NFBE Chapter 170 Cloud Feather 29
Chapter 170 Cloud Feather 29
After a moment of silence, Elder Yue sighed deeply, his voice filled with endless sorrow and self-reproach: "It is all my fault for failing to properly guide him, which has led Young Master Yue to commit such a grave mistake today. I beg Lord Zhiren to show leniency and spare his life, so that I may take him back to the Moon Palace and discipline him strictly from now on, never to let him step out of the Moon Palace again!"
Gong Ziyu met Elder Yue's pleading gaze and hesitated before speaking: "Elder Yue, this move seems inappropriate! Young Master Yue has been living in seclusion in the Moon Palace. Now that he has committed a grave mistake, if we allow him to remain in seclusion in the Moon Palace, wouldn't that be the same as having no punishment at all? If the reward and punishment are unclear, and the news spreads, how will I convince the public, and how will I govern the entire palace in the future?"
Elder Hua and Elder Xue exchanged a glance and also spoke up to offer their advice.
Elder Hua said gently, "Lord Zhiren, Young Master Yue has guarded the back mountain for many years. Could you spare his life in consideration of his years of hard work?"
Elder Xue added, "Indeed! Young Master Yue is extremely talented in medicine and martial arts. It would be a real pity to kill him like this! It would be better to let him atone for his sins and continue to serve the palace! Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
Faced with the three elders pleading for Young Master Yue's life, Gong Ziyu sighed helplessly and said, "Since the three elders are pleading so earnestly, then... I will spare his life."
Before the three could even express their joy, he added, "However, all his previous actions still need to be thoroughly investigated to see if there are any other matters that could harm the interests of the palace. This matter will be entrusted to..."
Gong Ziyu's gaze swept past Gong Zishang and Gong Shangjiao before landing on Gong Yuanzheng: "Let Young Master Zheng handle it!"
Upon hearing this, Gong Yuanzheng's eyes lit up, a smile appearing on his lips. He then bowed respectfully, saying, "Rest assured, Lord Zhiren, I will certainly handle this matter properly!"
Gong Ziyu nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the three elders and asked, "What do you three think of this arrangement?"
What objections would the three elders possibly have now?
Faced with Gong Ziyu's question, the three elders already knew that at this moment, saving Young Master Yue's life was the best possible outcome.
Although they knew that Gong Yuanzheng had always been ruthless and merciless towards Wufeng and his associates, and that Young Master Yue would suffer greatly if he fell into Gong Yuanzheng's hands, at least he was able to save his life, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
Therefore, the three elders unanimously agreed: "Lord Zhiren's arrangement is very appropriate, and the three of us have no objections!"
After dealing with Young Master Yue's matter, Gong Ziyu frowned again and said with a serious expression, "This matter concerning Young Master Yue has served as a wake-up call for us. Wu Feng has resorted to any means to seize the Boundless Flowing Fire of my Gong Clan."
"For many years, they have been sending their assassins to infiltrate the palace and get close to important figures in the palace, stealing our palace secrets silently."
"Since I took over as the wielder, in just a few days, I have discovered so many assassins who have infiltrated the palace gates. This is enough to prove that there are already quite a few unarmed assassins who have infiltrated our palace."
"Therefore..." Gong Ziyu, with his hands behind his back, took two steps forward around the table, his gaze sharp as he surveyed the crowd, his expression growing increasingly solemn: "Issue my order to take up arms. From this day forward, all personnel in the front and back palaces must immediately cease all current affairs and fully cooperate with Yu Palace in thoroughly investigating the Wufeng spies lurking within the palace gates. Upon discovery, kill them on the spot! Anyone who obstructs this will be punished as an accomplice!"
As Gong Ziyu finished speaking, a chilling killing intent filled the hall, leaving no doubt about the truthfulness of his words.
Gong Zishang, Gong Shangjiao, and Gong Yuanzheng did not show much surprise upon hearing this.
Yesterday at the Hall of Blade Master, Gong Ziyu had already said that he wanted to thoroughly investigate the affairs of the four palaces in front of the mountain. At that time, none of them objected. Now that the matter has been brought up again, they naturally have no intention of stopping him. The three of them bowed and agreed to the matter!
Only the three elders stared wide-eyed in astonishment, saying, "Zhi Ren, the back mountain is a very important place in the palace. Unless there are special reasons, it is not easy to set foot there. How can you now order the people in the front mountain to thoroughly investigate the back mountain?"
Previously, the authority of the Blade Master was limited to governing the four palaces in the front mountain, while the back mountain only needed to maintain due respect for him.
After all, members of the Gong clan must pass the trials in the three regions of the back mountain before they have a chance to become the Gong clan's blade bearers!
From this perspective, the three palaces on the back mountain are of a higher status than the four palaces on the front mountain.
But if Gong Ziyu were to lead a thorough investigation of the back mountain now, wouldn't that mean that Zhi Ren's authority has extended to the back mountain, and that the three palaces in the back mountain would be subject to Zhi Ren's jurisdiction in the future, just like the four palaces in the front mountain?
Gong Ziyu's move undoubtedly touched a sensitive spot in the internal power structure of the palace, and the resistance from the three elders was within his expectations.
However, Gong Ziyu seemed oblivious to the seriousness of the matter, explaining confidently, "Although I have no intention of violating the ancestral rules of the Gong Clan, Wu Feng's methods have now penetrated deep into the back mountain, even managing to get Young Master Yue to assist him without his knowledge. The ruthlessness of his methods is chilling. We cannot disregard the safety of the back mountain and allow this potential threat to exist simply because we follow the ancestral rules."
The three elders wanted to continue to stop him, but Gong Ziyu looked at them with displeasure and said, "It is precisely because the back mountain is so crucial to the palace that we are conducting a thorough search throughout the entire palace this time. After all, no one can guarantee that there isn't another 'Young Master Yue' in the back mountain."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Young Master Yue, who was still sprawled on the ground.
All eyes involuntarily followed his gaze, focusing on Young Master Yue on the ground.
Young Master Yue sat slumped in a corner, looking dejected, and didn't move for a long time. His former dashing and carefree demeanor had long since vanished.
The reason Gong Ziyu spared Young Master Yue's life was to wait for this moment to shut the three elders up.
If they try to stop the search of the back mountain, Gong Ziyu can completely refute them from a moral high ground:
I am doing this to protect the safety of the palace, which is why I am going against ancestral rules to thoroughly investigate the back mountain. After all, a young master named Yue who has fallen in love with Wufeng has already emerged from the back mountain. If we don't investigate, how will we know if there are any other people like him in the back mountain?
Besides, I've already given you enough face by sparing Young Master Yue's life. What more do you want?
Therefore, at this point, Gong Ziyu's decision is set in stone, and regardless of whether the three elders agree to search the back mountain in their hearts, they can only agree on the surface.
As expected, the three elders looked at Young Master Yue, hesitated, and finally swallowed their objections, reluctantly agreeing to the matter.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Gong Ziyu did not show any smugness. On the contrary, he gently comforted the three elders and even specially sent Jin Fan to escort them back to the Elders' Council.
After everyone left, Gong Ziyu remained alone in the main hall, a faint smile on his face.