Wei Feng knelt on the ground, his face a mask of grief. His eyes were red-rimmed and his complexion haggard, his gaze filled with profound sorrow and rage. In front of all the Civil and Military Servants of the court, this Prime Minister, whose influence blanketed the entire government, could not stop tears from falling as he reached the most heart-wrenching part of his tale.
"It is true. I have always dedicated my heart to the court, and I have indeed been negligent in disciplining my extended family. I did not realize that some scoundrels had emerged from a branch of my clan. But... but that cannot be the reason for the Hongcheng Wei Family's tragic fate, Your Majesty! And... even if those Wei family members were despicable, no matter what evil they committed, it should have been for Your Majesty to deal with them!"
Tears streamed down Wei Feng's face as he continued, "My poor clan... of more than seven hundred members, over three hundred were beheaded... Not to mention the more than one thousand guards, attendants, and servants. Of all the adult men in the family, not a single one survived!"
"Speaking of prodigal, unworthy sons, I ask all the ministers present: which of your families doesn't have a few such degenerates? When a family grows large and powerful, it's inevitable that scoundrels like these will appear. But how can one or two degenerates represent the entire family? Who... who gave them so much power, to kill as they please... creating rivers of blood... Oh, the sorrow! Your Majesty, Xu Luo has merits, I am well aware of that. In the recent Southern campaign, Xu Luo's contributions were monumental! This, I admit. But he has grown arrogant from your favor and shows no regard for his sovereign! Your Majesty, if he is not dealt with this time, he will surely commit even more outrageous acts in the future!"
With his eyes bloodshot, Wei Feng prostrated himself on the floor of the Golden Hall, kowtowing repeatedly as he wept and wailed, begging the Emperor to punish Xu Luo.
A group of ministers close to the Wei Family all stepped forward from their ranks and knelt alongside Wei Feng, also pleading for Xu Luo to be punished.
"Xu Luo is so audacious and reckless! What is he trying to do? Does he even have you, Your Majesty, in his eyes?!"
"Your Majesty, if Xu Luo isn't punished, what is the point of having national laws?"
"Your Majesty, I request that Xu Luo be severely punished! Otherwise, he will just kill whomever he wants. Wouldn't anyone who offends him be unable to eat or sleep in peace?!"
"Your Majesty... Xu Luo is arrogant and domineering, completely disregarding the nation's laws! He must be severely punished!"
"Your Majesty... Xu Luo must be severely punished!"
This group of ministers were all high-ranking officials in the court. Any single one of them, if appointed to a regional post, would be a lord governing his own domain.
This time, these men were genuinely frightened by Xu Luo's methods.
It was simply too terrifying!
The Hongcheng Wei Family wasn't considered a major power in the grand scheme of the Cangqiong Kingdom. An Earl Family Head was not enough to elevate the entire clan into the upper echelons of the Empire.
But the key point was that Xu Luo was too ruthless!
He had actually wiped out such a family!
All the women and children had been sent away, and no one knew their destination. Many speculated that they had all been taken to some deserted place and buried alive!
In the Southern war, the Great Yan Empire had suffered a crushing defeat, while Cangqiong had won a great victory.
This was the most morale-boosting event for the Cangqiong Kingdom since the Fall of the Seven Stars.
It proved that the heavens had not abandoned Cangqiong, and that Cangqiong could succeed on its own!
And yet, against all expectations, the very same Xu Luoāthe drum-beating youth who was once an object of ridiculeāhad become the key figure who turned the tide of the Southern war.
This fact, however, bred dissatisfaction in many people, especially now that the Xu Family's influence was at its zenith. The entire family was decorated with honors, and the father and his two sons all held titles of nobility!
How could this be allowed? If the Xu Family were to flourish and expand in the future, they would surely grow into a behemoth within the noble circles of the Cangqiong Kingdom!
Across the entire court, besides the Military Merit Clans close to the Xu Family, who would want to see such a situation?
The Xu father and sons possessed glorious military achievements, and especially at a time like this, no one could challenge their position.
Now that Xu Luo had gone and done something in Southern Hong City that was, by all accounts, completely unjustifiable, if the Civil Servant Group didn't seize this opportunity to kick them while they were down, who would be able to keep the Xu Family in check once they grew even more powerful?
Which of the officials who had daily audiences with the Emperor wasn't exceptionally shrewd? They saw clearly that the Emperor would absolutely not let Xu Luo off lightly this time, so they decided to fan the flames and blow the matter up even more!
Then, as soon as Xu Luo returned to the Imperial Capital, he would not be greeted with flowers and applause, but with a blow as devastating as a thunderbolt!
The thought of making the Xu Family, currently at the height of its power, lose a great general made many of the Civil Servants as giddy as if they'd been injected with stimulants.
Yes, the Xu Luo of today was no longer that sickly medicine-guzzler, that "Civil Servant's Rice Bowl." Unwittingly, in just over a year, he had grown into a fierce general in the eyes of the court's high officials!
And a superlatively valiant one at that!
The threat he posed... in their eyes, had even surpassed that of his father and brother!
Therefore, this time, no matter what, they could not let Xu Luo get away with it!
The Crown Prince stood there quietly, his brow slightly furrowed as if deep in thought.
But the Sixth Prince, Huangfu Chongxiao, stepped forward, knelt on the floor, and said in a clear voice, "Father, your son also recommends that Xu Luo be severely punished!"
"Oh? And what is your reasoning?" the Emperor asked, sitting there with a calm, unreadable expression.
The Sixth Prince replied with a resolute expression, "You have always showered Xu Luo with favor, Father, constantly promoting him and granting him titles. This has allowed his ego to swell to this extent. In a way, you bear some responsibility for this matter!"
The Sixth Prince's words were shocking. Even the Crown Prince, standing to the side, couldn't help but shoot him a few extra glances.
"Hmm?" The Emperor raised an eyebrow slightly, motioning for the Sixth Prince to continue.
"You have been too indulgent with Xu Luo, Father. And he, in turn, has taken advantage of his relationship with my little sister and the military merits he earned in the Southern war to do as he pleases."
The Sixth Prince raised his head and looked boldly at the Emperor. "Just think, if he, Xu Luo, were not the Seven-Colored Marquis, if he were not the Seven-Colored General, if he did not hold the rank of Senior Third Grade, would he have the guts to do such a thing?"
"Go on," Huangfu Haoran said, leaning back on the Dragon Throne, seemingly quite interested in the Sixth Prince's words.
Encouraged, the Sixth Prince continued, "Everyone knows that the Xu Family, to which Xu Luo belongs, is on bad terms with the Wei Family, to which Prime Minister Wei belongs. This might not be spoken of on a daily basis, but I trust that no one among the civil and military officials of this court would deny it, would they?"
The Sixth Prince added, "Furthermore, as far as I know, the Xia Family of Southern Hong City are the Xu Family's in-laws! In Hongcheng, the relationship between the Xia and Wei families is like fire and water. The current head of the Xia Family, Xia Long, is the future father-in-law of Xu Luo's elder brother, Xu Su! With this connection, it's not hard to guess Xu Luo's motive for doing what he did in Hongcheng."
"Mm," Huangfu Haoran hummed softly, his face still an unreadable mask.
But the Sixth Prince took this as a sign that his father approved of his words. 'Otherwise, he would have cut me off long ago!'
"Xu Luo relies on his family's pedigree, on your favor, and on the merits he earned in the Southern war. Instead of thinking about how to serve the nation, he commits acts that are an outrage to both gods and men. Father, if you do not severely punish him for this, then even with all your wisdom and divine might, the common people will still curse you behind your back!"
"Hm?" Huangfu Haoran's brow furrowed slightly.
"Father, my words were too severe. Please grant me punishment!" the Sixth Prince said, prostrating himself on the floor, his voice filled with sincerity.
Throughout the court, atop the Golden Hall, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Prime Minister Wei glanced at the Sixth Prince with some surprise. 'I don't know if he's trying this hard to strike at the Xu Family, or to help me.'
Wei Feng had a faint feeling that with the Sixth Prince's involvement, the future direction of this matter... might not go as he had planned. This irritated him.
Glancing at the Crown Prince, who stood as steady as a mountain, Prime Minister Wei thought to himself, 'The Crown Prince is still the most composed one!'
Huangfu Haoran looked down at the kneeling Sixth Prince with a placid expression, but inwardly he was thinking: 'You don't understand Xu Luo at all! And you don't understand the Wei Family either! It's true, I do intend to discipline Xu Luo this time, but that's only because the boy delivered this opportunity right to my doorstep! This is a chance for me to reduce his military merits!'
'But you can't see through it!'
'That boy Xu Luo knows very well that after returning with such a great victory, I have no way to reward him further!'
'An achievement that turned the tide of the entire war is simply too immense!'
'If Xu Luo were in his forties, no one would object to me making him a Duke for his contributions.'
'But he is just too young!'
So young it gave Huangfu Haoran a headacheāand a toothache!
When Xu Luo didn't return with the main army to accept the cheers of the masses, Huangfu Haoran had a faint inkling that the boy had probably run off again. He suspected Xu Luo would stir up some trouble just to give him an excuse to reduce his military merits.
Otherwise, he probably wouldn't even dare to return to the Imperial Capital!
'Right now, those three words, "Martial Soul Squad," have practically become a legend among the youth of the Cangqiong Kingdom!'
'Even at the True Martial Academy, which gathers the elites of the entire Empire, the Martial Soul Squad is regarded as a source of pride by all the students.'
'All sorts of private youth organizations, like the "True Martial Squad" and the "Soul Suppressing Squad," are now popping up like mushrooms after a spring rain.'
'To put it without exaggeration, just over a year ago, Xu Luo was a major laughingstock in the upper circles of the Empire. Today, a little over a year later, Xu Luo has become the Empire's hero!'
'In the hearts of the Empire's youth, he holds an irreplaceable position!'
'A person like that, with a family that holds military power, could rally supporters with a single call. Staging a rebellion would not be difficult.'
'That is why Xu Luo tried every trick in the book to delay his return, and why he made a show of acting for personal reasons in Hongcheng. In reality, he was demonstrating his loyalty to me, while also giving me an opportunity to reduce his military merits and titles!'
'You people only see the immediate benefits, but that little rascal from the Xu Family... he is looking at the distant future!'
'A man like that... thankfully he serves me. If he were in the Great Yan Empire...' Huangfu Haoran suddenly couldn't help but shiver. He gave the Sixth Prince below him a cool glance and sneered inwardly: 'If you, Xiaoliu, were to become Emperor one day, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to tolerate someone like Xu Luo at all!'
'It would be a miracle if you didn't force him into rebellion!'
As he thought this, Huangfu Haoran looked at the large group of people kneeling in the Golden Hall and suddenly lost all interest. He gave a faint wave of his hand. "Enough. I understand the sentiments of my beloved ministers. When Xu Luo returns, I will personally see to this matter!"
With that, he stood up. "Court is dismissed."