Chapter 424: Acting on Behalf of the Emperor

King Liang gazed at the jade hairpin, pondering its possible origin. His gaze slowly shifted to her, and his eyes suddenly widened: "What long legs!" He regretted being too old; if he had met such an extraordinary woman in his younger years, he would have pursued her relentlessly, even if it meant using his status and cultivation.

Seeing both sides cease their attacks, Jiang Luofu's tense body finally relaxed. On one side was a Grandmaster, and on the other, the three-thousand-strong Red-Robed Army commanded by Duke Mingyue. Neither was someone she could contend with.

Jiang Luofu bowed to Chu Zhongtian: "Duke Mingyue, what has prompted such a drastic action from you?"

Chu Zhongtian snorted: "Principal Jiang can ask him herself."

King Liang, who had descended from mid-air, sneered upon hearing this: "The Chu family is harboring an imperial fugitive and even attempted to assassinate me. Duke Mingyue, you have truly great audacity."

Qin Wanru, fuming with rage, heavily struck the drum again: "If that's the case, we might as well have truly killed you; then we wouldn't have to bear this bad reputation for nothing."

King Liang's expression changed, and he quickly took a step back.

Jiang Luofu quickly said: "I have heard a bit about King Liang's purpose for coming this time, and I don't blame the Chu family for not accepting it. Even I find it hard to understand. Zu An was born and raised in Brightmoon City; how could he possibly steal something from the Emperor?"

At this moment, Xie Yi also spoke up appropriately: "Exactly. In my opinion, there must be some misunderstanding."

Seeing even Xie Yi express his stance, King Liang's eyelids twitched. The Chu family, the Academy, and the City Lord were arguably the three most powerful forces in Brightmoon City. With them united, the situation was indeed difficult to resolve.

He had no choice but to say: "Actually, I'm not clear about what Zu An supposedly stole from the Emperor."

The Chu couple: "..."Jiang Luofu: "..."Liu Yao: "..."Xie Yi: "..."

So all your previous blustering and shouting were just empty posturing?

Sensing the crowd's anger, King Liang quickly said: "Although I don't know exactly what he stole from the Emperor, this matter is absolutely true, because the Emperor personally entrusted me with it when I left the capital."

Hearing him say this, everyone frowned. Logically, King Liang wouldn't lie about this now, but the situation still made no sense.

At this moment, King Liang seemed to recall something and quickly pointed to the ten Embroidered Uniform Guards standing nearby: "You can ask them for the details. They were dispatched by the Emperor to apprehend Zu An."

Only then did the Chu couple look at the ten Embroidered Uniform Guards who stood like statues, seemingly aloof from the situation.

"Embroidered Uniform Guards..." Chu Zhongtian and the others clearly recognized their identity, and their expressions immediately turned grim.

Seeing everyone's gaze turn to them, the leading Embroidered Uniform Guard coldly stated: "What Zu An specifically stole is classified information and cannot be disclosed. Please hand him over, or the Chu family will be charged with deceiving the Emperor."

"Deceiving the Emperor?" Chu Zhongtian let out a laugh, tinged with desolation and sadness. "If the Emperor wants to deal with our Chu family, why use such a baseless accusation?"

Xie Yi quickly reminded him: "Brother Chu, watch your words!"

Chu Zhongtian snorted: "We've been pushed this far; what more do I have to fear?" Evidently, he did not believe Zu An had stolen anything from the Emperor, thinking it was merely another pretext for the imperial family to target the Chu family.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard's gaze sharpened: "Duke Mingyue, are you truly defying an imperial decree?"

"Defying the decree?" Chu Zhongtian scoffed, "Our Chu family never said that. If you want to search for Zu An, go ahead and search the house yourselves." Although enraged, he was not foolish and wouldn't openly provide an excuse for their actions.

Hearing him say this, the Embroidered Uniform Guard waved his hand, signaling his companions to enter the Chu manor. Unfortunately, the Red-Robed Army remained in place, showing no intention of backing down.

Xie Yi, standing by, secretly sighed. Chu Zhongtian, usually so forthright in appearance, turned out to be quite cunning. His words suggested compliance, but his actions were anything but.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard stopped: "Do you truly think this can stop us?"

Chu Zhongtian smiled slightly: "We've long heard of the Embroidered Uniform Guards' renown. How could our Chu family possibly entertain such a thought?" Despite his words, there was still no sign of yielding. His unspoken message was clear: even a formidable Grandmaster couldn't force his way in just now. What could a few of them do? It would be better to retreat while they still could.

In fact, he was somewhat perplexed. Everyone spoke of the Embroidered Uniform Guards as legendary, yet their average cultivation was only fifth or sixth rank, which seemed quite undeserving of their reputation. Yet, in recent years, he hadn't heard of anyone escaping the Embroidered Uniform Guards' pursuit. What was the secret? Was it simply that the imperial court was too powerful, making people afraid to resist? This was not only the Chu couple's doubt but also that of the others present, who all looked towards the ten Embroidered Uniform Guards, wondering how they would respond.

The ten Embroidered Uniform Guards suddenly knelt facing east. The leader, holding his hands respectfully before him, declared: "Your humble servants have encountered enemy obstruction ahead. We implore His Majesty's imperial decree to suppress them!"

Many in the crowd were baffled. The Emperor was far away in the capital, and this place was a long distance from it. How could the Emperor hear what they said? Were they using magical artifacts like sound transmission stones or video mirrors? But even if they informed the Emperor, what good would it do? As the saying goes, "distant water cannot quench a present thirst."

However, the expressions of the high-ranking individuals present suddenly changed, as they faintly guessed something.

Chu Zhongtian, in particular, trembled violently and hastily looked towards the horizon. He saw the scattered clouds in the sky rapidly converging in one direction. As they did, an immense and unparalleled pressure gradually permeated the entire world, making everyone in Brightmoon City tremble.

In the Ji family's medical clinic, within a bedroom with tightly drawn curtains, Ji Dengtu was hiding under his quilt, holding a storybook in one hand and doing something unclear with the other. Feeling this terrifying pressure, he shuddered, immediately went limp, and angrily threw his storybook aside. He began to curse loudly: "Damn it, I was just at a crucial moment and this scare will probably leave me impotent for at least three months! You dog emperor, if I couldn't beat you, I'd go through your entire harem!" After cursing, he fell into thought: "That brat, he's caused quite a stir this time."

At Brightmoon Academy, Shang Liuyu was sitting on a lounge chair in the courtyard, plucking his harp. He too looked up towards the Chu family's direction, his expression pensive.

Zu An, hidden in a property of the Plum Blossom Gang, also pushed open a window and looked at the sky. He was utterly terrified. This pressure instinctively made him tremble. Let alone fighting against it, even standing upright was difficult. An overwhelming urge to kneel on the ground surged within him. Just as he was about to give in, a surprised voice suddenly spoke:

"Such powerful energy. Have you, kid, stirred up someone you shouldn't have?"

Hearing this voice, Zu An was so thrilled he almost cried: "Empress sister, I need a hug, I need comfort!"

Mi Li placed her hand on his chest, stopping him from lunging forward to embrace her: "What, trying to take advantage of me the moment we meet?" However, her attention couldn't help but turn to the window, and Zu An also looked in that direction.

Above the Chu family's direction, the clouds gradually formed a blurry human figure. Faintly, the face of a middle-aged man wearing an imperial crown became discernible. The cloud-formed figure slowly opened its mouth, and an ethereal yet incredibly authoritative voice resounded throughout Brightmoon City: "Granted!"

A gigantic bright yellow imperial decree seemed to materialize out of thin air, slowly unfurling and occupying nearly half the sky, though its surface was blank. The Embroidered Uniform Guard rose and recited: "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Chu family is commanded to hand over their son-in-law, Zu An, within three days. Failure to comply will result in a charge of rebellion and the extermination of all nine generations of your clan. This decree is proclaimed!" With each word he recited, a streak of golden light would flicker on the decree, soon revealing the spoken character. After he finished, the exact same content appeared on the imperial decree in the sky.

Immediately after, the imperial decree emitted a dazzling golden light that rained down upon the "tortoise shell" barrier formed by the combined efforts of the Red-Robed Army. This barrier, which had remained unyielding against the full attacks of Liu Yao and King Liang, disintegrated instantly and without a trace when faced with this golden light, like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun. The three thousand Red-Robed soldiers all spurted blood, and every one of them was forced to their knees by the immense pressure. Chu Zhongtian also spat out a mouthful of blood and immediately became visibly weakened.

Seeing this, King Liang and Liu Yao, along with their retinue, all knelt and loudly proclaimed: "Long live His Majesty, long live, long live and a thousand times long live!" Their Imperial Guards also followed suit, shouting "Long live!" This spread from ten to a hundred, and eventually, everyone in Brightmoon City, intimidated by the immense pressure, knelt on the ground, excitedly shouting: "Long live His Majesty, long live, long live and a thousand times long live!"

The Emperor of the Empire was the most powerful individual in the world, and in the hearts of common people, an ultimate, supreme existence. They never imagined they would be fortunate enough to witness His Majesty's divine presence today. Each person was ecstatic, and except for a few who were forced, most cheered from the bottom of their hearts.

At this moment, Sang Hong, who was in the prisoner's cart, said to his son: "Qian'er, didn't you ask me earlier what it means to act on behalf of the Emperor? This is what it means to act on behalf of the Emperor!" At the same time, his heart was filled with doubt. What had made the Emperor disregard the rules of the court and directly use force to subdue the Chu family?