In the Grand Hall.
The moment Empress said that, all the noble ministers were stunned.
In their minds, their empress had yet to arrive and manage everything, surely because the captured spy was too stubborn, refusing to confess under any torture and disclose his background. Hence, Empress had delayed her arrival at the court, which they praised immensely.
But why did Empress act as if she wasn’t aware of the situation?
Could their previous guesses be wrong?
Just as an eerie atmosphere took hold of the grand hall, the respected Chancellor stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, didn’t you catch that person in public yesterday? Wasn’t he the spy planted in our Imperial City?”
As Chancellor’s words hung, Cold Wu Shuang finally caught up with everyone’s train of thought.
After regaining her composure, she responded,
“Oh, so you’re talking about this. You’ve misunderstood. That person isn’t a spy; he… he’s the emperor-designate I personally selected.”
Everyone thought, “?？？？？？”
The moment Cold Wu Shuang finished speaking, the noble ministers all fell silent.
Coming to their senses, they immediately objected,
“My Lady, please think twice. The emperor-designate shouldn’t be chosen so hastily…”
“Yeah, people have heard this man looks quite ordinary, not matching Your Majesty at all…”
“My Lady, you hesitated in selecting the emperor-designate before. Now you suddenly choose a nobody to fulfill this role. This doesn’t make sense either.”
…
After hearing these objections from the noble ministers, Cold Wu Shuang felt her headache intensify.
She was already an empress, yet here she was, being second-guessed even on a personal choice like designating an emperor!
If it weren’t for their past contributions, she would have just disposed of them all.
Fuming to herself, she decided she would give them a taste of their own medicine.
The aura around her began to slowly manifest, enveloping the entire hall.
“Loyal ministers, you’ve started pointing fingers before even seeing the emperor-designate. Isn’t that a bit much?
Did it slip your mind that my judgment is much better than yours.”
Then, Chancellor stood up again,
“Since Her Majesty has decided to select the emperor-designate, might I suggest issuing an order for him to come here and receive the decree?
Hope you will carry out the formalities as usual rather than acting on impulse.
Remember, we as officials should be sharing Her Majesty’s burdens.
Her Majesty’s every step impacts us deeply.”
Hearing this, Cold Wu Shuang nodded and said,
“Alright, today I will officially announce the emperor-designate right here in front of you all.
And from now on, there’s no need to send any more candidates.
I’m very exclusive when it comes to choosing the emperor!
Bring me to my chambers and fetch the emperor.
Remember, treat him with respect. Otherwise, there’ll be severe consequences!”
Upon hearing this, all the noble ministers were shocked—some whispered amongst themselves.
“Seems like Her Ladyship is serious. So the person caught yesterday was the designated emperor.
Doesn’t that mean the empress snatched someone up forcefully?”
“Shhh… It turns out the one mistaken for a spy is actually the designated emperor. Good thing Her Ladyship is merciful and didn’t probe further.
Yet, why has there been talk about him being unattractive? If that’s true, Her Ladyship couldn’t possibly fancy him…”
“They won’t know until they see him. Knowing Her Ladyship, He must be one of a kind. Her judgment is well known.”
Back in the imperial chambers…
Jiang Xuan used the opportunity when Empress wasn’t around to meditate intensely. Under the boost of his divine spiritual root, his cultivation soared rapidly.
In just half a day, Jiang Xuan’s power reached the peak of Earth Martial Rank 1.
Moreover, he compressed his rank 1 martial powers to an extreme level.
Compared to a rank 10 martial warrior, Jiang Xuan’s current strength was several times greater now.
The torture he faced yesterday began to heal as his rank ascended.
Feeling strong enough to clash with those at the Martial Spirit level, he could even challenge general Martial Kings with the drawn blade technique and black blade.
However, it cost him an astronomical sum of one million high-quality spirit stones.
This shocking consumption rate made him incredibly upset.
That amount could take him ages to accumulate.
Moments before Jiang Xuan attempted to reach Earth Martial Rank 2, a knock echoed through the chambers.
“A messenger from the throne room, Her Ladyship requests Your Majesty’s presence.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xuan inwardly groaned,
“Me in the main hall? They’re probably revealing my identity in front of the noble ministers! Overkill! After spending half a day here thinking I’d get some rest, I’m still dragged into this.
Fine, so I’m going to be an emperor? Let’s see what this empress does.”
With his mind set, Jiang Xuan left the chamber with a polite greeting.
“I’ll go with you.”
When the leading maidservant saw his appearance, disbelief washed over her.
Had Jiang Xuan not come from the Empress’s chamber, she would’ve mistaken him for an ugly assassin.
“Your Majesty…please follow me…”
Thinking to herself, ‘the emperor-designate can’t be this plain,’ but she dared not mention it, respecting the Empress’s warning.
Soon, Jiang Xuan followed the maiden to the main hall.
The maiden entered first, announcing,
“The emperor-designate, please enter. This is the main hall.”
All eyes turned toward the newcomer.
The mystery intrigued them.
Why did their empress wait so long to present the new emperor-designate?
Many presumed this mysterious figure to be extraordinarily handsome.
Their curiosity was about to be answered.
As everyone held their breath and watched with bated breath, Jiang Xuan strode confidently.
Noticing all eyes on him, he greeted them all with a rough voice,
“Esteemed seniors, greetings. I am Ye Tian, honored to meet esteemed seniors…”
Cold Wu Shuang was equally taken aback.
She imagined introducing a stunning beauty to humble their narrow-mindedness.
But she failed to anticipate Jiang Xuan’s trickery, changing both his appearance and voice in front of her, leaving her looking silly.
Noble ministers shot curious glances at the Empress.
Reading their thoughts as, “So this is what the Empress enjoys. No wonder none of the previous nominees suited her.”
Fuming, Cold Wu Shuang demanded,
“Why haven’t you shown your true self to me?”
Jiang Xuan smiled lightly, responding,
“Sister Wu Shuang, does this mean you don’t like this look?
I must have mistaken my worth… I don’t deserve to be your emperor-designate…”
Hearing him, the nobles reacted immediately,
“Your Majesty, reconsider! Appointing him risks dissatisfaction!”
“Revoke your decision. Naming him will bring shame to the Cold Light Dynasty.”
“Since this young man understands, Your Majesty, allow him to gracefully step down.”
…
Realizing their resistance, Jiang Xuan secretly applauded their efforts.
Mission accomplished; he could finally put off serving as the emperor.
Suddenly, Cold Wu Shuang unleashed an overwhelming aura, silencing everyone instantly.
Turning to Jiang Xuan, her tone softened,
“No matter how you disguise yourself, I love you. Come, sit next to me.
With me by your side, no one will ever hurt you.”
Jiang Xuan replied, “?！！！！”
