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“Stars revolve around the earth, the Big Dipper shifts, the demon star disrupts the world, the female star shines brightly, and the emperor stars dim…”
Chongming Kingdom, Star Observation Tower.
The imperial teacher, a man in his forties with a lean face, looked up at the star-filled sky, frowning and muttering to himself, “The world is in chaos, the hen crowing at dawn, it truly is the omen of the hen crowing at dawn. Who is it? Who is the demon star beside the Fourth Princess? How could one person alone support the female star? In ancient times, only the general star could support the emperor star, why is it a demon star this time…”
He glanced at the sky again, looking at the demon star that was even brighter than the female star. The imperial teacher turned and hurried down the Star Observation Tower, heading straight for the palace.
…
The palace, the imperial study.
A teacup shattered into pieces on the ground.
Emperor Gu Shichun of Chongming Kingdom was in a rage: “…No need to wait, issue a nationwide warrant, Luo Shuang is a disaster. Why does she want to revive Qingwu Kingdom and disrupt my Chongming Kingdom? And you, Shi Pingchuan, why did you privately promise to help Luo Shuang restore her kingdom? Does the prime minister intend to seize military power?”
Nearby.
Prince Gu Shiming, who bore some resemblance to Gu Shichun, glanced at Shi Pingchuan, a barely noticeable smirk on his lips.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger.” Prime Minister Shi Pingchuan stepped forward unhurriedly, “Your Majesty, this old minister has never intended to seize military power. The reason for promising Luo Shuang was due to the matter of the Heavenly Demon previously mentioned.
Luo Shuang is just a woman without soldiers or generals, she can’t cause much trouble. The real threat is the Heavenly Demons scattered across Chongming Kingdom. This old minister used Luo Shuang as bait to lure out the hidden Heavenly Demons, and once they reveal themselves, we can catch them all in one go.”
“Prime Minister, as far as I know, not only are there Heavenly Demons causing chaos, but celestial beings from the heavenly realm have descended to eradicate them. Why does the prime minister only mention the Heavenly Demons and not the celestial beings?” Prince Gu Shiming said leisurely.
“Prince, what celestial beings? They are just Heavenly Demons trying to glorify themselves.” Shi Pingchuan chuckled, “Otherwise, how could the growth methods of celestial beings and Heavenly Demons be exactly the same? Prince, known for your wisdom and bravery, surely you can see through such petty tricks!”
“Prime Minister, I indeed cannot see through the Heavenly Demons and celestial beings. I just don’t understand why the prime minister insists on exterminating all the Heavenly Demons?” Gu Shiming said, “If not for the prime minister’s insistence on killing the Heavenly Demons, Chongming Kingdom wouldn’t be in such turmoil.”
He paused, “Let’s not talk about the internal strife in Qingwu Kingdom for now. If one day, Beihai Kingdom or Kingdom Chu employs Heavenly Demons, how should we respond?”
The prime minister confidently said eight words: “Employing Heavenly Demons will lead to backlash. Prince, just wait and see. If any country employs Heavenly Demons and does not fall into chaos within three years, you can use this old minister’s head as a sacrifice to the heavens…”
A golden light flashed in Gu Shiming’s eyes.
The emperor glanced at the two arguing men and said, “My brother, Prime Minister Shi, I called you here to discuss the matter of Luo Shuang. The people’s hearts are unsettled, and if we don’t address the root cause soon, the consequences will be dire.”
Shi Pingchuan said, “Your Majesty, give this old minister another month, and I guarantee to cleanse Chongming Kingdom of the Heavenly Demons…”
The imperial teacher rushed in.
In the imperial study, all three pairs of eyes fell on the imperial teacher.
Emperor Gu Shichun frowned slightly, “Imperial teacher, why are you in such a hurry?”
The imperial teacher didn’t bother with formalities, “Your Majesty, please send troops immediately to eliminate Luo Shuang. I observed the celestial phenomena last night, the female star’s light is rushing towards the Big Dipper, supported by a demon star, the emperor star is dim. If we don’t suppress Luo Shuang in time, the world will soon be in chaos.”
“What?” Gu Shichun’s face changed.
“Your Majesty, every word I say is true.” The imperial teacher said, “The female star’s light is flickering, unstable, and relies entirely on the demon star’s support. When suppressing the female star, we must not let the demon star escape, otherwise, Chongming Kingdom will be in great danger.”
Demon star?
The prime minister’s heart skipped a beat.
An image of Du Ge inexplicably flashed through his mind.
He knew the imperial teacher had real skills. On the day the Alien Star warriors possessed bodies, it was the imperial teacher who rushed into the palace to warn the emperor, saying that a demon star had descended and the world would be in chaos. Thus, he successfully persuaded the emperor to cleanse Chongming Kingdom of the Heavenly Demons.
But the imperial teacher had always opposed him, trying to oust him from his position. If not for their past grudges, he might have suspected the imperial teacher had already seen through his identity.
Even so, the imperial teacher had never been this panicked before…
Demon star!?
Could the person behind Luo Shuang be Du Ge?
If it were him, it might indeed create the rumor of celestial beings and demons opposing each other…
But if it were Du Ge, why didn’t he come to the capital to find him?
Was his hint not clear enough, or did Du Ge not trust him…
No.
The person behind Luo Shuang can’t be Du Ge.
With Du Ge’s character, he wouldn’t stay silent for over ten days before making a move. It must be some other lucky warrior from another star!
Out of ten stars, Du Ge can’t be the only genius.
Shi Pingchuan looked at the golden first place floating on his personal interface, his mind racing. His palms were sweating. For the first time, the usually calm Shi Pingchuan felt a twinge of fear upon hearing about the demon star…
…
“Prime Minister Shi, Prime Minister…”
Gu Shichun’s call brought Shi Pingchuan back to reality. He quickly apologized to the emperor, “Your Majesty, I’ve been overwhelmed with work lately and felt a bit fatigued, hence my momentary lapse. Please forgive me.”
“Prime Minister Shi, you have worked hard. But the affairs of the state still require your attention, you cannot rest yet!” Gu Shichun, an old fox, could see Shi Pingchuan’s lapse. He offered a word of concern and asked, “What do you think of the imperial teacher’s words, Prime Minister?”
“My initial plan was to label Luo Shuang as a Heavenly Demon possessing a body, then issue a nationwide warrant to drive her out of Chongming Kingdom, thus quelling the rumors she caused.”
Shi Pingchuan pondered for a moment and said, “Since the imperial teacher speaks of a demon star causing chaos, the previous plan won’t work. Luo Shuang lacks soldiers and generals. Let the prince find a trustworthy general to pretend to be bewitched by Luo Shuang, join her, and lure her out to capture her in one fell swoop.”
“Agreed.” Gu Shiming, not arguing with the prime minister this time, directly agreed.
“Luo Shuang once studied at Qinglan Sword Sect. Your Majesty can send a letter to Qinglan Sword Sect, asking them to assist in capturing Luo Shuang.” Shi Pingchuan continued, “To prevent Qinglan Sword Saint from being bewitched by the demon star behind Luo Shuang…”
Unconsciously.
Shi Pingchuan had started to use the template for dealing with Du Ge to handle the demon star behind Luo Shuang.
Whether in the Simulation Field or the Alien Star Battlefield, Du Ge’s greatest skill wasn’t keywords, but his persuasive speech. Many opponents stronger than him were often swayed by his words and ended up becoming his allies.
Whether or not the opponent was Du Ge, the method to deal with him remained the same.
Du Ge’s failure to meet him immediately left him uneasy. After all, in the last Alien Star Battlefield, Du Ge, despite having the upper hand, only brought back one warrior from Qi Yuan Star.
At that time, he could have brought back nine allies from Qi Yuan Star…
…
“Let’s follow Prime Minister Shi’s plan.” Gu Shichun glanced at Shi Pingchuan, nodded, and then looked at Gu Shiming, “My brother, fully cooperate with the prime minister.”
“Yes, brother.” Gu Shiming replied.
“Alright, you two may leave. I still have matters to discuss with the imperial teacher.” Gu Shichun waved his hand, dismissing the two.
Shi Pingchuan and Gu Shiming each bowed and left.
After they had been gone for about a quarter of an hour, Gu Shichun looked at the imperial teacher, worry evident on his face, “Imperial teacher, is it really safe to let the prime minister grow so powerful? I can feel his vitality growing stronger by the day. This kind of incredible growth rate is almost on par with a grandmaster. I’m afraid one day he might turn against me!”
“Your Majesty, using demons to drive out demons is the best strategy. The prime minister has a short life span and is not a concern.” The imperial teacher sighed, “What worries me is the demon star behind Luo Shuang. The demon star’s light is growing stronger by the day. I’m afraid the prime minister alone is no match for it. Your Majesty needs to find a way to support the prime minister.”
“Imperial teacher, have you discovered what the prime minister relies on for his growth?” Gu Shichun asked.
“Besides suppressing the Heavenly Demons, the prime minister has been expelling officials who oppose him in the court, promoting his own people, and instructing his confidants to accept bribes and sell official positions. I suspect his attributes are related to power.” The imperial teacher said, “If one day the prime minister becomes too powerful to control, Your Majesty can dismiss him to quickly weaken his abilities.”
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