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But the sadness in Kong Deming's eyes soon disappeared, replaced by anticipation.
He was very curious about how this new Sun and Moon Emperor compared to Xu Tianran and what changes he would bring to the Sun and Moon Empire.
The Third Prince acted quickly. The Prince's Palace was sealed off by the Royal Patrol, and many of the Prince's supporters among the ministers were taken away one after another.
The privilege of not being punished for the tributes and being exempted from direct liquidation only belonged to the tributes or important officials, not to them. However, many people were released after interrogation and were safe and sound. Only a small number of stubborn supporters were still detained, and the physical suffering could not change their words.
When Orange was taken away, his eyes were dull and he looked unconscious, as if his heart was dead, and he remained silent the entire time.
Her identity was somewhat special, and the royal patrol team did not dare to deal with her on their own and could only put her under house arrest temporarily.
"Grandpa, it's all over."
Meng Hongchen, who was standing behind Jing Hongchen, spoke softly. The woman was attentive, and she could see the sadness in Jing Hongchen better than Xiao Hongchen.
"Yes, everything is over, and it ended so simply." Jing Hongchen's tone was a little flat.
“Grandpa, are you unhappy?” Xiao Hongchen asked, “Huo Yuhao has succeeded. The status of the Hongchen family and Mingde Hall has been further improved. In the future, we no longer have to rely on the royal family.”
Jing Hongchen smiled bitterly and shook his head, “Xiao, Meng, Grandpa is sincerely happy for you and the Hongchen family, but I feel sad for myself.”
He turned and walked towards the Sun Moon Academy: "Let's go back. I'm afraid tomorrow's morning court will not be peaceful."
Sometimes choice is more important than hard work. Jing Hongchen obviously did nothing, but just because he stood on the right side and supported the right person, the entire Hongchen family and Mingdetang will prosper. There will never be another investment with a higher rate of return than this.
From time to time, people cast envious glances at Jing Hongchen.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was one of the few strong men who did not go up to the seventh floor to protect Xu Tianran.
Even the third prince Xu Tianci is highly valued by the new emperor, so Jing Hongchen's future will be even more prosperous.
On the Temple of Heaven, only Huo Yuhao and a few others were left, without any other ministers of the Sun and the Moon.
Millions of people in the surrounding areas gradually dispersed under the command of the army, and peace returned to the southern suburbs.
It is now dusk and the sun is setting.
"Aha--"
Huo Yuhao gasped tiredly and lay down on the ground. The Northland Douluo transformed from his spiritual body also disappeared.
The two Ice and Snow Emperors took off their cloaks, and Tianmeng also came out of the sea of spirit with an octagonal head.
Tian Meng also lay on the ground as soon as she came out, her eyes swirling around. She had given Huo Yuhao her own source of power just for that epic spiritual sharing.
"Yuhao... this time, this time we really got into big trouble..."
Bagua used its ice-condensing power to try to help Tian Meng and Huo Yuhao recover, but it seemed to be very effective, as it was not a spiritual attribute.
Although he felt dizzy, Huo Yuhao was laughing, and his laughter was full of excitement.
He covered his head with his left hand and pointed to the sky with his right hand. He gestured randomly and muttered to himself.
"The Temple of Heaven is a hundred feet high, shining with the light of the sun and the moon. The thief who stole the country secretly became the new emperor one day."
Bingdi praised him in a rare gesture: "Everything is as you expected. Now you are qualified to call yourself the emperor."
She paused and added, "In fact, I was worried before. If so many powerful people really attacked together, I and Xue'er would not be able to guarantee that we would be able to escape unscathed even in our prime."
Xue Di nodded in agreement: "The development of human soul technology has far exceeded our imagination. No wonder this country can compete with the other three countries on its own."
Huo Yuhao smiled sinisterly and said, “But now, the owner of the most powerful violent machine on this continent has become me.”
He looked up at the sky through his fingers and talked to himself.
"If there really are spirits of the Sun and Moon ancestors in heaven, what would they think if they saw that the Sun and Moon Emperor had become an outsider?"
At this moment, an untimely voice sounded in the sky.
"They will definitely feel ashamed. They have never seen an emperor lying on the ground with his arms and legs spread out like this."
The figure that was slowly descending from the sky on a flying board was Huo Qiu'er. She teased mercilessly, her tall figure casting a slender shadow in the evening light.
No one dared to fly over the Temple of Heaven and disturb the new emperor's solitude. Only Huo Qiuer, who knew the inside story, dared to be so presumptuous.
“Don’t you see it now?” Huo Yuhao laughed.
"Congratulations, you have managed to hide the truth from the world." Huo Qiuer added, "It's just that the method used was a bit vulgar."
“It’s a little despicable, but it’s also effective.” Huo Yuhao admitted readily, “I call this move the box weapon.”
"If I want to attack someone again and reveal his secrets to millions of people, how many people can bear it?"
Huo Qiuer: "...I advise you to be kind."
This move had no actual killing power, but Huo Qiuer believed that even the strongest person in the world would never want his privacy to be exposed and accept humiliation from the world.
How strong must that person be mentally to be able to withstand such an insult?
Huo Qiuer thought of a method in Huo Yuhao's memory called writing short essays, which was similar to this one.
"Don't worry, I promise I will never be the first to use weapons lightly."
Huo Qiuer stopped talking about this topic and asked again: "You have ruled the Sun and Moon Empire now, what are your plans for the future?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head: "It's still early. I am only an emperor in name only, and I don't have much power of my own."
He lay on the ground, took out the soul guide cigarette and put it in his mouth.
"I don't have any military power, and the Protector of the Nation doesn't listen to me at all. Among all the civil and military officials in the court, I'm afraid Jing Hongchen is the only one who supports me."
Bingdi frowned and said, "You have already claimed the throne. Apart from Kong Deming, there is no human stronger than us. Is there anyone who dares not to submit to you?"
"Of course. Why should they obey me, a guy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere?"
Bingdi was still puzzled: "By force."
"Force is often effective, but it cannot solve the root of the problem. You can easily kill those people, but who will do the work after that? It is impossible for me to manage such a big country alone."
Huo Yuhao looked up at the sky and murmured, “And if killing alone would work, there would be no corrupt officials in the other Sun Moon Empire.”
After thinking for a long time, he chuckled helplessly.
“Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish. Take your time.”
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 463 I am here to attend court
The sun rises in the east, and the history of the Sun-Moon Empire officially opens a new chapter.
In the magnificent Sun and Moon Palace, all officials have lined up in an orderly manner.
It was still far from the time for the morning court to begin, but an atmosphere of solemnity and dignity filled the hall.
Today is the first morning court of the new emperor. The ministers knew very little about him before and had no idea of his temper and likes and dislikes, so they were afraid of angering him.
The crowd was still arranged according to status. The princes were closest to the throne. Compared with the trembling ministers, they were much calmer.
They are representatives of the older generation of royal aristocrats. Even when Xu Tianran was alive, he had to respect them as imperial uncles, so they don't need to please Xu Tianran.
According to the royal family genealogy, the new emperor's seniority was still lower than those of the old princes, so naturally they did not believe that the new emperor would do anything to them.
On the contrary, the new emperor is only the successor to the throne in name only. If he wants to completely control the royal family, he must in turn win over these old princes with whom he has conflicting interests.
Among the old princes, there was an old man with a slightly thin figure. He was looking around the main hall arrogantly. He caught a glimpse of a familiar fat figure a few seats away. He was obviously a little displeased and said sarcastically, "Jing Hongchen, you are standing a little too far forward today."
The fat figure was none other than Jing Hongchen, the master of Mingde Hall.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen stood behind him, silent, but their eyes were not friendly when they looked at the old royal man.
The old man didn't like the look in their eyes. He frowned in dissatisfaction. Just as he was about to scold them, he heard Jing Hongchen speak coldly: "Xu Guohai, Hongchen is the hereditary Grand Duke of the Sun Moon Empire. He still has some privileges in the palace."
The old man named Xu Guohai was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that Jing Hongchen, who had always been respectful to him, would be so rude today.
Xu Guohai snorted coldly and said, "You are the Duke, but when will your grandchildren be able to stand in front of you?"
On ordinary days when attending court, Jing Hongchen would usually stand behind these old princes, but today he sat on an equal footing with them. This one detail made Xu Guohai feel very uncomfortable.
Jing Hongchen sneered in his heart.
This old prince named Xu Guohai was from the same lineage as Xu Guozhong who died in the arsenal explosion. He looked somewhat similar to her. Just seeing his face made Jing Hongchen feel sick all over.
He and Xu Guozhong are exactly the same in their domineering nature. His cultivation is all dependent on drugs, but he relies on his royal status to always suppress Jing Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen turned his head and faced the direction of the dragon throne, no longer paying attention to Xu Guohai.
Faced with Jing Hongchen's rudeness, Xu Guohai was very angry. After a long time, he managed to threaten: "Jing Hongchen, you are so bold. When His Majesty comes to court, I will report you to His Majesty and make you apologize to me."
Jing Hongchen wanted to laugh even more.
Huo Yuhao and he had discussed this for a long time.
Xu Guohai thought that the new emperor would be like Xu Tianran and would still treat the old clan members with respect and courtesy after ascending the throne. Little did he know that after Huo Yuhao came to power, he planned to target these old immortals first.
A person beside Xu Guohai waved his hand at him and said with a smile: "Today is the first morning court of His Majesty. It is inevitable that the Red Dust Hall Master wants to show his face in front of His Majesty. Guohai, please understand the Red Dust Hall Master."
This person's name is Xu Guoyi, and he is somewhat similar to Xu Guohai. This sounded like advice, but the tone was full of sarcasm.
The third prince Xu Tianci watched from the side and did not step forward to act as a peacemaker. He was just thinking about the court affairs that he would report later.
Today, no officials chatted with each other before the morning court. After meeting, they just nodded slightly to express greetings. There was almost no communication in the huge hall.
Just at this moment, a powerful voice sounded with a tail.
"Your Majesty has arrived——"
The resonant voice was clearly heard by everyone, and the officials in the back row immediately knelt down in submission.
"Long live your majesty."
Huo Yuhao in the simulated state slowly stepped into the hall and walked towards the dragon throne in the middle of the hall. His steps were steady, like the sound of drums in the hall.
Entering with him were Kong Deming and the spiritual body that simulated the Northern Douluo.
Huo Yuhao slowly sat on the dragon throne and said majestically, “No need to be polite.”
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Kong Deming and Beidi Douluo stood on the left and right sides of Huo Yuhao, looking down at the ministers of the Sun and the Moon together with Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao said in a deep voice: "Today is my first morning court session since I ascended the throne. I have several important matters to discuss with you, my dear ministers."
He first looked at Xu Tianci and asked, "Xu Tianran was sinister and vicious, and his crimes are unforgivable. Although he is dead, have his followers been captured by the Royal Patrol Team?"
The first thing many kings do after coming to power is to characterize the previous emperor and their competitors.