Chapter 421: The “New Emperor” Ascends

Inside the military tent, Lei Zhen sat at the head, occupying the seat that once only the Acting Emperor was allowed to sit in. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Below him, dozens of demon generals were gathered, each wearing a rather complicated expression.

A toad demon who had taken on human form, nicknamed Lai Zi, sighed deeply.
“Alas… in the end, we still haven’t confirmed whether the Flood Dragon Emperor has truly perished. If he’s still alive and learns of what we’ve done, he definitely won’t let us off easily…”

Once someone spoke, others naturally chimed in. Many of the demon generals voiced their concerns, and some even acted like hindsight prophets, saying this shouldn’t have been done in the first place.

Tap tap tap!

Lei Zhen rapped the wooden table beside him and sneered.
“Enough, enough! What are all of you pretending for?”

“Shouldn’t have done it?”

“When that wretch was made to serve us last night, not a single one of you held back… and when we finally tore her apart and devoured her, every one of you joined in.”

“Now speaking words of regret? It’s already far too late for that!”

“We’re all in the same boat now—if one prospers, all prosper; if one falls, all fall. Anyone who wants to back out now clearly doesn’t care if the rest of us suffer!”

Although Lei Zhen’s words carried a hint of threat, they were undeniably true.

After all, if the Flood Dragon Emperor was still alive, what they had done would definitely be repaid with such torment that death would be a mercy—followed by the utter destruction of their very souls.

So yes, they were now a group bound by mutual interest, for better or worse…

“The court session tomorrow—we’ll announce to everyone that I will serve as the Acting Emperor. Do any of you have objections?” Lei Zhen’s voice dropped.

The demon generals exchanged glances, then cupped their hands toward him in unison.
“We honor the will of the Acting Emperor!”

“Good!” Lei Zhen was quite pleased with their response. After loudly making grand promises, he set out for Changyang Prefecture, the imperial capital of the Great Tong Dynasty…

…

“So you’re saying the previous Acting Emperor, Lady Liu, was summoned back by the Flood Dragon Emperor because he missed her too much?”

“And this new Acting Emperor is to be General Lei Zhen?”

As Emperor Tongchu finished speaking, a number of demon generals stepped forth to vouch for Lei Zhen. Some exaggeratedly claimed to have witnessed the Flood Dragon Emperor personally summon Liu Shi and officially appoint Lei Zhen.

Once they finished speaking, Emperor Tongchu quickly rose and cupped his hands.
“Acting Emperor Lei, why are you still standing down there? Come up and take your seat.”

Seeing how courteous the man was, Lei Zhen was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected the Emperor to believe him so easily.

But as he climbed the steps and took the throne, he quickly understood why there had been no objection.

The Great Tong Dynasty was nominally co-governed by humans and demons, but it was the demon army that had conquered cities and claimed lands with brute strength. The human forces, though they contributed, were merely riding on the demons’ coattails.

Now that the demon race had changed leaders, what right did Emperor Tongchu have to question it?

“What are you all standing around for?”

“Why haven’t you greeted Acting Emperor Lei yet?”

Once Lei Zhen was seated, Emperor Tongchu called out for everyone to pay respects.

In the next moment, whether human ministers or demon officials, all dropped to their knees in unison, shouting loudly,
“Long live Acting Emperor Lei!”

Seated on the luxurious throne, watching the officials kneel, hearing them shout “Long live,” Lei Zhen became increasingly convinced he had made the right choice.

But in the corner of his eye, he caught sight of another figure enjoying this glory by his side—an ordinary mortal. And just like that, the title of “Long live” no longer felt quite as sweet…

…

The former capital of Great Wu had not been renamed; it had merely been downgraded to a commandery seat, still called Great Wu Prefecture.

Its layout remained mostly unchanged, and even the imperial palace looked the same as it once had.

In the twelfth year of Great Wu’s turmoil, Emperor Tongchu returned to this familiar place with his human ministers and held a court session exclusive to the human officials in the grand hall.

Among the gathered officials were many who had been suppressed in the past for supporting the Fifth Prince. Now, returning to the hall brought a rush of emotion.

But that mood was quickly broken by a voice of protest.

The current Minister of Rites of the Great Tong Dynasty stepped forward and bowed.
“Your Majesty, ever since the demon race appointed a new Acting Emperor, they’ve grown increasingly outrageous!”

“They make decisions without consulting the human and demon ministers, act entirely on their own, and even dictate matters that concern the human side.”

“This goes completely against the founding principles of the Great Tong Dynasty!”

With the Minister of Rites taking the lead, the rest of the officials followed suit.

Some generals complained that demon officers were bossing them around in the army and using them as cannon fodder; some civil ministers spoke of disagreements met with insults and even physical abuse…

The more that was said, the more alarming it became. In the two years since Lei Zhen’s rise, chaos had run rampant, and the human ministers had been constantly oppressed behind the scenes…

When they finally finished, Emperor Tongchu didn’t react with anger as expected. Instead, he calmly said,
“I’m not blind. I’ve seen everything with my own eyes.”

“But what can I do?”

The Minister of Rites quickly stepped forward again.
“Your Majesty, I believe Acting Emperor Liu was far more suited to govern the demon race. At the very least, when she was in charge, there was mutual respect and cooperation between the humans and demons. Perhaps Your Majesty could seek out the Flood Dragon Emperor…”

“Acting Emperor Liu… is most likely dead. Probably killed in the days just before Lei Zhen took power,” Emperor Tongchu said softly.

At those words, every official present felt a chill run through their hearts.

If that were true, many things could be inferred…

“The murderer… was Lei Zhen?” the Minister of Rites asked, unable to believe it.

Emperor Tongchu smiled.
“Who else could it be? Of course, he wasn’t alone—but aside from him, the one who led the charge must’ve been the demon called You Ying, now second only to Lei Zhen.”

“As for the motive, it was likely a long-standing grudge. The final straw was probably Acting Emperor Liu giving them soul-whips.”

“And perhaps they thought the Flood Dragon Emperor, having not appeared for ten years, had already died in the immortal war. That’s the only reason they dared to strike.”

“And why are they growing more and more arrogant now? Naturally, because they believe our human race owes our current status entirely to the demons.”

Emperor Tongchu’s words exploded like thunder in the ears of the ministers. If no one reined them in, Lei Zhen and his lot would only become more unbridled—until the human ministers, even the Emperor himself, were beneath the demons!

“Your Majesty… what should we do?” the Minister of Rites asked bitterly.

Emperor Tongchu simply smiled.
“My loyal ministers, there’s no need to be too concerned… We’ve endured worse times than this. Why fear our current predicament?”

“Court is dismissed. We’ve returned to our old home—go visit your families.”