roccoschili Chapter 130 The matter of weakening the power of the feudal lords is not over yet!
Chapter 130 The matter of weakening the power of the feudal lords is not over yet!
Chapter 130 The matter of weakening the power of the feudal lords is not over yet!
As Zhu Houzhao entered Yikun Palace, the Imperial Guards stationed on all sides immediately knelt down before him and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao ignored the crowd and went directly into the main hall of Yikun Palace.
As soon as the door was opened, the concubines who had been hiding inside the hall immediately rushed into Zhu Houzhao's arms with tears in their eyes.
"Your Majesty! I'm so scared!"
"Your Majesty, are you alright? I was so worried about you."
"Your Majesty, what exactly is happening in the palace? Why are there so many shouts of fighting and killing?"
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The chattering noises made Zhu Houzhao's ears ring.
"Okay, okay, it's all over now, don't be afraid, don't be afraid."
Zhu Houzhao had two women on his left and two on his right, and he couldn't appease them all.
Zhu Houzhao was their pillar of support. As soon as he arrived, their panicked mood calmed down, and they felt a strong sense of security.
"That's great, His Majesty is alright."
As Xia Tianxin watched Zhu Houzhao's figure, her heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, finally settled down, and then tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string.
Li Xianran patted his bulging belly, let out a long sigh of relief, and finally a smile appeared on his lips.
Heaven knows how terrified she felt when those overwhelming shouts of battle erupted in the palace just now.
You should know that she was carrying Zhu Houzhao's child.
Meanwhile, Liu Ningwei was already hiding in Zhu Houzhao's arms, sobbing and weeping, her tears soaking the dragon robe on Zhu Houzhao's chest.
Li Shouyi stood on the outermost edge of the crowd, arms crossed, coldly observing everything.
Even when Zhu Houzhao arrived, she showed no emotional fluctuation, simply observing everything around her as if she were a spectator.
When Shangguan Haitang and Wuqing saw Zhu Houzhao appear in the room unharmed, the tension in their hearts finally eased.
They knew that tonight's farce in the capital was over.
Their task of protecting Zhu Houzhao's concubines can be considered a complete success.
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"
Shangguan Haitang and Wuqing stood on either side of the door, bowing to Zhu Houzhao.
Despite his busy schedule, Zhu Houzhao nodded to the two men, saying, "You have done very well and have not disappointed my expectations."
"Serving Your Majesty is my duty, and I thank Your Majesty for your praise."
After comforting the weeping concubines, Zhu Houzhao went up to Xia Tianxin and talked for a while, and finally inquired about Li Xianran's health.
Half an hour later, Zhu Houzhao finally calmed down all the concubines in the hall.
The commotion in the palace tonight will surely frighten them, but there's nothing they can do about it.
Fortunately, Zhu Houzhao had set up heavy security measures in the palace, so apart from being a little frightened, they were all fine.
"There is nothing to do tonight. My beloved concubines may return to their respective palaces to rest."
"During this period, the palace will undergo a thorough cleaning, so all my beloved concubines should not leave their palaces unless absolutely necessary."
After giving some more detailed instructions, Zhu Houzhao ordered people to escort the concubines to their respective palaces.
The concubines were naturally unwilling to be separated from Zhu Houzhao, but since he had given the order, they had no choice but to obey.
She could only look at Zhu Houzhao with resentful eyes, and reluctantly left Yikun Palace.
Of course, Zhu Houzhao did not order the guards around them to be removed.
For at least the next few days, they will be under constant high alert to prevent any accidents from happening.
After completely resolving the concerns about the inner palace, Zhu Houzhao returned to the Fengtian Hall.
As Zhu Houzhao entered the Fengtian Hall, the princes who had been sitting upright in front of the banquet immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to him.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject pays his respects!"
This time, the princes present were filled with utmost respect and trepidation.
If they had previously held a kind of contemptuous attitude towards Zhu Houzhao, like an elder looking down on a younger generation...
Having witnessed the extremely bloody and cruel scene before, the princes were now filled with deep fear of Zhu Houzhao.
Besides these vassal kings, there were a few other people present at the banquet.
Besides the four generals who led their troops to conquer the capital, there were also Ling Xiaodao, Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou, and others.
At this moment, Hua Manlou's face was deathly pale, devoid of any color.
Although he was blind, the loss of his sight made his other four senses even more acute.
Although he could not see the terrifying scene of the martial arts world being suppressed and hunted down by the imperial court.
But he could hear endless wails and smell a strong, pungent stench of blood.
This made him wonder for a moment whether he was in the capital or had fallen into the deepest hell.
Just a quarter of an hour ago, Lu Xiaofeng, accompanied by Zhuge Zhengwo, found the inn room where Hua Manlou was located.
In the inn, Hua Manlou, on edge, decided to strike first, believing that those who strike later will suffer the consequences. He hid in the shadows and attacked the two first.
But Lu Xiaofeng's Lingxi Finger accurately caught the hidden weapon thrown by Hua Manlou.
"Hua Manlou, it's me!"
Lu Xiaofeng hurriedly spoke up to remind Hua Manlou, which made him give up on continuing his attack.
"Lu Xiaofeng, you're not dead!"
Hua Manlou exclaimed with some surprise. Hearing a familiar voice in the perilous capital city filled him with immense joy.
"Yes, I'm not dead."
Lu Xiaofeng looked at Hua Manlou with mixed feelings. At that moment, Hua Manlou grabbed Lu Xiaofeng's hand and said urgently.
"Xiao Feng, it's not safe in the capital either. Let's leave here quickly."
Hua Manlou, carrying Lu Xiaofeng, used his lightness skill to leap out of the inn.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xiaofeng grabbed Hua Manlou and prevented him from leaving.
"Xiao Feng?"
Hua Manlou turned his head in confusion, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes.
The next moment, an unfamiliar scent entered Hua Manlou's nostrils.
Hua Manlou frowned subconsciously, and with a wave of his left hand, several hidden weapons immediately made a whistling sound as they flew towards the man.
The Spiritual Finger Technique!
Lu Xiaofeng made a move as easily as plucking flowers and leaves, catching all the hidden weapons that Hua Manlou had thrown in his hand.
"Lu Xiaofeng, what do you mean by this?!"
Hua Manlou felt Lu Xiaofeng catch his hidden weapon once again, and immediately frowned deeply, his words full of doubt.
At this moment, Zhuge Zhengwo spoke up: "Lu Xiaofeng, is he the Hua Manlou you mentioned?"
"Exactly."
Listening to the conversation between Lu Xiaofeng and Zhuge Zhengwo, Hua Manlou was even more puzzled.
"Lu Xiaofeng, what do you mean by this?!"
Lu Xiaofeng looked at Hua Manlou and helplessly told him everything that had just happened.
Upon hearing this, Hua Manlou was first shocked, then angry, and finally helpless.
"So—all the martial arts practitioners in the capital, except for you and me, are dead?"
Hua Manlou's voice became extremely hoarse, filled with bitterness.
Lu Xiaofeng nodded: "If there are no surprises—that's how it is."
"Hua Manlou, come back with me to see His Majesty. Only in this way will we have the right to live."
Lu Xiaofeng's words plunged Hua Manlou into silence.
Meanwhile, Zhuge Zhengwo, standing beside him, had already picked up a long spear, his killing intent palpable.
If Hua Manlou dares to utter even a single word of dissent, he will kill Hua Manlou on the spot!
Finally, Hua Manlou sighed, "So be it, so be it."
Thus, Hua Manlou appeared in the Fengtian Hall at that moment.
Although he could not see anything, he sensed that Zhu Houzhao should be standing in front of him at this moment.
Zhu Houzhao walked up the steps, looked at the crowd below, and waved his hand: "Everyone, please sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After everyone nervously took their seats, the eunuchs from the Imperial Kitchen served them steaming hot food and wine, but no one was in the mood to eat.
All the princes looked at Zhu Houzhao on the dragon throne, anxiously waiting for him to speak.
They knew in their hearts that Zhu Houzhao's summons to the Fengtian Hall again meant that the matter of reducing the power of the princes was not over!
As expected, Zhu Houzhao first looked at Prince Ning in his seat and launched the first attack.
"Prince Ning, I was interrupted by my friends outside before I could finish speaking about your proposal to reduce the power of the princes."
"Now that all our friends outside are dead, we can finally discuss the matter of weakening the power of the feudal lords in peace."
Although Zhu Houzhao was smiling, his tone was filled with a chilling coldness.
"I'll ask you one more time: Do you, Prince Ning, have any complaints about my decree to reduce the power of the princes?"
Zhu Houzhao's words sent a chill down Prince Ning's spine.
He no longer had the aggressive demeanor he had before, and quickly got up and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to Zhu Houzhao.
"No objections, no objections!"
"Your Majesty, I have no objection to reducing the power of the vassal states!"
"Your Majesty's reduction of the power of the vassal states is a good thing!"
"Your Majesty is doing all this for the sake of our Great Ming Dynasty. We, as vassal kings, should obey Your Majesty's decrees without question and give your full support!"
"Your Majesty, I support your policy of reducing the power of the regional military governors! I strongly support Your Majesty's policy of reducing the power of the regional military governors!"
Prince Ning's words were incoherent and his tone was flustered, which showed that he was really frightened by what had just happened.
The feudal lords present were filled with sorrow as they watched this scene.
Because they knew perfectly well that no matter how humble Prince Ning appeared now, they would be just as humble when they were in his place.
Sure enough, Zhu Houzhao inquired about another vassal king.
"King of Shu, are you also dissatisfied with my policy of reducing the power of the vassal states?!"
Upon hearing his name, the King of Shu turned pale with fright and his legs went weak.
He couldn't even stand up, and hurriedly crawled from behind the table to Zhu Houzhao's front, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, you've misunderstood! Your Majesty, you've misunderstood!"
"Your Majesty, I have never expressed any dissatisfaction with any of your decrees!"
"Your Majesty is a wise and capable ruler, rare throughout history. I will fully support any decree Your Majesty issues. How could I possibly have any complaints?!"
"Your Majesty, I support reducing the power of the feudal lords! I support reducing the power of the feudal lords!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
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The King of Shu kowtowed repeatedly, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" His words were heartfelt and tearful.