Chapter 60: Execute!
Not only were the officials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony astonished, even the emperor furrowed his brow.
Both Minister Jiang and the crown prince wore stern expressions.
Although everyone in the court was aware of what had happened, they wouldn't risk a conflict with the Longdu Empire over a few lives. Grand Xia was currently facing the imminent threat of being invaded by the Qingsong Empire. The other empires had to act as buffers between them. Any enmity that would cause them to lose a well-needed buffer was one they couldn’t afford. It would land them a heavy blow.
"According to the law, he should be executed,” said Minister Jiang Yushu with a smile, stroking his beard.
Fang Chen turned to the emperor. "Your Majesty, how do you think we should punish Viscount Zhou?"
Zhou Xiu laughed scornfully while pointing at Fang Chen. "Are you really going to deal with me over this stupid, little thing? You must’ve lost your mind! If my Longdu Empire declares war on you, you will face the combined might of two empires! Even the Guhe and Yizhou Empires might join in to gain an additional share of rewards! Can your Grand Xia withstand that?”
"Viscount Zhou, don't worry." Li Guozhu stepped forward, trying to calm Zhou Xiu down. Then, he looked at Fang Chen and frowned. "Divine General Fang, let's not escalate this matter."
Minister Jiang Yushu also spoke up. "Fang Chen, do you realize the passive situation you’ll place the Grand Xia in were you to form an enmity with the Longdu Empire?"
The crown prince turned to the emperor and bowed. "Father, please reconsider!"
Many civil and military officials also expressed their opinions, revealing their stances. Among those ministers, quite a few were formerly part of the so-called Fang faction.
Zhou Xiu revealed a smug smile as he looked at Fang Chen. That was the current situation in the Grand Xia Empire; even a Qi Core Stage martial artist was useless when facing such severe consequences.
"I don't want your apology. Just behead those two underlings of yours." Zhou Xiu sneered. "Otherwise, the grand duke of my Longdu Empire will definitely challenge your Grand Xia Empire to a National War. When that happens, it won’t just be two insignificant lives that are lost.”
“A National War?" The hearts of many people skipped a beat at the mention. A National War was a form of competition held between empires. Both sides would gather their forces before directly charging into battle. It was used to settle disputes in the most brutal, straightforward manner available; battle. Both sides would lay down their terms, and then march into battle. The loser would suffer immense losses.
The Grand Xia Empire had less than four hundred thousand soldiers at the moment. The same couldn’t be said for the Longdu Empire. They maintained a standing army of a million. Even though they didn’t have an expert in the Qi Core Stage, they had plenty of experts in the peak of the Qi Manipulation Stage. The number of those experts far surpassed those of the Grand Xia Empire. If a National War were to break out, Grand Xia didn’t have a high chance of obtaining victory.
"Fang Chen, Huang Sihai and Tie Ma of the Wolf Army were the ones who carried out the assault, right?” said the emperor, seeking confirmation as he looked at Fang Chen.
“Tie Ma?!”
With the exception of Xiao Shence and several others, who seemed to already know this, everyone in the crowd was shocked. Why would the skilled Tie Ma, a high-ranked commander of the Wolf Army of the Qingsong Empire, become Fang Chen’s subordinate?
"Your Majesty, how do you intend to deal with this?" Fang Chen smiled.
"According to Zhou Xiu's suggestion, you can hand them over, and then, there would be no need for you to apologize any longer. That way, you can both preserve your dignity and spare the empire from disaster." The emperor sighed softly.
Fang Chen calmly stated, "If we agree to their terms, the other empires will definitely try and take advantage of us even further. If this was five years ago, even the Grand Duke of the Longdu Empire would have to follow the rules of our empire.”
"Why speak of the past? Your Grand Xia Empire is no longer the same as before! Fang Chen, you’ve brought this upon yourself!” said Zhou Xiu, and sneered repeatedly.
"The Grand Xia Empire... Indeed, we’re no longer the Grand Xia Empire of the past." Fang Chen sighed softly.
When everyone thought that he was going to yield, Fang Chen bowed to the emperor, then said, "Your Majesty, I apologize. If I don't deal with Zhou Xiu today, the other empires will definitely look down on us. We won’t be able to do business in any of them and our subjects will be slaughtered like common cattle!”
After he finished speaking, everyone saw his figure turn into a blur as he dashed with unspeakable speed. He appeared right in front of an astonished Zhou Xia, grabbed him, and disappeared from the Hall of Supreme Harmony in a flash!
Some people wanted to stop him, but they were not fast enough. By the time they reacted, Fang Chen was gone, Zhou Xiu with him.
The emperor was furious. “Stop him!" he yelled, and rushed out with the officials.
"How dare you?! Are you not afraid of causing the Grand Xia Empire’s destruction?!" Zhou Xiu screamed in shock and anger.
Fang Chen remained expressionless as he carried Zhou Xiu while walking with brisk strides. With each step, he would cover a considerable distance. He gave off a feeling that he was walking on air. It was similar to the mythical ability to traverse vast distances in a single step.
Those chasing after him were left far behind, and it didn’t take long before Fang Chen arrived at the busiest street of the capital city. Here, various teahouses, taverns, and stores filled the streets. The crowd was bustling. There were even people from the Guhe, Yizhou, and Longdu Empires mingling in the crowds.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd recognized Fang Chen, revealing a shocked expression, he blurted, "Isn't that Divine General Fang?"
"Divine General Fang is carrying someone in his hands. Who is that?" another person questioned.
Although not everyone recognized Zhou Xiu, some scholars from the Longdu Empire did. They were quickly frightened, and someone immediately jumped out and exclaimed, "Divine General Fang, what are you planning to do to our Longdu Country's viscount?"
A Viscount of the Longdu Empire?!
Curious looks appeared on the faces of the citizens of Grand Xia. The first thing that came to their mind was that the viscount had somehow managed to offend the Divine General.
News quickly spread through the city.
They only felt that something was truly amiss after seeing the approaching constables from the Grand Brilliance Bureau and guards from the Valiant Saber Guards. Soon after, a bunch of civil officials also ran over, and the emperor was actually leading the way!
"Long live the emperor!" Every citizen fell to their knees immediately as they yelled in unison.
The emperor nodded with a stern expression, gesturing for them to rise. Then, he looked at Fang Chen, his expression solemn. "Fang Chen, release Viscount Zhou at once."
"Fang Chen, you are defying the emperor’s order! You’ve committed a grave sin!" the crown prince screamed with rage.
"What happened? How did Fang Chen capture Zhou Xiu?" Suddenly, figures like Ye Qinghe and Tao Yu appeared in the crowd as well. They weren’t qualified to attend the court session, but they knew that today was the day Fang Chen would be judged.
They had expected to merely celebrate amongst themselves, but unexpectedly the entire trial took to the streets, right in public!
They noticed their fathers in the crowd. If not for the emperor’s presence, they would’ve surely rushed over to them to understand the situation.
Defying the orders of the emperor? Confusion filled the faces of the citizens of the Grand Xia Empire.
A smile eventually appeared on Fang Chen’s face. Gathering his spiritual energy, his voice filled the area, travelling for several miles. "This person is a viscount of the Longdu Empire. He hunted down merchants of our Grand Xie Empire for sport! Not only wasn't he remorseful, he even thinks that the citizens of our empire are nothing more than cattle he can kill as he wishes. He violated countless laws and should be sentenced to death!”
The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on fr(e)𝒆webnov(e)l.com