Chapter 011: The Ultimate Tyrant

The last emperor of the Bauhinia Dynasty was, in every sense, a collection of all the “virtues” of tyrants! A famous historian once said that if not for this emperor’s excessive competence and recklessness, and given the dynasty’s strong foundation, it wouldn’t have been destroyed so quickly by the Austin family.

Legend has it that this tyrant had a penchant for killing. He would wander around with a group of soldiers, armed and ready to slaughter anyone he encountered. As a result, whenever the emperor went on inspection tours, the entire capital would be deserted as people hid away, too afraid to go out in the streets.

During court sessions, this last emperor had a squad of executioners standing by. Whenever a minister said something he didn’t like, the emperor would order them to be killed on the spot. Eventually, the court became nothing but a puppet show.

Even so, the emperor never stopped killing. When ministers remained silent, he would still find reasons to execute them. If a minister farted, he would be accused of extreme disrespect and killed by the guards on the spot. If a minister’s lips moved slightly, he would be charged with slander and executed by having his head smashed in. By “slander,” he meant that the minister had complaints about him, even if not voiced aloud—implying the minister was speaking ill of him in secret.

Families whose members were killed by this foolish emperor immediately defected to the Austin family during their coup.

Not only that, but this tyrant’s greed was utterly outrageous. Anything he saw that he wanted, he would take immediately. Even if he spotted a tree in a commoner’s yard, he would order his guards to dig it up and transplant it to the palace.

To please this emperor, local governors went to extreme lengths to flatter him, resulting in dire suffering for the people in those regions.

On top of this, the emperor was obsessed with grandiose achievements. Over five years, he launched three campaigns against the northern barbarians, losing hundreds of thousands of soldiers each time and spending countless amounts of money.

As for his lustfulness, one of the most infamous incidents was when he gathered the elite women of the capital and allowed his guards to abuse them at will. When a marquise refused, the emperor had her two sons captured and killed right in front of her.

It was this most notorious tyrant in history who caused the entire Bauhinia Dynasty to collapse overnight.

“The Dragon Priests—can they be trusted? I heard that during the coup in the Gavin Empire, Lord Oscar also led an army in a surprise attack, but it failed. Could the abilities of the Dragon Priests help us restore our kingdom?” the bald man whispered to the Dragon Priest.

“At least they’re better than just us, a group of twenty or so,” the Dragon Priest sighed upon hearing the bald man’s words.

“Haha, don’t worry! We’ve been operating for hundreds of years. That surprise attack on Gavin’s capital was just a minor exercise! Moreover, since then, we’ve had special opportunities. With the right chance, helping you restore your kingdom in the Frozen Alliance shouldn’t be a problem,” Oscar said with a smile.

“Is a half-million army enough?” Oscar added after smiling.

“Enough! Of course it’s enough!” the bald man replied loudly. But then he grew puzzled again. “But Lord Oscar, where are your half-million troops hidden?”

“I can’t say that yet. But know this: if I was able to suddenly mobilize tens of thousands of troops and appear at the gates of Gavin’s capital, I surely have my own backing,” Oscar said.

“A half-million army, plus so many of you who are holy-grade experts—I think finding an opportunity to help you restore your kingdom in the Frozen Alliance shouldn’t be too difficult,” Oscar added.

“As long as we can restore our kingdom, I’m at your disposal!” the Dragon Priest declared abruptly.

Seeing the Dragon Priest’s reaction, a faint smile appeared on Oscar’s lips. There was one more thing Oscar didn’t mention.

“If those half-million troops were as skilled as those in the Frozen Alliance, even another half-million wouldn’t help you restore your kingdom!” Oscar thought. “But my army isn’t human at all! Hehe, Fische, you used my name to conquer the Frozen Alliance back then, but you never expected that I’d actually ally with them now!”

……

In the Zhenbei Royal Palace, within the Duke’s Residence in Gavin’s capital, an imperial decree suddenly arrived. It stated that since Duke Du Fan had returned to the Zhenbei Royal Palace, His Highness Fische missed him greatly and asked Du Fan to go to the palace for a talk.

“Du Fan, will you go?” Naixiu asked.

“Why not? If I don’t go, they’ll think I’m afraid of him,” Du Fan said with a smile upon reading the decree. “Besides, it’s been so long since we last met—I do miss him a bit.”

“Du Fan, I heard you achieved great feats in this victory over the Frozen Alliance.” Fischer sat on his chair with a smile, looking at Du Fan beside him and speaking kindly.
The meeting took place in Fischer’s leisure room, where spices burned in the stove, filling the space with a delicate fragrance.
Seeing Fischer’s smiling face, Du Fan even had the illusion that this supreme ruler was still the kind and amiable prince who treated his subordinates well. For a moment, Du Fan felt a sense of warmth in his heart.
“Thanks to Your Highness’s grace, after months of fierce battles by the Northern Army, we finally defeated the Frozen Alliance for Your Highness,” Du Fan said loudly to Fischer.
“Haha, Du Fan, what are you saying? It seems as if all the benefits from your Green family’s efforts go to me. Didn’t your Green family also receive nine duchies?” Fischer laughed after hearing Du Fan’s words.
After speaking, he glanced at Du Fan while casually tapping his left hand on the throne, as if deep in thought. After a while, he shook his head helplessly.
“Does Your Highness have something to say?” Du Fan asked, puzzled by Fischer’s expression.
Du Fan had already noticed that Fischer seemed to be hiding something but didn’t want to speak up, so he asked bluntly.
“It’s my sister, Angel. Du Fan, Angel has already gone to the south with you, and everyone in the country knows about it.” Fischer sighed and explained slowly, “The late emperor arranged a marriage between you two. But Du Fan, since you’ve shown no interest, do you not want to marry my sister?”
Fischer raised an eyebrow, looking at Du Fan. Though it was a question, his face showed a smile as he waited curiously for Du Fan’s reply.
“Well…”
Hearing Fischer’s words, Du Fan frowned. Even aside from his own wedding to Nayshu, he had already forgotten about marrying Angel. Moreover, should he really marry that princess?
Although the late emperor had arranged their marriage, his relationship with Fischer was now extremely complicated. Even the slightest issue could lead to a complete breakdown between them!
If he really married Angel, it would undoubtedly pose a significant obstacle to his and his Green family’s future.
“I will definitely marry her,” Du Fan replied slowly, frowning as he looked at Fischer, who still wore a smile.

“Then let’s go ahead with the arrangement. The wedding will be held next month.” Fischer smiled broadly. Without waiting for Du Fan to say anything else, he immediately gave orders to the envoy behind him.
Upon hearing Fischer’s instructions, the envoy immediately turned around and began writing a decree to be issued.
“Wait!”
Du Fan stepped forward to stop the envoy from issuing the decree and said to Fischer, who looked puzzled, “Your Highness, perhaps we should have a proper conversation.”
“What do you mean?” Fischer asked, looking annoyed at Du Fan.
Du Fan glanced at Fischer and secretly breathed a sigh of relief before continuing, “I already have a marriage arrangement, and it will take place soon. If I want to win Princess Angel’s heart, it might have to be postponed.”
“Postponed?” Fischer looked at Du Fan in surprise. He hadn’t expected Du Fan to say such things in front of him.
According to the rules of the Gavin Empire, speaking such words in Fischer’s presence meant only one outcome: death!
In the past, Fischer would have no hesitation in sentencing Du Fan to death. But now, Du Fan was not the same as before. Just the King of the North and the hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers under Du Fan’s command were enough to make Fischer think carefully.
“That’s right. And if Princess Angel really were to marry me, she could only be my concubine,” Du Fan added.
“What? You want my sister to be your concubine?” Fischer stared at Du Fan in disbelief. It seemed Du Fan was the only one who dared speak to him like this in the entire empire.
Du Fan smiled slightly at Fischer and continued, “Indeed. I will return to the south in a few days to choose a wedding venue. What do you think, Your Highness?”
“As you wish,” Fischer said helplessly, waving his hand at Du Fan. “Retire. I’ll surely arrange a good day for your wedding. As for the venue, let’s use the capital.”
“Then, Your Highness, I take my leave.” Du Fan bowed to Fischer before slowly leaving the room.
…
“As expected, keeping a tiger around only brings trouble.” Fischer slammed the table hard, his eyes filled with fury. It seemed he truly intended to kill Du Fan this time.
“Your Highness, tigers must be tamed. It’s up to you to figure out how to get rid of them!” Abraham said solemnly beside him. Abraham’s loyalty to the emperor and his respect for the royal family were beyond imagination. He had heard everything Fischer and Du Fan said in another room.
To want to marry a princess as a concubine! That was simply an insult to the royal family!

Moreover, Princess Angel marrying Du Fan was the old emperor’s decree, and it could also be considered his last wish! The late emperor’s wishes carried even more weight than those of the current emperor!
“Eliminate the tiger! Heh, well said! Is Master confident in facing Du Fan?” Fisher suddenly laughed heartily.
“If Your Highness is willing to give me that divine artifact, I’m 70% confident!” Abraham said coldly.
“70% confidence? Master Abraham, is Du Fan already that terrifying?” Hearing Abraham’s words, Fisher asked in surprise. While others might not know the power of that divine artifact, Fisher was well aware of it!
“That’s right. Through my mental detection, I’ve detected an extremely powerful energy within Du Fan’s body—a energy imbued with a will that seems capable of destroying everything!” Abraham said fiercely. “Moreover, Du Fan’s cultivation level is no lower than mine! Think about it—back then, with his lower cultivation level, he was able to scare Francis away. With Du Fan’s current cultivation level, even if I had that divine artifact, I can only say I’m 70% confident!”
“If that’s the case, then please prepare well, Master! I think 70% confidence is sufficient for you!” Fisher said abruptly.