novelraw Chapter 1308: The Empress Dowager Strikes Back
Chapter 1308: The Empress Dowager Strikes Back
"This old geezer, does he really think it’s easy to bully us orphans and widows? I’ll go meet him right now and see what he wants to explain!" Lu Nianxin stood up abruptly, cursing.Han Yan’s forehead was slightly sweating again. Both her sons and daughter were alive and well, and her eldest son was even the king of a nation. How could they be called orphans and widows? When chatting earlier, Han Yan had learned that her grandfather, the Emperor, hadn’t passed away. He had abdicated in favor of Yue Fanyi after he came of age and started focusing on long-term seclusion and cultivation.
In fact, this was also the ancestral rule of the Shangyue Royal Family. Throughout the dynasties, once the emperor’s heir reached adulthood, the emperor would abdicate in favor of them and focus on cultivation. To those with potential ulterior motives, the presence of these retired emperors was an immense deterrent. The fact that the Yue Family throne could be passed down for so many years was in large part due to this ancestral rule.
In any case, Lu Nianxin had nothing to do with the words "orphans and widows."
"Mom, please calm down, please calm down." Yue Fanyi and Yue Fanchen quickly stood up and held back their mother who was about to explode.
"Mother, don’t worry about it, I’ll handle this matter myself," Yue Fanyi urged repeatedly.
"How will you handle it? The Wu Family has always been arrogant and domineering, relying on the fact that their ancestors fought alongside the founding Emperor. Now they dare to bully my precious granddaughter. If I don’t give that old geezer a proper lesson today, he’ll really think there’s no one left in the Yue Family," Lu Nianxin scolded harshly, pushing Yue Fanyi and Yue Fanchen aside and disappearing in a flash.
"Not good!" Yue Fanyi and Yue Fanchen’s expressions changed drastically as they chased after her.
Han Yan hadn’t expected her grandmother to have such a fiery temper and hurriedly followed.
Halfway there, Han Yan heard a muffled groan. Although it wasn’t Lu Nianxin who made the sound, it still made her uneasy, so she quickened her pace.
The muffled groans came one after another, and Han Yan finally arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Palace. Then, she was stunned by the scene before her.
She saw her grandmother wielding a broadsword over three meters long with a ferocious momentum, chasing an old man with white hair all over the place.
The old man was extremely tall and sturdy. If he donned battle armor and stood there, his majestic figure wouldn’t be inferior to ancient war gods depicted in old paintings. However, at this moment, facing the broadsword in Lu Nianxin’s hand, he had no ability to resist.
Lu Nianxin’s phoenix crown had long been thrown somewhere, and her long hair danced with the wind. Her dignified and beautiful face was filled with anger. Every time she swung the sword, it emitted a piercing whistling sound. As the blade swept past, it formed twisted tunnels in the air, as if even the air was being torn apart.
"Old geezer, don’t you want an explanation? Is this enough of an explanation? Is it enough?" Lu Nianxin yelled furiously with every swing of the sword.
Wu Tianxiong’s treasure sword, although not quite a Divine Artifact, was already bent beyond recognition, a mass of jagged edges, more scrap metal than scrap metal. With each block, his face turned pale from the shock, and finally, he stumbled and fell to the ground.
But Lu Nianxin didn’t let him off, continuing to shout and curse, reversing her long sword and striking him with the back of the blade, blow after blow.
Outside the palace gates, Wu Tianxiong’s pitiful, shrill cries echoed.
Han Yan was dumbfounded, her scalp tingling: Violence, it’s just too violent!
Around them, the Imperial City Guards who had come upon hearing the commotion were also dumbfounded. They wanted to stop it, but it was the Empress Dowager who was taking action and the Shoulder-to-shoulder King who was getting beaten; who among them dared to intervene?
"So pitiful, how could he dare to take on Mother? Is his brain addled?" Yue Fanchen muttered.
"Which eye of yours saw him taking on Mother? All I see is him getting beaten," Yue Fanyi said, touching his chin thoughtfully.
"Brother, are you not going to advise Mother?" Yue Fanchen asked.
"It’s been years since anyone dared to spar with Mother. I suppose she’s itching for a fight, so let them spar a bit longer," Yue Fanyi waved his sleeve leisurely and turned to enter the palace.
Despite his calm exterior, Han Yan caught a glimpse of a mischievous grin at the corner of his mouth.
Han Yan was moved, vaguely understanding his intentions. An Empress Dowager who could beat the Shoulder-to-shoulder King so thoroughly—this couldn’t be handled even by a king of a country.
However, if it was just sparring, then it was no big deal. The Yue National Customs valued martial arts. The Empress Dowager and the Shoulder-to-shoulder King were of the same generation, so exchanging a few moves was nothing significant. Spread the word, and it might even become a celebrated tale. Wu Zixiong likely wouldn’t dare to publicize that he got beaten up by the Empress Dowager. It would be unwise for him to make an appearance.
"Shoo, shoo, what’s there to see? Today the Empress Dowager and the Shoulder-to-shoulder King were in good spirits and exchanged a few moves. Don’t go spreading wild rumors," Yue Fanchen, recognizing his brother’s intent, waved away the Imperial City Guards.
The guards had been in a dilemma, and hearing this, they scattered like birds and beasts.
"Stop, stop, stop hitting," Wu Tianxiong was thoroughly beaten in the spar, his old bones nearly coming apart, and he couldn’t hold on any longer, pleading with tears in his voice.
"Old geezer, don’t you want an explanation? Is this explanation enough?" Lu Nianxin slammed the sword onto the ground, demanding sharply.
"Enough, enough, I don’t want an explanation anymore," Wu Tianxiong panted.
"Hmph," Lu Nianxin threw the sword away, not even sparing another glance at Wu Tianxiong, and turned to enter the palace.
Several guards hurried forward to catch the sword, but with a clang, they were knocked to the ground by its weight.
Han Yan secretly clicked her tongue. This broadsword must weigh several hundred pounds at least. How did her grandmother wield it so fiercely earlier?
Suddenly, Han Yan doubted whether her grandfather really went into seclusion and cultivation merely to follow ancestral rules or if there were other reasons?
Exchanging glances with Yue Fanchen, Han Yan quickly turned around and entered the palace.
"Now you see how formidable your grandmother is. I’ve heard that back when Father first ascended the throne, his cultivation was still shallow, and several princes of the previous generation were discontent. Mother used a broadsword to make them submit whether they wanted to or not. But over the years, she’s focused more on refinement and less on physical disputes, so many people forgot her true strength. However, after giving Wu Tianxiong a good beating today, I suspect the old folks will behave for quite a few years," Yue Fanchen said with a hint of pride.
Han Yan then realized why their branch of the Yue Family managed to secure the throne. There was such a twist behind it. It’s no wonder that Shangyue Country was different from other nations. Even the struggle for the throne adhered to the notion of the strong being revered. Without sufficiently powerful strength, one could forget about seizing this position.