Chapter 146 - Zhu Houzhao's Hidden Plans Exposed Again? Uprisings and Rebellions Break Out Across Nations

Ming Imperial Palace.

Rank 2?

Zhu Houzhao frowned slightly.

It seemed yet another secret was about to be revealed by the Golden Ranking.

How frustrating.

Even though there would be some Heaven Dao Reward, he would rather go without them.

Once a secret was exposed, even though his "One Leaf Obscure the Heavens" skill ensured no one would trace it back to him, it still brought unnecessary trouble.

Through his recent investigations, Zhu Houzhao had sensed turbulence stirring beneath the surface of the Nine Provinces.

It was as if a powerful presence was awakening in the shadows.

Even someone like him could feel an inexplicable sense of dread.

At the very least, this opponent was at the God Demon Realm, and possibly even at the Sage Realm beyond it.

He didn't know how many such entities existed or whether they were friend or foe.

Everything remained unclear.

Moreover, the emergence of the Golden Ranking could not be without reason.

With Zhu Houzhao's cautious nature, how could he possibly take things lightly?

"Your Majesty, I have urgent news!"

At that moment, Dark One's voice came from outside.

"Come in. What is it that has made you so flustered?"

It was the first time Zhu Houzhao had seen Dark One so panicked.

Clearly, something serious had happened.

"Your Majesty, something major is about to happen across the Nine Provinces."

"Oh? Explain."

"Your Majesty, various internal uprisings have broken out across the nations of the Nine Provinces. Countless rebel armies and resistance forces have declared themselves kings, seemingly aiming to establish their own kingdoms or even dynasties."

"What? What's going on? Explain yourself. Are there people declaring themselves kings even within Ming Dynasty's borders?"

Zhu Houzhao exclaimed in surprise.

"Your Majesty, the leader of the White Lotus Cult recently murdered Ming Dynasty officials in public, declared himself Emperor, and has even taken many innocent civilians hostage."

"Oh? Interesting. So he couldn't hold back any longer?"

"If that's the case, then we proceed with the plan."

"Now is the perfect time to wipe out all of these remaining traitors."

"Dark One, if that were all, it wouldn't be enough to make you this nervous."

"I've prepared multiple contingency plans to deal with the White Lotus Cult. They pose no real threat."

Zhu Houzhao's face was full of confidence.

He didn't take the White Lotus Cult seriously at all.

"Your Majesty, it's not just the White Lotus Cult. Several of Ming Dynasty's vassal kings have also declared rebellion."

"No need to say more. Whoever rebels, don't report back. Just deploy the army and suppress them immediately."

"Those so-called vassal kings within Ming Dynasty's borders?"

"No matter how capable they are, they can't withstand an assault from my forces."

"Now is a great opportunity to clean out these pests from within the dynasty."

"It'll also give our soldiers some practice."

"We have even fiercer continental wars coming in the future."

"I'm looking forward to seeing their performance."

"By the way, Dark One, why did they all rise up at the same time?"

"Could it be that these vassal kings are working with the White Lotus Cult?"

"Your Majesty, through my investigations, I discovered a mysterious figure behind the scenes inciting them."

"This person is extremely powerful."

"I personally fought one of them, and their strength was on par with mine."

"In the end, they narrowly escaped."

Dark One's tone was filled with unwillingness.

"A mysterious figure? Is this someone from another nation?"

"From the Yuan Dynasty? The Tang Dynasty? Or maybe the Qin Dynasty?"

"I do not know, Your Majesty. It seems they've been preparing for a long time."

==========

"Let's set the Ming Dynasty aside for now. Tell me about the other nations."

Zhu Houzhao was extremely confident in his arrangements.

The so-called rebellions and uprisings within the Ming Dynasty were not worth his attention.

He had only allowed those rebels to survive this long to use them as bait.

He wanted to see which schemers or shadowy figures were hiding behind them.

From his days as Crown Prince, Zhu Houzhao had been closely watching those vassal kings.

"Especially the Qin Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty."

"Your Majesty, within the Qin Dynasty, the remnants of the Six Kingdoms have completely united. They have even recruited many powerful cultivators from the Hundred Schools of Thought."

"Monarch Wu'an, Bai Qi, has joined forces with Li Keyong's fleeing force from the Tang Dynasty and launched an all-out war with the Six Kingdoms Alliance."

"The outcome remains unknown for now, but the battle has been extremely brutal."

"On top of that, the northern border of the Qin Dynasty came under attack from the Xiongnu Kingdom. They may soon breach the Great Wall and invade the Qin Dynasty heartland."

"If that happens, it will be a true catastrophe."

Zhu Houzhao simply nodded calmly.

"With Ying Zheng's capability, if he can't even handle this, then he's not worthy of being my opponent."

If Ying Zheng were dead, maybe the Six Kingdoms Alliance and Xiongnu Kingdom would have a sliver of hope for victory.

But since Ying Zheng was still alive, how dare they rebel? They must be seeking death.

Zhu Houzhao had long foreseen their outcome.

==========

"What about the Tang Dynasty?" Zhu Houzhao continued.

"Due to the betrayal of Li Keyong, Zhu Wen, and the Empress, Li Shimin has grown extremely wary of the remaining vassal kings."

"He is preparing to use overwhelming military force to forcibly strip them of their power."

"At the same time, a mysterious force has been stirring things up from behind the scenes, pushing all of the vassal kings into open rebellion."

"Even some members of the Tang Imperial Family, fearful that Li Shimin would not spare them, have joined the revolt and established their own kingdoms."

"Many of them are hoping to appear on the National Power Ranking and receive Heaven Dao Reward such as increased lifespan."

"A wave of ambitious schemers is rising one after another, driven by the lure of these rewards."

Dark One explained in detail.

"The Tang Dynasty and the Qin Dynasty are in far worse shape than the Ming Dynasty."

"What else? Keep going. The other dynasties surely won't be quiet either."

Zhu Houzhao pressed on.

"Within the Han Dynasty, the Yellow Turban Rebellion has triggered the rise of the Eighteen Warlords. Each now commands their own armies and no longer respects the authority of the Imperial Court."

"Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Liu Biao, all of them."

"Behind each of them stands a mysterious force pulling the strings."

"The Han Imperial Court has completely lost control over the dynasty. Chaos is upon them, and no one can stop it."

Zhu Houzhao's expression grew more serious.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion hadn't even been wiped out, and now the Eighteen Warlords were already rising?

Everything was changing.

The entire course of events had gone far beyond anyone's expectations.

"What about the Northern Song Dynasty?"

"In addition to the invasions from Liao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom, the Northern Song Dynasty is facing widespread internal rebellions."

"Fang La has declared himself king, and the Mount Liang bandits have also gathered forces for rebellion."

"Not only is the Northern Song Dynasty under external siege, it is being consumed from within as well."

"The situation is dire."

Zhu Houzhao narrowed his eyes slightly and fell into deep thought.

Mysterious figures.

Were all these people from the same force?

What kind of schemes were they planning?

If he didn't uncover the truth, he would never have peace of mind.