Stronger by Killing

Capital City, Honglu Temple.

As Gu Chuan had guessed, just as dawn broke, a team of people arrived from the Imperial Palace, carrying the Emperor’s decree to invite Gu Zhan to the palace for an audience.

The Imperial Palace was vast and majestic.

However, Gu Zhan did not have the opportunity to see its entirety. Nevertheless, as he made his way there, he couldn’t help but feel impressed. It truly was the center of Great Xia, with very tight security and numerous experts. Although he couldn’t sense any Land Immortals, just on this journey alone, passing through only a corner of the Imperial City, Gu Zhan sensed no fewer than ten Supreme Grandmasters.

The carriage moved swiftly, with Gu Zhan seated inside, directly taken to a palace.

Currently, the Emperor was gravely ill, and the Crown Prince was acting as Regent. Gu Zhan’s official enfeoffment ceremony was still some time away, but given his current status, to show importance, the Emperor wished to meet him first, even in sickness.

At the entrance of the palace, a eunuch asked Gu Zhan to wait for a moment before entering the palace. Not long after, the eunuch came out to invite Gu Zhan into the palace.

This was a grand and magnificent palace, though it was sparsely decorated, giving it a somewhat empty feel. At a glance, one could see the luxurious large bed in the deepest part.

At this moment, an elderly man with gray hair lay on the bed, attended by several maids and eunuchs. Before the bed sat a woman of stunning beauty, whose mere presence left Gu Zhan slightly awestruck.

Gu Zhan had encountered many beautiful women,

but this woman was different. It wasn’t that her appearance was more refined than women like Gai Qingcheng or Kou Baimen; it was her aura. Just by sitting there, she gave the impression of being an unparalleled beauty in the human world.

The eunuch who led Gu Zhan in whispered beside him, "Marquis, this is the Empress."

Gu Zhan instantly understood.

Empress Lü Wantang, once renowned as one of the most beautiful women in the world. She hailed from a noble lineage, a direct descendant of the Lü Family. She married Ji Yi, who was still a Prince at the time, in her teens. Later, when Ji Yi ascended to the throne, Lü Wantang naturally became the Empress, the mother of the nation.

As the Empress, and possessing Grandmaster-level Martial Arts Cultivation, despite her age, she maintained herself well, looking youthful with an aura that even Gu Zhan found captivating, which was only natural.

And the elderly man lying on the bed was unmistakably the current Emperor of Xia Kingdom, Ji Yi.

Gu Zhan took a closer look at Ji Yi’s countenance, feeling slightly astonished. The discrepancy between his current appearance and the image of the wise and mighty leader he had heard of was significant. Although he was only a decade and some older than Empress Lü Wantang, they appeared to be separated by three or four decades.

Most strikingly, Ji Yi bore little resemblance to the image portrayed in rumors; his head full of white hair, his face lined with wrinkles, skin parched, and body withered, displaying none of the martial vigor, merely looking like a living embodiment of imminent demise.

Gu Zhan took a few steps forward, bowing slightly in salute. "Your servant, Gu Zhan, greets Your Majesty and the Empress."

On the dragon bed, Ji Yi struggled to sit up against the headboard, a faint smile appearing on his face as he extended a withered hand, gently beckoning, "Gu, come... come closer, so I may have a good look at you!"

Gu Zhan hesitated for a moment.

Empress Lü Wantang maintained a calm expression, saying, "Marquis Yun, since His Majesty is unwell, come a bit closer, have a good conversation with His Majesty."

Gu Zhan cupped his hands, "As you wish."

With that, Gu Zhan took two steps forward.

Ji Yi softly said, "Closer still, come to the bedside. I wish to see my kingdom’s number one!"

The Empress’s pupils slightly contracted as she took a deep look at Ji Yi before slowly rising, instructing the eunuch beside her, "Bring a seat for Marquis Yun."

The eunuch immediately fetched a stool and placed it by the bedside.

The Empress then stepped aside.

Gu Zhan was filled with doubt and surprise, unable to comprehend the Emperor’s intentions, finding his behavior rather perplexing and unexpected.

Gu Zhan sat at the bedside, cupping his hands again, "Your Majesty."

Ji Yi scrutinized Gu Zhan, observing him from head to toe for a while before slowly extending his hand, holding Gu Zhan’s hand weakly, and saying, "Good, good, indeed the youngest Marquis in nearly two centuries of Great Xia, good, good, no wonder Yang never contacted me for decades, yet his only letter was to recommend you to me."

At the moment Ji Yi grasped Gu Zhan’s hand, Gu Zhan’s eyes narrowed slightly in shock, silently sensing a faint trace of poison from the Emperor’s body.

Surprised inside, Gu Zhan remained outwardly calm, saying, "Your Majesty refers to Yang Yuzhi, Mr. Yang?"

Ji Yi softly replied, "Indeed, it was Yunzhi. Before he passed, he sent me his last letter, which was his only communication with me in the last twenty years, to ensure I regarded you as a pillar of the state.

I’ve long wanted to see you, and truly, as Yunzhi described, you are extraordinary, the nation’s kirin!"

"Your Majesty flatters me," said Gu Zhan.

Ji Yi, still holding Gu Zhan’s hand, smiled weakly, "No, no flattery; upon seeing you, I’ve grown fond. Great Xia having a fine young man like you is a fortune for me and for the realm!"

Then, suddenly, Ji Yi asked, "Gu, are you married?"

"Ah?" Gu Zhan was taken aback.

Ji Yi chuckled, "My Princess Anle is yet unmarried, and she is around the same age as you..."

"Your Majesty!"