16: The Unparalleled Emperor (Part 10)

The Shenwu Capital, the Golden Throne Hall.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe.

Two battle reports from the Northern Frontier, one joyful and one sorrowful, lay side-by-side on Emperor Shenwu's dragon desk.

The eunuch's shrill voice echoed through the hall.

"Victory from the North! Commander Wu Yun set an ambush at Phantom Valley, waiting at ease for the exhausted enemy, and completely annihilated three thousand elite 'Black Wolf' heavy cavalry of the Langxu Kingdom. A grand victory!"

"From the North... a funeral report. Xiang Tian, the son of Marshal Xiang Tong, acted as bait to cover our main army's retreat. He unfortunately encountered the enemy's main force and died a heroic death for the country!"

Emperor Shenwu's expression betrayed no emotion. He simply said calmly, "Wu Yun has performed a great service; reward him. Xiang Tian was loyal and brave; bury him with honors and provide extra compensation for his family."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The officials shouted in unison, but each had their own thoughts. Wu Yun's rise was too rapid, like the sun at high noon. Meanwhile, the Xiang family's misfortune caused some to gloat and others to feel a sense of shared grief.

Just then, a staggering figure rushed into the hall.

It was Marshal Xiang Tong.

He wore his court robes, but his hair was disheveled and his face was as pale as golden paper, lacking any of the dignity of an Empire Marshal. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the "funeral report" on the dragon desk.

"Your Majesty! This report is false! There is a problem with this report!"

He roared, rushing forward to grab the report that depicted his son as a hero. Before the entire civil and military court, he tore it to shreds with a loud "rip."

"Xiang Tong! How dare you!" Emperor Shenwu frowned.

Ignoring the rebuke, Xiang Tong pulled a blood-stained secret letter from his robes and held it high.

"Your Majesty! This is the truth! My son, Xiang Tian, underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly into an ambush! But Wu Yun was clearly nearby, and he stood by and did nothing! He used the enemy to kill my son!"

"He relies on his military power to act arrogantly and eliminate those who disagree with him! My son was forced by him to seek victory through such risks! I beg Your Majesty to seek justice for my son!"

Having spoken, this iron-blooded marshal, who would bleed but never weep on the battlefield, actually wailed aloud in court, tears streaming down his aged face.

The officials of the First Prince's faction immediately knelt down in unison.

"Your Majesty! There must be a reason for Marshal Xiang's words! This Wu Yun acts with such ruthlessness; we must be on our guard against him!"

"We request Your Majesty to bring Wu Yun back to the capital for a thorough investigation! To comfort Young Master Xiang's soul in heaven!"

Officials from the Third Prince's faction spoke up in rebuttal.

"Absurd! How can a frontline commander be arrested just like that? Military situations change in an instant; everything should be judged by the results of the battle!"

Above the Golden Hall, a cacophony of arguments broke out instantly.

At that moment, the Fifth Prince stepped forward.

With a face full of sorrow, he said, "Father, Lords. Brother Xiang Tian sacrificed his life for the country, and I am also deeply grieved. Marshal Xiang's loss of composure out of love for his son is understandable."

He then changed his tone.

"However, national laws and military discipline cannot be discarded. To satisfy the public and ensure the frontline soldiers are not discouraged, I believe we should temporarily suspend Wu Yun's military duties and send a highly respected Imperial Commissioner to the North to investigate the truth. This way, we can uncover the facts while also appeasing Marshal Xiang, achieving two goals at once."

These words were spoken with such "impartiality" that no fault could be found in them.

Xiang Tong stopped crying and gave the Fifth Prince a grateful look.

Emperor Shenwu fell into deep thought, seemingly about to agree.

Suddenly, a messenger from outside the hall came rushing in, stumbling and crawling, his voice distorted from running so fast.

"Report! An urgent 800-li dispatch from the North! A top-secret memorial from General Wu Yun!"

Everyone's gaze was instantly drawn to him.

The eunuch took the memorial and presented it to Emperor Shenwu. As Emperor Shenwu unfolded and read it, his originally calm expression suddenly changed.

"Read it!"

"Yes!"

The eunuch cleared his throat and read: "Memorial One: Amidst the chaos of battle, I risked my life to save Li Wenhao, the son of the Secretariat Director. Young Master Li is severely injured but remains conscious. He has written a letter to be presented to Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the Secretariat Director's body trembled violently.

The eunuch unfolded the letter and began to read.

In the letter, Li Wenhao used trembling handwriting to detail how Xiang Tian had obtained intelligence of unknown origin, how he ignored everyone's advice and acted willfully, and how his poor command after discovering the ambush led to the total annihilation of the army. At the end of the letter, he wrote with all his strength: "If General Wu Yun had not descended like a divine soldier, our remains would surely be lost... Xiang Tian's death was his own fault and has nothing to do with General Wu!"

An eyewitness!

And it was a handwritten testimony from the son of a high-ranking neutral official!

Xiang Tong's face instantly turned deathly pale.

But that wasn't all.

The eunuch continued reading: "Memorial Two: On the body of Young Master Xiang Tian, I discovered a torn map fragment made of a special material not used by our military. The route on it was exactly the fake intelligence forged by our army to mislead the Langxu Kingdom's scouts. The source of this map seems to point toward a certain noble in the Capital. I dare not speculate and hereby submit the fragment for Your Majesty's judgment!"

The eunuch held a small cloth bundle high.

Physical evidence!

The spearhead was pointed directly at the Capital!

Emperor Shenwu's gaze, like a knife, slowly swept over his sons.

The First Prince's face paled, and he hurriedly lowered his head.

The Fifth Prince's heart raced, but on the surface, he maintained a look of compassion, though his fists were clenched tight within his sleeves.

He hadn't expected Wu Yun to have such a trick up his sleeve. The pawn, Zhou Ming, had to be dealt with immediately!

"Good! What a fine way to raise a son!"

Emperor Shenwu slammed the desk and rose, his anger like a thunderclap.

"Xiang Tong! Your son was incompetent, underestimated the enemy, and threw away the lives of thousands of soldiers! Instead of reflecting, you dare to falsely accuse a frontline commander in court! Do you have any respect for me? Do you have any regard for the laws of the Empire?"

"Guards! Strip Xiang Tong of his marshal's title, fine him three years' salary, and confine him to his home for reflection!"

Xiang Tong felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body went limp, and he was dragged away by the Imperial Guards.

A storm directed at Wu Yun thus dissipated into nothingness... Time flew by.

Five years later, the war between the Shenwu Empire and the Langxu Kingdom ended in a complete victory for the Empire. The Langxu Kingdom ceded territory and paid reparations, and the Empire's power flourished.

In that same year, Emperor Shenwu suffered a Qi Deviation during cultivation. Although his life was saved, it left him with a deep-seated ailment that was difficult to cure.

The balance of power in the Empire began to shake violently.

The First Prince, Second Prince, Third Prince, and even the dormant Fifth Prince all began their final charge for that supreme position. Overt and covert struggles plunged the entire Empire into turmoil.

By this time, Wu Yun was no longer the youth who needed to calculate every move.

After five years of military service and illustrious battle achievements, he had become the Empire's most dazzling military star, commanding a powerful army with fully grown wings.

His cultivation had also quietly broken through, stepping into the Spirit King Realm that countless Cultivators dreamed of.

Another eight years passed. The princes' struggle for the throne intensified, and the Empire's situation became a mess.

Wu Yun's cultivation had already reached the third level of the Spirit King Realm.

In this chaotic game of chess, he had transformed from a mere pawn into a player truly qualified to play the game.