Mu Chen may have been fast asleep, but the outside world was restless.

The Golden Sun City which was always lively and ripe with activity had become quiet and peaceful. The streets were empty and the majority of establishments had been shut down. The security in the city had been tightened, and a curfew had been set up. Even the lowliest criminal had been apprehended and put behind the bars.

Citizens were inconvenienced but didn't dare to raise their voices. For despite the Ming Dynasty's strictest prohibitions, rumors had spread throughout the city. A rumor that a group of powerful cultivators was arriving to take over the city. Most of the citizens had been scared stiff by it, so when the city imposed the curfew to maintain order, they gladly cooperated.

On this day, inside a hall that belonged to the Golden Palace, a council was in process. On the highest seat sat Ming Ren's father, the current ruler of the Ming Dynasty, Ming Yi. The dukes occupied the remaining seats that were a step lower, except for a middle-aged man who stood in front of his seat.

Ming Yi sat on his high seat as a slight frown creased his forehead. "So Duke Hai, you're telling us, all this isn't your fault?"

"Your Majesty, I've already explained. If you can't believe me, I can only beg for punishment," Duke Hai said with his head bowed. His voice was sincere and respectful, but his eyes were filled with cunning.

"Since when are we a three-year-old?" Ming Yi snorted. He waved his hand and Duke Hai sat down. "Duke Wen, how is the situation in the city?"

Duke Wen stood up. "People are nervous, but the order has been maintained. But we had to enlist the support of noble families."

"I see. How are preparations for welcoming the guests?" Ming Yi said.

"Everything is ready, Your Majesty..."

After getting Ming Yi's acknowledgment, Duke Wen sat down. For a while, everyone fell silent and the only sound was the trickle of sand falling inside a giant hourglass.

"Your Majesty." At last, one of the dukes stepped forward and spoke. "Isn't it time to discuss the more important matter?"

Ming Yi narrowed his eyes and glared at the duke, "What else is there to discuss?"

"T-that..." The duke almost cowed, shouldering the full brunt of Ming Yi's imperial majesty, and could only stutter.

Another duke beside him stood up, and said, "Your Majesty, Duke Heng is merely concerned about the future of the Ming Dynasty."

Ming Yi turned to look at this person. This duke was rather clever. Just by speaking up at an opportune moment, he was able to distract Ming Yi's attention, allowing Duke Heng to regain his composure. It made Ming Yi rather displeased. "As long as people loyal to the Ming Dynasty exist, there is no need to worry about the future."

"Your Majesty said it right," the duke nodded his head. "But expectations and reality don't always coincide. There is no harm in preparing for a rainy day."

"Duke Shi," Ming Yi snorted. "In the few years we haven't seen you, your tongue has grown rather slick."

"Your Majesty overpraised," Duke Shi said. He paused. "Then the proposal concerning the division of—"

"Rejected," Ming Yi snorted.

Hearing Ming Yi's words, the expressions of several dukes changed. Duke Shi narrowed his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, please reconsider. If the experts from the Central Continent end up fighting, it will only spell disaster for the Ming Royal Family."

"So what if it's a disaster?" Ming Yi said. "At worst, everyone will face it together."

Duke Shi was horrified. "Your Majesty—"

"Enough!" Ming Yi said in a thunderous voice. He glared at the dukes in the hall. Many couldn't bear the might of his gaze and lowered their heads.

"A bunch of jackals," Ming Yi cursed inside. Looking at their masks of blatant hypocrisy they put on display, he could barely control his anger.

"We have already made several concessions, there won't be any further ones," Ming Yi said.

The hall fell silent. The emperor had declared his stance and wasn't willing to entertain any other opinion. None of the dukes wanted to test the emperor's patience at this juncture and become a sacrificial pawn for others.

When nobody spoke for a long time, Ming Yi said, "Since there is nothing else, you are all dismissed." He waved his hand and one by one the dukes took their leave, leaving Ming Yi alone with his two attendants.

"Sire, they have gotten bold," one of the experts said.

"In the past, they would never dare to be so rude," the other expert added.

"We're getting old," Ming Yi sighed. He also felt his majesty was weakening. "Unfortunately, Ren'er is still too young."

"If only Prince Zixin was alive," the first expert said. "he could have shared Sire's burden—"

"Sssh! Don't," the other expert stopped the first, but it was late.

Hearing Prince Zixin's name, a pang flashed across Ming Yi's face. The first expert's expression changed and he became panic-stricken. He quickly knelt beside Ming Yi and kowtowed. "Forgive me Sire! I deserve death by a thousand cuts."

Ming Yi, however, was looking at the ceiling. It was covered in intricate designs and patterns, but Ming Yi's gaze was blurred and he seemed to be looking at the past.

Seeing the emperor reminiscing, the two experts didn't dare to disturb him.

A long time later, Ming Yi retracted his gaze and sighed. "So many years have passed and it's still hard to forget." He looked at the low posture of the man and waved his hand. "Get up. You have been with us for so long—I don't consider you as outsiders. But it can't become a habit, understand?"

"Yes, Sire," the expert stood up with his head lowered.

"How is Ren'er doing?" Ming Yi asked.

"Little Prince has secretly entered the realm. With the girl from the Ye Clan by his side, there should be no issues of his safety," the other expert reported.

"That little girl?" Ming Yi fell into thought. A moment later, he sighed, "After all this time, only the Ye Clan is still so loyal to this seat."

"Unfortunately, the Ye Clan has fallen and is too weak compared with other noble families. The help they can provide is limited," the first expert said.

"Allocate some resources to the Ye Clan and provide some support in secret," Ming Yi said after a moment of silence.

"Yes," the two experts bowed.

"And what about the investigation?" Ming Yi asked. "Was the information provided by Ren'er of any use?"

"Unfortunately, the trail has disappeared," the other expert said.

"Huh?" Ming Yi frowned. "So fast?"

"It's because we are incompetent," the two experts said with their heads low.

"If even you two failed, then the enemy is not simple," Ming Yi sighed.

"Sire, although the investigation failed, it wasn't without any results," the first expert said. "But there is no conclusive evidence. So we are not sure if we should report this… "

"Speak, what is it?" Ming Yi said.

"Their style of communication—it's similar to those from that cult… "

"What?" Ming Yi's eyes widened and then his expression turned cold. If there really was the shadow of that cult behind this, the implications were not something to be trifled with. No wonder, his two attendants were so hesitant to report it.

"Sire, what should we do?" the second expert said.

"Those dregs from the past are truly tenacious," Ming Yi sighed. "Back then, the ancestors were merciful and spared their lives, but instead of cherishing it they dare to show their fangs..." Ming Yi closed his eyes and fell silent. His expression was frosty as he repeatedly tapped the armrest with his forefinger. After a long time, he opened his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was filled with the inviolable dignity of an emperor. "Mobilize the black armor guards and… prepare to open the Heaven's Net."

"Yes, Sire," the two experts received their orders with respect. They were calm on the surface, but their hearts were already in turmoil.

"Dare to collude with outsiders?" Ming Yi snorted, the fire in his eyes burned brightly. "See if I don't peel your skin off and hang you upside down!"

The two experts next to Ming Yi trembled.

#

"Bastard!" In his anger, Duke Shi flung a precious vase across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into a thousand pieces. Behind him, his servants cowered in fear at the duke's outrage but didn't dare to stop him from destroying the property.

A while later, Duke Shi's anger subsided, however, the room had been changed beyond recognition.

"Get me a chair," Duke Shi panted. "And clean up this mess."

The servants scrambled upon hearing the order. One brought him a chair while others began to clean up the room.

Duke Shi sat in his chair and gradually calmed down. A servant offered him something to drink. Duke Shi wasn't polite and emptied the glass. By the time he finished the drink, the servants had cleaned and replaced all the broken furniture.

Duke Shi waved his hand and the servants left the room, leaving him alone.

A while later, a black-clothed person with his face hidden appeared and knelt before Duke Shi. "My Lord."

"How are the negotiations with the noble clans going?" Duke Shi didn't even look at the newcomer and spoke.

"There hasn't been much progress," the person said. "They insist they don't wish to meddle in Ming Dynasty's internal affairs."

"Don't wish to meddle?" Duke Shi sneered. "More like they are waiting for us to exhaust ourselves, then pick up a bargain."

"I suspect a few of the noble families have already defected," the black-clothed person said. "It won't be long before other families are forced to take a stance."

"Oh?" Duke Shi raised his brow. "Why is that?"

"There have been rumors of Su Family Miss being betrothed to Qin Family scion," the black-clothed person said. "But behind the Qin Family, there is..."

"Duke Zhen," Duke Shi snorted, and his mood turned sour. There were only thirteen noble families and none of them were weak. Thinking about Duke Zhen's smug look, Duke Shi felt uncomfortable. He couldn't sit still and began pacing around the room. "Damn these noble families! Each one is more unreliable than the other. Just what did Duke Zhen do? Even the Su Family is willing to support him?"

Duke Shi glared at the black-clothed man, who lowered his head and remained silent.

Seeing the black-clothed man had no answer, Duke Shi snorted in dissatisfaction and continued to pace the room. "If this continues we will be in a very disadvantageous position."

The black-clothed man raised his head, "Lord, if we change the terms maybe we can still—"

"I think it is better to not rely on the noble families alone," Duke Shi scoffed. "They only know how to make empty promises and delay the time." He stopped walking. "Aren't the experts from the Central Continent arriving soon? We must find a way to pull them to our side."

"But Lord," the black-clothed said, "If we do this, we will be breaking the agreement with other dukes."

"Hehe, the agreement?" Duke Shi sneered. "You think others will sit still? It's only a matter of time before it falls apart. Right now, everyone is busy trying to win the noble clans. If we act first, we can get a headstart."

"Lord is wise," the black-clothed man flattered.

Duke Shi nodded in satisfaction. "That's settled then. I will let you handle the details. Don't fail this time."

"Yes, my Lord," the black-clothed man replied.

"How are things in the secret realm?" Duke Shi asked.

"Everything has been planned as per Lord's instructions," the black-clothed man said. "We will cooperate with other Dukes to bring down the crown prince's faction. And then..." He made a gesture of slicing his throat with his thumb.

"Good, good," Duke Shi's former melancholy disappeared in anticipation of future success. "The emperor may have conceded to the consecration of princes, but the lower their number, the better…" He paused and raised the token dangling from his waist, it was blinking with a faint brilliance. He picked it up and after reading the message, his pupils constricted. "The experts from the Central Continent have arrived…"

"S-so soon?" The black-clothed man choked on his saliva.

"I have to go and welcome them," Duke Shi said as he adjusted his appearance. After confirming nothing was amiss, Duke Shi left the room, leaving behind the black-clothed expert. "Don't forget what I said..." his voice floated over.

The black-clothed man stood up and bowed in the direction of the duke. Then he disappeared, just like the way he had come, silent and traceless.