Exiled to the Frontier, He Became the Empire’s Most Powerful Lord - Chapter 34

The shrine keeper’s expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly left.

A moment later, the faces of the Lin family elders turned extremely grim! Fang Xuance had been away from the Lin family for several days, and no one knew his whereabouts.

But they knew that Fang Xuance had secretly gone to Python City to assassinate the Barbarian King!

Although the barbarian king was an abandoned prince, he was still a member of the royal family and had the dignity to uphold.

This matter must be kept absolutely secret, otherwise they will pay a heavy price in the face of Emperor Yuanwu’s wrath.

But no matter how much they planned, no one expected that Fang Xuance would actually perish in Python City! How could the Barbarian King possibly have such a powerful guard force by his side?

So powerful that Fang Xuance couldn’t even escape? That’s utterly absurd; no one would believe it.

“Immediately send men to Python City to investigate secretly and find out what exactly happened!”

In the darkness, the Lin family dispatched more than a dozen secret agents who quietly departed.

Zhou Lingfeng thwarted the assassination attempt and also eliminated the Lin family’s henchmen, removing all the hidden dangers in the entire Python City, and everything began to return to peace.

Inside Tianxiang Pavilion, Hongling was writing a secret report with a bitter face!

What on earth happened? I thought the barbarian king was doomed! But the next day, I heard that the barbarian king was safe and sound and all the assassins had been killed.

This left her completely baffled, and she could only regret that she had run away too early that day!

Now, what arrangements the barbarian king made that night, and who killed Fang Xuance, have become mysteries.

Having reluctantly sent out the information she possessed, Hongling lay on her bed, utterly disgraceful, and sighed softly.

The young master of the Divine Fire Sect emerged from the sect’s main hall, covered in dust and grime, his legs trembling, a bright red handprint still visible on his face.

Only the sect master of the Divine Fire Sect could make the young master of the Divine Fire Sect, a third-grade Grandmaster, willingly endure such humiliation.

The young master of the Divine Fire Sect quickly withdrew the sect’s mission to kill Zhou Lingfeng! He felt a chill run down his spine when he thought of what his father had just said.

He was young and impetuous, and never considered the consequences of issuing a mission to assassinate a prince, which would be a great disrespect to the royal family.

The fact that this barbarian king has a master by his side who can kill Fang Xuance means that he must be at least a second-rank, early-stage expert.

Such a person is truly not to be trifled with.

Moreover, Zhou Lingfeng has another trump card: Tie Xuan.

If the Grand Marshal of the Great Zhou Dynasty hadn’t been targeted by Emperor Yuanwu and forced to guard the frontier, he would have been an absolutely terrifying figure.

The Divine Fire Sect is now considered a second-rate sect, with its strongest member only at the peak of the second-grade Grandmaster realm. Even if they are not afraid of Zhou Lingfeng, there is no need to directly make an enemy of him.

In the Great Zhou Surveillance Bureau, Zhao Yang Ruyue held the secret report sent from Mangcheng, her pretty face as calm as still water.

“Little Qi, Little Qi! I never expected you to be so patient! Even a lowly eunuch and a palace maid by your side are martial arts prodigies!”

“More importantly, you even have a way to kill Fang Xuance! Looking at His Majesty’s useless sons, there really isn’t anyone who can compare to you!”

“But you really can’t die! In another year, I’ll still need your Tie family bloodline for dual cultivation.”

She suddenly spoke calmly, then clasped her hands together, and the secret report in her hands instantly turned into dust.

This secret report would naturally not reach Emperor Yuanwu’s hands in the Imperial Study! She believed that Emperor Yuanwu, such an arrogant man, was no longer concerned about his youngest son who had been exiled to the frontier.

But she is different. She has not yet mastered the Supreme Forgetfulness Technique. She needs a stroke of luck to advance smoothly to the first-grade Grandmaster level.

With Zhou Lingfeng’s enfeoffment, the undercurrents in Shengjing intensified.

The second prince has the Lin family of Funing, the fourth prince has the Wang family of Shengjing, and the fifth prince has the Chang family of Luozhou behind him!

These three princes are currently the most capable of vying for the throne! With the support of ancient aristocratic families and sects, their strength is surprisingly evenly matched!

Overall, however, the Fifth Prince is superior! After all, the position of Left Chancellor Chang Yan is extremely crucial, almost second only to the emperor.

However, due to Zhou Lingfeng’s meddling, Chang Ningshuang’s engagement to Zhou Zhen was repeatedly delayed.

Emperor Yuanwu avoided mentioning this scandal, naturally not wanting Tie Xuan to cause further trouble at the border. As for the others, no one dared to touch them…

Chang Ningshuang remains the Fifth Imperial Consort in name only, but Zhou Zhen has been unable to consummate their marriage.

However, the second and fourth princes also have an advantage: they are not yet married!

The two great war gods of the Great Zhou Dynasty were Tie Xuan and Huo En. The former was Zhou Lingfeng’s maternal uncle, while the latter was an absolute loyal subject who only served Emperor Yuanwu.

Besides them, there was another powerful figure in the Great Zhou Dynasty! Prince Ning!

This was a powerful figure whose strength was no less than that of Tie Xuan and Huo En, and more importantly, he was Emperor Yuanwu’s most trusted confidant.

Ning Qingxue, the daughter of Prince Ning, is the Holy Maiden of the Haoran Sword Sect! Yet, she happens to be engaged to Zhou Lingfeng.

This is the biggest reason why the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince killed Zhou Lingfeng!

Once Zhou Lingfeng is dead or alive, Ning Qingxue will no longer be bound by the marriage contract.

Having Ning Qingxue is equivalent to gaining the support of the Haoran Sword Sect and Prince Ning! Wouldn’t the position of Crown Prince be within easy reach?

They never expected that Zhou Lingfeng was once the Crown Prince, possessing all the conditions they desired! The Empress’s legitimate son, the support of the Tie family, Ning Qingxue’s fiancé, and the future son-in-law of the Prince of Ning!

But so what?

A poorly planned scheme plunged Zhou Lingfeng into the abyss of despair.

This shows that all the so-called conditions were nothing in front of Emperor Yuanwu.

Everything changes with the Emperor’s mind and can become insignificant at any moment.

“Hehe! Zhaoyang Ruyue, you still don’t want to submit to me! Since you are unwilling, I will not force you.”

“However you try, you will still be unable to find my weakness!”

Inside the imperial study, Emperor Yuanwu stroked a jade ruyi with a gloomy expression, constantly sneering.

He suddenly stood up and walked out of the imperial study!

The red-robed eunuch, An Zhangyin, followed closely behind him, serving him with utmost care.

Deep within the secret palace grounds lies an underground palace, the very dragon vein of the royal family!

As is widely known, the state religion of the Great Zhou Dynasty was located there.

The previous Grand Preceptor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Master Qingwei, spent his days in seclusion in the underground palace, praying for blessings and protecting the dragon vein of the Great Zhou.

The origins of Master Qingwei are very mysterious. More than ten years ago, he fled from several Turkic masters with the young Zhaoyang Ruyue and came to the Great Zhou for refuge.

“I will be in seclusion with Master Qingwei for six months! The affairs of state will be handled jointly by the Left and Right Chancellors and the Imperial Preceptor Zhaoyang! No matter what happens, do not disturb me!”

Emperor Yuanwu calmly gave his instructions.

“This old servant obeys the decree!”

An Zhangyin bowed respectfully.

“The relevant imperial decree is already on the Emperor’s desk; you may take it and read it aloud at the court assembly!”

After Emperor Yuanwu finished speaking, he walked towards the underground palace. Suddenly, the gate of the underground palace opened automatically, and Emperor Yuanwu walked in leisurely.

Master An straightened up, his gaze somewhat complicated as he looked at the closed gate of the underground palace. Then he turned and left.