For the ordinary people of Changling, the important thing they did during the new year was visiting their friends and relatives. Most importantly, they had to visit their elders, and say auspicious things

For the powerful of Changling, the arrival of a new year was a new page in history and possessed more meaning.

Emperor Yuanwu had entered the twelfth year of his reign, but the powerful in Changling knew that starting in the sixth year, this strongest emperor in the history of the Qin Dynasty rarely asked about matters of government, and had secluded himself to cultivate.

Even though the majority of people did not know Emperor Yuanwu’s true cultivation, almost everyone knew that realm eight was not a problem for him. So the path he pursued was realm nine, Immortal.

In these past years, the internal governance and external wars of the Qin Dynasty had been almost completely handed over to the two ministers and the empress.

But that did not mean that the emperor disregarded everything else when he cultivated. For example, the return of Bureau Chief Ye of the Astrology Bureau in the rain to kill Zhao Zhan with one blow. All the powerful people in Changling felt there was an invisible hand controlling the entire Qin Dynasty,constantly reminding all the powers how he had ascended the throne.

Ever since the sixth year of his ascension, this strongest emperor in the Qin Dynasty rarely met his officials. Usually, only the two ministers and the empress saw him. However, at the beginning of each year, he would hold a banquet for his officials, and then on the next day, he would ascend the heavenly altar to pray and conduct some imperial family matters.

So the powerful people knew that the Holy One would appear in these two days. He needed to let everyone, including people from enemy dynasties, to see that he was still healthy and powerful, or rather, even more powerful.

As a result, even the banquet on the first day that did not have to strictly comply with tradition had an oppressive mood.

In Preserving Harmony Hall, the blue-grey tiles gave off a water-like light as though they were covered in seagrass.

All the powerful people sat dignified in front of their tables.

Ye Celeng was sitting in the first row of tables. Among all the bureau chiefs, she was the only female so she still appeared very eye-catching.

Not far from her, a fat man narrowed his eyes and gave off a powerful presence. This was Marquess Xu of Mount Heng who had once forced her to draw her sword.

The seat of the two ministers were on the two sides closest to the throne. The two ministers had not arrived, but the empress, and the future master of the Qin Dynasty as well as multiple imperial sons had arrived.

The empress, stepping into the hall, wore the most beautiful phoenix crown and robes of the Qin Dynasty, and appeared even more dignified and dazzling. Ye Celeng’s eyelashes flickered. She did not linger on the empress, but on Fu Su behind her.

Her gaze suddenly grew cold.

There naturally was something abnormal to cause her to change her gaze.

Many of the nobility also saw Fu Su’s difference. They felt the presence he gave off, and the nobility who were important enough to speak in front of the empress congratulated, “His Highness Fu Su is extraordinarily talented to reach realm five at such an age.”

Many officials who had not yet detected this was astonished.

Fu Su was an imperial son and born from the empress, so he had the strongest support in his cultivation and had spent much less time on the many previous realms. At Fu Su’s age, entering realm four was normal, yet realm five could not be achieved just because he had the resources of a country. This was related to his own talent and his learning.

An Baoshi, Jing Liuli and the others may have better talent and education than Fu Su, but they did not have such great support. So many officials were thinking inside that in the future, the next emperor of Qin would still be the strongest cultivator of the Qin.

The empress smiled slightly. She naturally was content at this time.

Yet in the next moment, a female palace attendant next to Fu Su spoke up, “His Highness Fu Su could understand sword manuals and cultivation records at three years old. In the history of the Qin Dynasty, only one person was like His Highness Fu Su. his Highness Fu Su will naturally become the top cultivator of Changling in the future.”

Many palace attendants were close to the empress and imperial sons so no one felt it was rude that they spoke at such a time, especially when the Holy One and the two ministers had not yet arrived. The mood had relaxed after the nobility had spoken, but her words were like lightning. They instantly stunned everyone, and also frightened many people.

Even Ye Celeng paled slightly.

Marquis Xu sweated slightly.

Many people even stopped breathing. Sweat beaded on their foreheads.

The air in the hall seemed to freeze in this moment. An absolute silence formed.

Everyone looked in disbelief at this palace attendant.

How much daring, how much insanity would it take to say such treasonous words!

At this time, a burst of authoritative chanting came from the path outside. This meant that the two ministers and the Holy One were not far away. With the Holy One’s cultivation, he must have heard the loud words at such a distance.

Many people paled immediately.

They looked at the pretty palace attendant and started to understand these words containing profound meaning were not an accident.

This palace attendant spoke the truth. In the history of the Qin, only one person had been like Fu Su, able to comprehend sword manuals at the age of three. But all the history books regarding that person had been burned before Emperor Yuanwu had ascended the throne!

Even more importantly, many of the powerful people knew … the noblest woman in the Qin Dynasty, Her Highness the Empress had some stories with that person that could not be cleared up.

That person comprehend sword manuals at the age of three. Fu Su comprehend sword manuals at the age of three.

What kind of thoughts would this stir?

While the words were praising Fu Su, in the eyes of these people, these words were more poisonous than anything else, and made them feel cold all over.

A young person with extremely humble features shook slightly.

He sat not far from Ye Celeng and at a high position. He was the bureau chief of the Clan Law Bureau, Huang Zhenwei.

At this time, he was looking at the pretty place attendant. He could not bear it and wanted to speak. But even he did not dare to speak.

Fu Su, who had been smiling brightly seconds ago, felt the dramatic change in the mood. But he did not understand why.

Before he could read, those history books had all been burned and edited. Before he was born, no one dared to speak that person’s name.

He looked in inexplicable shock at the pretty palace attendant next to him, and then looked for help at his mother-empress.

The empress still had perfect features, but her gaze gradually turned cold.

Even Fu Su felt he saw a terrifying cold sword being pulled out of a bottomless cold lake. His eyes felt a stabbing pain, and he felt an unprecedented cold terror.

The officials near the back were terrified and trembled, their heads bent low.

The empress slowly turned around and looked coldly at the seemingly puzzled pretty palace attendant. She said, “Regardless of who is behind you, do you think you can change anything with what you did?”

Preserving Harmony Hall was deathly silent.

She looked at the palace attendant and shook her head, saying, “You cannot change a thing.”

The pretty palace attendant said respectfully and apologetically, “Apologies.” Then she said in a low voice, “It is enough to just say these words.”

Before the empress spoke again, the pretty palace attendant smiled sadly and said, “This criminal servant should die.”

Pew.

She did not make any movements but blood surged out of her mouth.

Fu Su looked in shock at this scene. He could sense that this place attendant had completely lost her vitality when she said these words. He was in front of this palace attendant so he was watching as the blood of the palace attendant was about to spray onto his clothes.

Yet at this moment, an inexplicable power appeared in the hall.

A wave of primal energies of the universe suddenly came from the entrance and wrapped around the palace attendant.

Time seemed to stop.

The wave of blood and the body of the palace attendant seemed to be absolutely still.

In the next moment, the blood and the body of the palace attendant … the clothes, the flesh and blood, they were crushed into dust by this force.

Because the dust was so minuscule, because this transformation was so unrealistic, no one felt any sense of bloodiness in this moment.

Only when all the dust disappeared and was blown away by the wind currents created by the primal energies of the universe to fall into unknown places did the people in the hall become overcome with their emotions.

Ye Celeng lowered her head and looked nowhere except the table in front of her.

A figure dressed in dragon robes appeared at the hall entrance.

Behind him were two authoritative presence with mountainous presences. There were the two prime ministers of the Qin. But they seemed very short compared to him like they were just stairs under his feet.

This emperor, the most powerful and beloved in the history of the Qin, had an expression of absolute confidence and strength. He did not seem to be distracted and scattered like he had been in the night he was alone with the empress.

“Rise.”

Facing all the bowing nobility, he smiled slightly as though the terrifying power he had just displayed had nothing to do with him. It was like nothing had happened.

The palace attendant seemed to have never appeared in the hall, just like all the other things he had erased.

The coldness in the empress’ eyes had disappeared long ago.

A benevolent smile of an empress appeared on her perfect face.

Just like in past years, the emperor sat down and started the banquet with a toast and not much ceremony.

This was a great banquet of the monarch and officials celebrating the Qin Dynasty’s steady advance.

Translator Ramblings: I cannot figure out if being turned to ash is a painful death or a painless one.