Chapter 1545: Fengchan Ceremony

The imperial court was not a place to discuss right and wrong, and in truth, absolute right and wrong were rare in the world. Prince Qi knew that Zu An's attempt to escape accountability with such an explanation was nothing but a delusion.

As expected, Yi Chun immediately retorted, "Nonsense! I know my son's character better than anyone; there's no way he could have done such a thing!"

Yi Chun's rage surged.

Clearly, his less-than-overwhelming rage also revealed a hint of guilt.

Zu An sneered, "As his father, of course you'd think your son is perfect. But as for Yi Zhibing's true character, I'm sure the officials and common people of the capital have known for years. This time, while Sir Sang's charges as an imperial envoy were still unconfirmed, he went to his home to plant evidence, frame him, and fabricate false evidence to implicate a court official. And that's not all; he even had the audacity to attempt impropriety against Miss Sang and her sister-in-law. Your Majesty, I request that the Sang family be brought in. The evil Yi Chun committed will be clear once they are questioned."

Yi Chun raged, "You're slandering me! Now that my son is dead, you can twist black and white as you please; a dead man tells no tales anyway."

Yi Chun's rage intensified.

"How can there be no proof?" Zu An said calmly. "There were many constables and yamen runners present. Just bring them here and question them."

"Fine, let's ask them what exactly happened," Yi Chun said, secretly sneering. Those were his subordinates; after years of his training, how could they possibly give testimony unfavorable to him?

Zu An, naturally no fool, countered, "I suggest these individuals be questioned by the Libationer or someone from the Imperial Academy, to ensure they don't lie."

"What an important position the Libationer holds! How can he be bothered with such trivial matters?" Yi Chun immediately refused. "What, do you suspect that those constables and yamen runners who receive court salaries would lie?"

Many officials in the court secretly mused that the rumors of Zu An's good relationship with the Imperial Academy were indeed true, seeing it today.

"Your son is dead, and you still consider it a trivial matter? Then I have nothing more to say." Zu An shrugged, a look on his face that implied it wasn't his son who had died anyway, infuriating Yi Chun to the point of almost spitting blood.

At this moment, Duke Lin Hai, Grand Counselor Pei Zheng, spoke up: "Leaving other matters aside for now, the court has its own laws. How can anyone be allowed to take private action? Whether Yi Zhibing was disrespectful to the Sang family women can be slowly verified later, but Zu An's unauthorized killing of a court official is a certainty."

Prince Qi nodded secretly. This fellow Yi Chun was so consumed by rage over his son's death that he was almost led astray by Zu An.

Often, it was inconvenient for him to express his stance personally, but Pei Zheng's words truly hit home.

No matter how eloquently Zu An argued, others could completely ignore it. They only needed to focus on the fact that he had killed a court official.

As expected, upon hearing this, the faces of many officials who viewed Zu An as part of their faction changed. They knew clearly that even if Zu An's words were true, it did not justify his killing of a court official.

Compared to the grievances of one or two individuals, the Emperor valued the laws of the entire nation more. If such an act were tacitly allowed, wouldn't it encourage the common people to defy the authorities?

As expected, the Emperor's face sank like water. "Zu An, do you have anything more to say?"

"Yes." Zu An's face remained calm. His composure made Prince Qi and others secretly sneer, believing that at this point, anything more he said would be meaningless.

Bi Linglong was also anxious, wondering what method could possibly save him.

"Speak!" The Emperor was somewhat frustrated. *Why is this young man so calm? Has my deterrence become insufficient?*

Zu An scanned the entire room, taking in everyone's reactions, before slowly stating, "The Demon Emperor is dead."

The distance between the Demon and Human races was vast, and information didn't travel quickly. Zu An, flying back directly on his Wind-Fire Wheels, had already outpaced the human spies embedded within the demon race.

"What?!"

The imperial court truly erupted in an uproar, the noise level far exceeding that of the previous few exchanges.

After all, Yi Chun's son was merely an insignificant figure whose death, while regrettable, held little consequence for the overall state of affairs. The Demon Emperor, however, was crucial to the world's great balance of power.

"Is this true?" The Emperor instantly leaned forward. In the entire world, the Demon Emperor was the only opponent who could rival him. Having considered each other as imaginary enemies for so many years, suddenly learning of the other's death, even his formidable composure was profoundly shaken.

"I saw it with my own eyes..." Zu An then recounted the story of the Demon Emperor's death in the secret realm, omitting the detail that he himself had been the one to strike the fatal blow. After all, the kill had been a fortunate coincidence of timing, terrain, and human factors; his true cultivation was still far below the Demon Emperor's, and if others were to become wary of him, things could become troublesome later.

Even so, upon hearing the entire account, the assembled officials were filled with wonder. They had never imagined that the legendary unknown land truly existed.

Only Bi Linglong's eyes shone with a peculiar brilliance. She had, after all, fought alongside Zu An in the secret realm—and, more importantly, her leg had been on his shoulder.

She was probably the only one in the entire room who suspected Zu An wasn't telling the whole truth, having personally witnessed the explosive combat power this man could unleash in the secret realm.

"I can't believe the Demon Emperor died like this," the Emperor murmured, somewhat dazed.

At this moment, Zu An spoke again: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I also have here the state letter from the new Demon Emperor. The demon race wishes to cease hostilities with us. Furthermore, the new Demon Emperor is willing to address Your Majesty as 'uncle' and pay annual tribute."

This was not his personal intention, but the unified opinion of the entire demon race's high command.

With the old Demon Emperor dead, the entire demon race no longer possessed the power to oppose Zhao Hao. If they didn't seek peace now, provoking Zhao Hao to personally intervene later would likely lead to the utter destruction of the entire demon race.

Although the demon race had a fiery temper, they were not foolish. Now that they were at a disadvantage, a temporary submission and annual tribute were insignificant. They would wait until the new Demon Emperor grew up and the demon race had accumulated enough strength to discuss future matters.

"How is this possible!" Although Prince Qi had always maintained his composure, even he could not help but exclaim aloud at this moment.

The human and demon races had been in conflict for many years. Although the demon race had been driven to the bitter cold lands of the north, they had been stubborn and unyielding, never showing weakness for so many years. If this were true, the consequences would be unbearable for him.

Let alone Prince Qi, even the Emperor himself didn't believe it. Fortunately, he didn't need to speak, as many ministers immediately accused Zu An of making wild claims.

Only then did Zu An unhurriedly take out a finely bound booklet from within his robes. "Here is the new Demon Emperor's state letter. Please, Your Majesty, take a look."

Everyone in the hall was stunned, many even feeling a pang of annoyance. *Why didn't he produce this earlier? Did he have to wait for them to work themselves into a frenzy before revealing his hand?*

The Emperor couldn't wait for a eunuch to fetch it; with a mere flick of his hand, he drew the state letter into his grasp and opened it. This document could not possibly be forged, especially with the imperial seal and the Demon Emperor's private seal clearly present.

After quickly scanning everything, he couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter. His laughter even echoed through the skies of the entire capital, leaving many common people inexplicably confused.

How could the officials in the hall not know what was happening? They all bowed in unison, proclaiming, "Long live our Emperor! May he live for ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

At this moment, Bi Qi, who had seemed to be asleep, stepped forward to speak: "Your Majesty has swept across all lands in recent years, and now has even compelled the demon race to submit! Such magnificent achievements are truly unprecedented and unmatched by any who will come after. It is clear that Heaven has destined Your Majesty to be Emperor, to govern all beings, to proclaim peace to the heavens, and to report the glorious accomplishments to the gods!"

The other ministers were filled with regret, realizing they hadn't thought of such flattery themselves. Seizing the opportunity, they all promptly requested the Emperor to hold the Fengshan ceremony.

Since the great rise of the human race, the Fengshan ceremony had been extremely sacred. Throughout history, countless emperors had reigned, but only a handful—perhaps two or three—had dared to hold the ceremony, each having achieved earth-shattering accomplishments. With such illustrious precedents, later emperors knew they could not compare, and no one dared to defy universal condemnation by casually holding a Fengshan ceremony.

Even Zhao Hao, who had already become invincible throughout the realm, hadn't dared to even contemplate such a ceremony in previous years.

But now, all this suddenly seemed possible.

Zhao Hao was overjoyed inwardly but outwardly feigned humility and declined. Yet, knowing that none of the assembled ministers were fools, they all began to press him to hold the Fengshan ceremony.

Although the Emperor had not yet agreed, everyone knew he was already swayed.

Watching the bustling excitement and jubilation fill the court, Yi Chun was utterly dumbfounded. *Everyone is so happy; who still remembers that my son is dead?*