The Beautiful CEO's Dragon Blood Bodyguard-Chapter 2006 - 2005: Traitors in the Imperial Court
As soon as Chu Feng and his group departed, a crowd of Nine Clan’s Descendants burst through the door.
With a loud bang, the door was shattered to pieces.
They rummaged through the empty room, cursing, "Lucky you ran fast, let’s go!"
The leading disciple threw a thousand Spirit Stones to the shopkeeper, telling him, "Remember, next time you see these Demon Chiefs, you must tip us off. Otherwise, you’ll roll out of Celestial Realms City immediately."
The shopkeeper kept bowing with a forced smile, muttering under his breath after they left, "Full of themselves, if they have the guts, why don’t they go fight the Demonic Beasts!"
In Celestial Realms City, as soon as the Ma Army left, government officials came up, posting rewards on the streets.
Drawn on them were portraits of Chu Feng and his group, with a reward of a thousand Spirit Stones for anyone who reports them.
Anyone who discovers them but does not report will be treated as rebels.
Originally, in the court, there were still the Ma Army and Li Daoxun’s Imperial Guards to contend against the Nine Clans’ power.
Now, with the Ma Army gone.
The Nine Clans grew even more powerful, running rampant in Celestial Realms City, acting as if they were kings and overlords here.
No choice, experts at the Unity Realm Stage are rare.
With the world’s suppression, newcomers can’t break the impasse for a long time.
Only the old monsters who haven’t emerged from seclusion can rule in the Unity Realm Stage.
In the court, the struggle between the Fourth Prince’s and the Eighth Prince’s factions grew increasingly intense.
The Eighth Prince, supported by the Empress Dowager and the Nine Clan Elders, was gaining the upper hand, oppressing the Fourth Prince’s forces into silence.
Voices on the court already called for the Eighth Prince to oversee the state in the Emperor’s absence.
Dissatisfied with the Emperor, the Empress Dowager colluded with outside forces, soon issuing a decree in her name, stating that the Emperor was in seclusion, the world was ravaged by the Demon Calamity, causing public unrest, thus the need for a Human Emperor to stabilize the people’s hearts. Consequently, Prince Zhang Youzong was appointed to temporarily handle state affairs, assisting the Emperor in governing the realm.
The Eighth Prince officially took the stage, managing imperial power in the Heaven-Piercing Palatial Hall on behalf of the Emperor.
His first decree was to seal off Celestial Realms City, forbidding any refugees from entering.
Refugees fleeing from other places could only settle in refugee camps on the ground.
Instantly, there was an uproar in Celestial Realms City.
This clearly intended the refugees as scapegoats, forced to settle on the ground outside Celestial Realms City. If the Demonic Beasts came, it would be a dead end for them.
The second decree quickly followed, demanding that all dissenters, regardless of faction, be expelled from Celestial Realms City if found.
People from outside in Celestial Realms City were naturally indignant, as their relatives, threatened by Demonic Beasts, were waiting to seek refuge here.
But this Imperial Decree undoubtedly cut off their means of survival.
A group took to the streets to protest, gathering people from all corners of Celestial Realms City, eventually amassing over a million people.
However, the court turned a deaf ear to these petitions, only deploying more personnel, drafting elite disciples from various clans to strengthen vigilance against those demonstrating crowds.
The long-silent Nine Heavens Daily suddenly spoke up, publishing a manifesto on its front page.
The headline read, "With the Demon Race as our great enemy, the Human Race thinks not of uniting against the foe, but only of seizing power and profit."
The article beneath harshly criticized the Nine Clan Elders and the court’s Eighth Prince.
The writing was sharp, the criticism exhilaratingly fierce.
In no time, the newspaper spread throughout Celestial Realms City, reaching sales of over a million copies in a single day.
Enraged upon seeing it, the Eighth Prince and the Nine Clans’ forces of the court ordered the closure of Nine Heavens Daily and the arrest of those responsible for publishing the manifesto.
Yet after several days of investigation, there was no news.
Because this newspaper was actually printed and published by Chu Feng and his companions.
They would strike underground and move locations frequently, impossible for the government officials dispatched by the court to find them.
The chaos of Celestial Realms City had now begun to infringe on interests beyond the Nine Clans.
Though no one openly criticized it, everyone harbored a seething anger inside.
Within a month, more and more refugees arrived from outside, and conflicts with the City Defense Camp of Celestial Realms City grew larger.
In the refugee camps beneath the city, refugees from all directions already numbered in the tens of millions.
Survival was a challenge, let alone getting enough to eat.
In Celestial Realms City, some civil groups called for donations to set up porridge sheds at the camps below, struggling to provide porridge daily to get by.
Some presented a memorial, pleading with the official families to open the granary and relieve the refugees.
The court suppressed it entirely, ignoring completely.
If the uproar was severe, individuals were directly imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison.
The difficult times fell on the Outer Sect of Heaven-Piercing Palace.
A group of righteous-minded students gathered, furious, cursing aloud, "What a joke of a Regent, they’re worse than animals. Our fellow humans are displaced by the Demon Race, yet they ignore this and make it harder for these refugees. What do they want? They want to use these refugees to block the Demon Race, to drain the Demon Race, maximizing their profit!"
"If the Consort Prince were here, they wouldn’t dare!"
"What’s the use of saying that, the Consort Prince is dead!"
"Didn’t the Consort Prince lead an army out of the city last month?"
"Don’t be naive, that was the Seventh Princess in disguise, the news has been confirmed."
"..."
As they argued for justice, a group of Nine Clan’s Descendants came wielding swords, quickly surrounding the courtyard.
Government officials in court attire, led the way, kicking the door open.
The students inside stood up, but before they could react, they were surrounded by these officials. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Behind them, the Nine Clan’s Descendants shouted with their swords, "Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"
The students cursed passionately, "Abetting evil, you’ll face retribution!"
"Bastards, come fight with honor!"
The students drew their longswords in defiance.
A fierce brawl broke out, ultimately, over a dozen students were slain, while the rest were captured and thrown into the Heavenly Prison.
This was already the umpteenth batch of students captured, the Heavenly Prison was overflowing, with tens of thousands locked inside now.
A student, on the way, raised his voice, "You can catch one of me, but you can’t catch everyone. You can silence me alone, but not the entire world."
"The court has traitors, traitors in the court!"
"With the Demon Race upon us, you still dare act this way. The Immortal King Star is doomed, Celestial Realms City is doomed, none of us will survive!"
"A bunch of scum, parasites, fools. If we can’t survive, do you think your Nine Clans will fare any better?"
"When the Demonic Beast arrives, the situation will drag everything down, how can you remain untouched!"
"..."
On the streets, a crowd watched these students being taken away in cages, whispering amongst themselves, yet not one dared speak up for them.
As the uproar grew, it finally reached the Empress Dowager’s ears.
Even she found it disagreeable and called her nephew, the Prime Minister Yao Chong, over to question him.
Yao Chong helplessly explained, "Aunt, calm your anger, we had no other choice. With the Demon Race here, the Human Race is weak. Without sacrificing some people’s interests, it’s impossible to fend off the Demon Race’s attacks. Only by having these common folk block our front can we deplete the strength of the Demon Race, ensuring security for Celestial Realms City, and eventually achieve victory for the Human Race!"
The Empress Dowager nodded and sighed softly, "It’s a pity that no one understands your intentions, and you will ultimately be reviled by the world."
The Prime Minister knelt, with tears in his eyes, "I’ve received favor from the country throughout my life, being scorned by the world matters little. As long as we can stop the Demon Race and protect the last bloodline of our Human Race, I would gladly die."
