Star Gate

Chapter 694: Not Leaving (III)

The fighting earlier had purposefully avoided the captured nobles, so they thought all was fine. Now, all of them were as white as a sheet and someone roared angrily, “Li Hao, you’re just bullying the weak if you kill us! It’s the weak being food for the strong!”

“Mu Xiaorong’s run off and so have those major nobles. Why don’t you go after them?”

“All your talk of fairness is just a joke! You’re just someone who picks on the easy targets!”

These nobles could sense the threat of impending death. The nine ministries had withdrawn, but Li Hao had come back. They shouted with anger and outrage. It was obvious that they’d been abandoned!

Most of the premier nobles, the likes of Mu Xiaorong and the others, had run off. It was the ones remaining who were discarded pawns. There were too many of them and the ministry experts hadn’t planned on saving them in the first place.

Li Hao watched them silently. Moments later, his shout echoed in all directions. “Commence the execution!”

Flushed with excitement, Silver Moon Guards swung down their blades with a grunt!

Pfft!

Arrows of blood shot out! The bleary-eyed citizenry within the city paused with astonishment when bloody scenes appeared on the projection screens.

......

The Nine Dragons Pavilion.

An opulently dressed woman vanished and reappeared underground. She let her displeasure be known with a frown. “Why is the broadcast still continuing? It should have ended when the nine ministries lost!”

Indeed, as the extension of the royal family in the outside world, this farce should have ended when the nine ministries retreated. Scenes of the nobles being executed did not need to be streamed. It enhanced Li Hao’s reputation, but was a blow to the nine ministries and the royal family. That was not a good outcome.

They had an arrangement to cease the broadcast when the nine ministries were defeated or Li Hao killed. No matter what, there should be no scenes of execution. And yet, the Nine Dragons Pavilion producer did not shut the stream off!

The woman had been focusing on the unrest at the palace and didn’t realize that the projection screens were still active. It was only when gasps rose and fell outside that she realized what was at hand.

Massive machines whirred with activity below ground. A dozen people were in charge of operations. The female manager was here as well and about to speak when an old man with white hair smiled, blood suddenly oozing out of his mouth.

“Your Highness the Seventh Princess,” he addressed the opulent woman. “Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Zhao Mingduan, head of the Skystar Ancient Academy research division. I gave the order... for continued broadcast. Doesn’t Your Highness... think it’s so beautiful... when the heads are chopped off?”

He laughed, oozing more and more blood until he gradually lost his vital signs. The seventh princess looked severely at the others in the room. Everyone was quiet. Operating the projection machines was a technical job, not one strictly related to martial ability.

The Nine Dragons Pavilion had recruited some people when the Skystar Ancient Academy closed. To think that they would spring this on her today! Most of these people were former students, as well as several teachers.

Of course, it wasn’t like she’d given them free rein of the place. Some of her people were standing guard here. She looked around and saw some corpses in the corner. Her expression shifted rapidly and she glanced at the female manager. “How did they die, Hu Jiao? When did you get here?”

Color drained from the manager’s face and she lowered her voice, “Pavilion master, I...”

“Cough cough cough!” Another old man covered his voice as he coughed. “Your Highness, Zhao Mingduan is dead. He killed them before he died. Are you going to keep pursuing the matter?” He smiled at this point. “If you do, then the Nine Dragons Pavilion might lose contact with various locales at any point. All intelligence networks require our support for the moment, including the hubs of the transmission pendants. Once problems arise... is the princess confident in not needing our aid to complete repairs?”

“Are you threatening me?” The seventh princess looked coldly at him. The old man coughed without end, but he didn’t seem to be afraid.

“It’s not a threat,” he laughed softly. “Just elaborating on the truth. Perhaps... everyone thinks we’re useless, but the seventh princess should understand that without us, all of the royal intelligence systems will collapse. Will that satisfy you?”

“Do you all think this way?” The woman coldly regarded everyone around her. “This seat doesn’t need that many people. So long as someone possesses the knowledge, the legacy will not end. Zhao Mingduan is dead and I need a new person at the helm. Glory and splendor is yours if you say so!”

She snorted inwardly. What were a few more dead? There were a dozen present and none of this was a problem so long as a few of them still understood the technology. There would naturally be new recruits to continue learning the trade and fill in the gaps.

Wasn’t it just status and wealth? She would give it to them!

Dead silence reigned in the basement. Everyone lowered their heads without a word.

“We are in grief at the esteemed Zhao Mingduan’s passing,” the old man said softly. “It’s not an appropriate time to talk about money or glory and splendor. This was just a small mishap, but he paid with his life for it. Does the seventh princess still find it not enough? Then this old man will go with him...”

The expression on the seventh princess’ face turned colder and she sneered. “Well well, as expected of those from the Ancient Academy. Yun Haoran did not submit even upon pain of death, and he raised another crop of tough nuts in his wake!”

She whirled around and left. The female manager quickly followed her without saying a word. She ducked her head for a look when she passed by Zhao Mingduan’s corpse and looked into the man’s eyes. Her eyes grew wet at the sight of the other’s smile. The dampness immediately evaporated as she left with the seventh princess.

Muffled sobs sounded in the basement after the two women left.

“What are you guys crying for?” calmly asked the surviving old man. “Old Zhao died a worthy death! This is good—several hundred of those bastards lost their heads this time. The entire city and entire dynasty watched the execution! Whether it is the nine ministries or royal family, none of them can control everything!

“A basis of rule grounded in obliterating the people’s minds will not succeed! One set of laws for the nobles and another set for the regular citizens will also not win the hearts of the people! It is inevitable that nobles enjoy more of life, obtain more from life, and start at a higher position. But they cannot sacrifice the futures of the many for that privilege. That will only make the nobles more decrepit generation after generation. Soon enough, the dynasty will collapse!

“The nine ministries did not learn this lesson from the royal family and permitted all of this to happen. Their chickens will come home to roost sooner or later!” The crying dwindled as the old man calmly laid out the situation.

Everyone looked at him; he stood up with a cane as he was missing a leg. He pointed at a person in the massive projection screen. “He may not be anyone good either, and perhaps it’s only a matter of time before he becomes noble himself. He might proclaim himself king over a certain territory or be a lone wolf on his dao. But for now, he has pulled back a corner of the darkness!

“Everyone, remember this—there will always be someone who steps forward! Another would’ve come along if he hadn’t, so do not lose hope! We... will not be the only ones awake in this age!”

Everyone’s heart had died when the Ancient Academy fell. It was too hard to want to do anything in this era. They chose to join the Nine Dragons Pavilion in order to guarantee their survival. They swiftly built the communications system and helped the Pavilion complete their monitoring of all information within the ninety-nine provinces.

That was how they found their footing and why the seventh princess gradually relaxed her guard against them. But today, they defied orders and completed streaming the last scene of the execution...

......

Skystar City was in an uproar as the final projection image had frozen on the executions. While the images were gone, a fire burned in people’s hearts. Three hundred nobles had lost their heads—the last moments of their fear, fury, and incredulity were emblazoned in looks that the entire city had seen.

They didn’t know which side had won, but Li Hao was alive. The nine ministries had ignored the nobles and permitted their heads to be chopped off, so it seemed like Li Hao had won!

That was enough!

Within the city, some noble vassals trembled with unease. Minor nobles who spent their days bullying others also cowered and shook, hiding at home to avoid going outside.

They were dead!

Several hundred had died! The people didn’t understand, nor did they want to understand. All they knew was that such matters were too far removed from them. They only knew that the villains that walked in their midst seemed to be afraid. That was enough!

“The Night Watchers will commence patrols of the four directions!” Li Hao’s voice blared through the city. “Those who commit evil will be executed! Those who cause disturbance will be executed! The Skystar Commander Office is still in operation, now at the northern gate plaza! Those who wish to file a report can do so. So long as the evidence is clear, concrete, and having to do with supernaturals, then they will be executed!”

......

The nine ministries.

The various ministers gaped at each other.

“He’s staying?!” one of them roared. Indeed, what a shocking turn of events! They’d thought that Li Hao would leave after this operation and return to Silver Moon. But no!

Li Hao was staying and seemed to want to continue cleaning house!

The current minister of the Judiciary ground his teeth and looked to the north. “You court death, Li Hao!”

It was incredible that the young man was staying. Did he really think of himself as invincible? Who knew how many from Silver Moon would die today if it wasn’t for the nine ministries being impeded by the royal family. Where did Li Hao get the courage to stay from??