Chapter 184: Exiled to the Border, the Power of the Misfortune Card
Hearing the emperor relent, Zhu Ming secretly let out a sigh of relief, knowing that the Zhu family had managed to weather this crisis.
He immediately put on a look of deep remorse, his tone extremely sincere and resolute as he said:
"Your Majesty! For such a disgraceful matter that tarnishes the family's honor, it is entirely the fault of my Zhu family!"
"This minister has already decided to immediately remove those two unfilial daughters from the family genealogy, completely expelling them from the Zhu family!"
"From this day forward, they will have absolutely no connection whatsoever with my Hell Duke's Mansion!"
Zhu Ming continued righteously, "This minister will also increase manpower. The moment their whereabouts are discovered, they will be captured at once and brought back to be dealt with by Your Majesty!"
"And as their father, I bear the blame for failing in their upbringing. I cannot escape responsibility. I ask Your Majesty to punish me severely. I will have no complaints!"
Dai Yutian sat upon the dragon throne, listening to this grand-sounding speech, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
This shameless old fox had circled around only to kick the hot potato right back to him, the emperor.
As for Zhu Ming claiming he would expel the two girls and sever all ties?
Dai Yutian sneered inwardly. Only a fool would believe such nonsense.
If those two girls truly became Titled Douluo in the future, Zhu Ming would probably be the first to welcome them back home.
Thus, the atmosphere in the imperial study fell into a strange silence.
So quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Zhu Ming remained in a humble kneeling posture on one knee, head lowered, patiently awaiting Dai Yutian's final judgment.
Dai Yutian sat on the dragon throne, lightly tapping his fingers against the table as his mind raced to devise a response.
After a moment, he finally stopped tapping, his gaze turning cold as he looked at Zhu Ming and issued the imperial decree of punishment.
"Since you have taken the initiative to request punishment, then I shall grant your wish."
Dai Yutian said coldly, "Recently, along the border between my Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire, there have been constant frictions and small-scale conflicts."
"I now appoint you as the grand marshal for suppressing rebellion!"
"You will personally lead troops to the northern border and carry out a military campaign against the Heaven Dou Empire!"
"I command you to seize and occupy three cities of the Heaven Dou Empire in this war, with real, tangible results!"
Dai Yutian stared at Zhu Ming's slightly changed expression and snorted, "Only when you have perfectly completed this task…"
"…will you be allowed to return to this Star Luo City?"
"Zhu Ming, do you have any objections to this punishment?"
Hearing this, Zhu Ming's expression changed drastically.
He sighed inwardly in resignation.
He had long known that Dai Yutian, wary of damaging the Zhu family's foundation, would not act directly against them and would instead find another way to punish him.
And being exiled to the border as forced labor, in a sense, was already the best possible outcome to preserve himself.
"This minister accepts the decree with gratitude! I will go through fire and water for Your Majesty!" Zhu Ming gritted his teeth and declared loudly.
But deep down, Zhu Ming felt bitter.
Although, in terms of overall strength across the continent, the Star Luo Empire was indeed stronger than the Heaven Dou Empire militarily…
Under the current complicated situation, where Spirit Hall acted as a balancing force between them…
Trying to capture three heavily fortified cities without triggering a full-scale national war?
How could that be easy?
This was practically an impossible mission!
Even though he himself was a Soul Douluo powerhouse…
On a battlefield where tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of troops clashed like a meat grinder, an individual's strength was ultimately limited.
A Soul Douluo, amidst an army of thousands, could not produce a truly decisive effect and might even be surrounded and worn down to death by military formations.
Worse still, once the Heaven Dou Empire side learned that the commander leading the Star Luo Empire this time was him, the Hell Duke…
They would certainly dispatch a Soul Douluo of equal level to reinforce the border!
After all, while the Heaven Dou royal family, the Xue clan, might not be particularly strong themselves…
They had no shortage of powerful figures at that level among the sects, advisors, and generals they had recruited.
Thinking of the bitter battles that awaited on the frontier, Zhu Ming's heart filled with worry.
Now, he only hoped that while he was away fighting on the front lines…
Nothing unexpected would happen back at home.
...
On the second day after Lin Yuan used the Misfortune Card.
At dawn, when the sky had just begun to brighten.
As per his unchanging habit, Tang San would always wake up precisely when the faint purple qi rose in the east.
Then, he would cultivate the Purple Demon Eye.
But this morning, perhaps he was truly plagued by unprecedented bad luck, his fortune dropping to an absurd extreme.
Wang Sheng happened to wake up groggily at that moment to use the bathroom.
As he staggered past Tang San's bed, his foot suddenly caught on something, and his body instantly lost balance.
Wang Sheng's large body was violently struck by the corner of the bed.
"Ow!"
Wang Sheng cried out as his entire body fell straight downward!
And the spot where he landed, without deviation, was directly on Tang San's head, who was still asleep.
Bang!
Wang Sheng's elbow came down in a perfectly executed and vicious elbow strike, smashing directly into Tang San's face!
This heavy, overwhelming blow, like Mount Tai pressing down, instantly jolted Tang San awake from his sleep!
"Hiss!"
Tang San's eyes shot open wide. He felt as though his nasal bone had been broken, and an indescribable soreness surged straight to his brain!
Strangely, for such sudden accidents, under normal circumstances…
Given Tang San's high alertness from his past life in the Tang Sect, he should have sensed the incoming danger immediately and avoided it.
But for some reason, today he slept unusually deeply, with no reaction at all.
And this was naturally the first manifestation of the invisible Misfortune Card's power at work behind the scenes.
Wang Sheng was also stunned by the fall. When he realized he had smashed straight into Tang San, he was instantly terrified, all sleepiness gone.
"T-Tang San! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I really didn't mean it!"
Wang Sheng scrambled to his feet, repeatedly bowing and apologizing, his face full of fear and guilt, afraid Tang San would lose his temper.
Tang San clutched his nose tightly, feeling a warm liquid flowing out.
When he moved his hand away, it was covered in blood. His nosebleed was dripping uncontrollably.
Suppressing the urge to curse, Tang San casually grabbed a piece of cloth to plug his nostrils, finally managing to stop the bleeding.
With a dark expression, he shook his head gloomily and said, "Forget it. You didn't do it on purpose. Hurry and finish using the toilet, then go back to sleep."
End of Chapter