48: Chapter 48 Cult?

Below, Commander Lu Bing of the Embroidered Uniform Guard raised his eyes to look at Xia Chen on the Dragon throne. After a moment of preparation, he spoke first.

His tone was calm and waveless, without the slightest fluctuation of emotion.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Third Prince Xia Hong has been found in a secret underground chamber beneath a secluded house in the West Lane of the capital."

Commander Lu Bing's voice was low and clear, slowly spreading through the silent hall.

"Beside Third Prince Xia Hong, there was a guard who swore to protect his master to the death. This person, named Shen Boyuan, was an old servant raised by the Shen Family for many years. His cultivation had reached the Great Grandmaster Peak, and he could be considered a formidable expert in the Jianghu."

"To protect Third Prince Xia Hong's escape, he resisted the Embroidered Uniform Guard' encirclement to the death. I took action personally and have already executed him."

At this point, Commander Lu Bing paused, his eyes not wavering in the slightest as he met Xia Chen's gaze openly.

"Third Prince Xia Hong himself offered desperate resistance and attempted to break out, so he was beheaded on the spot by my elite Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Xia Chen, on the Dragon throne, nodded slightly, his face devoid of expression.

Seeing this, Commander Lu Bing continued his report in a deep voice, detailing the subsequent handling of the matter.

"The Shen Family, the maternal clan of Third Prince Xia Hong, has served as officials for generations and has a deep Foundation in the imperial court. This time, they participated in the Third Prince's rebellion from start to finish, and their crimes are unforgivable."

"Acting on Your Majesty's secret order, I have apprehended and executed all members of the Shen Family, including direct descendants, collateral branches, family members, and servants, totaling two hundred and fifteen people. Not a single one escaped."

"The Shen Family has entrenched itself in the capital for many years, with over a thousand mu of farmland, more than sixty shops of various sizes, and eight residential estates."

"I have arranged for personnel to inventory and register everything. All assets have been confiscated into the national treasury, without a single cent missing. The detailed accounts will be presented to Your Majesty shortly."

Upon hearing Commander Lu Bing's full report, a trace of satisfaction finally appeared in Xia Chen's eyes, and he nodded slowly.

If you cut the grass without removing the roots, the spring breeze will make it grow again. He understood this principle better than anyone.

These clans and princes who participated in the rebellion might seem to have been wiped out under the purge, but if even a trace of remnants were left behind, they would lie dormant, accumulate power in secret, and sooner or later become a grave threat.

Even with his Peak Heaven-Human Realm cultivation, Xia Chen did not think these remnants could stir up any trouble. However, the Dao of an Emperor lies in nipping problems in the bud.

It was like having mosquitoes buzzing by one's ear; even if they couldn't harm you, they were annoying. Only by eradicating them completely in advance could one rest easy and sit firmly upon this Great Xia empire.

What he wanted was a clear and bright imperial court, for no one to ever dare covet the throne again, and for all rebels to vanish like smoke. He could not leave behind any hidden dangers.

After Commander Lu Bing finished his report, he bowed and stepped aside. Wei Zhongxian immediately stepped forward, hunching his body with a fawning smile on his face.

He held a simple, dark wooden box in both hands, his fingertips pressing slightly as he slowly opened the box to present it before Xia Chen.

Under the candlelight, the scene inside the wooden box was clearly visible. Three severed heads were neatly arranged inside.

Two of the faces were still recognizable. They were the previously favored Imperial Noble Consort Su Lianyue and Ninth Prince Xia Li.

Imperial Noble Consort Su Lianyue's makeup was disheveled, and terror and unwillingness still lingered on her face.

The fear in the Ninth Prince's eyes was even more lamentable, yet no one in the hall felt any pity.

The other head belonged to a middle-aged man. His face was ferocious, his eyes wide open, and blood still hung from the corner of his mouth. At a glance, he was clearly an expert with profound cultivation who must have experienced a fierce battle before death.

"Your Majesty." Wei Zhongxian's shrill voice echoed in the hall. "This servant has followed Your Majesty's decree to purge the Su Family rebels, and the mission has been completed to Perfection."

"The Su Family's direct and collateral branches, totaling three hundred and seventy-two people, regardless of gender or age, have all been executed. Not a single one escaped."

"Imperial Noble Consort Su Lianyue took Ninth Prince Xia Li and, seeing that the situation was dire, attempted to flee the palace amidst the chaos to join the Su Family remnants. I personally led men to intercept and kill them on the outskirts of the city, and they died on the spot."

"The head of the Su Family, Su Changqing, was the mastermind behind the Su Family's rebellion. His cultivation was not weak, and he offered desperate resistance, but he was also executed by my own hands."

As he spoke, Wei Zhongxian lowered his head to glance at the heads in the wooden box, a cold and ruthless smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"Your Majesty, the Su Family has been in business for generations and had Imperial Noble Consort Su Lianyue as support in the palace. Over the years, they have plundered the people's wealth, embezzled, and taken bribes, accumulating monstrous wealth."

"I have led men to thoroughly inventory all of the Su Family's properties. The ready silver alone amounts to eight million taels, all of which have been sealed and are ready to be delivered to the national treasury."

"In addition, the Su Family possesses countless amounts of fertile farmland in the areas surrounding the capital, as well as in Yue Prefecture and Lanzhou."

"There are also over a hundred shops of various kinds, including silk stores, grain shops, pawnshops, and money exchanges, spread across various prefectures. Their business was immense."

"I roughly estimate that these farmlands and shops are worth at least twenty million taels of silver."

"If they are all sold and confiscated, it will be enough to fill the national treasury and alleviate the imperial court's current pressure regarding food and military pay."

Upon hearing this, Xia Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This Su Family was truly dripping with wealth. For years, they had relied on their status as imperial relatives to amass countless riches. If this massive wealth had been used to collude with rebel parties and recruit troops, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Now that they have been confiscated, it has both eradicated the rebels and filled the national treasury; it can be said to be killing two birds with one stone.

"You have done well," Xia Chen said calmly, his tone carrying a hint of approval.

His gaze then fell upon the strange man's head in the wooden box. "Who is this person? Looking at his face, he is not a member of the Su Family, nor does he look like an official in the court."

Wei Zhongxian hurriedly lowered his head and answered respectfully, not daring to hide anything. "Reporting to Your Majesty, this person is not an official of Great Xia, but the leader of the Tianming Sect, named Zhou Tianming."

"The Tianming Sect?" Xia Chen's eyes darkened. He instantly remembered the assassination attempt at the Grand Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony; those two Heaven-Man Realm assassins were indeed from the Tianming Sect.

"Exactly," Wei Zhongxian nodded hurriedly and continued. "This Zhou Tianming has profound cultivation, with genuine Heaven-Human Realm Mid-stage strength."

"I have investigated clearly: the two Heaven-Man Realm assassins who ambushed Your Majesty at the Grand Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony were arranged by him personally. He gave the order to strike and is one of the direct masterminds behind the assassination of Your Majesty."

"Having been executed by me this time, it can be considered venting some of Your Majesty's anger."

Speaking of this, Wei Zhongxian paused slightly, a look of confusion appearing on his face. "Your Majesty, there is one matter that I find quite strange and wish to report to Your Majesty."

Xia Chen raised his hand, signaling him to continue. "Speak freely."

"Yes," Wei Zhongxian replied and explained in detail. "After the Grand Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony, those two assassins were captured alive and imprisoned in the dungeon."

"I previously went to the dungeon personally to interrogate them, wanting to investigate the background of the Tianming Sect, but I noticed that the aura on those two assassins was very strange and highly unusual."

"Although they displayed Heaven-Man Realm cultivation, that aura was not pure; it was floating and weak, with a very shallow Foundation, lacking the condensation and stability that a Heaven-Man Realm expert should possess."

"Instead, it seemed like it had been forcibly elevated by some external force, not achieved through their own hard work and Breakthrough, revealing a sense of eeriness."

"Yet this Zhou Tianming possesses genuine Heaven-Human Realm Mid-stage cultivation, with a thick aura and a solid Foundation, completely different from those two assassins."

"What is even more bizarre is that just a short while ago, news came from the dungeon that the two captured Heaven-Man Realm assassins died suddenly without any warning."

"After I inspected them, I discovered that they died from Qi Deviation, caused by disordered Qi and blood and reverse flow of the Meridians."

Wei Zhongxian frowned, his heart filled with confusion. "I feel this matter is too suspicious. Even if an ordinary Cultivator suffers from Qi Deviation, they would not die so suddenly, let alone someone with Heaven-Man Realm cultivation."

"I suspect that the deaths of these two are likely related to that method of forcibly elevating their cultivation. Either they were silenced, or the method itself has a fatal flaw."