Nine Astra Skies

Upon hearing his master's words, Li Xu understood that Master Apothecary Xuanyi had made up his mind and nodded quietly. Then, he took his leave and waited outside the hall.

After a while, Li Xu took a letter and rushed off to Taichang Hall.

In a huge hall, two groups of courtiers stood separately on both sides of the hall and were keeping quiet out of fear. Meanwhile, Great Emperor Mingwu, who was dressed in luxurious gold armor, looked furious as he sat in front of the main hall.

Great Emperor Mingwu was in his forties and had a tall and muscular physique, which gave him a rather fearsome and imposing demeanor. Since the Xiwu Empire was built upon military power, the emperor's imperial robe was also in the form of gold armor.

"They're just a small clan yet they had the nerve to kill two important courtiers of the Xiwu Empire. How bold and arrogant of them!" Great Emperor Mingwu cursed in anger. "What do you guys think of this matter? Is anyone willing to lead an army and annihilate the House of Ye?"

The courtiers standing before him were crafty and experienced people too and were aware that it had been quite a few days since Great Emperor Mingwu had heard about this matter. If the emperor intended to dispatch his troops to wipe out the House of Ye, he would have done so already. However, he had not made any decision regarding this matter over the past few days. Why? It was because Master Li Xu had taken notice of a young man from the Ye Clan and had been preparing to recommend this young man to Master Apothecary Xuanyi to become his apprentice. Thus, Great Emperor Mingwu was still waiting for Master Apothecary Xuanyi's response! If any of them came forward and expressed their opinion on this matter, they would certainly offend Great Emperor Mingwu and meet an unfortunate end. Therefore, all of them lowered their gaze and pretended to tremble with fear.

Qiu Ying felt annoyed as he stood in a corner of the imperial court. By the time the messenger hawk had reached him, both Liu Xun and Liu Kan were already dead. Although he was not that close to this father-and-son duo, they belonged to the same faction after all, so their deaths were a huge blow to Qiu Ying's faction. Thus, of course, he would want Great Emperor Mingwu to launch an attack on the House of Ye. Nonetheless, the situation was not that simple, so he lowered his head and remained silent just like the other courtiers.

While some of them might not know much about Master Apothecary Xuanyi, Qiu Ying was very clear about his background. Aside from possessing top Earthly Venerable Rank capabilities, Master Apothecary Xuanyi was a grandmaster in alchemy and had come from a secret sect from the Great Eastern Continent. Originally, there was no reason at all for him to remain in the Xiwu Empire. However, Great Emperor Mingwu had some level of friendship with the Master Apothecary and had promised him some benefits as well, so the emperor managed to get Master Apothecary Xuanyi to stay in the Xiwu Empire. The medicinal pills provided by the Master Apothecary had helped the Xiwu Empire produce quite a number of Tenth Level combatants, so Great Emperor Mingwu had to keep trying to please him! If Master Apothecary Xuanyi was determined to protect that brat, even Qiu Ying's death would not lead to Ye Clan being punished, let alone the death of Liu Kan, who was merely a Minister of War!

At that moment, a gold-armored imperial guard entered the main hall and informed loudly, "Report! The Second-rank Prince of Yinbei County, Yin Mengtian, is requesting an audience."

"Let him in." Great Emperor Mingwu grew visibly calmer. Second-rank Prince, Yin Mengtian, from Yinbei County had been a faithful and upright servant of the imperial court since his father's time. Many Tenth Level combatants had died in battle for their country during the previous emperor's reign. Thus, Yin Mengtian was one of the second-rank princes whom Great Emperor Mingwu trusted the most.

After a while, Yin Mengtian walked into the hall looking travel-worn and weary.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Yin Mengtian gave a fist salute and knelt.

"Please rise. Uncle Yin, you don't have to be so courteous!" Great Emperor Mingwu said while waving a hand.

Qiu Ying turned green in the face when he saw Yin Mengtian. This old fellow had shown up again! He should have killed Yin Mengtian back then when they were in the Sunken Jade Tower but it was too late for regrets at this point.

"I have a few things to present to you, Your Majesty," Yin Mengtian replied respectfully and held up a stack of letters.

"Bring them to me," Great Emperor Mingwu instructed.

A gold-armored imperial guard who was standing at the side of the main hall quickly went down and took the letters from Yin Mengtian before presenting them to Great Emperor Mingwu.

As Great Emperor Mingwu read through the letters one by one, his expression turned dark with rage and he exhaled sharply in a cold manner. The courtiers standing before him were scared witless and became filled with guilt as they tried to guess what sort of letters Yin Mengtian had presented to the emperor. Could it be that someone among them was going to suffer again? Yin Mengtian had always been a troublemaker since he had caused the fall of many ministers and second-rank princes before.

A strange atmosphere settled over the main hall. Yin Mengtian became increasingly anxious and restless as he waited in silence for a decision to be made, yet Great Emperor Mingwu had not made any response at all after so long. This situation was probably going to take a bad turn. Thus, Yin Mengtian raised his head and began to speak, "Your Majesty…"

"Uncle Yin, you don't have to say anything else. I have made my decision," Great Emperor Mingwu muttered and waved his hand in dismissal.

Seeing as the emperor did not allow these letters to be read aloud to the courtiers, could it be that he was planning to cover up this matter? In that case, regarding the incident where the House of Ye killed Liu Xun and Liu Kan… Yin Mengtian grew pale and quickly turned the matter over in his mind. Indeed, the House of Ye had challenged the authority and power of the imperial family by killing Liu Xun and Liu Kan. Judging by Great Emperor Mingwu's personality, he might not bother to listen to the House of Ye's explanation and might directly have their entire clan annihilated. The emperor had most likely made his decision!

"Your Majesty, I was nearly put in harm's way by others some time ago and it was my young friend Ye Chen from the House of Ye who saved my life. That young friend of mine, Ye Chen, is extraordinarily talented. He's a rare genius…" Yin Mengtian gritted his teeth and stubbornly voiced his opinion.

Great Emperor Mingwu became somewhat irritated and felt that Yin Mengtian was being a little too arrogant at that moment simply because he had been receiving favor from the emperor.

When they heard Yin Mengtian mentioning the House of Ye, the courtiers sighed in relief and secretly began to rejoice in his misfortune as they thought, 'Yin Mengtian is an idiot. Does he not know that Great Emperor Mingwu is currently in a fit of anger because of this incident involving the House Ye?'

Just as Great Emperor Mingwu had reached the peak of his rage, another gold-armored imperial guard came in.

"Report. Master Li is requesting an audience."

The emperor raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Let him in."

A few moments later, the imperial guard led Master Li into the hall.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Li Xu said respectfully.

"Guards, bring a chair over for Master Li," Great Emperor Mingwu instructed with a pleasant expression on his face. Although Li Xu was just an advanced apothecary at that point, he might be capable of advancing rapidly and becoming a master apothecary since he was learning from Master Apothecary Xuanyi. Thus, Great Emperor Mingwu should receive him in a kindly manner. The emperor was hoping to have Li Xu remain in the Xiwu Empire once he became a master apothecary, so Great Emperor Mingwu had to start building good relations with him first.

There were so many courtiers in the hall yet none of them were allowed to sit. As expected, apothecaries were in great demand after all. The courtiers could not help feeling envious of him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Xu hurriedly thanked the emperor for his favor in a reverent manner. Although he was Master Apothecary Xuanyi's apprentice, he should still show respect to Great Emperor Mingwu.

Upon seeing Li Xu's response, Great Emperor Mingwu smiled faintly in satisfaction and asked, "May I know what business brought you here, Master Li?"

"This is a letter from my master. He has instructed me to deliver it to Your Majesty!" Master Li replied while taking out a letter and handing it over to the imperial guard beside him.

The emperor received the letter and glanced through it while remaining calm and collected.

The courtiers figured that the most crucial part of the show was about to come soon and wondered what Master Apothecary Xuanyi had written in his letter.

A peaceful expression appeared on Great Emperor Mingwu's face as he laughed and said, "I never expected that Master Apothecary Xuanyi has sent you to me because of this matter. Regarding this case, I've already made my decision." Right after that, his expression turned grim as he looked at the courtiers and said, "I've just received some evidence gathered by Prince Yin that has filled me with grief. One held the position of the Second-rank Prince of Donglin whereas the other was a Minister of War. Instead of pursuing the well-being of the citizens, they've been colluding with foreign enemies. Guards, pass around the evidence of the Second-rank Prince of DonglinLiu Xun, and the Minister of War Liu Kan plotting a rebellion so that the courtiers can read it themselves!"