Chapter 14: To Bend The Knee
The second chancellor shuddered in fear, he knew that with the emperor gone, no one could save him.
He fell on his knees and began to beg, "Your grace please have mercy" He said with tears as he pleaded pitifully.
He knew he was next on Gu Shang list since he had personally led the other high ranking officials against him.
"Second Chancellor, you are nothing but a mere first rank officia whiles I'm eight ranks above you.
Not only did you not show me respect as your superior, but you brought in experts of the Sky Lord Stage and even Supreme Sovereigns to deal with me.
You have disregarded by rank and authority and have acted tyrannicaly toward me your superior. You also dared to question all my choices and descesion, something not even the emperor has the right to.
You being a first rank official should know this, but you ignored it.
Committing an act you know the emperor your lord has no right to, is a challenge towards imperial authority.
Therefore I order your execution, your family the Fu Clan will be stripped of their noble rank and be demoted as commoners.
All the Fu Clan properties will also be confiscated" Gu Shang said expressionlessly.
He was being merciful, if it were any other day, he would have exterminated the Fu Clan.
The second chancellor knelt on his knees in a daze, he's family had been one of the weakest among the noble houses, but after their ancestor entered the Supreme Sovereign realm, their destiny also changed.
They climbed up the ranks swiftly before sitting at the very top. They had offended several noble houses to get to where they were now.
Those families didn't dare make a move against them because they had someone who could cover the sky with his hands in the imperial capital.
Now the family ancestor is dead and he was going to soon join him, he's family was was also finished.
Since they've been stripped of their noble rank, all their enemies were going to target them.
He thought about his sweet and charming kind wife, who always had a smile on her face and his son.
"No..n...no please spare my family", he grovelled to Gu Shang to beg for mercy but before he could even reach Gu Shang his head was sent flying.
Just like that another official had met his end.
Gu Shang then scanned the crowd and looked at them with his sharp eyes before lifting his mouth into a sneer.
"If my memory still serves me right, shouldn't all lower ranking official bend the knee and pay their respect when they see the Grand General.
The only place they don't have to bend the knee to me is the imperial palace, right?
GU Shang asked the crowd.
All the high ranking officials frowned, Gu Shang was right. They were demanded by law to bend the knee when they saw the Grand General, but they were unwilling to bend the knee to him.
If they were to bend the knee now, it would mean they'll have to always bend the knee when they saw him like the regular citizens.
To them that was insulting and demeaning. They were noble families of the highest order.
The moment Gu Shang said this, the Capital guards went on their knees, Gu Shang had already proven to them that he was their superior so they had no qualms about it.
The dazed Liu Feifei was dragged down by her friend. Though she knew the relationship between the two, Gu Shang right now wasn't some random son in law of the Liu family.
He was the Grand General who had shown how powerful he was. Even noble families stood no chance against him.
He might break his marriage with Liu Feifei anytime or even worse kill her, that silver haired man was very ruthless and emotionaless from what she had seen.
Gu Shang casually ordered the extermination of the Zhang Clan without showing any sympathy, those were human lives he was ordering to be taken.
He also executed the second chancellor without showing any mercy.
Right now, things were looking unstable and they didn't know who Gu Shang really was.
The old master also felt nervous, the current Gu Shang was a complete stranger to him. This greatly worried the old man.
What If Gu Shang decides to break of with his grand daughter because he was too high above them, he continued to worry himself unnecessarily.
After the Capital guards went on their knees, the place fell silent.
The noble families still stood their grounds refusing to bow.
Gu Shang casually raised his voice, " Soldiers.. in three breath time, kill anyone still standing on their feet " he said emotionlessly.
Loud shush sounds were heard as soldiers unsheathed their swords, scarring the noble families.
The Liu family old master and his son were the first to kneel.
Gu Shang glanced at them and said nothing.
After someone had taken the lead, the lower ranking officials who came from less stronger noble houses followed.
Qing Ying, glanced at her uncle who was hesitating to bend the knee and said "Uncle I think we should bend the knee now, there's always another day to fight as long as we have our lives.
Holding on to our pride will be very unwise in this situation. We've already seen what he's capable of and I believe he's not joking.
Even if Father was here, he would also have no other choice than to bow"
The man leading the Qing Clan today wasn't the clan leader, but the younger brother of the clan leader.
The clan leader had left the empire to attend the Grand competition between the great sects, his son was representing one of the sects so he had to attend it.
He had left his younger brother in charge to manage the clan.
The leader of the party thought about it carefully, of course he didn't want to die, but he also didn't want to shoulder the responsibility of letting the clan down.
He sighed before he nodded and also got on his knees, his clan members also followed him whiles breathing in sigh of reliefs.
They won't forget this humiliation, but to avenge themselves they had to be alive not dead.
When the Qing Clan knelt down, a wave of shock washed over the crowd. The Qing Clan were only below the imperial family, if even they had to bend the knee then who were they to reject.
Most of the high ranking officials also went on their knees using this excuse to console theirselves, the Gu Clan included.
Gu Lin gritted his teeth before joining his family.
Never in his life would he had imagined that he would one day bend the knee to his bastard younger brother.
Gu Shang father was filled with regret, if only he had....
The old master of the Gu Clan was the one who was affected the most.
All this while he had been trying to increase the power of the Gu Clan and make them a great clan. He had done quite well to be honest.
He had made the Gu Clan a powerful family even though they did not have a Supreme Sovereign.
He had always wanted his grand daughter to continue his legacy, he had thought she was the perfect choice, but yet here stood Gu Shang.
The descendant he wanted to kill after today.
How laughable.
Fatty Su grabbed his grandfather hands and dragged him on his knees together with him.
The old man did not complain, at least now he had an excuse if someone was to ask why he bent the knee.
He would just say, he was forced by his grand son.
After three breaths, some noble houses were still standing proudly, they didn't think Gu Shang would dare to kill them, after all they had no grievances with him, or do they thought
Gu Shang ignored them and glanced at the Qing Clan.
A young man was arrogantly standing there with his hands behind his back.
He glanced at QingYing and said, " Qing Ying, you don't have to bow to that clown.
You are with me" Qing Ying ignored him, this guy was annoying as hell. Did her father really wanted her to marry him?
She felt aggrieved.
"Are you with the Qing Clan?" Gu Shang asked.
The young man sneered, " I'm the heir to the Moonshade Sect, even your emperor does not have the right to demand that I bow to him, much less bend the knee" he said arrogantly.
"Is this your Moonshade Sect located on the territory of the empire?" Gu Shang asked.
"Yes we are. So what" the man said arrogantly.
"Say no more" Gu Shang said before raising his right hand. He couldn't be bothered with that arrogant prick.
"Executed" he dropped his hand, sword lights flew to all those still standing and beheaded them.
The place fell silent, He wasn't really joking.
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