Sole Sword Supremacy-Chapter 608 - 612: I Was Never Held Hostage

His gaze fell on Prince Duan, and the corner of Wang Junze’s mouth revealed a barely perceptible sneer.

From a very early time, Wang Junze did not have a great liking for this Prince Duan. It was only because he had formed a deadly enmity with Prince Yu that he had no choice but to cooperate with the other side.

Since entering the capital, every action Wang Junze took was of great benefit to Prince Duan. As long as Wang Junze was alive, Prince Duan would continue to reap endless benefits. Even for this alone, Prince Duan should have been trying to protect Wang Junze.

However, as soon as the Emperor merely hinted at the idea of killing Wang Junze, this Prince Duan abandoned Wang Junze without hesitation and even kicked him when he was down.

This was no longer a matter of being harsh and unkind; it was a matter of having no backbone.

No wonder that, despite having the Emperor’s favor, he was still utterly suppressed by Prince Yu. Such a person... entirely lacks the responsibility and grandeur of a sovereign.

Shaking his head, Wang Junze didn’t respond, not even bothering to look at him again.

He had never pinned his hopes on Prince Duan.

"Your minister believes this is unwise."

Upon hearing Prince Duan’s words, Yin Guangling slowly stepped forward, saluted, and then began to speak: "The Judgment Department has already received the news. Recently, due to the fact that the Four Great Celestial Sects are entering the capital, chaos has erupted in the Nether Sea... If Wang Junze dies, the Nether Sea will surely fall into chaos."

"Although Wang Junze has caused some trouble before, fortunately, it did not lead to any serious consequences. Now, killing him would be of no benefit! It would be better to allow him to redeem himself. Our department will restore his position as Inspector and have him return to administer the Nether Sea!"

The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and turned his gaze to Yin Guangling, asking blandly, "Is this your opinion or the Director’s opinion?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, it is my opinion."

Yin Guangling replied calmly, bowing slightly.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor nodded slightly, expressing neither agreement nor disagreement, and once again turned his gaze to the King of Changlin.

As long as it wasn’t that Director’s opinion, he wouldn’t need to pay it much heed.

In an instant, it seemed as if all the pressure fell on the King of Changlin.

The relationship between Wang Junze and Su Yuwei was known to all. In this situation, whether or not to kill Wang Junze largely depended on the attitude of the King of Changlin.

However, the image of Jing Yuan involuntarily resurfaced in the King of Changlin’s mind.

He naturally remembered what Jing Yuan had said when he came to see him before. Although he did not respond at the time, his heart had already begun to waver.

Especially the stance of the Judgment Department made the King of Changlin even more uncertain.

Yin Guangling said this was his own opinion, but... was there the tacit approval of the Director?

If everyone else wanted to kill Wang Junze, it would be very difficult for him to save him alone, and in fact, it would create rifts between the sovereign and his ministers. But now, since both Prince Yong’an and the Judgment Department were inclined to spare Wang Junze, he could just go with the flow and it wouldn’t be too conspicuous.

After a moment of silence, the King of Changlin finally responded solemnly, "Forgive your servant, Your Majesty, for having personal desires... I only have one daughter, so I humbly implore Your Majesty to exercise divine grace and spare his life."

Others spoke from the standpoint of public interest, so the King of Changlin simply pleaded from personal interest, which seemed more reasonable.

This time, however, the Emperor was silent for a familiar moment, then suddenly laughed, "What a personal desire, the King of Changlin’s words have put me in a difficult position."

"You have personal desires, but... he dared to hold my Empress hostage. Shouldn’t I also have personal desires?"

The Emperor asked sharply, raising his eyebrows slightly.

This statement immediately caused everyone to kneel down.

Despite having said so much before, if the Emperor insisted on this pretext to kill Wang Junze, no one could object.

"Your Majesty!"

As the atmosphere became tense, the Empress suddenly bowed and spoke softly, "I thank Your Majesty, but... I was never held hostage."

"???"

The Empress’s words left everyone slightly stunned but then they quickly understood.

The event of Wang Junze holding the Empress hostage was ultimately only circulating in small circles—the knowledge of it was limited to the people present and those inside the palace. If the Empress denied this incident, they could suppress it and simply convict Wang Junze of attempting to seize the Imperial Palace Treasure Vault.

Conversely, if Wang Junze were actually killed, wouldn’t it openly announce to the world that the Empress had indeed been held hostage?

The power of public opinion is terrifying!

As the Empress, if she allowed such a rumor to spread throughout the world, who knows what outrageous gossip might arise. This would undoubtedly be a great blow to the Empress’s reputation.

Therefore, even to protect her own reputation, the Empress had to deny the incident.

However, without the charge of holding the Empress hostage, simply attempting to seize the Imperial Palace Treasure Vault... pressing for Wang Junze’s death would inevitably seem forced.

Especially given that both the King of Changlin and Yin Guangling had clearly expressed opposition, even for the Emperor, it would be difficult to proceed with such a charge arbitrarily.

Before, the Emperor said that whether he killed Wang Junze or not would simply depend on whether he wanted to, without having to calculate the pros and cons.

But in reality, that was because the implications were not significant enough.

If no one had spoken up in defense of Wang Junze, naturally, he could make an easy decision. But now, he was instead tied up by them.

Of course, if he really didn’t care about anything, he could still execute Wang Junze.

However, if he did that, it would inevitably cause great disharmony between the sovereign and his ministers.

At the very least, such capriciousness is unbefitting of a wise ruler.

"Enough. Since all of you are urging me, I shall spare his life!"

After a moment of silence, the Emperor chuckled, waved his hand casually, and said, "Talented people are rare, and I do not wish to leave behind a reputation for harshness. However... though he may be exempt from the death penalty, he cannot escape the living penalty!"

"Wang Junze, I will give you a chance!"

"Within three months, take control of the Nether Sea, and sever ties with the Four Great Celestial Sects and the Nether Sea. Can you accomplish this?"

His gaze fell once more upon Wang Junze, the Emperor asked in a deep voice.

"I, a humble commoner, have already withdrawn from the Profound Moon Sword Sect and have no relation to the Four Great Celestial Sects, so I can naturally accomplish it."

Wang Junze agreed immediately, bowing slightly.

Ever since he became a Fallen Demon, he had actually already distanced himself from the Profound Moon Sword Sect. At least on the surface, he could no longer join forces with the Four Great Celestial Sects.

Moreover, this was essentially a way out.

After all, the Nether Sea is vast and far from imperial reach, and in the end, it’s up to him.

But if they weren’t even willing to give this way out, it would force the Emperor to kill him.

"Very well!"

A trace of profundity flickered in the Emperor’s eyes as he spoke, "Inspector is too minor a role. I appoint you as the Fate Envoy of the Judgment Department, to oversee the Nether Sea!"

This statement immediately shocked everyone present to their core!

The fourth Fate Envoy!

It was known that the Fate Envoys of the Judgment Department were always internally appointed by the Judgment Department itself, and the Emperor had never intervened in this matter. Now, suddenly giving an order, was undoubtedly a warning to the Judgment Department.

Moreover, appointing Wang Junze as this Fate Envoy was by no means a reward but rather a further estrangement from the Four Great Celestial Sects.

Regardless of whether he was willing, once he took on this role of Fate Envoy, he would be seen by the world as a member of the Judgment Department.