The Zhenbei Army quickly parted, clearing a wide path.
On the quiet plaza, with every step the Divine Lady took, golden lotuses bloomed and withered beneath her feet, turning into fine, sparkling specks of light.
She walked until she stood before the formation of the Zhenbei Army.
A sudden burst of golden light erupted from her sleeves as several ropes, as thick as thumbs, shot through the air. Like living creatures, they slithered forward.
Wherever they passed, they dragged behind them dazzling golden trails.
“Di... Divine Lady...”
Before the State Preceptor could even open his mouth to defend himself, the ropes arrived before him, wrapping around his hands and feet, before suddenly tightening.
The golden ropes bit deeply into his flesh, causing his bones to emit cracking sounds as his entire body was forced to arch backward.
“Spare me, Divine Lady...” He knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, his face covered in a mess of tears and snot.
He had never imagined that the rumors from the north, and even the Divine Lady herself, were actually real.
He should have realized it sooner. Since even someone as powerful as Luo Daoqing had fallen in Xindu City, he should have fled long ago.
But he simply could not bear to part with the power in his hands.
Even when he heard that the Divine Lady of the north had arrived in Wuling City, he had still harbored a sliver of hope. He thought that no matter how formidable her strength was, it would still take time to march from Wuling City to the imperial city, and he could use this time to pocket a bit more money.
When the Divine Lady finally led her troops to attack, he would simply set fire to the imperial city and fly far away with his wealth.
At the same time the State Preceptor was bound, the remaining golden ropes bypassed him and swept toward the other ministers inside the hall.
Every guilty person who had harmed their colleagues in court, oppressed the common people, or committed evil deeds was precisely targeted.
“No! Stay back!”
“Help! Save me! I don't want to die!”
“Let me go! I am the Minister of Rites of the current dynasty!”
The middle-aged man who claimed to be the Minister of Rites tried to dodge, but the golden ropes followed him like a shadow, wrapping around his waist with a twist and throwing him directly into the center of the plaza.
“Divine Lady, please spare me!”
The crowd's legs turned to jelly as they wailed and begged for mercy, but the golden ropes still mercilessly looped around their necks.
They were all dragged out of the grand hall by the golden ropes.
Within just a few breaths, the plaza was filled with a crowd of kneeling ministers and Imperial Guards bound by the Evil-Binding Rope.
A rough count revealed there were actually several thousand of them, each one pale-faced and their eyes filled with absolute terror.
【Guo Rong Shock Value +100】
【Minister Wang Shock Value +100】
【Zhang San Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 81,500,000】
“Your sins are unforgivable.”
The Divine Lady lowered her gaze, looking down at the crowd groveling at her feet. She slowly raised her right hand and spread her palm.
A palm-sized decree token materialized out of thin air.
The body of the token was as black as ink, its edges inlaid with red gold in thunder patterns, and carved prominently in the center were the three characters: “Thunder Decree.”
In the blink of an eye, the originally clear blue sky overhead darkened. Heavy dark clouds surged and gathered from all directions, hanging extremely low as thunder and lightning roiled deep within the cloud layers.
In the next second, countless bolts of heavenly thunder crashed down, giving the State Preceptor and the others absolutely no chance to make another sound.
The Zhenbei Army had witnessed the Divine Lady punishing evildoers more than once. Aside from the gratification of seeing evil meet its retribution, only deep reverence remained in their hearts.
As for the surviving ministers and Imperial Guards, having witnessed with their own eyes the State Preceptor and the others being turned to ashes by the heavenly thunder, they were scared out of their wits. They lay flat on the ground, not daring to move a muscle, terrified that they too would be dragged away by the golden ropes to face the lightning punishment.
At this very moment, they finally understood why Grand Tutor Xu Nan and the others had so vehemently opposed the proposal when the State Preceptor suggested marrying the Divine Lady of the north in the grand hall.
Thinking about it now, anyone in their right mind would have opposed it. A mere mortal wanting to marry the Divine Lady—was he not just begging for death?
The Grand Tutor and his peers must have received some sort of blessing and known long ago that the northern Divine Lady was a true deity. Fearing her wrath, they had used various excuses to resign from office and escape today's calamity.
What a calculating bunch!
Within the crowd, a minister tremblingly raised his eyes to look at the majestic Divine Lady standing before the military formation. His eyes flickered, as if he were making some life-or-death decision.
A moment later, he abruptly pushed himself up, stumbled out of the kneeling crowd, and with a loud thud, slammed both knees heavily onto the white jade ground—a sound that made one wince just hearing it.
“Divine Lady!”
His voice trembled as his hands shook, reaching into his robes to pull out an object wrapped in bright yellow brocade.
Unwrapping the brocade, a white jade seal was revealed. Cinnabar ink still remained on its face; it was none other than Great Yong's Heirloom Seal of the Realm.
Then, he raised the seal high above his head, pressing his forehead tightly against the cold floor tiles, and said word by word, “This is the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, which His Majesty personally entrusted to me before leaving the capital. When His Majesty departed, he said that if the Divine Lady should one day grace the imperial city with her presence, this seal must be presented to her...”
Seeing this, the other ministers could not help but inwardly curse this old scoundrel who had rushed forward to present the seal to the Divine Lady.
How could this man be so selfish? He saved his own life by offering the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, but what were they supposed to offer to save theirs?
At this thought, they glared at the minister presenting the seal, wishing they could rush over, snatch it away, and present it to the Divine Lady themselves.
The minister presenting the seal felt as if needles were pricking his back, and cold sweat poured down his forehead, yet he did not dare to wipe it away.
He could only lift the seal a bit higher.
“Divine Lady! I believe that in this world, there is no one more fitting than you to hold this object!”
The minister spoke with deep sincerity, but the Divine Lady merely cast a casual glance at the seal. “This object is of no use to me.”
“Divine Lady, this...” The minister's hands, still holding the seal high, froze in midair, his expression turning somewhat panicked.
Behind him, the crowd of ministers who had been gnashing their teeth in hatred just a moment ago now had a trace of schadenfreude flash in their eyes.
Serves him right.
That is what he gets for trying to be clever and rushing to curry favor!
Now look what happened—his flattery completely backfired. The Divine Lady did not care for the Heirloom Seal of the Realm at all.
However, after their silent mockery, they began to worry again. If even the Heirloom Seal of the Realm could not catch the Divine Lady's eye, what else could they possibly offer to please this true deity?
Gold, silver, jewels? Rare and exotic treasures?
These thoughts had barely surfaced before they dismissed them. How could a deity be moved by such vulgar, worldly things?
Silence fell over the plaza once again.
The three thousand iron cavalry of the Zhenbei Army stood in perfect, motionless formation, with only the occasional snort of white steam from the warhorses.
The Divine Lady turned her head, the beads of her twelve-tasseled imperial crown swaying gently. Golden light filtered through the pearls and jade, and her gold and silver heterochromatic eyes swept over the groveling crowd without a trace of emotion.
“Rather than racking your brains to think of what to offer to please me, you should think about why those people had their souls dissipated under the lightning punishment while you remain unharmed.”
An astute minister recalled what the Divine Lady had said earlier—that those who aided the wicked were equally guilty. Since he was not dead, did that not mean the Divine Lady had already shown him mercy?
He hurriedly kowtowed and stammered, “The Divine Lady is wise and just! The State Preceptor held immense power, and although I failed in my duties, I never participated in his treacherous schemes that brought ruin to the nation and its people! I beg the Divine Lady to grant me a chance to redeem myself through service!”
With the first, there would soon be a second...
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