The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 505 The nation's fortunes are slipping away, and the signs are ominous.

The Purple Star dimmed, and Emperor Anhe, upon learning the news from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, was filled with unease, feeling even more fear and anxiety than when he rowed his boat on the River of Oblivion every night.

The night had grown deep, but only a few palace lanterns were lit inside the Zichen Palace. Emperor Anhe, wearing a thin dragon robe, paced anxiously in the palace. The words of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau Chief kept echoing in his mind, like vines binding his heart, tightening more and more. He would occasionally glance at the night sky outside the palace, trying to see if his Ziwei Star had truly gone dark.
Inside the hall, the candlelight that had been flickering with his movements suddenly stopped completely, without even a slight tremor. The ambergris incense that filled the hall suddenly faded, as if replaced by a clearer, colder scent.

Emperor Anhe froze, then turned to look at the figure in a wide robe who had appeared silently in the center of the hall. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

That's it, his wealth and luxury are over!
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Preceptor." Emperor Anhe, who was usually above all others and exuded imperial majesty, knelt down in front of the man like a child who had done something wrong, prostrating himself on the ground.

He gripped the white jade floor tiles with his fingers, his head bowed, until a pair of pure white cloth shoes appeared before him. His gaze fell on the exquisite sun, moon, and stars embroidered on the man's white robe, and then he lowered his eyes again.

The world must worship him as emperor, but only he, as emperor, knows that the only emperor in this world is the seemingly young Grand Preceptor, who is also the ancestor of their Tantai clan, whose great name is Tantai Qing and whose Taoist name is Canglan.

But the ancestor before them was dressed in the simplest moon-white Taoist robe, without any complicated patterns, only simple embroidery of sun, moon and star runes, yet it exuded a purity and loftiness untouched by the dust of the world.

Emperor Anhe looked up for a moment, then quickly lowered his head again, his body beginning to tremble.

It was a face even younger than his own. His hair, as black as ink, was loosely tied back with a green wooden hairpin engraved with Taoist runes. A few strands of hair fell across his smooth, jade-like forehead, making his face even more radiant. Time seemed to have been extremely kind to him, leaving no trace of age. His eyebrows and eyes were sparse, but his eyes were extremely deep, as if they contained countless stars.

"Raise your head." The Grand Preceptor's cool voice fell into Emperor Anhe's ears.

Emperor Anhe looked up cautiously. He was standing under the window, where moonlight poured in, enveloping him in a soft glow, making him appear ethereal and otherworldly.

Emperor Ke'an's mouth was dry, and his voice trembled: "The...the Imperial Preceptor..."

The Imperial Advisor sighed softly, his cold eyes fixed on him. There was little warmth in those eyes, only indifference, rationality, and a disdain that looked down upon all living beings as if they were ants, a gaze that seemed to see through everything.

With just one glance, Emperor Anhe felt as if he had been frozen by a thousand-year-old ice. A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and even his soul trembled. He dared not look at him again and lay prostrate at his feet.

There was no one in the hall. If there were, they would probably be astonished that the emperor, the supreme ruler, was as insignificant as dust in front of the imperial advisor.

The Grand Preceptor's gaze swept over him, then looked at the void outside the hall. A rare hint of agitation flashed across his usually cold and aloof eyes. He actually disliked the feeling of things getting out of control, especially when his painstakingly planned schemes were disrupted. This feeling was truly disheartening and could even destroy his Daoist heart.

He gazed at the Purple Star and slowly spoke, "When the Purple Star is dim, the nation's fortunes decline. Tomorrow, you have greatly disappointed me." The word "Tomorrow" sent chills down Emperor Anhe's spine. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner robe, and his dragon robe slipped down his back. He stammered, "Ancestor..."

"Ok?"

Emperor Anhe quickly changed his tune: "Grand Preceptor, please calm down. It was my incompetence. It was all that good-for-nothing Rong Yiming who instigated me to issue a foolish order, which led to Heaven's punishment. Now that Rong Yiming has fallen and the Rong family has suffered a sudden and great change, it must also be Heaven's retribution..."

In his extreme panic, he became incoherent, which made the Grand Preceptor's face grow colder and colder. He interrupted him, saying, "The reason is not important. The fate of the nation is the foundation of our Great Dan and cannot be lost. Now, the fate of the nation is slipping away, though slightly, but the ominous signs are clear, indicating that you are no longer capable of bearing and stabilizing the fate of the nation."

Emperor Anhe suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with fear. Did this mean he was going to be deposed?
He made gurgling swallowing sounds, his pupils trembled, fear filled his eyes, his whole body stiffened, and he almost stopped breathing.

"From this moment forward, prepare for the abdication." The Grand Preceptor's icy gaze finally returned from the void to him, and his words, though spoken in the most indifferent tone, were like a poisoned blade, piercing his body.

As expected, they're going to cripple him!

For some reason, Emperor Anhe felt a sense of resentment and resistance, and said, "Grand Preceptor, during my reign, the country was peaceful and prosperous. I was only temporarily misled and lost my judgment. I will take this as a lesson and manage the country better. Please give me another chance!"

The Imperial Advisor looked at him calmly, his eyes showing no change, only a very faint, almost invisible mockery: "Giving you a chance, is it so you can continue to squander this meager national fortune? A year ago, the national fortune was already showing signs of decline and collapse. You were completely unaware that even the imperial mausoleum was cracking. If I hadn't repaired it in time, it would probably have changed overnight, just like the Rong family you mentioned."

Emperor Anhe's face turned deathly pale.

The Imperial Advisor looked down at him and said, "I have come to inform you, not to discuss matters with you. Are you trying to defy me?"

He slightly raised his hand, and a wisp of pure spiritual energy at his fingertips transformed into a protective aura. In an instant, the air in the entire Zichen Palace seemed to freeze. The immense pressure was so real that Emperor Anhe could not even lift a finger, and his spine could only be pressed down hard by that pressure.

This is the superior crushing the inferior.

This is why the Grand Preceptor instilled fear in all of Tantai's successors. No one knew the extent of his cultivation, nor how long he had lived. All that was known was that he would exist for as long as Tantai existed!
"Never forget how you came to have this throne. I let you sit, so you sit; I let you step down, so you must step down." The Grand Preceptor's voice remained calm, yet each word was like an ice pick, piercing the depths of his weakened soul: "As long as the nation's fortune exists, I exist, and the Tantai clan exists. When the nation's fortune declines, everything comes to an end. Abdication can bring in new blood, offering a chance to turn things around. This is the law, and you have never had the right to choose. This is also for the sake of the Great Dan's foundation."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Emperor Anhe squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth, as if he had used up all his strength, and collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Yes, he, and all the Tantai emperors, were always just pawns in this man's eyes. Once they became useless pieces, they had to be discarded and replaced with other pieces!
　It must have been a migraine that had been throbbing for days, which caused my hand to twitch, leading to the accidental posting!
　　(End of this chapter)