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Chapter 356: Audience with the Emperor

"Duke of the East, you\'ve caused great trouble just now. That man is associated with the Grand King..." One of the patrol soldiers said, looking worriedly at Zhong Shan.

"Trouble? What trouble? A few rogues tried to raid my camp. You saw it yourselves; they wanted to arrest my people without a word. If we don\'t teach them a lesson today, even more scoundrels will dare to cause trouble in the future." Zhong Shan glared with determination.

"Uh?" The two patrol soldiers exchanged a glance and said nothing more. Indeed, Ma Zhuiri and his men didn\'t identify themselves and immediately attempted to seize someone from Zhong Shan\'s camp. Zhong Shan, just returning from afar, naturally "didn\'t recognize" them. Since the Duke "didn\'t recognize" them, they wouldn\'t say anything either.

Of course, the two soldiers didn\'t realize that even if Ma Zhuiri had announced his identity, Zhong Shan would still have ignored him.

"Duke of the East, please follow us!" one of the patrol soldiers said.

"Hmm!" Zhong Shan nodded and led his army to follow the patrol soldiers towards the Ancient Holy Capital.

Not long after, they arrived at the so-called Eastern Residence. The Eastern Residence was located in the eastern part of the Ancient Holy Capital. Though it was a bit remote, the environment was excellent and the area was vast. There was even a large floating island hovering above.

"Duke of the East, please wait here for the Emperor\'s summons. We\'ll take our leave now!" the patrol soldier said.

"Thank you both!" Zhong Shan replied.

"This is our duty." The two patrol soldiers then took their leave.

"Zhihuo!" Zhong Shan called out.

"Here!" Zhihuo, the wolf general, responded immediately.

"Escort Ah Da back to the princess\'s residence," Zhong Shan ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Zhihuo replied promptly.

"Master, I\'m off then!" Ah Da said.

"Go on!" Zhong Shan nodded.

With Zhihuo escorting him, Ah Da returned to the princess\'s residence.

"Wuhen, familiarize yourself with the surroundings, assign patrols, and designate areas for the soldiers to train!" Zhong Shan instructed.

"Yes, sir!" Shui Wuhen responded immediately.

"Wushuang, come with me!" Zhong Shan called out.

"Yes, sir!" Liu Wushuang responded promptly.

Zhong Shan led Liu Wushuang up to the floating island and into the Eastern Hall.

Having been to many city lord\'s mansions, Zhong Shan wasn\'t too surprised by the opulence of the Eastern Hall.

Inside the Eastern Hall:

"Wushuang, I need you to carry out a task for me!" Zhong Shan said.

"Just give me the order, Commander," Liu Wushuang said respectfully.

Zhong Shan took out a jade slip and wrote some instructions on it before handing it solemnly to Liu Wushuang.

"In the Ancient Holy Capital, on Commercial Street No. 3, there\'s an inn called \'Yunlai Inn.\' Deliver this letter to the innkeeper there," Zhong Shan said seriously.

"Understood," Liu Wushuang replied.

Meanwhile, in the Ministry of Justice, at the office of the Deputy Minister of Justice:

The Deputy Minister, Ma Zhuiri, was filled with both anger and perplexity as he dismissed everyone and returned to his office. As soon as he entered, he frowned.

"Uncle, who has angered you so much?" came a voice from inside. It was Marquis Qitian.

Upon seeing Marquis Qitian, Ma Zhuiri\'s expression immediately softened, and a hint of flattery appeared on his face.

"It\'s that Zhong Shan you mentioned! He actually tried to kill me," Ma Zhuiri said quickly.

"Oh?" Marquis Qitian\'s eyes lit up with interest.

Ma Zhuiri then recounted the entire incident in detail. As he spoke, a sly smile gradually appeared on Marquis Qitian\'s lips.

"Uncle, he\'s guilty of harboring a criminal and attempting to murder a government official. And right here in the Ancient Holy Capital, no less! Attempting to murder a government official right under the Emperor\'s nose—it\'s outrageous! At the next morning court session, the Emperor will surely summon him to the palace. When that happens..." A ruthless glint flashed in Marquis Qitian\'s eyes.

"I understand!" Ma Zhuiri replied with a fawning smile on his face.

Three days later, Zhong Shan sat in the Eastern Hall of the floating island in the Eastern Residence. He gently tapped the armrest of his chair, deep in thought.

At that moment, Shui Wuhen and Liu Wushuang walked slowly into the hall.

"Commander, the matter you asked me to monitor has yielded results. Rumors are now spreading throughout the Ancient Holy Capital," Liu Wushuang reported.

"Oh?" Zhong Shan asked with his eyes still closed.

"Now the word is that our army, returning from the front lines, was ambushed near the Ancient Holy Capital. Although there were no actual losses, the rumor makes it seem as if our forces are easy targets. This is damaging our army\'s reputation," Liu Wushuang said.

"Damaging our reputation? Haha, you don\'t understand. After my audience with the Emperor, our army will be held as a paragon among all armies!" Zhong Shan said with a confident smile.

"Huh?" Liu Wushuang was slightly taken aback.

"Commander, was this spread by Yunlai Inn three days ago?" Liu Wushuang inquired.

"Indeed. Right now, it\'s just a joke in the Ancient Holy Capital. But soon, I will leverage this to establish the most positive image in the minds of the people," Zhong Shan said with certainty.

"Is it because of Princess Qianyou?" Shui Wuhen asked, frowning.

Zhong Shan opened his eyes slightly and smiled, "Wuhen, you\'ve made a lot of progress lately!"

"It\'s all thanks to your guidance, Commander!" Shui Wuhen said with joy on his face, pleased with Zhong Shan\'s praise.

"Sigh, the trap set for the princess this time is extremely meticulous. Born out of jealousy, she supposedly killed her own sister? Such an accusation not only angers the Emperor, violating the laws of the dynasty, but also disgusts the public. She is almost universally condemned. Within the royal family, no one speaks for her, not even her own father, King Zhengyi. It\'s a situation where the entire court is her enemy. Who dares to speak for her? Most courtiers remain silent not because they despise Princess Qianyou but because they lack the power to speak up. Anyone who does will also see their reputation ruined, as no one wants to listen to defenses for the princess. More importantly, not only has the scheme implicated the princess on a grand scale, but it has also meticulously covered every detail. Those who testified against her, dare they lie to the Emperor? No, which means the schemer\'s precision is chilling, calculating even the witnesses. The thoroughness is terrifying," Zhong Shan sighed deeply.

"What will you do, Commander?" Shui Wuhen asked with a frown, looking at Zhong Shan.

"Me? Haha, I\'ve just returned to the capital, so I can\'t be an \'accomplice.\' This separates me from the situation. Furthermore, I\'m going to use this incident to magnify my image significantly, to change some people\'s perceptions of the princess. Then, I will clear her name," Zhong Shan took a deep breath and said.

"Commander, your efforts are truly admirable!" Shui Wuhen sighed, understanding that Zhong Shan, usually a low-profile person, was now pushing himself into the most prominent spotlight for the sake of the princess.

"A real man knows when to act and when not to. When it\'s time to take responsibility, one must have the courage to break new ground. Only then is it worth having gone through the cycles of reincarnation to come to this world. Of course, a real man must not be without strategy," Zhong Shan said.

"Yes!" Both Shui Wuhen and Liu Wushuang responded respectfully.

"The Emperor has summoned me. I am to enter the palace at dawn tomorrow. During this time, I must not be disturbed by anyone. I need to contemplate the matter carefully," said Zhong Shan.

"Understood!" The two attendants immediately retreated.

The next day, at the hour of Mao (between 5 and 7 a.m.), Zhong Shan was led by a eunuch to the foot of the Taigu Sacred Mountain, below the imperial city of the Taigu Holy Capital. Today was the day he would face the Emperor.

Before him stood a majestic mountain, its peak hidden in clouds. Yet above the clouds, rays of golden light burst forth, casting a rainbow-colored glow upon the mist, exuding infinite auspiciousness.

At the foot of the mountain was a white jade plaza, and at the far end of the plaza was a staircase that stretched up to the top of the mountain, leading to the Taigu Sacred Hall, the court of the Daluo Heavenly Dynasty!

On either side of the staircase stood two rows of dutiful guards.

"Lord of the East, this is the Taigu Mountain. The Taigu Sacred Hall is at the top. The mountain is six hundred and sixty zhang high, symbolizing the sixty-six heavens. You are to wait here until the Emperor summons you," explained an elderly eunuch to Zhong Shan.

"Thank you for your trouble," Zhong Shan replied.

The elderly eunuch shook his head with a smile and said no more.

At the hour of Chen (between 7 and 9 a.m.), a sharp voice echoed from the cloud-shrouded mountain.

"Announcing the presence of the Lord of the East, Zhong Shan, to enter the Taigu Sacred Hall!"

The announcement was repeated nine times in total.

"Lord of the East, please ascend the celestial staircase," said the attendant eunuch.

"Very well," Zhong Shan nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Zhong Shan swiftly stepped onto the celestial staircase, heading towards the Taigu Sacred Hall.

Walking through the mist-covered staircase, Zhong Shan soon reached the summit of the Taigu Mountain.

The Taigu Sacred Hall?

What a grand Taigu Sacred Hall it was. At the summit of the Taigu Mountain stood nine massive stone dragons, their fierce eyes glaring and roaring defiantly at the sky. The heads of the nine dragons pointed directly at a large hall in the center, which stood a hundred zhang tall.

Seeing this, Zhong Shan couldn\'t help but raise an eyebrow.

The scene reminded him of the imperial jade seal in his possession. The jade seal was adorned with nine dragons vying for a pearl, just like the Taigu Mountain with its nine dragons vying for the Taigu Sacred Hall.

Without hesitation, Zhong Shan stepped into the grand palace, surrounded by imposing guards.

The Taigu Sacred Hall, the foremost hall of the Daluo Heavenly Dynasty!

With a single step, Zhong Shan felt as if he had entered another world. The most striking sight was to the north, where the Emperor of the Daluo Heavenly Dynasty, Gu Shentong, sat upon the Celestial Throne of Nine Dragons.

At first glance, Zhong Shan didn\'t notice the Emperor\'s appearance; instead, he felt an overwhelming sense of \'heaven.\' The figure on the Nine Dragons Throne seemed to embody the sky itself, the sky of the Daluo Heavenly Dynasty.

As for the ministers standing on either side, they felt like \'stars\' to him. While he could see the roof from the outside, inside it appeared to connect to an infinite void above, exuding boundless majesty.