Chapter 51: Killing Without Payment

Emperor Mercedes VII, seeing everyone cease their actions as if there had been no altercation in the court just moments ago, chuckled and said, "When did Marquis Pansen advance to become a Tenth Rank Sword Saint? I only learned of it today! Congratulations are in order!"

Marquis Pansen glared angrily at Zennar, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it was only recently that I achieved this rank. I had intended to report it to Your Majesty today, but it seems unnecessary now."

Recent? With such profound qi and being a Tenth Rank Sword Saint, it had been a while!

Emperor Mercedes VII didn't reveal anything and laughed, "There are a few announcements to be made today. The first..."

"Your Majesty!" the Prime Minister interrupted, bowing and speaking sternly, "This madman dared to incite his followers to violence in the court. Today, he may have targeted me for death, but tomorrow, it could be Your Majesty! Please, Your Majesty, make a decision!"

Again?

Li Xie narrowed his eyes. He wasn't going to let this go! He was just giving Emperor Mercedes VII face for now, but enough was enough!

"Not so serious," Emperor Mercedes VII said with a change in his expression, "I said it was just a game. Let's leave it at that. Anyone who dares to bring it up again..."

"Your Majesty!" Li Xie interrupted, bowing and cutting off Emperor Mercedes VII, "This matter cannot be left as is."

Li Xie wanted to give Emperor Mercedes VII face, but the Prime Minister was pushing too far. Li Xie had had enough!

Originally, it was the Prime Minister's intention to have Li Xie killed, but failing that, he almost got himself killed. And now, he dared to be so aggressive!

Li Xie recalled how fortunate he was to have Zennar as his personal bodyguard. If it weren't for Zennar, he might have been killed by now! Attempted murder was still murder!

There was no good way to handle this!

Without giving the Prime Minister a chance to respond, Emperor Mercedes VII immediately put on a smile when he turned to face Li Xie. "Duke Li, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

The sudden change in attitude puzzled the officials.

Li Xie raised an eyebrow. How could Emperor Mercedes VII be so accommodating? Even if he was considered a divine envoy, this was too much!

"Your Majesty, there's no need to ask," Li Xie said. "He wanted to kill me, so I'll kill him. Simple! If the Prime Minister isn't killed now, I'll order my men to kill him later! But..." Li Xie held out his hand, fingers spread wide. "If he gives me fifty million gold coins, I'll let it slide. Otherwise, hmph!"

"Fifty million gold coins? Daydreaming!" the Prime Minister exclaimed angrily, his facial wound spurting blood again. "You want to kill me, and I won't spare you either!"

Li Xie shrugged. "Zennar, I'm giving you an order. Within five days, if this Prime Minister doesn't send fifty million gold coins to our mansion, kill him! And if anything happens to me, like tripping and falling, you kill him too! This is the highest order! It's valid until I say otherwise!"

"Yes, my lord! Understood!" Zennar replied.

"You!" The Prime Minister was so furious he felt dizzy. "You dare to try! Just try!"

But thinking of the tattooed man beside Li Xie, who wasn't a Tenth Rank Sword Saint but clearly more powerful than Marquis Pansen, the Prime Minister knew he couldn't resist.

Still not having fainted from anger, the Prime Minister, in order to save himself, could only place his hopes on Emperor Mercedes VII, the only one who could calm this situation down. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, as a senior statesman for two dynasties, I have served the kingdom with all my heart. While I may not have accomplishments, I have endured hardships! Duke Li has ordered his followers to kill me. Please, Your Majesty, make a decision for me!"

Emperor Mercedes VII glanced at him and waved his hand dismissively, "This is your private affair, I won't inquire further. Besides, Duke Li has already said that if you pay him, he won't kill you! Resolve this matter yourselves! I'm tired, I'm leaving the court! Duke Li, Prime Minister, come with me!"

With that, Emperor Mercedes VII ignored the Prime Minister's calls and left quickly, followed closely by the Prime Minister. Li Xie gave the Prime Minister a smirk before following.

The Prime Minister's calls went unanswered, and Marquis Pansen helped him down to tend to his injuries. The others dispersed as well. The unluckiest one was the Prince of Five Nations, who lost all his money and only got to meet Emperor Mercedes VII briefly due to this incident, without even exchanging a few words!

However, even though the people dispersed, they all had the same thought: never offend Duke Li again!

He had a Tenth Rank Sword Saint as his follower, indicating his immense power! He dared to kill in the court, indicating he would do anything! He dared to disrespect the emperor and kill important courtiers, indicating he would kill anyone!

Most importantly, Emperor Mercedes VII didn't blame him at all. This meant that even if you held a high position in the kingdom, if Duke Li killed you, you were out of luck!

Apart from the realization that they couldn't offend Duke Li, the officials also had more insight into Li Xie: he loved money more than anything, and even his life could be measured in gold! In the future, if they accidentally offended him, they would have to pay up!

In the palace's side chamber study.

Emperor Mercedes VII, Prime Minister Harry Yntell, Li Xie, and Zennar stood by Li Xie's side.

Emperor Mercedes VII only glanced at Zennar as he entered the study, without any further comment.

"Duke Li, do you know why the Prime Minister tried to have you killed today? Why he wanted to put you in a desperate situation?" Emperor Mercedes VII asked.

Li Xie shrugged. "I have no idea about his political motives. But since I didn't offend him, and he wanted to kill me, I'll definitely kill him if I can!"

Emperor Mercedes VII chuckled, "Duke Li, you don't know some of the secrets of our court. It's time I informed you."

After a pause, Emperor Mercedes VII continued, "In fact, there are significant internal and external dangers to our kingdom! Externally, the Great Sun Empire, with power comparable to ours, is eyeing us. Internally, it's the Prime Minister and the Pansen family! The Prime Minister, as a senior statesman for two dynasties, has many supporters. And the Pansen family controls a legion of two hundred thousand soldiers. However, they are secretly colluding with the Great Sun Empire, planning to rebel and seize power! Today, the Prime Minister accused you because of your actions at the Dynasty Hotel, which conveniently expressed his determination. He wanted to establish connections with the five princes and prompt the Great Sun Empire to attack us! With internal and external threats, our dynasty is in jeopardy!"

"Heh..." Prime Minister Yntell smiled and added, "Unfortunately, he didn't anticipate the strength of your followers, nor did he expect you to dare to kill him in court! He also completely underestimated His Majesty's indifference! Not only did he embarrass himself, but he also revealed his incompetence to his supporters and to the Great Sun Empire! It's a pity that Duke Li didn't kill him on the spot!"

Li Xie frowned. "So, the Pansen family is also planning treason with that old guy? It seems His Majesty is well aware, why not just kill them? If the Prime Minister dies, his supporters will scatter. If the Pansen family is destroyed, can his troops still rebel? They're ultimately the kingdom's troops. Wipe out the Pansen family, and the soldiers will still obey His Majesty!"

Emperor Mercedes VII sighed, "If only it were that simple! They dare to collude with the Great Sun Empire, so they must have some backing. The problem lies in their control over the military! Although Marquis Pansen, the commander of the Leopard Legion, resides in the capital, his two sons and other family members are stationed in military camps for extended periods. If I move against the Pansen family, they will immediately rebel. That's why, even though I know they're planning treason, I dare not move against them!"

"Hehe, Your Majesty, speaking of this to me, I don't really understand. But my orders have been given. Zennar will follow them. If the Prime Minister doesn't pay up, my followers will kill him. After all, it was a command from the court, everyone knows it, and no one will suspect Your Majesty. It won't alert the Pansen family to rebel." Fifty million gold coins, Li Xie didn't believe the Prime Minister had that much money. If he couldn't produce it, Zennar would kill him! Li Xie wasn't planning to let the Prime Minister off the hook, lest he be targeted secretly.

Prime Minister Yntell chuckled, "Duke Li's demand for fifty million is settled! Over the years, the Prime Minister has amassed quite a fortune. Five million is nothing. I reckon he'll send it to Duke Li's mansion tomorrow!"

"So wealthy? If only you had said so earlier, I would have asked for several times more!"

Uh...

Prime Minister Yntell smiled bitterly: Who knew you'd challenge him on the spot!

"Alright, now that the matter with the Prime Minister is settled and he's cooled down, he'll pay the fifty million for sure! Duke Li, I have a favor to ask of you."

Li Xie glanced strangely at Emperor Mercedes VII.

The emperor referred to him as Duke Li, but his tone and choice of words didn't sound like he was talking to a duke of his own kingdom! It was like he was speaking to someone of equal status!

This puzzled Li Xie a bit, but he didn't think too much about it.

"Your Majesty, if there's anything I can help with, just say it. As long as the reward is generous enough," Li Xie seemed to smell the scent of gold coins.