FIMA Ch80: The Altar [Arc 5]

The mountainous forest on the outskirts of Qing County originally consisted of rugged mountain roads and overgrown weeds.

Who knew when, a high platform rose from here, and this place became flat and smooth in an extremely short period of time.

At noon this day, the auspicious hour had just arrived.

The sound of instrumental music rang out continuously. On the high sacrificial platform, smoke curled up from the burning firewood furnace.

A young man wearing a light-colored coiled dragon garment stood below the high platform with civil and military officials.

After a loud chant from an official of the Ministry of Rites, the young man immediately walked up the sacrificial platform step by step. He first bowed in salute, then took the thick incense handed to him, and was just about to insert it into the incense burner.

Right at this moment, the pillar in the very center of the sacrificial platform suddenly swayed gently.

“Sixth Highness!” Ming Bao’s face turned pale, and his shrill voice rang out.

Gu Siyuan had just finished receiving a massive amount of information, his head throbbing with pain, when he heard a sharp, crying shout.

He looked up and saw that the pillar on the high platform seemed about to fall directly.

With no time to think, Gu Siyuan immediately stepped on the stairs, flew forward, and kicked it.

The strength of this body was indeed astonishingly large. Under this kick, that pillar weighing nearly a thousand catties actually straightened back up directly.

“Ah!”

“Heavens!”

A series of exclamations rang out from the crowd.

And amidst this chaos, Gu Siyuan swept a glance from the corner of his eye and saw a figure secretly retreating outward.

Found you.

Gu Siyuan pulled out the dagger at his waist and threw it out directly without hesitation.

The wind howled, and the next moment, bloody flowers bloomed on that person’s shoulder, and his body also fiercely plunged forward.

Standing on the sacrificial platform, Gu Siyuan rested his hand on his sword, looked around, and roared loudly: “Imperial Guards, capture them alive immediately! The sacrificial pillar was knocked down intentionally, there are traitors assassinating the Emperor!”

Everyone instantly snapped back to reality.

That’s right, this sacrificial ceremony was originally hosted by His Majesty personally. It was only because he suddenly felt unwell this morning that he handed it over to the always-favored Sixth Prince, Xie Xuan.

Heavens… someone is assassinating the Emperor!

The escorting soldiers around immediately sprang into action.

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes and continued, “There are people hiding under this sacrificial platform. Someone, go to the main tent and ask for His Majesty’s instructions. We probably need to dismantle the sacrificial pillar and go in to search for people.”

“Yes.” An Imperial Guard immediately took the order.

Just as these words fell, a clear and refreshing shout rang out by Gu Siyuan’s ear: “General, watch out.”

The next moment, the wooden planks and stone bricks where he stood suddenly exploded. Several long swords with eerie, cold light broke out from the ground, slashing straight toward his lower body.

Goodness, they just hack around anywhere?

Gu Siyuan’s expression was extremely cold. His body soared toward the sky, retreating rapidly. He then drew a long sword from his waist and slashed it out horizontally like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, clashing with the enemies’ blades.

The next moment, the masked enemy bearing the brunt of the attack not only had his weapon broken in half directly, but his body also directly rebounded and flew out.

In this way, the next two or three enemies rushing up from below were also defeated one by one like this.

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes happily, actually fighting with a bit of interest.

The original owner’s strength was terrifyingly large, and his own soul was sharper than ordinary people’s. With the two complementing each other, almost none of these several masked men in black could gain any advantage. Several of them were even directly killed by the Imperial Guards on the side after being defeated.

A moment later, looking at their losses, the masked leader felt great pain in his heart and shouted repeatedly, “Retreat, retreat quickly!”

If they didn’t leave now, they would be completely wiped out.

Naturally, Gu Siyuan couldn’t let them leave, and immediately was about to chase forward.

Right at this moment, the leader of the men in black rolled his eyes and threw a sword toward the Sixth Prince, Xie Xuan, at the edge of the sacrificial platform.

Xie Xuan’s face instantly turned pale, and he rapidly retreated to the side. But he was already standing at the edge; any further retreat and he would fall off directly. His slender body swayed in the wind.

“Sixth Highness!” Ming Bao shouted anxiously.

Gu Siyuan stepped lightly on the soles of his feet, flew up again, first kicked away that long sword, and then intercepted with his long arm, bringing that slender figure into his embrace.

After landing, Gu Siyuan didn’t care about anything else. He lifted his foot and stepped on the hilt of a long sword nearby, kicked it up, and then forcefully kicked it out. It directly hit the thigh of the masked leader who was struggling to run away after dealing with Xie Xuan.

Instantly, with a miserable scream of “Ah…”, the leader’s movements directly slowed down, and then his knee directly knelt down.

“Leader!” The few remaining masked men in black shouted anxiously.

Gu Siyuan’s expression was cold and ruthless as he continued to instruct loudly, “Capture them for me. I want them alive, break their four limbs, dislocate their jaws.”

“Yes.” The group of Imperial Guards under him were also well-trained and immediately reacted.

“Your Highness…”

At this moment, a figure stumbled over and shouted at the person in Gu Siyuan’s embrace.

Gu Siyuan withdrew his gaze, narrowed his eyes, and only then realized he was still holding a person. It was also to blame that this person was truly too light; holding him in his arms felt like holding a long sword, completely weightless.

“This is the target of this world, Xie Xuan.” A familiar, icy mechanical voice rang out in his mind.

At the same time, a voice like a clear spring also rang out by his ear: “General Gu, please put this Prince down!”

Expressionless, Gu Siyuan directly threw the person down with a cold face.

“…” Caught off guard, Xie Xuan swayed for several steps after landing before barely standing firm.

After a long while, enduring his anger, he nodded in acknowledgement and said, “Many thanks to the General for saving me.”

Gu Siyuan, however, seemed not to hear. Ignoring him completely, he turned around directly and walked away, his fluttering black cloak even brushing over Xie Xuan’s body.

“…” Xie Xuan.

Ming Bao stared with wide eyes, complaining angrily, “What kind of person is this? Your Highness, your status is noble…”

The next moment, Gu Siyuan suddenly turned his head and glanced at him.

Ming Bao felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over his head. His little heart trembled, and he closed his mouth unwillingly.

No longer paying attention to them, Gu Siyuan jumped down from the towering sacrificial platform with large strides and instructed the guards coldly, “Bring the captives over, interrogate them immediately.”

Unconcealed killing intent permeated his voice.

Ming Bao watched until the person walked completely far away before his body stopped trembling.

He muttered slightly, “General Gu’s aura is so scary…”

Xie Xuan chuckled softly, not taking it to heart.

Seeing his Highness’s smile, Ming Bao became indignant again, “Your Highness, you are a Prince. He’s just a petty General of the Household, yet he dares to be so rude to you. Let’s go to His Majesty and file a complaint against him. His Majesty dotes on you the most, he will definitely punish him severely.”

But, who knew which sentence was wrong.

Xie Xuan’s expression instantly restrained itself, and he said calmly, “No need to mention this matter again, let’s go!”

…

Screams, one louder than the other, came from his ears.

Inside the tent, however, it was extremely quiet, making people even more terrified. Nie Hao slightly raised his head and looked at the tall figure sitting quietly on the armchair above.

Gu Siyuan’s fingers slowly stroked the cold long sword, and the stern face reflected on the silver-bright blade was even colder than this cold iron.

He was thinking about the background information of this world he had received earlier.

This was a feudal dynasty. The country he was in was Great Liang, and the national surname was Xie.

The current Emperor’s era name was Jianzhao; he was the fourth monarch of Great Liang, and the national power was right at its peak.

And the task target he had just saved, Xie Xuan, was Emperor Jianzhao’s Sixth Prince, whose birth mother was Noble Consort Lu of the inner palace.

However, the male protagonist of this world was the current Fourth Prince, Xie Huan.

The Fourth Prince’s mother was Consort Yun. Consort Yun originated from a foreign tribe at the border; she was the Holy Maiden of the tribe, dedicated to Great Liang eighteen years ago.

Emperor Jianzhao was still a petty prince back then. He was enchanted by her graceful bearing and fell in love at first sight.

However, the foreign tribe had profound purposes in dedicating the Holy Maiden; she was naturally to be dedicated to the Emperor or the future Emperor.

At that time, the late Emperor was already old and too lazy to take in newcomers, so he bestowed her upon the Crown Prince to be a secondary consort.

Emperor Jianzhao longed for her but couldn’t have her.

Until later, the struggle for the succession in the royal court became increasingly fierce. The Crown Prince was deposed, and his concubines scattered.

And Emperor Jianzhao, who had never been favored, luckily ascended to the throne.

After ascending to the throne, the first thing he did was change Consort Yun’s name and surname, and welcomed her back into the palace.

However, when Consort Yun entered the capital as the Holy Maiden of the foreign tribe, she had once performed a dance and appeared before people. As the former wife of his brother, if discovered, it might be detrimental to the Emperor’s reputation.

Moreover, if he doted on her too much after entering the palace, it might also incur the targeting of the inner palace. In Emperor Jianzhao’s heart, his Consort Yun was the purest and most flawless person in the world; he absolutely couldn’t let her be tainted by this worldly dust.

Thus, Emperor Jianzhao arranged her in the most remote palace, living their lives behind closed doors. When outside, he also showed no pleasant countenance toward the Fourth Prince, Xie Huan, born by her, as a cover and protection.

Even so, Emperor Jianzhao was still worried. He decided to find a shield for Consort Yun and her son, which was the current Noble Consort Lu.

The Lu family’s background was ordinary; she was just the daughter of a remote prefect. Moreover, her mind was straightforward, and she probably wouldn’t see through the intentions behind it.

After Emperor Jianzhao selected Consort Lu, he excessively favored and trusted her, overshadowing the six palaces. In just two short years, Consort Lu was promoted from a petty Talented Lady to a Consort.

Playing the act in full, Emperor Jianzhao also heavily employed her maternal family and excessively bestowed rewards and favor upon the Sixth Prince, Xie Xuan.

He even let out news from some unknown corner, saying that after His Majesty passed away in the future, he intended to entrust the country to the Sixth Prince.

With this, no one had the mind to pay attention to Consort Yun in that remote palace anymore.

Every day, the ministers in the royal court scolded Consort Lu as an evil consort and a femme fatale; the cold-eyed targeting from the various concubines in the palace also naturally fell on Consort Lu and her son.

Emperor Jianzhao was clearly extremely satisfied with this. Thus, he continued to go his own way, favoring Noble Consort Lu and her son Xie Xuan even more.

And the female protagonist of this world was named Jiang Yuanyuan. She was the eldest legitimate daughter of the current Duke Cheng’en’s mansion, and also the grandniece of Empress Dowager Jiang in the palace.

Jiang Yuanyuan always had a good reputation and was deeply loved by the Empress Dowager. She was frequently summoned to the palace to serve, and naturally, was quite familiar with His Majesty’s several princes.

Because of an accidental ‘hero saving the beauty’, Jiang Yuanyuan fell deeply in love with that Fourth Prince Xie Huan, who seemingly was not favored by His Majesty.

Secretly, the two pledged their hearts to each other.

However, the Jiang family did not agree to this.

They hoped even more that Jiang Yuanyuan could marry the highly favored Sixth Prince Xie Xuan. In this way, in the future, perhaps the Jiang family could produce another Empress Dowager, just like her grandaunt.

Jiang Yuanyuan was originally extremely unwilling.

However, perhaps Emperor Jianzhao’s acting was truly too realistic.

During a certain accident, she witnessed Emperor Jianzhao’s limitless doting on Xie Xuan, and his severe coldness toward Xie Huan—two entirely different attitudes.

Jiang Yuanyuan changed her mind, and also felt infinite pity and love for Xie Huan.

She decided to marry Xie Xuan; she wanted to penetrate the enemy’s interior, thereby helping her beloved Xie Huan seize that supreme position.

Jiang Yuanyuan always had a good reputation, and was the Empress Dowager’s own grandniece. After getting married, Xie Xuan naturally treated her with the utmost courtesy.

Because Xie Xuan had been weak and sickly since childhood, with medicine never leaving his side all year round, since Jiang Yuanyuan had the intention to get close, she didn’t mind this at all. Occasionally, she even personally warmed soups and boiled medicines, showing the utmost concern for his well-being.

Xie Xuan felt increasingly guilty and trustful toward her.

From then on, whether it was family matters or state affairs, he would reveal a little to her.

Thus, after several years of struggle for the succession, those brothers were finally locked up or driven away with great difficulty. Xie Xuan originally should have become the final victor.

However, in the end, due to Jiang Yuanyuan’s secret betrayal and framing, and because of Emperor Jianzhao’s fueling the flames, several crimes were fabricated against Xie Xuan, some of which were even related to high treason and colluding with foreign countries.

Because of the legend of Noble Consort Lu being a femme fatale over these years, the Lu family and Xie Xuan inherently had a bad reputation in the royal court and among the people. After this crime was exposed, they were almost powerless to defend themselves.

Emperor Jianzhao also bestowed poisonous wine and white silk upon Noble Consort Lu and her son after hypocritically mourning for a period of time.

And at this time, the courtiers discovered that Emperor Jianzhao actually only had one passably intact prince left now—the Fourth Prince, Xie Huan.

So in the end, Xie Huan was established as the Crown Prince.

This fool Xie Xuan worked painstakingly to defeat all his other brothers, only to end up making a bridal dress for someone else.

…

“The Sixth Prince? An idiot…”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes, his gaze cold.

That sickly and pitiful guy, weighing less than two taels in my arms, was actually used and deceived by the people closest to him one after another. Truly unscrupulous…

Sitting below, Nie Hao saw his General’s aura becoming increasingly colder and more terrifying, and thought to himself: The General has a character that detests evil as a deadly foe, and has always extremely disliked the Lu family who relies on nepotism, nor does he like the Sixth Prince. But keeping a cold face until now, and even cursing the Prince without choosing his words… isn’t this going too far?

Right at this moment, Gu Siyuan slightly lifted his eyelids, and their gazes met.

Nie Hao panicked in his heart and hurriedly bowed in salute: “General.”

Gu Siyuan stood up from the chair and said calmly, “Go see how the interrogation is going. These trashes, there’s still no report until now.”

“Yes.”

Nie Hao hurriedly replied, leading the way in front.

Right at this moment, a person dressed as an eunuch walked in from outside with a few guards.

A shrill, loud shout was heard: “His Majesty’s oral edict: Summon Gu Xun, General of the Household of the Imperial Guards, for an audience!”

Gu Siyuan immediately bowed respectfully: “I obey the order.”

Tsk, the plan was ruined, so he’s coming to settle the score with me?

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