Early the next morning, a bombshell announcement from the palace sent shockwaves through the entire capital: Emperor Qing had succumbed to a sudden illness the previous night, passing away at 9:45 PM.
Before his death, Emperor Qing had left an edict naming the Third Prince, Li Chengping, as his successor, while appointing Prince Xiao Feng as Regent to oversee state affairs. He was granted the "Royal Discipline Whip," empowered to strike down foolish rulers above and treacherous ministers below.
Naturally, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince—the most likely heirs to the throne—refused to believe the legitimacy of this decree. They immediately mobilized their forces, intending to storm the palace and investigate the truth behind Emperor Qing's death.
However, their act of defiance angered the departed Emperor Qing's spirit, which summoned two bolts of lightning from a clear sky, reducing their heads to pulp.
Of course, the above explanation was merely propaganda for the common folk.
The real reason for Emperor Qing's sudden demise was that after Ye Qingmei's resurrection, she had led Wu Zhu and others into the palace under cover of night, where Wu Zhu's laser eyes had blasted the emperor to death.
Though a woman, Ye Qingmei was far from soft-hearted—had she been, she wouldn't have previously used a Barrett sniper rifle to assassinate Emperor Qing's two royal uncles, ensuring her lover (Emperor Qing's father) ascended the throne.
Fearing that Emperor Qing might dispatch armies to hunt her down upon learning of her return, Ye Qingmei chose to strike first.
In a way, Emperor Qing's decision to orchestrate Ye Qingmei's death years ago wasn't entirely unjustified.
Ye Qingmei held no reverence for imperial authority—how else could she have dared to snipe a prince, threaten the Empress Dowager, and even force herself upon Emperor Qing?
Had Xiao Feng been in Emperor Qing's position, he too would have sought to eliminate her.
After all, Ye Qingmei's prestige in Qing was too great. Had she successfully borne a prince, Emperor Qing's days would have been numbered.
With her son on the throne, Ye Qingmei could have reshaped Qing according to her whims.
Yet man proposes, heaven disposes. Emperor Qing never anticipated Ye Qingmei's resurrection—and ultimately died by her hand.
Initially, after Wu Zhu killed Emperor Qing, Ye Qingmei intended to install Fan Xian as the new emperor. However, he refused.
Not that Fan Xian didn't desire the throne—he simply had no interest in being a puppet ruler.
Thus, under Xiao Feng's guidance, Ye Qingmei and her allies forged an imperial decree, passing the throne to the politically unconnected Third Prince, Li Chengping.
As for the Crown Prince and Second Prince—those stumbling blocks—Ye Qingmei removed them with precise sniper shots to the head.
Emperor Qing's premature death derailed much of the original plot, allowing the [God's Lobby] to absorb vast amounts of world origin energy and further usurp the authority of this world's consciousness.
Once the [God;s Lobby] seized sufficient control, it could use this power to perfectly mask the auras of reincarnators, making them indistinguishable from native inhabitants—completely deceiving the world's awareness.
This would enable Xiao Feng to flood the Joy of Life world with reincarnators, allowing them to develop freely within it.
As outsiders, any changes reincarnators imposed would disrupt the world's original fate lines, causing leaks of world origin energy.
Once the [God's Lobby] absorbed over 50% of the Joy of Life world's total origin energy, it could forcibly suppress the world consciousness.
Thereafter, the entire Joy of Life world would become a subsidiary of the [God's Lobby]—Xiao Feng's personal playground to manipulate at will.
---
Time flowed like a white steed's fleeting shadow. In the blink of an eye, over half a month passed.
Following Emperor Qing's death, the Third Prince ascended the throne under Xiao Feng's support.
Xiao Feng himself, as the late emperor's appointed Regent King, became the most powerful figure in Qing—so untouchable that not even his nightly stays in the imperial harem drew criticism.
Once Qing's court stabilized, Xiao Feng delegated the task of guiding the young emperor to Chen Pingping and Fan Jian. He then set off for Northern Qi with Si Lili in tow.
By now, most key figures from the original plot in Qing had either submitted to Xiao Feng or been sent to their next reincarnation. With world origin energy gains dwindling, it was time to wreak havoc in Northern Qi.
Clip-clop, clip-clop…
An extravagant carriage drawn by eight horses raced down the broad official road, a black banner embroidered with a gleaming gold "Xiao" character flapping in the wind.
As the massive city at the road's end came into view, the carriage's drivers—Dian Wei and Xu Chu—gradually slowed their pace.
The imposing city loomed larger than Qing's capital, its towering walls of massive blue-gray stones slanting slightly outward, radiating an indescribable pressure.
Watchtowers dotted the battlements, while fully armed soldiers patrolled its lengths.
The area near the gates had been cleared of commoners. Only a group of several dozen—led by Northern Qi's Grandmaster, Ku He—awaited the arrival of the Divine Temple's Holy Son.
Soon, the eight-horse carriage halted before Ku He and his entourage.
Once it settled, the heavy curtain was drawn aside, revealing three figures stepping out.
At the forefront stood a man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his jade-like face framed by purple-gold robes, a white jade fan in hand—an aura of nobility beyond measure. This was Nanqing's Regent King: Xiao Feng!
Trailing behind him were two stunning women: one in white robes (Ye Qingmei) and another in black (Si Lili).
"Greetings, Divine Maiden!"
The white-haired Ku He's eyes shone with excitement at the sight of Ye Qingmei. He hurried forward and prostrated himself before her.
When Ye Qingmei first emerged from the Divine Temple years ago, Ku He and Xiao En had been her first witnesses.
Starving and reduced to cannibalism, they'd immediately revered her as a goddess descended from heaven.
Moreover, Ku He's breakthrough to Grandmaster status had come from cultivation techniques Ye Qingmei gifted him. His reverence for her bordered on religious devotion.
"Enough, enough! Get up already!"
Ye Qingmei quickly helped Ku He to his feet, grumbling, "You haven't changed a bit—always kneeling at the drop of a hat. At this rate, you'll kneel me into an early grave!"
The Northern Qi officials present gaped in disbelief.
Ku He was Northern Qi's sole Grandmaster and imperial guardian—a figure of supreme status. That he would kowtow to a teenage girl seemed inconceivable.
(End of Chapter)