Chapter 1781

There were priorities. In Shao Jianmin's eyes, anyone related to the Tang Family was a dead man. Even if there was a problem with their identity, there was no need to pursue it at this point.

Shao Jianwu nodded hurriedly. That was true. There were indeed important matters at hand.

After Shao Heyang's plan to build a relationship with the Gu Family had failed, the Shao Family's future in Pei Nation had become somewhat bleak.

Fortunately, His Highness Wu Lie thought highly of them and gave the Shao Family a chance to surrender. They had to do this well. As long as they did well, not only could the Shao Family maintain their power in Pei Nation, they might even be able to advance further.

The officials in the banquet hall were full of worries, each with their own ulterior motives. At the entrance of the hall, the master of the palace had finally arrived.

Prince Pei was dressed in a dignified robe with a crown of blue water on his head. He stepped into the hall under the guidance of a eunuch. His back was ramrod straight, and he seemed to be in high spirits.

However, his pale, lifeless hair revealed his advanced age. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes revealed his recent exhaustion.

He couldn't help but be exhausted. The Mist Kingdom's army was pressing down on his borders, and rumors of his incompetence and immorality were spreading throughout the counties of Pei Nation. The court was also filled with bloodshed.

All sorts of unforeseen events came one after another, and he was more troubled than anyone else.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" When Prince Pei arrived, the officials stood up to welcome him. Etiquette could never be abandoned.

"Everyone, please rise." Prince Pei forced a smile. He seemed to have sensed the unfavorable winds in the court. His gaze only softened a little when he saw Tang Xuance.

He sat down and waited with the officials for the arrival of the Second Prince of Dacheng.

The appointed time arrived, but Prince Wu Lie was still nowhere to be seen at the gates. Prince Pei was very patient, and he waited with a cautious and solemn expression.

The officials were very quiet, and the atmosphere was strange and restrained. Gu Chen was drinking by himself leisurely and seemed out of place.

"Ahem!"

Suddenly, Shao Jianmin's cough broke the silence. He stood up from his seat and cupped his hands at Prince Pei. "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"Please speak, my beloved subject." Prince Pei looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Shao Jianmin straightened his spine in front of all the civil and military officials and spoke in a clear voice.

"Right now, the Mist Kingdom's army is pressing down on our borders, and the Luo Gate has disappeared for no reason. Our Pei Nation has reached a critical moment of life and death."

"There are rumors in the country that the disappearance of the Luo Gate is related to His Majesty's incompetence and the signs of the end of the country."

"Although the rumors are pure nonsense, we have already lost the will of the people. As the saying goes, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it …"

Shao Jianmin was speaking with fervor and assurance when Prince Pei suddenly interrupted him, his expression extremely ugly. "Dear minister, what do you mean by that?"

Shao Jianmin did not avoid Prince Pei's gaze. He bowed solemnly. "Your Majesty, please consider for the sake of the people of Pei Country and take the initiative to abdicate the throne to the Seventh Prince!"

"This subject agrees!" "This subject agrees!"

As soon as Shao Jianmin finished speaking, all the officials in the banquet hall stood up in agreement. It was as if they had already discussed this in private.

"Seventh Prince?" Prince Pei was stunned.

"Is Lord Shao joking? His Majesty is healthy, so how can he abdicate just because of rumors? Moreover, the Seventh Prince has been sickly since he was young, and he suffers from an eye disease. He has never participated in court affairs, so what are your intentions in recommending him as the new Prince Pei? "

At this critical moment, Tang Xuance stood up and criticized angrily. He was truly furious.

He had guessed that the Shao Family had already been bribed, but he did not expect the betrayal to be so direct.

This was the banquet hall, not the court, yet he chose to make things difficult for Prince Pei at this time.

His reason for making things difficult for Prince Pei was so laughable. What rumors about losing the will of the people? He did not even need a fig leaf!

Making Prince Pei abdicate the throne and pass it to the Seventh Prince was an extremely sinister move.

Prince Pei's eight sons were all skilled in both literature and martial arts, but the Seventh Prince had been sickly since he was young. Although he was already sixteen, he looked like he was eleven or twelve.

In addition, he suffered from an eye disease and knew nothing about the court. If he became the new Prince Pei, wouldn't the court be thrown into chaos?

This was something that everyone knew, but Shao Jianmin had pushed the Seventh Prince forward. It was obvious that he had been instructed by Wu Lie!

The reason was simple. Once the Seventh Prince inherited the throne, he would be at the mercy of his blind, weak body, and the royal power of Pei Nation would be taken away!

It was conceivable that as long as this goal was achieved, Wu Lie would send someone he trusted to the Pei Nation's court and act as regent, thus firmly holding the right to speak in Pei Nation!

Shao Jianmin's actions were clearly a betrayal of the country, and the officials were supporting him. This was an attempt to force him to abdicate. It was disloyal, heartless, and unjust, so how could he not be angry?

Tang Xuance angrily criticized Shao Jianmin, but Shao Jianmin did not seem to hear him. The corner of his mouth curled up in disdain as he stared at Prince Pei and reminded him, "Your Majesty, a wise man submits to circumstances. Let the Seventh Prince inherit the throne. The throne will ultimately be in the hands of the Liu family."

The royal family of Pei Nation had the surname Liu, and it had been like this since the era of the Pei Dynasty. Shao Jianmin was right. The Seventh Prince did have the surname Liu, so he had the right to inherit the throne.

However, he would only sit on the throne without any power. Was there any point in having a puppet royal family like this?

Prince Pei looked at the officials with Shao Jianmin as their leader, and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He knew very well that if he abdicated, the power of Pei Nation would no longer be in the hands of the Liu family. Even if he could still sit on the throne, he would only be a puppet under the whims of others.

He did not want the country of his ancestors to be destroyed in the hands of his generation. However, facing the fearless officials and the one behind them, he felt a deep sense of helplessness.

"I was naive enough to think that there was still room for negotiation. I didn't expect that person to be too lazy to even meet with me and directly send you dogs to bite me," Prince Pei said hatefully. He felt vexed and sorrowful.

Prince Wu Lie had suddenly come to Peidu. How could he not know his intentions? He was already mentally prepared today.

He had bathed and changed early in the morning. He was serious about today's banquet because he still had the illusion that there was still room for negotiation between the two sides.

To put it bluntly, what Prince Wu Lie cared about was not the territory of Pei Nation, but the throne of the Great Cheng Dynasty. He probably only wanted Pei Nation to support him.

If that was the case, he had many ways to negotiate with him. Even if he was forced to choose a side in the end, at least he could temporarily preserve Pei Nation.

However, Prince Wu Lie's tyranny was far beyond his imagination. He didn't just want Pei Nation to support him, or rather, he didn't trust him at all.

He didn't give him any room for negotiation and chose to directly oust him from the throne. He ignored the old contract between the dynasty and the kingdom and brazenly wanted to control Pei Nation!

Today's banquet was held for him, but he was so arrogant that he refused to show his face. Just by forcing the officials to abdicate, he wanted to make him yield!

"Now that things have come to this, why must Your Majesty be reluctant to stay on the throne? There is no point in arguing."

Prince Pei scolded the officials as dogs. Some of the officials lowered their heads in shame, but Shao Jianmin, who was the leader, didn't even blush.

"Your Majesty, Shao Jianmin is deceiving the emperor. Please allow me to take him down!"

Of all the officials, only Tang Xuance remained loyal. He angrily asked Prince Pei for instructions, intending to take Shao Jianmin down.

"Tang, you can't even take care of yourself, so why are you still pretending to be a loyal subject?" Shao Jianwu sneered. Shao Jianmin remained indifferent and pressed Prince Pei.

"If this Prince is unwilling to abdicate, what will you do?"

Prince Pei said through gritted teeth. He could sense Tang Xuance's loyalty and the Waterdance Army's heavy guards outside the hall.

"If Your Majesty insists on going about things the wrong way, we won't force you. However, I'm afraid that there will be bloodshed in the hall today, "Shao Jianmin said calmly as he glanced at Tang Xuance.

Not long after he finished speaking, a warm breeze blew into the banquet hall, accompanied by the melodious sound of a flute.

The officers and soldiers of the Water Dance Army, who were guarding outside the hall, suddenly fell to the ground one after another. Pink and tender peach blossoms slowly drifted into the hall, falling into the wine on the table, and falling into the hair of the minister.

Tang Xuance's expression suddenly froze, and all the officials in the hall became restless.

"The flute sound arrived before the person arrived, and the peach blossoms filled the air. Could it be that Householder Peach Blossom is here?"

"He's the war-level killer of the Pavilion of Honesty. It's rumored that anyone targeted by him will die without a doubt. He's the Asura who killed countless souls!"

Many of the officials revealed fear in their eyes. Most of them could only hire the killer apprentices of the Pavilion of Honesty. When had they ever come into contact with such a famous killer?

What did the Pavilion of Honesty explain as a war-level killer? Even if two countries were at a complete disadvantage and could be destroyed at any time, the help of a war-level killer would be enough to turn the tide of the battle!

A war-level killer could easily turn the tide of a war between millions of troops. One killer could actually turn the tide of a war, and Prince Pei couldn't even sit still!

Master Peach Blossom had not even appeared, but everyone was already shocked. Prince Pei could not even sit still!

Tang Xuance muttered to himself calmly, as though he was facing a formidable enemy.

When he received the peach blossoms, he knew that this would happen soon.

When he received the peach blossoms, he knew that this scene would come soon.

He also knew the reason why the assassin chose to attack him at this time.

It was to make an example out of him. He was the chicken, and Prince Pei was the monkey!

His Dancing Water Army protected Prince Pei's safety. To a certain extent, Prince Pei had the confidence to continue controlling the court. Thus, if the killer wanted to force Prince Pei to step down, he had to get rid of Tang Xuance first.

If he, Tang Xuance, was killed by an assassin in the heavily-guarded royal palace under the watchful eyes of all the officials, what kind of impact would it have on Prince Pei?

No matter how unwilling Prince Pei was to hand over his royal power, he would have no choice but to bow down to that person!

Prince Wu Lie hadn't appeared yet, but he had already attacked repeatedly, all of which were vicious and fatal!

The flute sound gradually became hurried, and the peach blossoms were mesmerizing. Amidst the beauty, there was a cold murderous intent.

Everyone in the banquet hall stood up, panicking. Only one person sat elegantly, drinking wine as if no one else was present, and muttered something.

"Playing tricks!"

(End of this chapter)