152: What guilt have the people committed?

“The black mist is fading,” Shen Jianhong suddenly said. Only then did everyone notice that after the lightning dissipated, the black mist had thinned considerably compared to before.

Through the transparent protective barrier, even a slight thinning of the black mist was clearly visible to the naked eye.

“This…” Wang Guanli’s brows furrowed, and his fingers unconsciously caressed the jade pendant at his waist. “Could it be that the black mist is retreating?”

Wang Guanli’s voice was not low, and all the accompanying officials heard it. For a moment, they lowered their voices and began to discuss.

“It’s retreating?”

“If you ask me, why doesn’t this black mist just engulf the entire Old Capital? Traitor Liu Chongshan would surely be unable to escape his doom…”

“Your Excellency, mind your words!”

An official nearby hastily interrupted, casting a guilty glance at the Emperor not far away.

Li Shun’s back, with his hands clasped behind him, remained motionless, but the taut lines of his shoulders betrayed his inner turmoil.

From the day he left the capital, he had thought it through—the late Emperor’s senility during the transfer of imperial power was the root cause of the authority falling into others’ hands.

Without Liu Chongshan, there would be a Li Chongshan or a Wang Chongshan. Li Shun held no deep-seated hatred for Liu Chongshan, but he did not understand why these low-ranking officials thought this way.

Regardless of Liu Chongshan, the people of Great Yan were all his subjects.

What sin had the common people committed? What sin had all living beings committed?

He would rather confront Liu Chongshan with an open blade than use such evil power.

To kill one person, at the cost of the lives of two provinces, such a method of acting through malevolent forces ran contrary to his ideal of a sagacious ruler.

Perhaps, he should go to the Lord Chu Ping Temple to sincerely offer sacrifices and seek a way to resolve the situation.

With his mind made up, Li Shun turned and left. It wasn't until Li Shun’s figure disappeared around the corner of the city wall that the oppressive atmosphere suddenly eased.

“Lord Wang!”

Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue climbed to his feet, dusting off his official robes, his face still bearing a look of lingering shock.

“Lord Wang! Is His Majesty going to tolerate Traitor Liu?”

“Lord Zhang,” Wang Guanli interrupted coldly.

“Do you know that the words you just spoke are enough to cost you your head three times over?”

Several young officials couldn’t help but whisper in agreement: “Exactly! Traitor Liu certainly deserves to be executed, but what sin have the people of the Old Capital committed?”

“Heh~” Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue suddenly let out a strange laugh, pointing at the faint outline of the Old Capital in the north.

“Do you truly believe that the black mist retreating is a good thing? If Liu Chongshan doesn’t die, he will sooner or later lead that pack of loyal followers to Qingzhou!”

“Fellow colleagues,” Wang Guanli surveyed the crowd, his voice as steady as an ancient well.

“Please listen to this old man’s words: evil is evil. Before it kills Traitor Liu, it will kill more of our Great Yan people.”

“Also, this is Qingzhou, Lord Chuping’s territory.”

After speaking, Wang Guanli snorted coldly and turned to leave.

His words were already very clear: this was Lord Chuping’s territory, and perhaps their every word and action were within Lord Chuping’s perception.

‘Now, an idiot like Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is openly cursing the black mist to engulf the Old Capital in front of all the city’s people…’

Wang Guanli pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. “If Lord Chuping thinks this is the court’s intention…”

“No, no, I should go offer some incense now!”

Many people had the same idea as Wang Guanli, and for a time, the incense offerings at the Lord Chu Ping Temple increased significantly.

Especially Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who had spoken earlier, he even spent a fortune to buy an extra-long and extra-thick stick of incense.

Lin Chuping: “…”

* * *

Lin Chuping’s Divine Sense floated above the temple, looking down at the kneeling officials below, his mouth twitching slightly.

【Host, it seems they’ve misunderstood something?】 The System’s mechanical voice carried a clear hint of schadenfreude.

“Misunderstood?” Lin Chuping watched the official named Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue tremblingly hold the three-foot-long incense stick, his forehead already bruised from kowtowing.

“You’re right, they’re being so cautious right now, it’s just because they’re afraid of offending me.”

Power is a good thing; everyone covets it, stopping at nothing, only wishing to put their opponent to death.

Unfortunately, Lin Chuping had already seen a broader world; for him, power was not as real as improving his strength.

Inside the bustling main hall, blue smoke swirled.

Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue appeared to have been kneeling for a considerable time; his knees were numb, and his face was pale, yet he still dared not rise.

【Host, aren’t you going to step forward and explain? Could it be that you really intend to hold it against him?】 The System couldn’t help but ask.

“Not so,” Lin Chuping’s Divine Sense retracted from above the temple, and he sighed softly: “When have I ever bothered to contend with Mortals?”

System: “…”

The System grumbled inwardly that it was a question he couldn't answer well. It would be better to interview the Clan Chief of the Wang Family of the former Prefecture City, who died under Thunder Punishment; he had experience suitable for answering this question.

“Besides, if I have to appear every time someone tries to coerce me (moral blackmail) like this, how worthless would I be?”

【Host, this person has already kowtowed more than thirty times,】 the System’s mechanical voice carried a hint of teasing, 【If he kowtows any more, he’s likely to faint in the hall.】

Lin Chuping’s Divine Sense hung from the rafters, observing the scene below with a cold eye.

A flourishing incense offering was what he sought, but the offerings born of such fear stirred a trace of irritation in his heart.

It gave him a feeling of being morally blackmailed.

“Mortals are always like this.”

“Just wait, Temple Official Chen will handle it. If she can’t handle it, then this Temple Official should be replaced.”

No sooner had Lin Chuping spoken than a commotion erupted outside the hall.

The old Temple Official, Granny Chen, hurried in, leaning on her walking stick.

“Your Excellency. The Temple is a place of purity; such noise might disturb the Venerable God’s cultivation.”

Granny Chen’s voice was not loud, yet it made all the officials in the hall hold their breath simultaneously.

Wang Guanli was the first to react, rushing forward to support Granny Chen: “Temple Official Chen, it was our oversight.”

His gaze flickered to Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who was still kowtowing, and he hesitated to speak.

“Lord Zhang,” Granny Chen walked to the incense table and placed her hand on Zhang Qian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue’s forehead, which was about to kowtow again, “Sincerity is key; too much is as bad as too little.”