Golden Ranking Appears, My Empress Turns Out to Be Wu Zhao

[The Confucian Immortal Ranking has now been fully revealed]

[A new ranking will be released in three months]

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Yuan Capital.

A secret residence where the Iron Courage Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi was staying.

Zhu Wushi watched as the ranking in the sky vanished once more, bitterness written all over his face.

"Supreme Academic Master!"

"God Demon Realm Perfection!"

Thinking back to how arrogant he once was.

He truly believed that in the world, aside from himself, everyone else was mediocre.

He thought the Ming Emperor was unworthy of the throne, and only he deserved to replace him.

Looking at it now, how utterly laughable it was.

At that time, he was merely a Great Grandmaster.

No different from a frog at the bottom of a well.

All the schemes he had carried out in secret were likely not only seen through by Emperor Zhu Houzhao, but also by those terrifyingly powerful Confucian Immortals, and even numerous Land Immortals!

His delusions must have made him look like a complete clown in their eyes!

The fact that the Emperor hadn't dealt with him directly, hadn't killed him, and only imprisoned him for a period...

Was because he posed no real threat and still had some use left.

If he ever lost that value, it likely wouldn't take long for him to end up like those rebellious Princes the Emperor had already taken care of.

To preserve his own life, and to save the one he held most dear in his heart, he had to ensure he remained useful.

Every task the Emperor's nephew assigned him, he had to complete flawlessly.

Others did missions for merit.

He had to complete them for his life.

Failure might mean being abandoned by the Emperor.

Realizing this, Zhu Wushi immediately felt an intense sense of urgency.

This time, the mission to "divide the Yuan Dynasty" had to be executed flawlessly.

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"Adoptive Father, we can begin the second phase of the plan."

"Also, surveillance in the capital has become much stricter lately."

"National Master Phagpa has once again been summoned back by Temujin, and many mysterious Tantric monks have appeared around him."

"These people are all extremely powerful."

"We must be very careful."

"If we're caught, we could die without a burial place!"

"In that case, spread the word. The second phase of the plan officially begins."

"Everyone must work together perfectly. No mistakes are allowed."

"If anything goes wrong and His Majesty places blame, no one will be able to save them."

"Adoptive Father, should we start with Prince Tolui or Prince Ogedei?"

"Of course, Tolui!"

"This Marquis knows very well that Tolui is no simple figure, and I also understand his true intentions."

"We absolutely cannot allow him to succeed."

"This fire shall begin with him."

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Yuan Imperial Palace.

Temujin sat high upon the dragon throne, eyes fixed on Phagpa and several strong, aura-filled Tantric monks standing below.

Although cooperating with these Tantric figures left a sour taste in his mouth...

He had to endure for now, to weather the current crisis.

Once he eliminated both internal and external threats, he would definitely destroy these Tantric followers completely.

To vent the hatred in his heart.

"Khan, this is the intelligence I just gathered. Please take a look!"

Phagpa handed over a stack of documents.

Temujin immediately felt something was off.

He took them and quickly skimmed through.

At once...

Temujin's expression darkened even further.

Rage flickered in his eyes.

"This unfilial son! I thought Tolui was loyal to me, but it turns out he's even more ambitious than Ogedei."

"He's colluded with so many people in the Imperial Court, and even set his sights on my army."

"Hmm? National Master, how did you uncover this information?"

"I investigated these people before, but the results were completely different from what I'm seeing now."

"Khan, Prince Tolui had already hidden these things earlier."

"That's why they weren't found."

"I only learned the clues after capturing an insider from Ogedei's side."

"After searching thoroughly, I managed to seize them all in one go."

"As it turns out, Prince Ogedei has spent years collecting secrets on the three Princes and all the ministers in the Imperial Court."

"He planned to use them as leverage to coerce them into doing unspeakable things."

"Unfortunately, Prince Ogedei himself was exposed a few months ago, so the documents were temporarily discarded."

"Otherwise, I would not have been able to find them so easily."

"Very well, all of them are unfilial sons!"

"National Master, immediately dispatch the Golden Wolf Hall. I want Tolui captured alive."

"As for the traitors under him, execute them on the spot, leave no one alive!"

"Understood, Khan!"

As Phagpa retreated, Temujin's face grew even gloomier.

His eyes turned toward the remaining Tantric monks.

"Masters, I have made a deal with your sect's High Master."

"For the next ten years, you must follow my orders without question."

"Here is your first task."

"Now! Immediately! Eliminate every hidden agent from the other dynasties within the capital."

"In the intel just now, besides seeing Prince Tolui's rebellion, I also found signs of other threats."

"It's obvious that other imperial powers have begun to act."

"They're trying to stir up internal conflict between me and Tolui, attempting to divide the Yuan Dynasty once more."

"These people are truly despicable, and I swear I will have them torn to pieces."

"I suspect this is the doing of people from the Ming Dynasty."

Though Temujin resented Tolui and the other rebellious Princes...

He hated even more the foreign spies that provoked internal strife.

What was most crucial...

Even though he knew this was a trap, he still had to step into it.

"Don't worry, Khan. We will complete the mission."

"Cooperating with our Tantric sect will only bring benefits!"

The Tantric monks spoke proudly.

They wore expressions of disdain.

They didn't regard the so-called foreign agents as any threat at all.

==========

In the capital.

Fourth Prince Tolui Mansion.

"Prince Tolui, something terrible has happened!"

"What is it? Weren't you stationed as a guard in the Imperial Palace? Why are you here all of a sudden?"

"If someone notices you, we won't be able to explain."

"Prince, there's no time for that now."

"Do you know? Everything about you has been exposed."

"National Master Phagpa is leading the Golden Wolf Hall to capture you!"

"The Khan has ordered that aside from capturing you alive, everyone else is to be killed without mercy."

"What? How is that possible? How did Father Khan find out? I already destroyed all the evidence!"

"It was Prince Ogedei!"

"He deliberately compiled all the information he had gathered over the years."

"Then purposely leaked it to the Khan to incite a deadly conflict between you two."

"Damn you, Ogedei! You've tried to kill me again and again. This time, I swear, I will not rest until you are dead!"

Tolui unleashed all his hatred on Ogedei.

"Prince, we must act now. Any delay, and all our efforts will be wasted."

"Very well. Guo Kan, go notify our people. Break out of the capital and establish our own territory."

"From now on, we'll no longer live in fear before Father Khan."

"Prince, why don't we fight them here and now?"

"If we strike the Imperial Palace, the success rate could be very high."

"You could follow in the footsteps of Li Shimin from the Tang Dynasty!"

"Isn't Li Shimin now ruling as Emperor quite well? And the people of Tang Dynasty are increasingly supporting him."

"If Li Shimin could do it, why not Prince Tolui?"

"As long as you force the Khan to abdicate, you'll be the next Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty."

"Ogedei and the others, no matter how much power they have, are already considered rebels."

Many of the civil and military officials under Tolui, whom he had secretly recruited, voiced their support.

"That won't work."

"General Guo Kan, why not?"

"Are we really going to give up such a golden opportunity?"

"Prince, a few days ago, the Khan secretly brought in many extremely powerful cultivators."

"Among them are even Heavenly Human and Mythical Realm cultivators."

"If any of them target us, we'll be as good as dead."

"Our only hope is to escape the capital before they react, and then establish a base of our own."

"In the future, we can plan a counterattack."

"Very well. This time, we follow General Guo Kan's command."

"All of you must obey!"

"When I establish my own power, all of you present here shall be handsomely rewarded."

==========

Yuan Dynasty.

Several hundred miles from the capital, in a territory already occupied by Prince Ogedei.

After some time of development, his forces had grown significantly stronger.

Yelu Chucai approached Ogedei in a panic.

"Prince, something big has happened."

"What is it? Don't tell me Father Khan has come to attack?"

He hadn't yet solidified his foundations.

If Temujin truly launched an assault, there was no way he could win.

Sigh!

Everything had gone wrong because he was exposed too early.

Nothing had been properly prepared.

Otherwise, how could he be in such a miserable situation?

"It's not the Khan attacking, but Prince Tolui has rebelled as well."

"Just now, we received intelligence from the capital. The evidence we left behind there has been discovered by the Khan."

"He immediately sent troops to suppress him."

"Unfortunately, Prince Tolui was prepared."

"He quickly summoned his trusted followers and forces, broke out of the capital, and is now headed east."

"He's likely planning to establish his own army there."

"Seems like Tolui has someone capable assisting him!"

"Prime Minister, what do you suggest?"

"How do we strengthen our national power?"

"Prince, I've already drafted a plan."

Without delay, Yelu Chucai pulled a map from his robe.

And began laying out his strategy.

Ever since he had been imprisoned by Temujin and nearly executed...

Yelu Chucai's loyalty to Temujin had completely vanished.

From now on, he would assist Ogedei in reunifying the Yuan Dynasty and establishing a new era greater than that of Temujin.

Now that Tolui and the Khan were locked in battle, he must not miss this golden opportunity.