Reincarnated as a Ginkgo Tree: I Create an Eternal Divine Kingdom - Chapter 111

“Getting slapped in the face? Is face really more important than substance?”

The High Priest argued, “Are you people just hoping for chaos, wanting the Great Xia Empire’s foundation to be shaken?”

“The foundation shaken?”

The newly appointed Grand Seer said, “High Priest, your words are overly alarmist. Indeed, the Great Xia Empire is currently facing a crisis, but I believe it’s far from a situation where the foundation is in danger. Our three strongest provinces, Zhong, Jiangzhou, and Luzhou, remain untouched. As long as these provinces are intact, our foundation is secure.”

“So, you all still refuse to hand over Fang Zhaodong?”

The High Priest laughed in anger, “Because of Fang Zhaodong, we lost Nanjing City, Qingzhou is in turmoil, and countless citizens have lost their homes and lives. Do you truly think it’s worth it?”

“Of course it’s worth it,”

The Imperial Prince retorted, “For the Great Xia Empire, the most important thing is dignity. Without dignity, how can we maintain control over the Four Seas?”

“An imperial decree!”

As the officials argued, a eunuch with a pale face and no beard entered.

The officials immediately fell silent.

“Fang Zhaodong defied the court’s orders, and without authorization, used the Qingzhou Sword to attack the Misty Forbidden Zone, leading to chaos in Qingzhou. This is a grave crime.”

The eunuch declared, “To quell the chaos in Qingzhou, Fang Zhaodong shall be escorted to the Misty Forbidden Zone to atone for his crimes.”

The Imperial Prince and the new Grand Seer’s faces turned extremely grim.

The High Priest, on the other hand, was elated. “The emperor is wise.”

Grand Chancellor also breathed a sigh of relief. “We will obey the imperial command.”

The Prime Minister and Grand Historian remained indifferent as if none of this concerned them.

“Gentlemen, the question now is, who among you is willing to escort Fang Zhaodong to the Misty Forbidden Zone?”

The eunuch asked.

The High Priest and Grand Chancellor exchanged glances.

The Misty Forbidden Zone was nothing short of a dragon’s lair—who would dare venture there lightly?

The Imperial Prince and Grand Seer sneered.

“I’ll go.”

Finally, the Grand Historian, who had been almost invisible throughout the discussion, spoke up.

The others looked at him in surprise.

But no one objected.

After all, this was a hot potato, and they were more than happy for someone else to take it.

The court session ended.

The Imperial Prince and Grand Seer met at the Grand Seer’s residence.

“Fang Zhaodong knows too many of our secrets.”

The Grand Seer frowned, “Especially in recent years, we’ve secretly colluded with the demons of the Eastern Sea, reaping huge profits. Fang Zhaodong was involved in many of these activities. If we hand him over, and he exposes our dealings, it won’t be good for us.”

“Haha, you’re absolutely right. Fang Zhaodong cannot be handed over to the Misty Forbidden Zone.”

The Imperial Prince’s eyes gleamed coldly.

“So what do we do?”

The Grand Seer asked, “The emperor has given the order, and it’s beyond our control.”

“We can’t defy the emperor’s command, of course.”

Imperial Prince said, “But sometimes, natural disasters and man-made calamities are beyond even the emperor’s foresight. Fang Zhaodong repeatedly targeted the Misty Forbidden Zone, earning their hatred. If he were to be assassinated by the demons of the Misty Forbidden Zone, that would be quite reasonable, wouldn’t you agree, Grand Seer?”

The Grand Seer’s eyes lit up. “Imperial Prince, you speak wisely.”

A servant approached to pour them wine.

As the servant lowered his head, a flash of light crossed his eyes.

After pouring the wine, he silently withdrew.

Thirty breaths later.

In the estate of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion in Taikang City.

A young girl was practicing her cultivation.

This girl was none other than Su Yao.

As the core disciple of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, Su Yao had been brought to Taikang City by the pavilion’s master, Liang Chengchu, who also held the imperial title of Prime Minister.

At that moment, a communication talisman flew in.

Su Yao’s expression changed.

After receiving the talisman, her eyes turned icy.

She was aware of the discussions in the court.

She thought the matter had been settled, but it turned out that the Imperial Prince and Grand Seer were still harboring treacherous thoughts.

The Misty Forbidden Zone had demanded that the Great Xia Empire hand over Fang Zhaodong so that the Misty Forbidden Zone could deal with him.

This was the only way to demonstrate the authority of the Misty Forbidden Zone.

But the Imperial Prince and Grand Seer planned to secretly murder Fang Zhaodong instead.

If Su Yao were just an ordinary disciple of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, even with her exceptional talent, she would be powerless in the face of this situation.

But she wasn’t.

A gray-robed woman appeared behind her.

“Aunt.”

Su Yao greeted respectfully.

The gray-robed woman was one of Xia Yuerong’s people.

In the past, after the Taishang Sect was destroyed by Dongfang Xuan, Xia Yuerong lost everything and embarked on a journey across the world.

Along the way, she saved many people.

Some of those people later followed her and went into hiding across the Great Xia Empire.

The gray-robed woman held the highest rank among them.

Of course, the elder of the Green Hills Mansion, Xia Yuerong, knew nothing of this. Only the Taishang emotionless Xia Yuerong was aware.

And Xia Yuerong treated Su Yao as her successor.

Given that Su Yao was also Su Mu’s person, the emotionless Xia Yuerong entrusted everything she had to Su Yao.

As a result, Su Yao controlled a very powerful force.

“Aunt, there’s news from Grand Seer’s residence…”

Su Yao began.

“I’m already aware.”

The gray-robed woman said, “There’s only one way to resolve this.”

“What way?”

Su Yao was taken aback.

The situation was extremely difficult, and she had yet to come up with a solution. She was surprised that the gray-robed woman already had one.

Even one solution was a rare thing.

“Kill theImperial Prince.”

The gray-robed woman said.

Su Yao was shocked.

The Imperial Prince was one of the Six Ministers of the empire.

The idea of killing someone like that had never crossed her mind.

But after calming down, she realized that this was indeed the best solution.

The Imperial Prince was the root of all the problems.

As long as the Imperial Prince was killed, everything would fall into place.

Moreover, the Misty Forbidden Zone had already killed one of the Six Ministers before.

The previous Grand Seer, Dongfang Xuan, had died at the hands of the Misty Forbidden Zone.

But the most crucial point was…

Su Yao couldn’t help but look at the gray-robed woman. “Aunt, forty years ago, you married the Imperial Prince. Do you have no feelings for him?”

The gray-robed woman’s name was Xu Yuexin, and she was the Imperial Prince’s cousin.

She also had another identity: The Imperial Prince’s first wife.

The gray-robed woman smiled. “Do you think any woman could have feelings for a husband who doesn’t even want to touch her, yet has thirty-six concubines?”

Their marriage was purely political, a bond between two families.

Because of this, the Imperial Prince never liked her and refused to touch her.

Her so-called son was actually the child of the Imperial Prince’s favorite concubine, raised under her name to give the boy a higher status.

Hearing this, Su Yao looked at Xu Yuexin with sympathy.

“You don’t need to pity me. I’m not worth pitying,”

Xu Yuexin said calmly. “The wealth and luxury I possess are dreams that many people can never attain. Besides, my heart died when my family forced me into this marriage, and the Imperial Prince secretly sent assassins to kill me.”

Xia Yuerong had saved her from the assassination.

After decades of investigation, she had confirmed that the Imperial Prince was behind the attempt on her life.

The Imperial Prince had not wanted to marry her, so he had tried to have her killed. When the assassination failed, he had no choice but to marry her, but he refused to touch her.

That night.

The Imperial Prince returned to his residence.

He instinctively headed towards the Plum Blossom Garden, where his beloved concubine lived. As for his first wife, Xu Yuexin, even the thought of her repulsed him.

“My lord, the madam requests your presence,”

A maid reported.

The Imperial Prince frowned, deeply resistant to the idea.

But he knew that his wife hated him just as much, and wouldn’t ask for him unless it was important. So he made his way to the main hall.

Upon arriving, he found Xu Yuexin sitting there with the dignity befitting her status.

When she saw him enter, she didn’t even lift her eyelids.

The Imperial Prince was equally unceremonious. “What is it?”

“No rush, let’s have a meal and discuss it slowly,”

Xu Yuexin replied. The more casual she was, the more the Imperial Prince felt that something significant was at hand, so he didn’t dare delay.

Although he disliked Xu Yuexin, he trusted her enough to sit down and eat.

But it wasn’t long before the Imperial Prince noticed something was wrong. He felt dizzy. Without hesitation, Xu Yuexin pulled out the hairpin from her hair and stabbed it into the Imperial Prince’s throat.

“Why… why?”

The Imperial Prince looked at Xu Yuexin in disbelief.

Xu Yuexin didn’t answer. She walked over to a hanging portrait in the room.

The portrait was covered with a veil.

When Xu Yuexin removed the veil, the Imperial Prince clearly saw the image on the portrait.

It was unmistakably an ancient ginkgo tree.

The Imperial Prince was struck as if by lightning, staring at Xu Yuexin. “You… you’re one of that demon tree’s people?”

Xu Yuexin said calmly, “Husband, have a safe journey.”

“No, tell the emperor… the emperor must destroy that demon tree…”

The Imperial Prince was utterly terrified.

At that moment, he realized that the demon tree was far more terrifying than anyone in the Great Xia Empire had ever imagined.

Not only was its strength formidable, but its schemes were deep and far-reaching. Its influence had already infiltrated the capital. Even his wife was one of its agents.

But he didn’t have the chance to say more.

Soon, his thoughts were consumed by darkness. That night, a piece of news shocked the entire capital.

The Imperial Prince, one of the Six Ministers, had been assassinated in his own home.

Xu Yuexin was the first to arrive at the scene after the Imperial Prince’s death, and she fainted from grief.

No one suspected her. She had been married to the Imperial Prince for forty years. Although their relationship wasn’t exactly loving, they had always been respectful of each other.

And they had their own child. Their interests were already deeply intertwined.

In the Imperial Prince residence.

A beautiful woman stormed into Xu Yuexin’s room in a rage. “It was you, wasn’t it? You did this, didn’t you?”

No one else knew, but she did—Xu Yuexin and the Imperial Prince had no children.

The world hadn’t suspected Xu Yuexin because they believed the couple had a child and must have had feelings for each other.

But she knew that the child was hers.

Xu Yuexin and the Imperial Prince had been at odds for years.

With the Imperial Prince dead, she immediately suspected Xu Yuexin.

Xu Yuexin looked at her coldly.

At that moment, the beautiful woman panicked.

She finally realized something was wrong.

In the past, Xu Yuexin couldn’t touch her because the Imperial Prince was there to protect her.

But now that the Imperial Prince was dead…

Soon after, Xu Yuexin’s cold voice echoed from the room. “The Ninth Concubine has gone to mourn the master. She has followed him in death.”

Shortly after, the Ninth Concubine’s screams filled the room.

In the imperial court.

The ministers were all deeply troubled.

Whoever had been able to kill the Imperial Prince so silently could do the same to them.

“What do you think? How did the Imperial Prince die? Who killed him?” The Grand Seer asked gravely.

“Only three forces in the world today could have done this,” the High Priest said. “One is our own Great Xia Empire, but that’s clearly impossible and can be ruled out. The second is the ancient sects, who, despite lying low for years, still have deep roots. The third is the top forbidden zones.”

He paused before adding, “And it just so happens that the Imperial Prince’s hostility towards the Misty Forbidden Zone was no secret.”

“You suspect the Misty Forbidden Zone did this?” The Grand Seer asked, narrowing his eyes.

The High Priest did not answer.

The other ministers were also silent.

It seemed that matters involving the Misty Forbidden Zone had become a taboo subject in the court.

It was clear that the ministers were all suspicious of the Misty Forbidden Zone.

But if that were the case, the Misty Forbidden Zone was far more terrifying than they had ever imagined.

The ministers began to feel a deep fear and dread of the Misty Forbidden Zone.

It was Prime Minister Liang who finally broke the silence, his tone icy. “I suspect that there is someone within our court who is colluding with the Misty Forbidden Zone!”

This statement caused an uproar.

One minister quickly spoke up, “Prime Minister, are you saying someone is conspiring with the Misty Forbidden Zone?”

“Yes, and they must hold a very high position. Otherwise, no matter how powerful the Misty Forbidden Zone is, how could they have killed the Imperial Prince so silently?”

Prime Minister Liang replied.

Seeing that the court was about to descend into chaos, the Grand Chancellor quickly intervened. “Enough. Let’s not discuss baseless matters any further. Grand Historian, the task of escorting Fang Zhaodong to the Misty Forbidden Zone can no longer be delayed. You must set out today.”

“Very well!” Grand Historian Zhou agreed.

The ministers all breathed a sigh of relief.

They all wanted the matter concerning the Misty Forbidden Zone resolved as soon as possible.

Many even felt that the Imperial Prince’s death had been for the best.

If they had resolved this matter earlier and not insisted on standing up to the Misty Forbidden Zone for Fang Zhaodong, things would never have escalated to this point.