Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

One day,

Two days,

Three days!

Three days had passed, and Zhao Sheng had been secretly waiting for the big event to arrive, but Zhou City remained as peaceful as ever, without a hint of anything unusual!

However, that evening, Zhou Zhongyu suddenly found him and said, "The Family Head summons you," before dragging him to the Family Master Mansion.

Zhao Sheng didn't ask what it was about.

Seeing his good friend's solemn and tense demeanor, he knew that asking wouldn't have yielded an answer.

Shortly after, two streams of spirit light simultaneously descended into a rich and splendid mansion in the center of Zhou City.

The two quickly entered the grand hall of the Zhou Mansion.

Upon entering, Zhao Sheng was suddenly taken aback, as he saw all eight Foundation Establishment Clan Members of the Zhou family, who had not gone out, were present without a single one missing.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely heavy.

Zhao Sheng remained silent and sat down next to Zhou Zhongyu, waiting quietly.

Shortly after, Zhou Yingze emerged from the back hall with an expressionless face, followed by a handsome man with a soft and gentle demeanor.

Zhou Yingze took a seat in the main position, but he didn't pay any attention to the gentle man.

That man was not angry, instead he smiled, walked to Zhou Yingze's side, and stood still, not too close nor too far, his posture and demeanor very natural, as if he was used to serving others.

"Everyone, take a look!"

Having said that, Zhou Yingze took out a bundle of bright golden brocade and handed it to the elder sitting next to him.

While speaking, his tone was extremely serious, and his face even bore a hint of severity.

The elder received it, unfolded it for a look, and his expression greatly changed.

Zhao Sheng glanced over and noticed that the item seemed to be a robe, embroidered with large patches of tricolored clouds and a lifelike, dark black True Dragon clearly depicted in scales, weaving through the clouds and roaming as though it were alive.

Zhao Sheng was first shocked, then overjoyed; if he was not mistaken, "This robe is clearly the crown prince's dragon robe, now in the hands of the Zhou family—what does this signify?"

Initially, Zhao Sheng's guess was a mere speculation, but now it had risen to almost certainty.

The elder, after looking, passed it on with a troubled expression to the next person.

That person, upon receiving it, also had a greatly changed expression, his look mirroring that of the elder.

"This... this can't be!" The man, grey and aged, had a trembling voice due to his shock.

"Second Uncle, let me see!"

Another Zhou family Foundation Establishment member snatched the robe, looked it over once, and silently passed it to the next person.

This process repeated several times, making the atmosphere in the hall very strange. An invisible storm was accumulating, as if it could erupt at any moment.

The robe quickly passed to Zhao Sheng's hands.

He opened it, only to see the robe dyed deep red, covered with rows of blood-written characters.

Zhao Sheng scanned it briefly, and it indeed matched his expectations.

This was the crown prince's personal Blood Robe Decree.

The content of the Blood Robe Decree roughly stated that the Demon Concubine had corrupted the harem, plotted against the Holy Mother, colluded with the Second Prince to secretly control the Holy Emperor, causing chaos to the court and plotting against high officials.

Being deeply persecuted, the Crown Prince could no longer bear it and did not wish to see a repeat of the dynasty's past tragedies, leading to the overturning of authority!

Therefore, he wrote this secret Blood Robe Decree, calling for loyalists and righteous men to rescue the Holy Emperor and restore the court's order.

The decree ended with a promise of great rewards after its successful execution, with the most meritorious leader granted the right to divide and rule territories.

After reading, Zhao Sheng was inwardly pleased and noticed that the time set for initiating the political upheaval was at midnight tomorrow.

Calculating the timing, it would take about a day from Hongyang State to Yongjing.

"This Crown Prince is quite interesting, timing it just right!" Zhao Sheng mused inwardly.

Zhao Sheng stood up and returned the Blood Robe Decree to Zhou Yingze, who held onto the robe as if it were a scorching piece of coal.

"The Crown Prince's movement is imminent! What stance shall our Zhou family take? Let's discuss this now!"

As he finished speaking, an elder immediately inquired, "Ancestor, what's your opinion?"

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng inwardly praised, "This man has hit the mark."

The opinions of the other Zhou family members were not important; the key was whether Zhou Xilai supported the cause.

This matter seemed like a great gamble.

If they won, the gains would be immeasurable!

If they lost, well,

The best outcome would have been a major blow to the primordial Qi of the Zhou family, but the worst?

Zhou Yingze had summoned everyone, which, in a sense, represented the stance of Zhou Xilai, the Patriarch of the Zhou family.

In fact, there was no need to wait until the end; Zhao Sheng could already be certain now.

Regarding the Crown Prince's coup, the Zhou family would definitely get involved, but they would never give it their full support.

Just like how eggs should not be put in one basket.

The best strategy for the Zhou family was to split into two factions, one fully supporting the Crown Prince while the other remaining "completely unaware,"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Both factions had to make the cut in advance, ensuring that even in the case of failure, it would not implicate the other.

Even more maliciously, Zhao Sheng thought that the Zhou family would likely create a third faction, actively joining the Second Prince's camp, with betrayal being the best way to declare allegiance.

Of course, the timing of the betrayal had to be just right, neither too late nor too early.

Just as expected!

When questioned by the elders, Zhou Yingze avoided answering and then repeated his previous words with a heavy tone.

No need for a heavy hammer to beat the loud drum!

Seeing the Family Head's demeanor, everyone present instantly understood.

Afterward, events developed just as Zhao Sheng had anticipated in his mind.

The Zhou family rapidly split into two factions, one staunchly supporting the Crown Prince, the other steadfastly sitting on the sidelines, watching the fire burn.

The two sides argued incessantly.

Zhao Sheng was a Guest Elder, not getting involved but merely observing coldly from the side.

Very soon, he noticed that the effeminate man was too shrewd; while the Zhou family members caused a commotion, his expression remained unchanged, as if he were an outsider.

Yet, this man was clearly a confidant of the Crown Prince.

Suddenly, a flash of spirit light came to Zhao Sheng, and he had an epiphany, "This man is not the Crown Prince's confidant. He is clearly a 'witness,' a pawn, a dagger aimed at the heart of the Zhou family."

From the moment he saw the Blood Robe Decree, Zhao Sheng had realized that all this was a setup, a grand scheme specifically designed to annihilate the Zhou family.

Because three days ago, He Ying had said that the operation to slaughter the wolves would officially commence in seven days.

At this critical juncture, the Crown Prince's coup was "coincidentally" set to take place.

So it was not a coincidence at all, but a conspiracy.

The Crown Prince's coup was bound to fail and would inevitably implicate the Zhou family.

This way, the Zhou family would naturally be branded as "traitorous" officials.

If it were any ordinary family, the crime of treason would suffice to implicate nine clans.

But for the Zhou family, this crime alone was not enough to annihilate them completely.

Zhao Sheng guessed that by then, even greater "charges" would be attributed to the Zhou family.

This meeting, crucial to the fate of the clan, did not last long.

Family Head Zhou Yingze quickly hammered the decision, ordering three elders who supported the Crown Prince to lead a hundred Qi Refining Clan members to rush to Yongjing immediately.

Furthermore, Zhao Sheng was to go to Yongjing as well.

He was not surprised by this.

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After all, risking danger as a Guest Elder was part of the role! When it came to life-threatening situations, he was to be the first to step forward!

Unfortunately... these people would probably never reach Yongjing!

Zhao Sheng cast a covert glance at the effeminate man, a flicker of sharpness flashing through his eyes.

With urgency and to prevent any leaks,

Zhao Sheng was left in the Family Master Mansion to wait for departure.

Merely a quarter of an hour later, the three Foundation Establishment elders, each leading a group of close clan members, returned to the Family Master Mansion.

Shortly after, a twenty-zhang long gray Cloud Boat suddenly soared into the sky from the center of Zhou City, passing through the Defensive Light Shield and speeding towards Yongjing.

A quarter of an hour later, the Cloud Boat had flown out of Hongyang State, entering the Desolate Gobi.

The night was deep, the stars scarce, and visibility darkened.

An hour later, the Cloud Boat was already seven or eight hundred miles away from Hongyang State.

Just as the Cloud Boat passed over a chaotic rocky beach filled with bizarrely shaped rocks, Zhao Sheng suddenly sensed a wave of Divine Sense and a large swath of information entered his mind.

Zhao Sheng's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he looked up toward the effeminate man at the bow of the boat.

Just at that moment, the man turned around with a smile on his lips, nodded slightly at him,

"The rock beach has arrived, make your move!"