signingbooks #433 - Let the emperor die.
#433 - Let the emperor die.
On the information panel, the updated information for today was displayed:
【Daily Completed Sect Missions: 2】
【Available Information Quantity: 2】
【Information 1: The Divine Constable of the Six扇门 (Six Doors) has been plagued by headaches recently. His four famous constables are not by his side. Zhu Ying died in Dongzhou, Qin Feng is caught in a bitter battle in Changzhou, Can Xin has gone to Qingzhou to rescue the princess, and Zhen Lei is trapped in a strange case in Chengzhou. The Divine Constable senses that the atmosphere in the court is not right, but he has no one to use. If you can help him solve his troubles, you will surely gain his gratitude and be highly valued.】
【Information 2: The Great Qian Emperor Zhao Youzhao accidentally drowned while playing on a boat in the lake the day before yesterday. After being rescued, he caught a cold, and his condition has inexplicably worsened. Eunuch Wang Jin is ordering the imperial physicians to treat him, but he does not know that Zhao Youzhao will not live past sixty days. If you can give Zhao Youzhao talisman-infused water to cure his illness, you will be promoted by him.】
These two pieces of information undoubtedly held great value.
The first piece of information, at least, allowed Liang Jin to know that Can Xin, one of the Four Famous Constables, had actually gone to Qingzhou to rescue Princess Kunning, Zhao Xiling.
Now that he knew about this, Liang Jin could use the characteristic of 【Thousand Mile Tracking】 to lock onto Can Xin's location in time and prepare early.
The second piece of information truly shocked Liang Jin.
The Emperor was actually going to die!
And now, the only person who could save the Emperor was himself!
This was earth-shattering news!
The current Emperor had three sons and three daughters, but most of these children died young, with only one daughter surviving to adulthood.
But the only Princess Kunning, Zhao Xiling, was being held under house arrest by the Taiping Dao.
If the Emperor were to die at this time, and there were no legitimate heir to the throne in the world, it would inevitably lead to great chaos.
Judging from the current situation of Great Qian, if that time came, heroes from all over the world would rise together to compete for the throne, and war would follow.
Even the Imperial Palace guards would lose their object of allegiance and defense, and fall into chaos.
This matter was simply too important.
So important that Liang Jin felt that individual strength seemed so insignificant in the face of such a major event.
He originally had life plans to buy a house in the capital and prepare for his future life.
"Sixty days, this Emperor can only live for two more months."
"And in this world, only I can save him."
"So... to save, or not to save?"
Liang Jin couldn't help but fall into a dilemma.
Saving the Emperor and not saving the Emperor were two completely different paths.
Liang Jin had to decide which path to take as soon as possible, and clarify the direction, so that he would not be caught off guard in the following actions.
"Perhaps the system has already given me the answer."
Liang Jin carefully looked at the two pieces of information from the system, and he already had a rough idea in his mind.
The first piece of information stated that if he helped the Divine Constable, he would "gain his gratitude and be highly valued".
The second piece of information stated that if he saved the Emperor, he would "be promoted by him".
Comparing these two pieces of information alone, one could roughly see the personalities of the two people.
The Divine Constable would obviously be more grateful to someone who offered help in times of need.
The Emperor, on the other hand, would be much more ruthless and ungrateful.
But this was also completely understandable. If an imperial physician cured the Emperor's illness, the Emperor would simply promote and reward the imperial physician, but he would not entrust him with important tasks or be too grateful.
The Emperor never lacked people who wanted to risk their lives to work for him, so he would no longer be easily moved by other people's efforts, because in his opinion, such efforts were all willingly made.
The person who could be valued by the Emperor must be someone he favored or someone who was of great use.
So even if Liang Jin saved the Emperor's life, in the Emperor's eyes, Liang Jin was simply offering medicine in order to seek wealth and glory.
At most, it would make the Emperor value Liang Jin's medical skills and summon him into the palace to specialize in treating the royal family.
If he wanted Liang Jin to become a high-ranking official to participate in governing the country, or give Liang Jin military power to lead troops to fight, that would be completely unrealistic.
Another point was that even if Liang Jin wanted to save the Emperor, it would not be so easy.
As an imperial guard, it was usually as difficult as ascending to heaven for him to meet the Emperor.
What's more, the Emperor was not even living in the palace now, but in a new residence outside the palace.
Once the Emperor was ill, countless people in the world would want to make a contribution to curing him. If Liang Jin wanted to give the Emperor talisman-infused water to cure his illness, he would have to seek help from others and find connections to get this opportunity.
Liang Jin would rather not have this opportunity.
"Saving the Emperor has too little benefit, so I won't save him!"
Liang Jin decided to let the Emperor die.
But if the Emperor died, then someone would have to succeed him.
If Liang Jin could know in advance who could become the new Emperor, then he would definitely not stand on the wrong side in this turbulent situation.
"No, my position is too low, and I can't access high-level information."
"If the information contains serious errors, it will lead to serious deviations."
Liang Jin couldn't help but feel a burst of helplessness.
Identity determines status, and status determines information.
With Liang Jin's current status, he was destined to have difficulty truly understanding the situation in the court.
Judging from the information that Liang Jin could grasp and the situation around him, he felt that among the people he knew, only three had the possibility of ascending to the throne.
The first was Princess Kunning, Zhao Xiling.
The second was Prince Huaiyang, Zhao Yu.
The third was the Sect Leader of the Huahlong Sect, Yu Linglong.
Among them, Liang Jin felt that Yu Linglong had the least possibility.
Even though Yu Linglong had always wanted to restore her country, her current ability obviously had no way to quickly achieve her goal.
Zhao Xiling had the second highest possibility, but Zhao Xiling was now far away from the center of power, and even lacked freedom.
Then the most hopeful one was Zhao Yu.
Just as Liang Jin was immersed in thinking about the future situation, and various thoughts in his mind were intertwined like a mess.
Suddenly, a sharp and abrupt voice rang out like a thunderclap:
"Hey!!! Liang Jin!!!"
"I've been calling you for a long time! Are you deaf? What are you spacing out about?"
This sudden sound instantly dragged Liang Jin out of the abyss of contemplation.
He suddenly came back to his senses and realized that the surrounding soldiers were all casting curious glances, staring at him in unison.
In the distance on the training ground, a middle-aged military officer was blushing and shouting at him at the top of his lungs.
Liang Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, took a closer look, and a feeling of annoyance suddenly surged in his heart, because this middle-aged military officer was actually his old rival - the Imperial Guard Captain, Fang Qianfeng.
At this moment, Fang Qianfeng's face, which was already not very kind, was even more ugly. He stretched out his thick fingers and pointed fiercely at Liang Jin, shouting loudly:
"Liang Jin! Aren't you always boasting that you have practiced the 《Imperial Guard Long Fist》very well?"
"If you have the guts, come out! Stand here, and let's have a good contest!"
Fang Qianfeng's hatred for Liang Jin was hard to dispel.
Last time, he wanted to find trouble with Liang Jin and show this ignorant kid a thing or two.
But he never expected that he would be cleverly used by Liang Jin using the rules of the palace, and slapped a few times in front of everyone.
Those few slaps, like brands, were deeply engraved on Fang Qianfeng's pillar of shame, making him feel like he had a lump in his throat every time he thought about it, unable to swallow this breath.
He knew in his heart that if he wanted to get back at him and regain his face, he could only beat Liang Jin to the ground and make him look ugly in front of everyone.
For this reason, he had put in a lot of hard work during this period, studying and practicing diligently day and night, and almost devoted all his time and energy to martial arts practice.
Heaven did not disappoint those who had the will. He finally made a breakthrough in martial arts, not only gaining a deeper understanding of various moves, but even successfully breaking through the small realm, soaring from the late stage of the sixth rank all the way to the peak of the sixth rank.
This breakthrough made Fang Qianfeng full of confidence, as if he already had a sure chance of winning.
In his eyes, Liang Jin was just an unknown soldier in the early stage of the sixth rank, not to be feared at all.
The reason why he was defeated last time, he stubbornly believed, was entirely because he did not take the 《Imperial Guard Long Fist》seriously at the time, and he was careless, which allowed Liang Jin to take advantage of the loophole.
Now, Fang Qianfeng not only practiced the 《Imperial Guard Long Fist》more skillfully, but also learned a Profound-level martial art by chance.
This Profound-level martial art was like a trump card in his hand, making him firmly believe that this time he would be sure to defeat Liang Jin and wipe out his previous shame.
Moreover, as time passed, the matter of Prince Huaiyang, Zhao Yu, was gradually forgotten by everyone, and Liang Jin's value in the eyes of everyone also quickly declined.
Fang Qianfeng keenly sensed this, and knew that now was the perfect time to take revenge.
Sure enough.
Even though Fang Qianfeng deliberately targeted Liang Jin, none of the high-level Imperial Guards stopped him.
This shows that Liang Jin was really about to lose his value.
So, taking advantage of the lively atmosphere of the Imperial Guard's training and martial arts competition today, he finally couldn't hold back the fire of revenge in his heart, and decided to take this opportunity to teach Liang Jin a good lesson.
"Liang Jin! Are you afraid?"
"Coward! If you're still a man, come on stage and fight me!"
"Weren't you very arrogant before? Today I want to see if you can still be as arrogant as before!"
Fang Qianfeng continued to shout relentlessly, his provocative gaze shooting towards Liang Jin like a sharp arrow.
He wanted to provoke Liang Jin, he wanted to use this aggressive method to force Liang Jin to play.
Fang Qianfeng's actions made many people who knew the inside story feel indignant.
Especially the group of Imperial Guards led by Wu Huan, they knew the grievances between Fang Qianfeng and Liang Jin very well, and their hearts were naturally biased towards Liang Jin.
Wu Huan frowned, muttering under his breath with a face full of disdain:
“Hmph, a dignified commander challenging a mere soldier, doesn't he feel ashamed?”
Wang Quan, Qian San, and the others, upon hearing this, dared not voice their dissatisfaction aloud, but they all felt the same way, nodding slightly in agreement with Wu Huan's view.
Liang Jin, already disturbed by the information revealed in today's [Daily Intelligence], felt the weight of the significant news like a heavy stone pressing on his heart.
Now, Fang Qianfeng's provocation undoubtedly poured oil onto his already agitated heart.
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“Want to die?”
“I'll grant you your wish!”
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Liang Jin forcefully pushed through the crowd, striding towards the training field with steady and powerful steps.
In the blink of an eye, Liang Jin had arrived at the training field, standing firmly in front of Fang Qianfeng.
Their eyes met, and a strong smell of gunpowder instantly filled the air.
Seeing that Liang Jin had indeed been provoked by his goading, a hint of smugness flashed in Fang Qianfeng's eyes, like a cunning fox seeing its prey fall into a trap.
He seized the opportunity and shouted loudly:
“Liang Jin, let's get one thing straight, in training and competition, death and injury are inevitable!”
“Since you dare to accept this challenge, you must be prepared to be beaten to death!”
As he said this, a fierce glint appeared in Fang Qianfeng's eyes, filled with undisguised killing intent.
He secretly plotted in his heart that as long as he could successfully shatter Liang Jin's dantian qi sea today, turning him into a cripple, then he could torture Liang Jin however he wanted in the days to come.
He would continue to torture him until the matter of Prince Huaiyang, Zhao Yu, was completely settled, and Liang Jin had completely lost his value, then he would make him disappear from this world.
Liang Jin looked coldly at Fang Qianfeng and retorted:
“Are you finished?”
Upon hearing this, Fang Qianfeng immediately flew into a rage, shouting:
“Impudence!”
“How dare a mere soldier speak to his superior like this? You have no respect for your elders!”
In front of thousands of imperial guards, Fang Qianfeng could not afford to lose face.
He not only had to completely defeat Liang Jin in terms of martial strength to regain his dignity, but he also could not lose to Liang Jin verbally.
“Who brought you out?”
“Who is your superior? Have them stand out!”
“I want to see which worthless superior brought out such a disrespectful thing like you!”
Fang Qianfeng's face turned red as he roared repeatedly.
In fact, Fang Qianfeng knew very well that Liang Jin was Wu Huan's subordinate.
Wu Huan's soft complaint just now, although deliberately lowered, still did not escape his ears.
At this moment, he already had a plan in mind, intending to give Wu Huan a show of force while dealing with Liang Jin.
He would use these two people as an example to establish his authority.
Liang Jin snorted coldly:
“Too much nonsense!”
“If you want to fight, then stop yapping!”
Before the words could fade, Liang Jin's figure was as fast as lightning, suddenly leaping forward and instantly appearing in front of Fang Qianfeng.
Fang Qianfeng only felt a black shadow flash before his eyes, and before he could react, he was shocked to see Liang Jin's fist already raised high, bringing with it a fierce momentum, like a cannonball blasting towards him.
“Fang Qianfeng, I've been displeased with you for a long time, let's settle our grudges today!”
Liang Jin's words still echoed in the air, but his fist had already landed heavily with overwhelming force.
He had been suppressing his strength at the sixth-rank realm through the [Hidden Dragon in the Abyss] technique, and everyone in the imperial guards only knew that he was a sixth-rank martial artist.
However, even if he only used the strength of the sixth rank, it was more than enough to teach Fang Qianfeng, this peak sixth-rank guy, a lesson.
In Fang Qianfeng's eyes, widened with horror, Liang Jin's fist struck his face with lightning speed.
“Bang!!!”
A dull and loud sound rang out, like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.
Fang Qianfeng was instantly knocked away as if he had been hit by a cannonball, his body drawing a parabola in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
Liang Jin had already entered the peak of the fourth rank. After a long period of cultivation and tempering, his understanding of martial arts had reached a new, unattainable level.
When he looked back at the sixth rank from this higher level, it was like standing on the top of a mountain overlooking the foot of the mountain. He could naturally bring the power of the sixth rank to the fullest extent, and dig out the infinite possibilities hidden within.
The sixth-rank strength in this extreme state could even be comparable to a fifth-rank martial artist. The war puppet, Huang Xingzi, was a perfect example.
It is especially worth mentioning that Liang Jin not only condensed a powerful fist intent but also successfully upgraded the original Xuan-level fist technique [Great Subduing Demon Fist] to the Earth-level fist technique [World Great Subduing Demon Fist] through repeated comprehension and practice.
This alone is enough to prove that Liang Jin's attainments in fist techniques have already reached a first-class level.
At this moment, with a deep understanding of martial arts, Liang Jin fought against Fang Qianfeng, who was at the peak of the sixth rank, with the strength of the sixth rank. It was as easy as an eagle catching a chick, a complete crushing force.
Fang Qianfeng crashed heavily to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Half of his face instantly swelled up, like a balloon blown up with air, his entire face severely deformed by this punch.
He struggled to get up from the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief, staring at Liang Jin and stammering:
“Your… your [Imperial Guard Long Fist], how is it still so powerful?”
“This… how is this possible?”
Since being defeated by Liang Jin last time, Fang Qianfeng had been determined to learn from his pain and worked hard on the [Imperial Guard Long Fist].
He studied it day and night, practicing repeatedly, and thought he had already practiced this basic fist technique to perfection, knowing every move and every stance like the back of his hand.
But he never expected that when he faced Liang Jin's [Imperial Guard Long Fist] again, he was shocked to find that this originally unremarkable Yellow-level martial art had undergone a transformation in Liang Jin's hands, even as powerful as a Xuan-level martial art.
Liang Jin did not give Fang Qianfeng a chance to breathe. He raised his fist, took steady steps, and walked towards Fang Qianfeng step by step, each step seeming to tread on Fang Qianfeng's heart.
“I said last time that you practice the Imperial Guard Long Fist terribly!”
“With your level, you're fit to be the commander of the Imperial Guard?”
Liang Jin's voice was full of sarcasm and disdain.
Fang Qianfeng was naturally very unwilling to be evaluated by Liang Jin in this way.
His face turned red, and he shouted hoarsely:
“Liang Jin! Don't be too arrogant!”
“I still have my trump card that I haven't used! Don't be too proud too early!”
While shouting, Fang Qianfeng hurriedly circulated the internal force in his body, preparing to use his newly learned Xuan-level martial art, attempting to turn the tables.
However, how could Liang Jin have the patience to slowly deal with him?
He saw his figure flash again, instantly reappearing in front of Fang Qianfeng.
Fang Qianfeng only felt a blur before his eyes, and before he could react, Liang Jin's fist, containing powerful force, had already slammed towards him again.
“Bang!!!”
With another loud noise, Fang Qianfeng was once again directly knocked out.
This time, his body was like a kite with a broken string, floating weakly in the air for a few moments before crashing heavily to the ground, making a dull sound.
Fang Qianfeng only felt stars in his eyes, his head buzzing, almost knocked unconscious by this punch, his whole body lying limply on the ground, struggling a few times but unable to get up.
Liang Jin then raised his fist and slowly walked to Fang Qianfeng's side, saying with a face full of disdain:
“I said last time that you, as the commander of the Imperial Guard, can't even practice the most basic skills of the Imperial Guard well, and you can't even beat a small soldier.”
“An Imperial Guard commander like you is simply embarrassing, losing all the face of the Imperial Guard.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Qianfeng trembled with anger, almost spitting out a mouthful of old blood.
His heart was full of grievances and unwillingness. He had clearly worked so hard to practice martial arts, and his martial arts realm had also improved, but why couldn't he still beat Liang Jin?
Moreover, he vaguely felt that Liang Jin seemed to have become stronger than when they fought last time!
This made him feel as if he had fallen into an absurd dream, unable to understand why he would encounter such an outrageous thing.
But before he could recover from this endless grievance and confusion, Liang Jin's next punch had already slammed towards him like a storm.
“Bang!!!”
Liang Jin's punch directly smashed Fang Qianfeng's head into the ground, splashing a cloud of dust.
All the imperial guards couldn't help but tremble in their hearts.
Of course, they could see that Liang Jin's punch was powerful, and Fang Qianfeng would definitely not feel good after taking this punch.
However, Liang Jin's attack did not stop there, followed by another punch.
“Bang!!!”
As this punch landed, blood splattered, and one of Fang Qianfeng's eyeballs was knocked out, falling to the ground on the side, and the scene suddenly became bloody and cruel.
Since Fang Qianfeng dared to provoke him when Liang Jin was most irritable, he must pay a painful price for his behavior!
Hiss!!!!
Everyone gasped.
All the officers also changed their faces.
They had already seen that the situation was out of control!