"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Ye Ling stared at the pale-faced Wu Yue, his voice intensifying, causing Wu Yue to tremble and quickly nod, "Yes, yes, I understand!"
Wu Yue's legs were shaking, and a pale yellow liquid seeped from his opulent dragon robe, completely stripping him of his imperial majesty.
The surrounding imperial guards and elite cavalry, witnessing their high and mighty emperor in such a pathetic state, had their expressions change. They felt an inexplicable bitterness in their hearts. The thought of serving such a person made them feel that the Wu Dynasty's hope was slim.
Seeing Wu Yue's current state, Ye Ling couldn't help but mock, "I finally understand why the Wu Dynasty is in such a precarious position. With you as emperor, it's a miracle the Wu Dynasty hasn't fallen yet."
"Yes, yes... I lack the ability," Wu Yue said. Hearing Ye Ling's taunts, his resentment reached its peak, but he dared not show any of it, only agreeing with Ye Ling.
"Hmph, take care of yourself," Ye Ling smiled at Wu Yue and stopped paying attention to him. He turned towards a dismounted cavalryman behind him and unceremoniously mounted the soldier's horse.
"This, this horse..."
"Giddy up!!!"
Before the cavalryman could stop him, Ye Ling kicked the horse's belly. Thousands of elite cavalry quickly made way for Ye Ling, allowing him to ride away.
After Ye Ling left, Wu Yue's fear turned into resentment. He got up in a disheveled manner, glared menacingly at everyone around him, and sternly declared, "If anyone dares to spread word of what happened today, I will have their entire clan exterminated!"
After issuing his threat, Wu Yue climbed back into his sedan chair, lowered the curtains, and loudly commanded, "To Tian Yin Temple!!!"
Meanwhile, after threatening Wu Yue, Ye Ling did not linger at Tian Yin Temple. He rode his captured cavalry horse towards the direction Bai Lan had left Cang Yue City. Ye Ling did not believe Wu Yue's promises were reliable, so he still had to proceed step by step, build his reputation, and then visit those who held the quotas, making them willingly give them up to him.
A hundred miles from Tian Yin Temple, Bai Lan and Wu Mei were resting at a tea stall. At this moment, Ye Ling arrived at the tea stall, riding the elite cavalry's warhorse, and met up with Bai Lan and Wu Mei.
"Husband?" Wu Mei, seeing Ye Ling arrive on a warhorse, was so shocked that she spat out the tea she had just brought to her lips. She stood up in disbelief and asked Ye Ling, "This warhorse of yours..."
As the eldest princess of the Wu Dynasty, Wu Mei naturally recognized the horse Ye Ling was riding as belonging to the imperial city's elite cavalry! Each warhorse of the elite cavalry was extremely difficult to train and its value was comparable to divine metal, making it impossible for it to be leaked. Now that Ye Ling suddenly possessed a warhorse exclusively for the elite cavalry, it could only mean that Ye Ling had robbed an elite cavalryman on the road! However, the elite cavalry was the strongest army of the Wu Dynasty, whose duty was to protect the emperor, and it was impossible for them to appear here, unless...
Upon seeing the warhorse Ye Ling was riding, Wu Mei immediately thought of many things.
Ye Ling did not intend to hide the matter. After dismounting, he smiled and said, "The emperor arrived at Tian Yin Temple. I had a chat with him just now."
"You met His Majesty?" Wu Mei's pupils contracted sharply. "Husband, he didn't do anything to you, did he?"
"Don't worry, I had a very pleasant conversation with him. Not only did he promise to find a way to get me a quota for the Ten Thousand Dynasties Martial Arts Assembly, but he also specially gifted me a fine horse when I left." Ye Ling patted the sturdy warhorse beside him. This fierce horse, which had previously been subservient to no one but its owner, now appeared incredibly docile under Ye Ling's aura, not daring to move.
"His Majesty... is he that accommodating?" Wu Mei asked doubtfully, feeling that Ye Ling was hiding something.
Bai Lan, who was well aware of what had happened between Ye Ling and Wu Yue, took the opportunity to ask Wu Mei, "Aunt, since you are the eldest princess of the Wu Dynasty, by rights you should be Wu Yue's elder sister, shouldn't you? With your noble status, why would you come to the martial world for a martial arts competition to choose a spouse?"
After her identity was exposed, Wu Mei knew this moment would eventually come. She sighed slightly and then said, "Actually, when my father passed away, he left a will stating that the imperial throne should be inherited by me. However, at that time, treacherous officials were in power, and even if I ascended, I would have no confidants in the court and no power of my own, making it impossible to survive. Therefore, I hid my father's will and allowed the treacherous officials to support my brother Wu Yue's ascension."
"However, my brother Wu Yue was also capable. After ascending, he quickly consolidated his position, and at the same time, he designed the execution of the treacherous officials in power, restored order to the court, and returned the kingdom to the hands of the Wu family."
"Seeing that Wu Yue had sufficient ability and means, I no longer intended to reclaim the throne."
"I thought the Wu Dynasty would regain its glory under Wu Yue's governance, but I never expected that after eliminating the treacherous officials, his temperament would change drastically. He disregarded the suffering of the common people, indulged in extravagance and waste, was greedy for pleasure, and promoted cronies, promoting eunuchs continuously, causing the court to be in chaos and the national treasury to be almost depleted."
"Some time ago, Wu Yue, by some means, found the will I had hidden and began to target me in secret, intending to kill me."
"To protect myself, I could only distance myself from the court and wander the martial world... and holding a martial arts competition to choose a spouse was merely to marry an outsider, thus relinquishing my claim to the throne, so that Wu Yue could be at ease, but I never expected..." Wu Mei sighed heavily. When Wei Zhong found her, she already knew that Wu Yue had no intention of letting her go.
"So that's how it is..." After hearing Wu Mei's explanation, Bai Lan nodded thoughtfully, then said, "Aunt, since Wu Yue wants to kill you, why don't we strike first and kill Wu Yue?"
"Besides, Aunt, you have the late emperor's will, so becoming emperor is rightfully yours. Killing Wu Yue is perfect, we can help!"
"That won't do!" Wu Mei repeatedly shook her head. "I lack the ability and the spirit of a ruler. If I were to take over the Wu Dynasty, it would surely lead to widespread suffering for the people!"
Ye Ling smiled, "But I don't see much ability in that Wu Yue." Having met Wu Yue, he knew very well... given Wu Yue's intellect and spirit, it was impossible for him to outwit the cunning treacherous officials at such a young age. There should be some secrets here that even Wu Mei didn't know. However, Ye Ling was not interested in royal power struggles or the rise and fall of dynasties, nor did he intend to delve into these matters. After all, the Wu Dynasty was merely a medium-sized dynasty in the Extreme Martial Domain. Compared to the vast Extreme Martial Domain, the Wu Dynasty was but a drop in the ocean. Even this vast Extreme Martial Domain was merely a small area within the Primordial Chaos. The Wu family's schemes and tricks were too insignificant to Ye Ling.
Wu Mei was unaware of Ye Ling and Bai Lan's true origins and could not comprehend matters beyond the Extreme Martial Domain. To her, the change of emperor in the Wu Dynasty was related to the prosperity and decline of the entire world, and it could not be taken lightly.
"No, Wu Yue's abilities are stronger than mine. Although he is currently deceived by villains, only he is fit to be emperor. I cannot do it!" Wu Mei shook her head, still having no desire to be emperor. "He currently has no heirs, so he absolutely cannot die!"
Seeing this, Bai Lan sighed slightly and looked at Ye Ling with a hint of helplessness, feeling like she was trying to help an unteachable person.
"Since you don't want to, then forget it. We shouldn't interfere in family affairs," Ye Ling did not interfere with Wu Mei's decision. "Let's go to Cang Yue City."
"We still have quite a distance to cover!"