The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 601 Turning the Tables, She's a Demonic Path
The first year of Jian'an was destined to be an eventful year.

Since the night the imperial tombs caught fire, Emperor Jian'an has refused to attend court. Although there was an imperial edict ordering the cabinet to manage state affairs, he has consistently avoided appearing, which has aroused suspicion and fear among the officials. They wondered what had happened, or perhaps the lightning that night struck the young emperor, and the so-called imperial edict was actually controlled by the harem.

The imperial court in Wujing was in a noisy, bustling place, much like a marketplace. Unfortunately, the emperor had only recently ascended the throne when a plague of corpse poison struck. He was busy with plague treatment and disaster relief, and had not yet appointed an empress, with very few concubines. Even when trying to find out what was going on, he knew nothing.

Previously, the Holy Maiden was there to help the new emperor manage the situation, but now she has vanished without a trace, as has the Imperial Advisor. These strange occurrences have unsettled everyone.

As news of Emperor Jian'an's refusal to attend court continued to spread, unrest frequently broke out on various borders. Some people who had previously suffered from the plague and whose families had been destroyed were incited by some people with ulterior motives to organize a small mob. Taking advantage of the fact that the officials were unable to provide disaster relief, they stormed into the government offices and looted, burned, and smashed.

When this report reached the imperial court, everyone was both shocked and furious.

The matter of the corpse plague has clearly stabilized. Medicine distribution points have been set up in county offices and even post stations and towns. The infected people have stopped spreading and have recovered. However, due to human greed, the people are being persecuted again. How innocent they are!
The current uproar in the court is a heated debate over who should be sent to suppress the rioters.

"His Majesty has arrived!" A sharp announcement suddenly rang out, startling everyone. They all looked towards the entrance and saw Emperor Jian'an emerging in a bright yellow court robe and wearing a crown.

Everyone knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times.

As Tantai Wuji stepped onto the dragon throne, looking at the officials prostrate below, a surge of emotion welled up within him. Sensing their awe-inspiring faith, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

For thousands of years, he has been constantly changing bodies to survive, all for the sake of accumulating power. His original body is placed on the dragon vein, nourished by the pure spiritual energy of the earth vein, which can repair his original body that was shattered due to the failure of the tribulation of lightning, and can also fill its bones and meridians with spiritual energy.

Possession allows his soul to have a vessel to rely on, enabling him to continuously cultivate and nourish his soul, strengthening himself. When the time is right, his body and soul will merge, allowing him to achieve perfect nirvana and break through to a new realm, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

He could have become the ruler of the world, the emperor, but he didn't. Being the emperor would have affected and interrupted his cultivation speed, and the complexities of worldly affairs would have slowed him down, making his Dao heart impure. So he preferred to remain hidden within the Tantai clan as a gifted genius or a national advisor, rather than be a thankless and troublesome emperor.

He had calculated everything perfectly; success seemed imminent, but alas…

Tantai Wuji's eyes suddenly turned fierce. His plan was flawless and correct, but unfortunately he was defeated by his underestimation and was bitten hard by the wolf cub he raised.

The imperial tomb was utterly destroyed, his physical body was taken away, and his soul was severely damaged. This humiliation and pain burned him like poisonous fire day and night, making it impossible for him to remain calm and composed.

When Tantai Wuji didn't call out, everyone felt uneasy and turned their heads slightly to exchange glances with the officials beside them.

what happened?
"Your Majesty?" the head eunuch stammered, feeling that the emperor before him had a different soul and was far more terrifying than before; a single glance from him could make one want to kneel down and beg for mercy.

He was clearly just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old young emperor; just ten days ago, he wasn't like this.

But the chief eunuch dared not say anything, and could only keep comforting himself that His Majesty had been enlightened by the heavenly lightning that had shattered his chaotic mind!

Tantai Wuji came to his senses and ordered all the officials to rise. He was very pleased with this newfound sense of awe. He realized that being an emperor could have this effect, which was excellent.

He was attached to appearances; he was the emperor, the ruler of the world, worthy of the awe of all people. A rustling sound filled the air as everyone stood up and looked up.

Shen Qinghe is the director of the Surveillance Department. He holds a high position and, having worked with various Daoists, he has also come to believe in Daoism. He has already begun to secretly cultivate according to the Gong family's original method provided by Gong Qi.

Although he couldn't truly grasp the essence of the art, practicing the Small and Large Heavenly Circuits did indeed nourish his health and calm his mind. With the talisman given to him by Lang Jiuchuan for protection, and occasionally taking one or two of the Gong family's secret health-preserving pills, he was now in high spirits, with clear hearing and sharp eyesight. Thus, he could see the emperor's face clearly at a glance.

With just one glance, Shen Qinghe's heart clenched.

The Jian'an Emperor before them had an unhealthy pallor, but his lips were as red as if stained with blood. His eyes were as deep as an abyss, occasionally flashing with a chilling blood-red light, and he exuded an unprecedented imperial majesty.

This kind of majesty was something even his predecessor, Emperor Anhe, had never possessed. His cold and stern imperial aura was an extremely dangerous and oppressive force.

It's like two people.

Not only Shen Qinghe had this feeling, but the other important officials also felt the same way. The Jian'an Emperor in front of them was no longer the ignorant and unrefined little emperor they had seen before.

The Jian'an Emperor before me is terrifying.

Tantai Wuji seemed to see through their thoughts, his voice cold and deep, saying, "Recently, rumors have been rampant in the streets, causing widespread panic, all because of the fire at the imperial mausoleum and the divine punishment. However, the truth is that a demonic cultivator colluded with evil spirits to wreak havoc on the foundation of the Great Dan Kingdom and bring disaster to the people. The Imperial Preceptor and the Holy Maiden pursued the demonic cultivators to the imperial mausoleum but were no match for them, and both perished. The Imperial Preceptor and the Holy Maiden were the pillars protecting our Great Dan Kingdom, and now that they have both fallen, the heavenly lightning has descended as a warning. During these days of suspending court, I have been tempering myself because of this celestial warning and receiving the remnant legacy of the Imperial Preceptor."

The officials were chilled to the bone. The Imperial Advisor and the Holy Maiden were dead?

For some reason, Shen Qinghe had an ominous premonition, feeling that the 'Emperor Jian'an' in front of him was going to target someone.

Sure enough, one of the officials shouted, "Your Majesty, may I ask what kind of sorcerer that is, and where is he now?"

"Lang Jiuchuan of the Kaiping Marquis's Mansion died in the twenty-first year of Anwu. He was possessed by a demon and reborn, intending to commit a great act of disrespect." Tantai Wuji's voice was not loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

Shen Qinghe's pupils contracted, and anger and grievance surged up instantly. Tears welled in his eyes, and he shrieked, "Impossible! Your Majesty, Lang Jiuchuan has devoted himself to the cause of the corpse poison plague and developed an antidote, which prevented this disaster from spreading to the entire Dadan. His merits are immeasurable. How could he be the sorcerer Your Majesty speaks of? Has Your Majesty been deceived and wrongly judged a loyal and virtuous person?"

Zeng Guangchuan lifted his robe and knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, Miss Lang is a person who has attained enlightenment through the Golden Lotus. She could never be a demon. Please investigate thoroughly and do not let those who have rendered meritorious service feel disheartened."

"Your Majesty, please investigate!" Many people also knelt down.

Tantai Wuji's eyes were cold and fierce, and a chilling smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he said, "Golden Lotus Proving the Dao, is this what you mean?"

(End of this chapter)