This Is What a Villain Is Like

By doing this, wasn’t she essentially handing over the entire empire to the Prime Minister’s Mansion?

But whatever difficulties and troubles lay ahead would now be the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s problem to solve.

This would also free up her time and energy to stabilize her cultivation.

Soon, an imperial edict personally drafted by Emperor Xia was delivered to the Prime Minister’s Mansion that very day. The moment it was read aloud, the majesty of the imperial way rumbled forth. Boundless Magical Power surged as a golden light blazed across the sky.

The edict instantly soared high into the sky, erupting in limitless radiance. After all, the matter of establishing a Saint Monarch was tied to the very fate of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The moment it was drafted, Emperor Xia had imprinted it with her Magical Power, leaving behind a potent aura. Its every move could stir the celestial phenomena of the entire Imperial Capital.

In an instant, the sky above the Prime Minister’s Mansion roiled with celestial signs. Golden dragons writhed and brilliant golden stars twinkled. A vast majesty manifested, and a faint phantom of Emperor Xia could even be seen standing between heaven and earth.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

A spectacle like this naturally drew the attention of countless Cultivators, living beings, and numerous prominent Noble Families throughout the Imperial Capital.

All the ministers and Immortal Sect Elders gazed into the distance, utterly shaken.

Then, as the contents of the edict materialized and a vast voice, like a sound from the heavens, echoed between heaven and earth, everyone was stunned. They found it utterly incredible, unable to believe their own ears.

Many of the young and powerful elites stared wide-eyed, too shocked to speak.

For a time, the entire Imperial Capital was engulfed by the tremendous uproar and turmoil caused by the edict.

The esteemed guests from the major Immortal Sects who had not yet left the Imperial Capital were also deeply shaken. They felt that the very heavens above the Imperial Capital were about to change.

...

"To govern the realm through Yang, a Feng Jun is to be appointed?"

"And at a time like this?"

"And why Jiang Lan? From now on, he’s to be Emperor Xia’s future husband? The Feng Jun of Great Xia?"

In Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion, Xiao Teng, who still hadn’t fully recovered from his caning that day, froze like a clay statue upon hearing the news. He stood there, stiff and dazed, unable to believe his ears.

Beside him, Prince Zhenbei Xiao He, who had delivered the news, had a face as grim as still water. Though no emotion showed on his features, his fists were clenched tight.

The matter was too strange, too inconceivable. It was also far too sudden, with no warning signs whatsoever.

It was likely that no one in the court had anticipated this, as there hadn’t been the slightest rumor beforehand.

Even he had been left gaping in disbelief when he first heard it.

"Father, could it be that His Majesty Emperor Xia was threatened by the Prime Minister’s Mansion? Was she forced to issue such a decree?"

"Considering His Majesty Emperor Xia’s past relationship with the Prime Minister’s Mansion—they were like fire and water—it’s absolutely impossible for her to make such a decision. Unless she’s gone mad..."

Xiao Teng was completely shaken. Once he processed the news, he asked in utter bewilderment.

He and Jiang Lan shared a deep, irreconcilable hatred. If Jiang Lan were to become Emperor Xia’s husband, what was he supposed to do?

Xiao He’s face remained grim. He simply shook his head at the words, his expression extremely grave. "There were no rumors beforehand, but this edict was personally drafted by His Majesty Emperor Xia. It cannot be fake."

"Lately, the court has been speculating whether His Majesty Emperor Xia had already made some kind of deal with the Prime Minister’s Mansion. A while ago, Prime Minister Jiang Lintian was deliberately relinquishing power, which many took as a signal. But no one ever imagined it would be... this."

"Then what should we do now, Father?" Xiao Teng felt a surge of panic. It seemed his chances for revenge were becoming impossibly distant, a thought he couldn’t bear.

"For now, we watch and wait."

"The waves this move will cause will not be small," Xiao He said in a low voice.

Similar scenes of shock were playing out in the various mansions and palace complexes across the Imperial Capital. Without exception, everyone was shaken and baffled by Emperor Xia’s decision.

Wasn’t this tantamount to handing over the entire empire to the Prime Minister’s Mansion?

But the loudest voices of resistance and fury now came from the Imperial Clan Court.

Upon learning of this, numerous clan elders emerged from their seclusion. Their first reaction was that Emperor Xia was using this opportunity to "use a tiger to devour a wolf"—leveraging the Prime Minister’s Mansion to intimidate and suppress them.

’If she could stand by and do nothing while others vied for the Dragon-Suppressing Seal, then she was certainly capable of handing over the Royal Family’s empire to an outsider.’

"Xia Junxi is determined to betray the Royal Family! This is rebellion..."

"Don’t forget whose blood flows in her veins! The blood of the Royal Family!"

"Our internal struggles are our own affair. But for her to appoint the Son of the Prime Minister as her husband is a blatant provocation to our authority."

"Just a few days ago, she brought that mysterious woman here to threaten and intimidate us. We must go to Dragon Guard Mountain and ask the ancestors to intervene and stop this..."

The group of clan elders and Elder Imperial Uncles were naturally seething with rage. As long as the world was still ruled by the Xia, their interests would not be greatly affected. But once the name changed to Jiang, they would surely be the first to be purged.

Deep within the National Preceptor’s Mansion, on the Observatory Platform, the National Master Ge Qixing, clad in a Xingluo Daoist Robe, suddenly opened his eyes.

Two young attendants stood respectfully behind him, reporting on the day’s events in the Imperial Capital.

Although Ge Qixing sat cross-legged here every day, his Divine Thought was not in the Imperial Capital. Instead, it often ventured beyond the Celestial Realm, divining the mysteries of the stars and exploring unknown spaces and times.

’Emperor Xia suddenly appointed Jiang Lan as Feng Jun?’

’As a woman, she acts perversely, attempting to achieve a great undertaking that already goes against the heavens’ will. She is destined to face numerous tribulations and endless disasters. With this latest move, the signs of a backlash are already forming in the unseen world.’