Hao Ren stood inside the chambers of the King of Khyberstan as if it was his palace. He looked outside the window at leisure enjoying the view of a few rabbits playing in the garden and some little children chasing after them. The rest of the people looked at him and were doubting their lives.
The king himself was thinking about how did they manage to offend someone so abominable. This guy was radiating a thick killing intent yet he was smiling as he looked at the scene as if it was all bringing him great joy. This was the person they have always been told to worry about.
Hao Ren didn't care what these people were thinking, he just wanted to kill the Second Prince, his entourage and leave a statement that would make sure that Han Lingshi can stay free about her business, however, since the system had told him to not be find out, he could not really cause large scale destruction or Lingshi would find out about it. However, his enemy didn't know about it, right?
The young man waited for an hour before he asked, "King Khyber, how long do I have to wait?"
The king gulped and replied, "Your Excellency, my best general has been sent to bring them back, it would take one more hour. I beg your pardon for my tardiness."
Hao Ren waved his hand and asked, "You sent the second prince to explore an important secret realm, tell me the reason behind it, can you?" Googlᴇ search novel✦fire.net
King Khyber took a deep breath and said, "Lord, the second prince happens to be my oldest son. He has shown a great talent for politics and cultivation. The people respect him too. This was why I selected him to be my heir."
Hao Ren chuckled and said, "If that is your reason then can you tell me why has the second oldest queen in your harem tried to poison you?"
The old man shivered, and his expression twisted, as Hao Ren continued speaking, "Do you understand the basic difference between fear and respect or not? Do you understand that politicians can be bought and sold on the spin of gold and spirit stones? You call yourself a ruler, but is it the court doing your bidding or is it you at the beck and call of the court?"
His words shook the old king. Even the head eunuch watched the scene aghast. He knew that what the young man said was true, but the King had weakened a lot and his strength had dwindled; that was why he could not retain the command over his people anymore.
Hao Ren looked at the old man and tossed out a pill bottle. He placed his hands behind his back and said, "The pill contains three nirvana pills, every pill will give you the chance to regain the peak vitality and strength. However, after that, your realm will never improve. Think of it as a chance to clean up the house, and two chances that would be left for the use of your two future descendants. I wonder if the resolve of the ruler is still strong in your mind or have you made peace with the life of a puppet."
The old man clenched his fists and took a deep breath as he stared at Hao Ren and said, "My lord, I am the thirteenth king in the Khyber Dynasty, I have grown up listening to the fact that thirteen brings disaster. To be honest, I haven't made any achievements that could be seen or recorded as blessings, but I have also done my best to avoid disasters, this is why I watched everything with one eye closed and one eye opened.
You saved my life, you enlightened me, and you also gave my lineage a second chance. Yours is a debt that cannot be repaid for generations to come and thus, today, I would like to make a blood pact with you. As long as there dwells a descendant of mine on this world, they will be loyal to you, and the Crescent Moon Empire would be our eternal ally."
Hao Ren waved his hand and said, "I will not reciprocate these promises, the matters of alliances and diplomacy are left for my Empress and her cabinet to handle. You can send your representative to the court and they will handle this issue, however, I hope you can keep the connection with me a secret. You see, my wife is particularly strict about me moving behind the scenes."
King Khyber bowed and said, "We understand, My lord. We will do as you wish."
Hao Ren nodded and asked, "So, who is the second best among your descendants?"
King Khyber was at a loss, he had always paid attention to the second prince and that was the reason for his downfall. He turned to look at the head eunuch who said, "The first princess, she is warmly received by the citizens, and she has spent most of her time traveling through the kingdom helping the people solve various problems. Although she has done it as a proxy to the Second Prince and has always given him all the credit, the truth is quite contradictory.
She has been making a strong impression amongst the people of the country and they all have come to understand that her promotion of the second prince was just an act of survival and to avoid being on his radar. While staying away from the capital, she had managed to act as a handy man of the second prince and also avoided being used as a bargaining chip by the court. After all, the Second Prince wouldn't sacrifice such a godsent help."
King Khyber was stunned and Hao Ren chuckled as he said, "Now this is a politician you need. The one who ensured her survival and the welfare of her people. Since she was weak in strength she relied on her wit. She will do your kingdom good."
King Khyber nodded and said, "I will do as you suggest, My Lord."
Hao Ren shrugged, this flattery didn't work on him. King Khyber then decisively opened the pill bottle and swallowed a red pill from it. The next moment, his vitality increased and his figure regained some youth. From an old obsolete person he became a dignified middle-aged man. The eunuch opened his eyes wide at this change. The transformation was merely a minute long.
King Khyber clenched his fists and he turned around to look at the Eunuch and said, "Gong, summon all the courtiers. Tell them to appear within an incense's time, and send over the commander of the palace guard."
The eunuch nodded and then left the place. The entire capital was already shocked because Hao Ren arrived in such a high profile manner. The moment Head Eunuch announced for the court to hold a session, everyone rushed over at the fastest speed possible.
King Khyber sat down on the dragon throne and he looked down at the ministers and the officials. He said, "Commander Jiulong!"
The commander of the palace guard stepped forward and knelt on the ground as he said, "Here!"
King Khyber said coldly, "Today, I will give you the chance to do your duty without restraint. All these years, we have been hoping for a change of heart among those who defied the responsibilities of their stations and exploited the people.
Today, you shall use my Dragon Sword to wash the house clean with their blood. Eunuch Gong, read the decree!"
The courtiers were shocked to see the King looking like a middle-aged man, but what rendered them speechless was the decree that followed. All the corrupt officials including the prime minister were sentenced to death right there in the court.
The prime minister wanted to protest but then the King himself acted and beheaded him. The courtroom was washed with blood, and the King looked towards the dragon throne as he bowed and said, "Ancestor, I implore you to safeguard the sanctity of the nation and act against those vermin who dirty our utopia."
A sigh echoed in the palace, and then a terrifying aura emerged from the core of the palace, washing over the city. The palace guard and the city guard were mobilized, all the clans involved in corrupt actions were slayed, the action was so thorough that a faction of shadow guards had been deployed to kill the distant branches of these families too.
Khyberstan was shocked that all this happened within an hour.
In the bloody throne room, which was still filled with chopped corpses of the officials, a middle-aged man appeared with his armor, and he was shocked, behind him a few young men with arrogant expressions also appeared and they were shocked as well.
King Khyber said, "Jiulong, all the corrupt officials have been executed, handle their spawns as well."
The second prince was shocked to look at his father being so cruel, he wanted to say something when the man on the throne clenched his fist and pulled the void towards him. The second prince was thrown off his feet and was dragged through sticky blood for a few steps before he landed in the center of the court. He could still hear his friend's vanishing wails. He shivered, and King Khyber said, "You brought this upon yourself. Wastrel."
The second prince asked with a mutter, "What did I do?"
A calm voice answered him, "Oh, nothing much, dear boy, you tried to act against my wife in the secret realm. Your friends harbored intentions towards my sisters who are there as well. Hmmm, so young yet so perverted, I wonder if I shall skin you alive, or mince you to fine meat!"
The last sentence caused the second prince to shiver, it was that loud. Hao Ren was angry.