Chapter 55: Emperor Qi, Here I Come - Xu Yan 1

Guo Yunkai had a dumbfounded look on his face. He scanned the room in panic, opened the study window to ensure there was no one eavesdropping, and then he exhaled a sigh of relief. Dad, how come… Did his father lose his wits because the entire family was in danger due to his defeat in the struggle for the heir to the throne? Guo Rongshan took a deep breath, and only then did he slightly calm down. But he still can’t believe what happened. The Third Prince was kneeling and kowtowing to him, acknowledging him as his master. Even Emperor Qi stated that once someone is your master, he will be your father for life. Who on earth has ever seen a prince kowtow this way? What’s even more outrageous is that he was sworn brothers with Emperor Qi! Even more shocking, Emperor Qi wanted to give him Princess Concubine Yun. Since when did emperors give their concubines to ministers?! Emperor Qi didn’t have the habit of being cuckolded! Hearing everything his father said, Guo Yunkai was dumbfounded and looked at his father suspiciously. “It’s not Emperor Qi who’s gone mad, it’s my Dad!” Guo Yunkai thought sadly. The Third Prince returned to the palace feeling dazed. His core advisers rushed over. “Your Highness, what was that urgent summons from the Emperor about?” They asked. The Third Prince looked around, took a deep breath, and whispered into his adviser’s ear, “I suspect that our Emperor has a brain disease!” Adviser: ??? Something seems wrong with the Third Prince! Back in the study, Emperor Qi issued another command: “Issue an imperial decree; appoint Guo Rongshan as the Qi King, the Grand Premier of the Cabinet, and the Crown Prince’s Supreme Master…” The title “Grand Tutor” could no longer match Guo Rongshan’s status. The Emperor established a new title—Crown Prince’s Supreme Master! The word ‘Supreme’ represented the exalted status. Issue an imperial decree; appoint Guo Yunkai as Duke Shenwei, the commander of Qi’s army…” “Make Ming King the Crown Prince!” Ming King was the Third Prince! Emperor Qi issued a series of decrees, and simultaneously had people spread how he rewarded the virtuous, had the Third Prince acknowledge Guo Rongshan as his master, and even humbly formed a bond of brotherhood with Guo Rongshan. He spread wide and far the deeds of Guo Rongshan and the Guo family’s loyal service to the country, praising them for their unwavering devotion. He portrayed Guo Rongshan as the embodiment of loyalty, patriotism, virtue, and saintly morality! The capital was in an uproar! All the civilian and military officials were taken aback! Has the Emperor gone mad? Especially the eldest Prince and his supporters were like falling from the clouds to land in a pit full of feces, the pain was indescribable. The Third Prince was appointed as the Crown Prince! Guo Rongshan was made a King! Grand Premier of the Cabinet, The Crown Prince’s Supreme Master… His son, Guo Yunkai, became Duke Shenwei, who commands the national defense forces of Qi Country! And the rumor amongst the populace was that Guo Rongshan had become a saint, a great character! The parties concerned, Guo Rongshan and his son, were both bewildered, the only thought in their minds: “The Emperor has lost his senses…” Countless ministers presented memorials and even remonstrated to death. The imperial court was in chaos. Those who remonstrated against the death complied. The only thought in the minds of all the civilian and military officials was: “The Emperor is mad…” Until one day, two enormous red dragons burst open the city’s gates. A figure riding one of the red dragons was heading for the palace. A deafening voice resounded: “Emperor Qi, old man, I, Xu Yan, am here!” Xu Yan? All the officials in attendance were stunned; isn’t he Guo Rongshan’s outside grandson? According to rumors, his outside grandson was not very bright and was obsessed with looking for a master, wanting to learn the real Martial Arts. The ministers looked up to see the dragon coming, its oppressive power shaking all directions. His face was instantly filled with horror. Could there be such powerful martial arts in the world? Am I the fool for being unaware? At this moment, all the officials understood why Emperor Qi had carried out a series of absurd actions and why he had been so eager to please Guo Rongshan. All this was because of Guo Rongshan’s grandson, Xu Yan! Emperor Qi watched as the enormous dragon, two to three tens of feet long, slithered through the air. His face turned pale. Though the Flying Hawk secret order had mentioned Xu Yan creating a red dragon with a wave of his palms, rendering all helpless, reading about it and witnessing it firsthand were completely different experiences. He was nearly scared out of his wits. He hastily grabbed Guo Rongshan’s hand next to him, his voice trembling as he said, “Brother Guo, you must persuade your grandson. This old body of mine can’t handle such shocks!” Guo Rongshan, upon seeing Xu Yan soaring in mid-air, was also stunned. His son was so powerful? In that moment, he understood. It wasn’t that Emperor Qi had lost his sanity, but rather, it was because of Xu Yan’s prowess that he had made these seemingly absurd decisions! Xu Yan was now furiously charging towards the palace. The eldest prince must have provoked his grandson by attempting to settle accounts with Guo Rongshan in Donghe prefecture. That must be why Xu Yan was storming the capital city. Your Majesty, don’t worry. My grandson, Xu Yan, is a kind and honest young man; he won’t do anything excessive!” Upon understanding the situation, Guo Rongshan straightened up, his confidence restored. Emperor Qi’s mouth twitched. A kind and honest boy? Only Guo Rongshan could say something like that! “Yan’er, what are you making such a fuss about? It’s not good to alarm His Majesty!” Guo Rongshan called over to Xu Yan. Hmph!” Xu Yan glanced at Emperor Qi standing next to his grandfather, snorted coldly, and pushed his palms downwards, merging the two dragons into one giant dragon. With a resounding crash, it landed in the square outside the palace hall. A rumble followed, and clouds of dust billowed into the air. The impact of the dragon left a deep trench dividing the square into two equal parts! The officials, palace guards, and top martial artists all broke out in cold sweats. “Grandfather! Xu Yan approached Guo Rongshan. “Hahaha, Yan’er, your arrival is timely. Let me introduce you. This is His Majesty, your grandfather’s sworn brother!” Guo Rongshan pulled Xu Yan’s hand, gleefully introducing him. “Sworn brother?” Xu Yan looked at Emperor Qi in confusion. Since when did his grandfather become sworn brothers with Emperor Qi? Since they were sworn brothers, why did those officials dare to ransack his home? Emperor Qi forced a friendly smile onto his face, any traces of his royal dignity now completely non-existent. For the ministers of Qi Country, this was a day their worldview would be shattered. The legendary divine martial artist, as described in the storybooks, had appeared! Moreover, it was Guo Rongshan’s grandson, the one who had been mocked as inept! In the end, the real fools were they! That day, the capital city was rocked to its core when a divine being, controlling a dragon, burst into the royal palace. “Emperor Qi is a foolish and incompetent ruler, The divine has come to destroy Qi Country. Qi Country’s days are numbered. The Holy Mother’s divine light is illuminating all living beings, saving the people from peril and restoring order in the world at the crucial moment…” Suddenly, members of the hidden Holy Mother Cult excitedly emerged and charged towards the palace, ready to seize the chance to rebel! The people were stunned. Were there ridden Holy Mother Cult followers in the capital city? They seriously dared to rebel given the opportunity! As for Emperor Qi, he was more afraid of Xu Yan than some cult followers. He was already feeling stifled, so it was a perfect opportunity for him to vent his anger by suppressing these cult followers. So, forces were sent forth to capture and root out the cult followers. With the arrival of Xu Yan, peace was truly a stranger to the capital city of Qi Country, and even the entire country. Soon after, the news of Xu Yan single-handedly, a nd effortlessly, defeating tens of thousands of troops in Donghe Prefecture was circulated among the ministers. Only at that moment did they understand the reason behind Emperor Qi’s absurd actions..