Chapter 734 – The Emperor’s Demise, Chenzhou’s Royal City in Ruins (Part 7)
As soon as the words left her mouth, two armored soldiers came forward, carrying a makeshift stretcher. Several ministers craned their necks in suspense.
The figure on the stretcher was covered with a white cloth, but blood dripped down in a steady rhythm, with bits of flesh occasionally falling free.
The sight made the elderly ministers flinch, a flicker of fear creeping into their hearts.
Before they could utter a word, Jiang Pengji ordered the white cloth to be pulled away, revealing the body beneath.
The head was a gruesome mosaic of colors, blood and brain matter mixing with shattered bone, while the rest of the body was unrecognizable.
Only the clothing clinging to the corpse showed some color and texture, clearly depicting someone of not-so-ordinary status.
The ministers turned pale as they gazed upon it, some unable to hold back and turning to gag.
Not only were they repulsed by this gruesome scene, but even the strategists beside Jiang Pengji turned ashen, while the barrage of comments in the live stream inundated the screen as viewers desperately tried to cover the horrifying image, with disgust levels skyrocketing.
【Lady Pengji】: Oh my god, I’m scared to death! This live stream’s vibe is honestly scarier than a horror film!
【Shen Jia】: Hey host, can we get a heads-up before any intense scenes? I nearly spilled my tea here!
【Bloody Rose Thorns】: I just barely made it through watching the host slicing and dicing, only to bow down before a corpse! Honestly, I was scared silly! I’ve heard Guo Jia is harmonizing all the blood and violence, but showing this level of horrifying violence in the live stream, surely it won’t face any mandatory harmonization? Seriously, it’s scarier than The Ring!
【Genius Guo Fengxiao】: This host’s stream has been going on for years; if it were going to be harmonized, it would’ve happened ages ago!
【An Changhuan】: As an ER nurse, I’ve seen my fair share of car accidents. I thought my tolerance level was pretty high; nothing could make me cry. Until I entered this live stream… sobbing while hugging my chubby self.
Viewers in the live stream were aghast, yet Jiang Pengji remained unfazed.
What scene had she not witnessed? This bit of gore was merely child’s play to her.
She calmly addressed the elderly ministers.
“Take a close look, is this corpse not that demon Empress?”
The ministers turned as pale as snow, some needing to lean on others just to stand. They deeply suspected Jiang Pengji was intentionally messing with them.
The corpse was so mangled that even her mother wouldn’t recognize her, let alone these men.
They had no special abilities, how could they discern the identity of a body trampled to mush?
However, the Empress did wear such clothing; judging by the height, perhaps it aligned.
One elderly minister simply couldn’t contain himself, covering his face with his sleeve, unable to bear the sight of such atrocities.
Jiang Pengji secretly smirked, “You clueless fools! Don’t you see this corpse is sullied the Noble’s eyes? What are you waiting for? Take this body away, handle it properly, and we’ll deal with it later. As I see it, the most urgent matter is to reclaim Chenzhou’s Royal City quickly and rescue those still trapped inside. This corpse won’t sprout wings and fly away.”
The ministers quickly agreed, saying, “That sounds reasonable.”
After all, the demon Empress was dead—she couldn’t be any more dead—and there would be time later to settle scores.
The enemy’s sudden assault upon the city left the common people little time to react.
The Emperor could only take his loyal ministers and their families, leaving other officials with no opportunity to flee, all abandoned within the city.
Every moment lost only increased the danger for these people.
Just as Jiang Pengji had said, they needed to turn around swiftly and push back to the Royal City to minimize losses.
A court could never rely solely on the Emperor; it required a solid foundation of numerous ordinary officials.
More importantly…
The ministers exchanged glances, their expressions serious enough to drip water.
With the Emperor’s sudden passing, there had been no time to leave any orders for a successor.
As the Emperor’s most trusted old advisors, they had to quickly select a successor to stabilize the court and ensure that the traitors wouldn’t take advantage of the chaos.
The Emperor had four sons; the first prince was killed, the second prince was imprisoned due to witchcraft curses aimed at the Emperor and Empress, and after his family was annihilated by the Emperor’s orders, he fell ill and eventually died.
Now, there were only the Third and Fourth Princes left alive.
However, the Fourth Prince, Wu Ma Jun, had legs crushed by vehicles—he was already a paralyzed mess with no chance of standing again. How could he ascend to the throne?
Upon contemplation, it seemed only the demoted Third Prince was suitable.
But in such turbulent times, if they didn’t rush back to save people, the demoted Third Prince could already be dead.
If that happened, who would inherit the throne?
One could only imagine a bloody struggle would ensue!
The ministers envisioned a bright future, unaware that Jiang Pengji was not just here to save the day.
“How’s the situation?” Jiang Pengji whispered to Feng Zhen, “Have you gathered all the details?”
Feng Zhen, half-squinting, had just found a moment to gather news from the yellow-gated palace servants and palace maids and had heard a number of intriguing tidbits.
“Reporting to the Lord/Leader, I’ve found out. Among the four princes, only the Third and Fourth are still alive. However, the Fourth Prince, Wu Ma Jun, has become a cripple, with no chance of standing again. So, the most suitable candidate right now is the Third Prince. His background is quite solid, hailing from the Feng family side branch. If he were to be crowned, that would be a troubling matter.”
Jiang Pengji chuckled coldly, “Oh, they might call it the Feng family’s side branch; let’s get real—it’s distant lineage that barely ties together. Even if the Third Prince ascends to the throne, do you think the Feng family will risk everything to support him? Haha, naive! Dreaming is more realistic.”
Not only did she see it clearly, but the Feng family understood even better—
Dongqing was already rotten to the core, beyond saving.
Even if the Third Prince took the throne, would the warlords who held power willingly surrender?
Let me ask you, why would they?
Why would they hand over their lives and fortunes?
Just because they enjoyed the resources of Dongqing for a few years?
What a joke!
Jiang Pengji continued, “The Feng family members aren’t stupid; they won’t take such risks. Dongqing is beyond cure; if the Third Prince brings complications into court conflicts, it could be… the once-thriving Feng family might face extinction. So, there’s no reason to worry about them. However… Zishi does make a valid point; if the Third Prince becomes emperor, it indeed could create some troubles.”
If the throne were occupied by a mature Emperor, it would certainly be harder for Jiang Pengji to take the role of the Governor of Wanzhou.
So, as for the Third Prince…
Sorry, not sorry!
A killing intent sparked within Jiang Pengji’s heart, as Feng Zhen’s onyx-like eyes gleamed with understanding, and he raised a hand, mimicking a slicing motion.
