Very quickly, the news that King Yan, Mu Changyan, and the others had left the Ministry of Justice prison spread like wildfire. The sensitive people knew that this was a signal, a signal that Mu Changyan was unwilling to become a puppet.
But until now, did Mu Changyan really have the strength to oppose the empress dowager?
Heavenly Temple.
Mu Changyan knelt on one knee in front of a sculpture, filled with deep emotions.
""Unfilial son Mu Changyan kowtowed.""
He raised his head, ""This subject has been terrified ever since I received my orders. What I fear the most in my life is the destruction of the foundation left behind by my ancestors.""
I know that I am incompetent, but I don"t dare to give up the Mu Family"s foundation.
Today, I have made up my mind to defend the stability of the Mu Clan.
""If your ancestor has a spirit in heaven, please help your ancestor fight.""
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Mu Changyan kowtowed three times.
He took out a dagger from his sleeve and cut his palm. Then, he stood up and dripped some blood on the sculpture, ""I hope Ancestor agrees to help me activate the formation.""
""The empress dowager thinks she"s in control of everything, but only the descendants of the Mu Family know that the true Grand Formation for protecting the country requires the blood of our descendants to activate.""
His blood slowly dripped down onto the statue.
Mu Changyan stared fixedly at the stone statue, but after a while, not a single drop of his blood merged into the stone statue, and all of it dripped down the stone statue and dripped onto the ground.
With a thump, Mu Changyan"s body involuntarily fell to the ground. It was as if her life force had been sucked out of her body in an instant, and her face was devoid of blood.
""Why is this happening?""
He fell to the ground, his face so pale that he seemed to have lost half his life.
This was the secret that his older brother, the former crown prince, had told him.
This secret was a secret that the Mu Clan would never allow to be leaked. If the previous crown prince hadn"t known that he was powerless, he wouldn"t have revealed it.
Only those who inherited the throne would be able to inherit this secret from the previous Swallow King.
But now, Mu Changyan had failed.
""Why!""
Mu Changyan raised his head to the sky and shouted, ""Could it be that the will of the heavens is going to destroy my Great Yan, and the will of the heavens is going to annihilate my Mu Clan?!""
Or, am I not a grandson of the Mu Clan?!
At that moment, a person walked in from the outside like a ghost. He looked at the despairing Mu Changyan and said in a low voice, ""Your Majesty … it"s not that you don"t have the bloodline power, but it"s because the poison in you is too deep. Although your subject has tried her best to remove the poison, under the combination of the medicine, the bloodline power in your body is extremely thin.""
Mu Changyan suddenly turned around and shouted, ""Zhuge Liuyun!""
""Quickly tell me, is there any way out?""
The ghost-like old man who came in was the Imperial Physician Zhuge Liuyun. He lowered his head and replied, ""Your Majesty, your subject is powerless.""
If he wanted to recover the bloodline power in the King, he could only wait.
""After all of the medicinal effects in the king"s body have been removed, the bloodline power will naturally return slowly.""
Mu Changyan stood up and walked quickly to Zhuge Liuyun, ""How long will it take?!""
Zhuge Liuyun said worriedly, ""This subject doesn"t know … however, this subject feels that it will take at least a few years.""
Mu Changyan flung out her sleeves. ""I won"t be waiting for more than a few years. The empress dowager will press on, step by step. I"m afraid it won"t be long before she kills me.""
""Right now, the military is only the beginning. If I sit and wait for death, sooner or later the empress dowager will steal all the a.s.sets of the Mu Family!""
Zhuge Liuyun said worriedly, ""Your Majesty … Your subject knows that Your Majesty is worried.""
However, there really wasn"t any better way to deal with it right now. It was best to bear with it.
Sacrificing one more year.
""This subject will try my best to find a way to completely remove the poison and medicinal effects from the king"s body during this year. Once the power of the king"s bloodline recovers, there won"t be anything to be afraid of.""
Mu Changyan"s hands drooped down helplessly, ""It"s not that I don"t know this logic, I just don"t have the time.""
He raised his head to look at Zhuge Liuyun. ""You probably know what shameful things the empress dowager has done in the brocade palace.""
Zhuge Liuyun"s expression changed, ""This subject … has heard of it.""
Mu Changyan looked straight into Zhuge Liuyun"s worried eyes. ""Then do you know that the empress dowager is already pregnant?""
This heartless s.l.u.t actually dared to commit such a heinous act … The face of my Mu Clan has vanished.
""If she gave birth to an evil seed that even Father doesn"t know, how would I explain this to the ancestors of the Mu Clan?!""
He walked quickly back and forth. ""You also know that the reason why the empress dowager brought me back from the Ancient Barbarian Mountain"s illusory world is only her expedient plan.""
Gu was only her puppet, but now that she was pregnant, she would definitely think of a way to give that evil person an ident.i.ty.
At that time, all of the businesses in the Mu Clan will fall into the hands of outsiders! ""
Zhuge Liuyun lowered his head. ""But your Majesty, the empress dowager is too powerful now, and your Majesty is temporarily unable to activate the Imperial Protector"s Grand Formation. The best way is to endure it for now.""
""Gu has endured enough.""
Mu Changyan said loudly, ""Even if I have to put my life on the line, I can"t just watch her take away the Mu Clan"s land!""
After being silent for a while, Zhuge Liuyun said, ""This subject heard that the former crown prince and Ye Yun... seemed to have a child?""
Mu Changyan"s expression changed drastically. ""Who told you that?!""
Zhuge Liuyun said worriedly, ""It"s just that the servants who served the former crown prince started to gossip in private.""
He said that the former crown prince and Ye Yun already had a husband and wife and speculated that Ye Yun might already be pregnant by the time she left Extreme Heaven Palace. ""
Mu Changyan waved her hands, ""No!""
Zhuge Liuyun said, ""Why are you so sure?!""
Mu Changyan asked, ""Did you forget where I came from?""
At that time, Gu left the Heavenly Temple to protect Ye Yun.
""For the past few years, Gu has been secretly protecting Ye Yun. Does she have any children? Could it be that there"s someone who knows better than Gu?""
Zhuge Liuyun said worriedly, ""But this subject heard that when Ye Yun was living in the city, he opened a small tavern, in which there was a very pretty little boy.""
""Your Majesty, your subject has no other intentions. Your subject"s meaning is … if Ye Yun really has a child, then he might have a chance of winning in a fight with the empress dowager.""
Mu Changyan looked at Zhuge Liuyun and asked, ""What you mean is, if Ye Yun had a child, she could also activate this Great Guarding Formation?""
Zhuge Liuyun said worriedly, ""That"s what I meant.""
Mu Changyan was silent for a long time, her eyes twinkling.
But in the end, he shook his head. ""She has no child. That child was adopted by her in the Long Town of the Mirage. That family still remembers it.""
At that time, the family was infected with the plague, only the child survived, and Ye Yun saw his pity and adopted him.
""This is related to the Mu family"s business. If Ye Yun really has a child, of course it"s a good thing.""
Zhuge Liuyun let out a long sigh, ""Then there is really no other way.""
Mu Changyan shook her head and said, ""You can leave first. Let me be alone for a while.""
Zhuge Liuyun bowed and said, ""This subject will take his leave.""
After Zhuge Liuyun left, Mu Changyan sat softly on the ground.
In his mind, he couldn"t help but recall his elder brother"s love for him. In that ice-cold palace, he had never been liked by his parents. Only his elder brother treated him sincerely.
Furthermore, he liked the matter with Ye Yun. His brother had always known about it, but he had never made things difficult for Ye Yun.
At that time, his big brother was still the crown prince, but he was only an unliked prince.
If his big brother was willing, there were a hundred ways to torture him.
""Big brother …""
Mu Changyan hugged her head in pain, ""Don"t worry, even if I die, I won"t implicate Little Seven.""
That is your only blood and your only hope in the Mu Clan.
If I die, I will think of a way to arrange for Xiao Qidao … I will take responsibility for all of this for the time being.
Seven was still young, and he still didn"t have the ability to face such a perilous situation.
""This mountain and river should be your big brother"s mountains. I originally wanted to guard it properly for you … but now, I"m guarding it for Xiao Qi … If I can"t guard it anymore, I will fight with those people who want to take this mountain and suffer from both sides" losses.""
He raised his head and said, ""Big Brother, if you have a soul in heaven, help me!""
He propped himself up against the wall, his body still trembling. ""I"m alone … I really can"t hold on much longer, big brother.""
Scenes of the past flooded into his mind. When he was young, his big brother had carried him to play, helped him climb the tree, and carried him home. All these scenes appeared in his mind.
His big brother"s smile, his big brother"s gaze, everything seemed to reappear in front of him.
Then it was Xiao Qishao"s young and tender face, and then Ye Yun"s appearance, all of them appeared.
""Bottom line.""
Mu Changyan took a deep breath and said, ""This is my bottom line.""
He straightened up and straightened his spine. ""I"ve always known that I"m not the right person to be a king.
Moreover, ever since he was young, he never even thought of s.n.a.t.c.hing the throne from his big brother.
At that time, I only wanted to be a good helper and help Big Brother guard the mountains and rivers. ""
""Right now, I am sitting on the throne for you, big brother.
""This crown, this robe, everything is yours.""
He looked at his hand. ""I"ll guard it for you!""
At the same time.
Embroidery Palace.
Empress Dowager Su Qing gave Guo Wenli a warm slap. ""Trash!""
""I gave you the Board of Justice, yet you can"t even do such a thing?""
Guo Wenli kneeled down, ""This subject knows his crime.""
Empress Dowager Su had someone help her sit down. ""I don"t want to get angry right now, but you bunch of trash forced me to get angry.""
Chen Zaiyan should have gotten rid of this man long ago, but you"re still busy asking him to admit his crimes... pedantic!
""If we had killed him earlier and casually pressed his hand and made a statement, would this have happened?""
Guo Wenli said, ""This subject has been negligent, this subject is guilty.""
""Shut up!""
Empress Dowager Su"s voice was cold. ""Other than accusing you of being guilty, what else can you say?""
""Now, you can give me a remedy. If you have no other way, why should I raise you?""
The Minister of the Left, Su Mao, who was sitting at the side, lowered his head and said, ""Didn"t the King say that he would bring Chen Zaiyan and the rest to the grand ceremony tomorrow?""
""This is an opportunity, I think.""
""Oh?""
Empress Dowager Su looked at Su Mao. ""Speak.""
Su Mao said, ""If at the Ascension Ceremony a group of angry students rushed forward to kill the traitor Chen Zaiyan on the spot, I"m afraid that the King will not be able to investigate this matter.""
Now that the witnesses and evidence are all on our side, so what if the King brought Chen Zaiyan back?
""As long as Chen is dead tomorrow, the disappearance of Ma Ziwei is not worth mentioning.""
Empress Dowager Su looked at Su Zong, who sat off to the side, not daring to speak. ""It was all your fault!""
Su Zong hurriedly got up. ""This subject … this subject is also considering for the empress dowager"s sake … The soldiers are really too presumptuous. It just so happens that there"s a chance …""
Empress Dowager Su glared at Su Zong. ""Shut up!""
Don"t think I don"t know what you"ve done.
How much did You Nation give you?
Without these benefits, can you run back?
""What do you mean by "think for me"? Isn"t that all for your own pocket!?""
Su Zong opened his mouth and then lowered his head in shame. ""This subject … knows his mistake.""
Empress Dowager Su said, ""Right now, the arrows are already on the bow, so there"s no choice but to send them out. No matter what happened before, there"s no room to return the matters of the military … We"ll do as Su Mao said and eliminate Chen Zaiyan tomorrow at the Ascension Ceremony.""
Since Mu Changyan was no longer afraid of losing face, he might as well let him lose more face.
It also let him know who was in charge of Great Yan.
""How infuriating. Capture him as well!""