"What are you laughing at? Are you selling smiles? Get yourselves ready for formation!"
Shen Zhao replied calmly, "I advise you to rephrase your words before you start yapping at me. Of course, it would be even better if you just shut yourself up."
"Are you out of your mind today? How dare you talk to me like that?"
"What's it to you? You still want me to treat you like my grandson and coax you?"
The fat man was driven mad by Shen Zhao's strange laughter and couldn't help but roar.
"Don't think you can do whatever you want just because Her Majesty ascended the throne and you're about to marry into the royal family. As long as you're not married to Her Majesty, you have to follow my orders."
"Oh ho~"
Shen Zhao was all too familiar with the fat man standing before him.
In fact, it wasn't just the fat man; the entire Jing'an Division seemed to have a problem with Shen Zhao.
The reason was simple.
Because Shen Zhao was rather handsome…
Actually, his looks were secondary. The crucial issue was that Shen Zhao was the Retired Emperor's handpicked consort. After the female Emperor ascended the throne, he was to marry into the royal family in half a year, when she turned eighteen, becoming Yu Xiyan's husband.
How enviable!
Yu Xiyan was a "national" goddess. How could they possibly be friendly towards a penniless nobody who was marrying the current female Emperor?
In previous lives, Shen Zhao would have been too lazy to bother with such colleagues, as he was restricted by the system and couldn't be too outlandish.
But now…
I've really put up with you for a long time!
Seeing that this fat superior's mouth was so foul, Shen Zhao didn't dawdle. Without a word, he raised his iron palm and gave him a slap on the cheek, "Pfft!"
The fat man didn't have time to react and fell to the ground, instantly curing his insomnia that had plagued him for years.
"Daring to hit our Brother Tiger, you don't know what's good for you!"
The two small fries behind him immediately prepared to draw their knives, intending to give Shen Zhao a taste of his own medicine.
"Oh ho~ you're eager to get beaten up, are you?"
However, before the knives were drawn, Shen Zhao appeared before them. He swung his palms and gave each of them a slap, "Pfft, pfft!"
Two small fries collapsed on the spot, experiencing the taste of their mothers' care.
After dealing with the three insignificant extras, Shen Zhao realized that his strength was more formidable than all his previous nine lives combined. Furthermore, he could control it with ease, and didn't even need those flashy combat techniques to achieve a beautiful victory.
But before he could dwell on it, a large group of small fries rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Seeing the three on the ground and then Shen Zhao standing there, shaking his wrist, they immediately understood what had happened.
"What do you want to do?" Shen Zhao asked innocently.
"You dare, Shen Zhao, to defy your superiors! Kneel and surrender!"
One of the small fries, eager to show his loyalty to his superiors, drew his blade and indicated he wanted to spar with Shen Zhao.
Just as the small fry leaped towards Shen Zhao, Shen Zhao threw a punch straight at his abdomen.
The small fry immediately shot backward like a missile, embedding himself in a wall and going to sleep for good.
Everyone was stunned in an instant. A tall, skinny captain immediately stepped forward and asked, "Shen Zhao, do you want to rebel?"
Shen Zhao said, "I want to leave the capital. I hope my fellow colleagues, considering our past camaraderie, won't try to stop me. We've worked together for so long; let's part amicably."
The captain immediately shouted in anger, "How dare you, Shen Zhao! Do you know what you're saying? Today, the new Emperor ascends the throne, and you're here fighting with your colleagues? Do you have no respect for the law? Want to leave? It's not that easy!"
Shen Zhao, hearing this, stopped talking nonsense and pointed at the group of small fry in front of him. "Since you don't want to negotiate properly, I can't do anything about it. Come on, all of you. Let's not waste each other's time. I'm very busy!"
If it were the previous nine lifetimes, Shen Zhao would absolutely not have been able to leave the capital at this point. He would have obediently followed the system's arrangements to fawn over Yu Xiyan.
But now the system was gone; even if the Emperor himself came, he wouldn't be able to stop him!
Before transmigrating to this world, he had never been anyone's lapdog. Now he could finally vent the humiliation and anger of these nine lifetimes.
Seeing Shen Zhao being so arrogant, the captain also stopped talking nonsense, waved his hand, and directly roared, "Get him!"
...
Outside the Hall of Supreme Polarity, the plaza was resplendent. A crimson carpet stretched from the palace gates to the outer edge of the hall. Combined with the fragrance of flower petals scattered everywhere, it appeared exceptionally solemn yet elegant.
On both sides of the red carpet stood fully armed guards, clad in golden armor that appeared imposing in the morning sun.
Behind the guards, civil and military officials stood in rows, all bowed their heads towards the purplish-gold dragon throne on the white jade steps, which symbolized the pinnacle of imperial power.
On the dragon throne, a girl of Phoenix Splendor, wearing a bright red imperial robe with embroidered edges, sat quietly in the emperor's seat above ten thousand people, radiating an imposing aura without anger.
Her beautiful eyes flickered as she watched the master of ceremonies announce the abdication edict to the officials.
The girl was seventeen years old, and she was the cultivator with the strongest cultivation talent in the Yin Heavenly Dynasty for thousands of years. She was also Yu Xiyan, the wife that Shen Zhao had courted for nine lifetimes but could never obtain.
Yu Xiyan's face was as cold as frost, and she exuded the aura of a superior leader, completely different from her age.
Yu Xiyan's beautiful eyes occasionally glanced towards the distant, spacious palace gate, as if waiting for someone important to arrive.
Only when the master of ceremonies finished reading the imperial edict, and the officials all shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!" did Yu Xiyan snap back to reality. She looked at the officials, rose, and raised the Imperial Seal:
"I am now receiving the edict to ascend the throne, fulfilling the responsibilities of the monarch, bearing the imperial mandate. May the Yin Heavenly Dynasty enjoy peace and prosperity for all eternity."
"Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!"
With the officials shouting in unison once more, Yu Xiyan's enthronement ceremony was considered complete.
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However, after Yu Xiyan sat back on the throne, her beautiful eyes were filled with a hint of confusion and bewilderment.
What's going on? According to the plan, Shen Zhao should be here with the Jing'an Division. But why are they nowhere to be seen?
It turned out that Yu Xiyan had also been reborn.
Only in this life, Yu Xiyan had been reborn with the memories of her previous life.
After Yu Xiyan finished absorbing these memories, she finally understood that she had been wrong, terribly wrong, so wrong that it made her feel absurd and laughable.
The man who truly loved her, who protected her and the empire with his life, she had discarded him like a worn-out shoe, and in the end, she had lost her life because of her own naivety and stupidity.
In her previous life, not long after Shen Zhao died, the Yin Heavenly Dynasty rapidly declined.
Lin Feng, relying on Yu Xiyan's trust, wantonly pocketed the empire's cultivation resources.
These priceless, extremely valuable spirit treasures and pills that made countless cultivators envious were all the foundation that Shen Zhao had accumulated for the empire.
Relying on the massive resources he obtained from the Yin Heavenly Dynasty, Lin Feng rose to power, and eventually received support from various hidden forces, achieving the peak of the Emperor Realm, surpassing all other emperors. He even established a Divine Martial Empire filled with powerful individuals.
And because of Lin Feng's rise, or rather, after Shen Zhao's death, the Yin Heavenly Dynasty's fortunes gradually dimmed. In the end, it could only become a vassal of the Divine Martial Empire, completely losing the qualification to compete with the immortal dynasties on the continent.
But Yu Xiyan didn't regret any of it, because she believed in the most romantic and sincere love with Lin Feng. Even knowing that Lin Feng had other women, she didn't care.
However, after a long time, she realized that the Yin Heavenly Dynasty and herself were just stepping stones for Lin Feng to reach the pinnacle of power.
Lin Feng approached her, actually caring most about the Innate Dao Body Shen Zhao had obtained for her, which could become a medium for ultimate dual cultivation.
The laughable thing was that Shen Zhao, the only one who could repeatedly stop Lin Feng's schemes, was actually sent to his death by Yu Xiyan herself at the peak of the nine heavens.
Afterwards, her father's death, her younger brother's accidental death, and even her mother's horrific experiences, all of it was a plot by Lin Feng to get close to her and force her to turn against Shen Zhao.
After realizing Lin Feng's true colors, Yu Xiyan, unable to bear the blow, completely broke with Lin Feng.
It was a pity that at this time, because she had lost Shen Zhao, the pillar of the nation, Yu Xiyan, whether in terms of cultivation or the empire's national strength, was completely unable to compete with Lin Feng, who was at his peak.
Finally, on the eve of the Divine Martial Empire's iron hooves trampling into the capital and destroying the Yin Heavenly Dynasty, which Shen Zhao had single-handedly supported and made strong, Yu Xiyan, whose cultivation had been completely crippled, in order to avoid becoming Lin Feng's plaything, resolutely set fire to the Hall of Supreme Polarity. Carrying endless regret, embracing the Emperor-grade "Phoenix Splendor" forged for her by Shen Zhao himself, she maintained the last shred of dignity and was buried in the sea of fire.
Having been reborn, Yu Xiyan was grateful to the heavens for giving her another chance. She also thoroughly understood how vital the man who had once cared for her in every way, enduring coldness and humiliation, truly was.
As long as Shen Zhao was present, the rise of the Yin Heavenly Dynasty would be unshakeable. As long as Shen Zhao was around, Yu Xiyan would never encounter any bottlenecks.
He could cultivate himself to the Great Emperor realm in less than twenty years. He would certainly be able to help her reach the peak of the Emperor Realm within a hundred years, and perhaps even the rumored Feathering Realm.
Unfortunately, she had, time and again, pushed the man who risked his life to protect her towards an abyss of eternal damnation.
In my previous life, I owed you so much. In this life, I will spend my entire existence compensating you! You will no longer be alone, and you will no longer suffer humiliation or grievances.
Her thoughts drifted back, and Yu Xiyan asked, "Why are the Jing'an Division guards not on duty today at my coronation ceremony?"
The officials were slightly taken aback upon hearing this. The Jing'an Division was merely a low-level government office that managed street security; even the neighborhood committee was more prominent. What difference did it make whether they were present or not?
Seeing that no one spoke, Yu Xiyan said to the female official beside her, "Qiuyue, go to the Jing'an Division and find out why they are not in attendance."
"Yes, sir!"
Shangguan Qiuyue immediately took the order and left.
At this moment, within the Jing'an Division's yamen, hundreds of figures lay sprawled across the ground, groaning in pain.
Judging from the fierce fighting, this battle had been extremely intense.
Which was probably stating the obvious.
A small fry, eyes wide with terror, trembled in fear. Clutching his blade, he backed away, screaming in his heart: No, don't come over! If you're so tough, don't come over!
"Insignificant ants don't deserve to live. Stand still, and let this Shen Zhao personally enlighten you!"
What you fear the most often comes to pass. Shen Zhao strode forward, raising his fist and delivering two direct punches to the small fry's waist, "Bang, bang!"
"Ouch, mother of God—"
Before the small fry could even finish his scream, Shen Zhao landed an elbow strike, sending the small fry flying along with the wall behind him.
The flying bricks, along with the small fry, were smashed onto the street. A cleaning lady saw this scene and immediately shouted "far ahead!"
The battle ended. Shen Zhao glanced at the battlefield he had just cleared, smiled slightly, then opened the gate and stepped out.
"They say everyone in the Jing'an Division has the potential of an Emperor, but I didn't expect them to be so arrogant. I hope this beating will make you realize the reality, pui~"
After coming onto the street, Shen Zhao immediately spread his arms and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
"This is the breath of freedom, hahaha!"
After expressing his feelings, Shen Zhao, ignoring the idiotic stares of the passersby, excitedly headed straight for the city gates.
Nine lifetimes! Do you have any idea what I've been through?!
Not long after he left, Shangguan Qiuyue arrived at the Jing'an Division with the imperial guard.
Upon seeing the scene before them, Shangguan Qiuyue and her entourage were utterly dumbfounded.