Chapter 221: 146. Assassination from Yama Palace, forces beyond our control (5K big Chapter, please subscribe)
The Drum of Injustice.
It was established by Ancestor Song Dao of the former dynasty at the Vermilion Gate.
The purpose was to allow those who had been wronged or faced urgent cases to strike the drum, so their grievances could be heard by the heavens.
However, the three generations of Song Family rulers after Song Dao gradually abandoned the Drum of Injustice. Although it was established by the Grand Ancestor with iron monuments and golden inscriptions, and the "Decrees of the Ancestor" were as immutable as a mountain, the People dared not sound the drum. Consequently, the Song Family Dynasty’s fortunes had declined ever since.
Later, Mount Siming took control of the state.
Xu Xing continued the laws of the Old Dynasty and re-established the Drum of Injustice.
Although the nation was only sixteen years old, and the seas were now clear and the rivers tranquil, with peace reigning across the land, cases of injustice among the Common People were still numerous. Because no Officials were stationed beside the Drum of Injustice to intercept petitioners, it sounded, on average, once every few days. The official soldiers stationed at the Vermilion Gate were no longer surprised by it.
"Your Majesty, this time the petitioners... are King of Sorrow and King of Might?"
The person responsible for handling petitions made via the Drum of Injustice was none other than Empress Zhao Yunniang.
After Xu Xing began to pursue the Immortal Path, to gain a good reputation among the Common People, she had voluntarily taken on this task—one that all the Civil & Military Officers of the Court ’dreaded’—to seek justice for the People.
Inside Kunhua Palace, Xu Xing was reading a memorial submitted by Shang Xian, Supervisor of the East Factory. It detailed the various intelligence gathered over the past year by the three major intelligence Organizations—the Night Patrol Department, the East Factory, and the West Factory—acting on tasks he had assigned.
Among them, the Yu family, an Aristocratic Family of Danzhou, was suspected of having met a mysterious figure in the thirteenth year of Tiande. This matter was learned by a Boy from the Yu family, who was responsible for serving tea, and he reported it to the Night Patrol Department.
Several other Aristocratic Families had also made unusual moves, all of which were presented in the memorial.
But—aside from these, there was no other activity.
Upon seeing the results in the memorial, Xu Xing remained calm, without a trace of anger. Expecting Mortal intelligence Organizations to spy on Cultivators was never an easy task. With the three major intelligence Organizations competing against each other, it was already commendable that they had obtained this much information.
"King of Sorrow? And King of Might?"
Putting down the memorial, Xu Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled.
In the fifteenth year of Tiande, before returning to Shenjing, he first visited Kun King Mansion. From Kun King Chang Kun, he learned that King of Sorrow Yao Dang had supposedly died suddenly after an alleged meeting with King of Might.
At that time, he had speculated that King of Might might have taken Yao Dang away to embark on the Immortal Journey. After all, when the [Righteous Thief] Fate collapsed, he had glimpsed a corner of destiny and knew that his Second Brother had apparently embarked on the Immortal Journey later on...
Since the two of them were requesting an audience, Xu Xing naturally wouldn’t feel any fear in his heart.
So he ordered a banquet prepared and invited them in.
「One quarter of an hour later.」
Inside Kunhua Palace, food and Wine were already prepared.
Disguised, King of Sorrow Yao Dang and King of Might were led by a Eunuch and took their respective seats.
The three of them reminisced about their sworn brotherhood on Mount Siming.
"To be honest with you, Fourth Brother..." King of Might raised a cup of Wine, drained it in one gulp, and said, "Back then, Fourth Brother, after Taiwei Wei Wentong was defeated by your strategy, Second Brother saw that Big Brother listened to you in everything. He predicted that Big Brother would eventually be sidelined and have his power usurped by you... So, Second Brother thought of finding another path, so that when Big Brother’s power was taken, he could still send reinforcements to save Big Brother’s life..."
Although King of Sorrow Yao Dang being stripped of power by Emperor Tiande was a taboo subject in the Imperial Court, he and Yao Dang were sworn brothers with Xu Xing, so they didn’t need to be concerned about this. Moreover, all three of them were now pursuing the Immortal Path, so there was little need to dwell on such trivial matters of the Mortal World.
"I never thought you, Fourth Brother, would be so righteous."
"You seized Big Brother’s authority but didn’t kill him; instead, you treated him so generously."
They were all former rebels; they wouldn’t speak of such empty notions as loyalty between a monarch and his ministers. King of Might saw things very clearly: King of Sorrow Yao Dang was capable of leading the small power base of Mount Siming, but when it came to contending for the imperial throne, King of Sorrow Yao Dang lacked the ability.
Hearing this, Yao Dang looked ashamed.
"After conquering Guanxi Road, it was I who first thought of disregarding our sworn brotherhood..." he added.
In fact, he understood afterward. Silent had already defected to Xu Xing. When Silent urged him to strike first, it was actually to provide Xu Xing with an excuse, a handle against him.
However, the matter was in the past, and Xu Xing had handled the aftermath well. He didn’t kill me, and instead treated me generously... He has truly done all that was morally required and more!
Hearing this, although Xu Xing didn’t know what they were really up to, he didn’t mind playing along with their words.
They exchanged pleasantries for about half an hour.
Finally, King of Might spoke frankly, "Fourth Brother, you dispatched the Tiqi of the Night Patrol Department and the agents of the East and West Factories to the various Aristocratic Families to gather intelligence. If I, your Second Brother, haven’t guessed incorrectly, you must be aware that Cultivators are planning to target the Imperial Court and disrupt your national foundation?"
As his words fell, Xu Xing’s pupils constricted slightly; he roughly understood their intentions.
It has been a year since I dispatched the three major intelligence Organizations. King of Sorrow and King of Might are only coming to me now. While consideration for our brotherhood certainly plays a part, their main purpose is likely to negotiate a price.
"Second Brother... how did you come to know of this matter?" Xu Xing offered a humorless smile, his expression turning somewhat cold.
If I can find out who is plotting against me for a reasonable price, I would be glad to do so. However, in the meantime, I cannot appear too easy to manipulate.
"The Yama Palace, one of the Ten Major Sects of East Huangzhou—are you aware of it, Fourth Brother?" King of Might wasn’t surprised; if it were him, he too would have reacted with the same caution as Xu Xing upon suddenly hearing such news.
After saying this, he paused in thought for a moment before continuing, "The Yama Palace has a Shadow Assassination Hall, which specializes in hunting down genius disciples from rival Sects. Fourth Brother, you possess the Human King physique and are a disciple of Giant Sword Daoist Monarch. You are ranked thirteenth on the Shadow Assassination Hall’s Human Rankings."