Journey to the End of the Night-Chapter 1400 - 889: Neither Reward nor Punishment

He had been standing, but now he sat down with a sweep of his robes, and instantly no one dared to remain standing.

The hall echoed with the sound of clothes rustling, as a sea of dark shadows all knelt down.

This was probably the most casually conducted court meeting in history.

Seeing this scene, the originally tense atmosphere in the hall eased a little, and some even secretly speculated about Baili An’s intention in convening the court meeting.

The true Crown Prince of the Central Netherworld had been replaced for over two hundred years without anyone discovering, not even the emperor leaked a hint of it, allowing the fake to have his way for all these years.

No one could determine what kind of changes had occurred within.

Yet, the true Crown Prince returned three days ago, and was able to make the New Party Two Divisions of the Central Netherworld disappear without a trace, as well as completely dismantled the fake prince’s conspiracy.

Now, he had returned unharmed from Nine-Burning Valley and was eager to convene a court meeting upon his return.

He was likely in a hurry to establish his authority and start stabilizing the real power as Crown Prince Regent due to his long absence from the Central Netherworld.

Ultimately, the goal of this true Crown Prince and the false one he replaced was fundamentally the same.

Thinking this way, the hearts of the court officials gradually became reassured; during such stormy times, it was not necessarily a bad thing to have such a wise ruler in charge of the Central Netherworld.

However, to gain real power, it must inevitably be stripped from some people’s hands.

Everyone secretly calculated in their hearts, and many eyes quietly glanced at the back of Shen Tu of the Royal Hall.

Over these two centuries, the Royal Hall’s open and covert support for Ying Xiu was obvious even to the blind.

No one knew how much the Royal Hall of Shen Tu was involved in the Central Netherworld’s palace coup.

Anyone with eyes could see that the Royal Hall of Shen Tu supported and pushed forward Ying Xiu’s palace coup and his attempt to harm the emperor.

If the Crown Prince wished to first make a move, he would have to strip a significant amount of flesh and bone from the Royal Hall.

If the situation became more stimulating, the thousand-year-standing title of Yin King might change hands, and the authority of the Royal Hall might fall apart.

Even if the Crown Prince took over, being so young and having been away from the Central Netherworld for so long, he would likely need to carefully select several elder statesmen to help manage the Royal Hall’s authority.

Thinking this way, in the low-hanging heads of the court, many dormant eyes started to quietly scheme.

On the long steps above, Baili An’s fingers lightly tapped the jade brick between the steps, making a crisp sound, and his gaze leisurely rested on top of the Royal Hall of Shen Tu.

"Shen Tu of the Royal Hall, you hold significant power in the Central Netherworld, yet fail to discern threats, fail to distinguish right from wrong, letting the wolf into the house, and stood idly while Ying Xiu handed over the Central Netherworld’s territory. As the Yin King of the Central Netherworld, do you plead guilty?"

Shen Tu’s expression was slightly stern, his eyes deep, his back straight as a sword, he looked up at Baili An, and in a low voice said, "I confess."

"Good." Baili An nodded slightly and said, "In that case, go to Tingshan and receive three hundred strikes of thunder fire as a warning for the future!"

Shen Tu’s eyes flickered slightly, but he said nothing, seeming to wait for Baili An’s next words.

If it were just negligence, these three hundred strikes of thunder fire seemed excessive.

But the crimes committed by the Royal Hall of Shen Tu cannot be summed up with just a few words.

If truly to hold him accountable for all his deeds in recent days, these three hundred strikes of thunder fire would be far too light.

No one expected Baili An’s gaze to sweep past him directly, landing instead on an unremarkable young man in the crowd behind, saying, "Baishan City, Lord Man, step forward to receive your orders."

The youth, whose name was called, shivered as his low-hung shoulders were startled into a twitch.

He raised his head incredulously, pointing at himself in disbelief, his expression blank and bewildered.

A young Heroic Spirit who had only entered the Dynasty less than three hundred years ago to receive a conferment in the National Governance Hall was a remarkable event in itself.

Yet no one cared to dispute it now, as Qiao Yu of the Royal Hall raised his head abruptly, seeing Baili An truly without any intention of continuing to question Shen Tu, his face turned somewhat anxious and grave.

This young Crown Prince indeed had an unchanged nature, once thinking that the trials and tribulations of the past two hundred years would add more sharpness and fierceness to him, who could have expected his methods to still be so gentle and soft!

At this rate, how could he intimidate the court ministers!

Those who stood in the grand hall of the Central Netherworld were each a powerful overlord in their own right, none of whom weren’t fearsome figures who’d devour others without leaving a trace.

This way of punishing by making a big noise but little impact, who in the future would hold the Crown Prince in due awe and respect?

Three days ago, he acted decisively, with thunderous and decisive actions; how is it that today he’s suddenly become soft?

Ah yes, Shen Tu is not comparable to those corrupt insects and mice.

If this knife were to fall upon him, forget about skinning, if the hand holding the knife were not steady, it might even break its own wrist from the shock.

Could it be that this Crown Prince is afraid of Shen Tu?

Qiao Yu was burning with anxious anger in his heart, now that you hold the upper hand, if you don’t take this opportunity to suppress this old thief’s arrogance...

Wouldn’t future uprisings become a common occurrence?

He felt utterly disappointed for a moment but couldn’t speak plainly, so he had to suppress his fury and said in a deep voice:

"Crown Prince, Shen Tu of the Royal Hall supported Ying Xiu in disrupting the emperor’s peace during the internal chaos, with clear rebellious intent, posing a great danger to overturn the grand situation of the Central Netherworld.

Three hundred strikes of thunder fire seem too light a punishment; I consider this decision somewhat hasty, and hope Your Highness can reconsider it."

Baili An said, "I have other arrangements, but since Qiao Yu of the Royal Hall is so anxious, it might as well be concluded regarding Shen Tu for the time being."