What came into sight was a broken sword. The ruby on the hilt was like a red sun, emitting a dazzling light. Even if the sword was broken, one could tell that it had seen better days.
A sharp sword intent swept past her face, telling her of its silent past. Even if it turned into ashes, the empress would still recognize that this was the Sword God's sword—Ten Miles Dragon Roar!
"It's Grandpa Sword God. What happened just now wasn't an illusion…"
The empress stroked the dragon patterns on the sword. Tears fell from her face and dropped on the blade. The divine sword seemed to have sensed the empress's sadness and buzzed.
The empress could see her teary face reflected on the shiny blade. Recalling what the Sword God had told her about his time running out, the empress choked with sobs.
"From now on, I'm really alone in this world."
The mountain that she had been relying on collapsed completely. Now, she was left alone to face the dangerous world.
The empress endured her grief and wiped her tears. After a moment, other than her eyes being a little red, she had already regained her usual calmness.
She could not let outsiders discover anything. She had to pretend that the Ten Miles Sword God was still around. Only then could she intimidate those who had evil intentions.
Otherwise, those people would pounce at her like sharks that had smelled blood. Be it her or the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, they would all be in danger.
The empress's gaze was firm. She knew that there was going to be a tough battle ahead of her. She said in a low voice, "Guard—"
How could she allow someone who wanted her to die in her cabinet? She had to find out who poisoned her.
At the thought of this, a cold glint flashed across the empress's eyes. Even after the poison in her body was gone, her face was still a little pale. At this moment, she had to show everyone who the owner of the dynasty was.
On the other hand, after knowing that Sheng Yuan Emperor had woken up, the ministers finally heaved a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, with the Sword God's help this time, His Majesty was able to survive."
"As long as we have the protection of the Sword God, the Heavenly Saint Dynasty will prosper."
There were still a small number of ministers in the royal court who were loyal to the royal family and to Emperor Sheng Yuan. For example, Prime Minister Fu Sirui. They felt that as long as the Sword God was still around, the Heavenly Saint Dynasty could continue to be in peace.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the Sword God was the spiritual belief of the subjects in the entire Heavenly Saint Dynasty. No wonder the empress wanted to hide the news of the Sword God's death. If word got out, it would definitely cause unrest.
On the other hand, Sun Zhanghong and his faction were a little exasperated. He lowered his voice and said, "Did you send someone to inform them?"
Another minister nodded. "King Zhao and Sect Master Zhou are already informed of what happened. The poisoner has already successfully left the palace. Don't worry, sir."
Sun Zhanghong finally heaved a sigh of relief. As long as the poisoner wasn't caught, there would be no evidence pointing against him.
"That's good." Sun Zhanghong sneered. "What kind of trash did Zhou Hao find? He claimed to be the number one poison expert in the world. But look at what happened in the end. What a clown."
At this point, he was furious.
"I spent a lot of resources, but in the end, both the Sword God and Emperor Sheng Yuan were unscathed. It was simply a waste of my time."
His face was as dark as a bottomless well as he said disdainfully, "That's how sects in the martial world are. They just can't do anything. All they know is to talk big."
"It's not all in vain. At the very least, we now know that the Sword God is still around and is very powerful. It seems that the information is wrong. We need to rethink the plan."
Sun Zhanghong nodded. "Indeed, we have to postpone the execution."
…
The ministers went in to greet Emperor Sheng Yuan one after another.
One of them was the Grand Secretary, the current empress's father, Zhang Yueheng. "Your Majesty, do you feel better?"
"Thank you for your concern. Fortunately, with the help of the Sword God, I was able to survive."
Seeing that Zhang Yueheng wanted to say something, Emperor Sheng Yuan gave the word.
"The rest of you all can leave. I have something to discuss with the Grand Secretary."
After everyone left, Emperor Sheng Yuan said, "Father-in-law, we're in-laws. There are no outsiders around now. If you have something to say, just say it."
Emperor Sheng Yuan was so respectful to Zhang Yueheng because he had served three previous emperors in this dynasty and had accumulated great power and influence. Many ministers in the Imperial Court were once his students. He was one of the people who helped Emperor Sheng Yuan ascend the throne.
If he didn't marry Zhang Yueheng's legitimate daughter, Zhang Yueheng would probably not side with him. Naturally, he had to rope in this kind of person.
However, Zhang Yueheng, this old fox, didn't seem to want to invest everything he had in Emperor Sheng Yuan. He had some other plans.
Facing these wily people, Emperor Sheng Yuan had to be fully prepared.
"Your Majesty, it's a blessing that you can fully recover, but this matter also gives us a reminder that we are in urgent need of a crown prince. If anything happens in the future, there will be someone to take your place and keep the situation under control."
The smile on Emperor Sheng Yuan's face gradually faded. He knew that this old fox was plotting something.
"Grand Secretary, what exactly do you mean?"
As expected, in the next second, Zhang Yueheng knelt on the ground.
"Even if what I'm going to say will make you displeased, I still feel obliged to say it. I hope that Your Majesty can have a son with the Empress as soon as possible to stabilize the dynasty. That way, I can rest in peace."
Emperor Sheng Yuan was a little stunned. He did not expect Zhang Yueheng to bring this up.
She was a woman, and so was the empress. How could two women have a son?
She wanted to shut these old ministers up with a crown prince, but the thing was that she did not have that ability.