlooked many things after being hit by Dao Jun's flying knife. He didn't even see Zhang Xuezhou squatting in the main hall of Changxin Palace, which allowed the other party to hear the whole story.

Fearing the secret would be leaked, he was both angry and anxious, and all he wanted to do was call the guards over to kill Zhang Xuezhou.

"You've seen my ability to ride the wind before, so escaping won't be difficult for me!"

After Tian Fen called out several times and no one came in, Zhang Xuezhou finally complained a couple of times.

“Cheng Bushi is no longer in Changxin Palace. I had a good relationship with Zhan Shi Zheng at the time. You can’t even call people over right now, how could you possibly kill me?” Zhang Xuezhou said.

"I was injured in the battle at Mayi, and you were injured too. Oh dear, I'll take matters into my own hands. I refuse to believe that I, a dignified True Self Realm cultivator, can't defeat you!"

Tian Fen looked anxious and grabbed the crown on his head.

But before he could even chant the incantation and throw it, Tian Fen felt a sharp pain in his stomach and his vision went black for a while.

When his vision cleared, he realized that the Tongtian Crown, the heavy weapon used to suppress him, had fallen into Zhang Xuezhou's hands.

"Give me back my crown!"

"When you had your episode, you threw your crown around carelessly and it hit me. I'm returning it to you!"

Tian Fen was extremely anxious. When he saw Zhang Xuezhou raise the Tongtian Crown as if to throw it, he instinctively dodged backward, fearing that he would be hit by the heavy crown and vomit blood.

"Stop it!"

Ultimately, it was the Empress Dowager who intervened, stopping the enraged Tian Fen and preventing her younger brother from being killed in a counterattack.

"Dongfang Shuo, this matter also involves His Majesty. You must not want to see His Majesty's court unstable and then usurped by Liu An and others!"

Zhang Xuezhou is currently favored, but if a different emperor were to rule, his position would be just as precarious.

As a favored minister of the emperor, the Empress Dowager believed that Zhang Xuezhou would not want to see that situation.