Hearing the Emperor relent, Zhu Ming breathed a secret sigh of relief, knowing that the Zhu family had managed to weather this storm.
He immediately put on a display of profound grief and remorse, speaking with a tone that was both sincere and resolute:
"Your Majesty! For such a disgrace to our family reputation to occur, it is entirely the fault of my Zhu family!"
"I have already decided to immediately and completely strike these two unfilial daughters from the family genealogy!"
"From this day forward, they no longer have the slightest connection to my Youming Dukes Manor!"
Zhu Ming continued with an air of righteous indignation, "I will continue to dispatch more men. Once their whereabouts are discovered, I will have them captured immediately and brought before Your Majesty for judgment!"
"And as their father, I bear the guilt of failing to discipline them; I cannot escape responsibility. I ask Your Majesty to punish me severely; I shall have no complaints!"
Sitting upon the dragon throne and listening to these high-sounding words, Dai Yutian could not help but feel his mouth twitch several times.
This shameless old fox had gone in a giant circle only to kick this hot potato back onto him, the Emperor.
As for Zhu Ming saying he would expel the two girls from the family and draw a clear line?
Dai Yutian sneered repeatedly in his heart. Only a fool would believe such ghost stories!
If those two girls truly became Titled Douluo in the future, you, Zhu Ming, would likely be the first one to welcome them home.
Thus, the atmosphere in the Imperial Study fell into an eerie silence.
One could hear a pin drop.
Zhu Ming remained in a humble kneeling position on one knee, head bowed, patiently waiting for Dai Yutian's final punishment.
Dai Yutian sat on the dragon throne, fingers lightly tapping the table as his mind rapidly calculated a countermeasure.
After a moment, Dai Yutian finally stopped tapping. He looked at Zhu Ming with cold eyes and issued the imperial decree of punishment.
"Since you have proactively asked for punishment, I shall grant your wish."
Dai Yutian said coldly, "Recently, there have been constant frictions and small-scale conflicts between our Star Luo Empire's border and the Heaven Dou Empire."
"I hereby appoint you as the Grand Marshal of the Rebellion Suppression!"
"You will personally lead a team to the northern border to conduct a military expedition against the Heaven Dou Empire!"
"I command you: in this war, you must actually attack and occupy three cities of the Heaven Dou Empire for me!"
Dai Yutian stared at Zhu Ming's slightly changing expression and snorted, "When you have perfectly completed this task..."
"...that is when you shall return to this Star Luo City."
"Zhu Ming, do you have any objections to this punishment of mine?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ming's face also changed abruptly.
He sighed helplessly in his heart.
He had long known that Dai Yutian was wary of the consequences and wouldn't directly strike at the foundation of the Zhu family, but would certainly find a way to punish him.
And this result of being banished to the border to serve as hard labor was, in a sense, already the best strategy for preservation.
"This official accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for your grace! I shall go through fire and water for Your Majesty!" Zhu Ming gritted his teeth and spoke loudly.
However, Zhu Ming's heart was bitter.
Although in the landscape of the continent, the Star Luo Empire was indeed stronger than the Heaven Dou Empire in terms of overall military combat power.
However, wanting to achieve this under the current complex situation where Spirit Hall acted as a balancing force in the middle...
...and wanting to forcibly take three of the opponent's fortified cities without triggering a full-scale national war?
How could that be easy!
This was practically an almost impossible task!
Even if he was a Spirit Douluo powerhouse.
On a meat-grinder battlefield where tens or hundreds of thousands of troops were being slaughtered at every turn, individual strength was ultimately limited.
A Spirit Douluo's decisive effect among thousands of troops was actually not that great; they might even be worn down and killed by a military formation.
What was even more fatal was that once Heaven Dou learned that the commander leading the Star Luo Empire's team this time was him, the Nether Duke.
Then the Heaven Dou Empire would surely send Spirit Douluo powerhouses of the same Rank to the border for support!
After all, although the Heaven Dou Royal Family's Xue Family did not have high strength themselves.
They couldn't resist the fact that the Sects, Committee Members, and Generals recruited under the Heaven Dou Royal Family had powerhouses of this level.
Thinking of the bitter border battles ahead, Zhu Ming's heart was filled with anxiety.
Now, he only hoped that during the period he was away fighting on the front lines...
...nothing would happen to his home.
...
And on the second day after Lin Yuan used the misfortune card.
In the early morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.
According to his usual unbreakable habit, Tang San would wake up on time every day just as the eastern purple Qi was slightly rising.
Then, he would perform his Purple Demon Eye cultivation.
But this morning, perhaps he really had the worst luck of eight lifetimes, his luck having reached a ridiculous low point.
Wang Sheng just happened to wake up in a daze at this time, preparing to go to the toilet.
As Wang Sheng staggered past Tang San's bedside, his foot suddenly tripped, and his body instantly lost its balance.
Wang Sheng's massive frame was accidentally and violently clipped by the corner of the bed.
"Ouch!"
Wang Sheng cried out in surprise, and his entire body smashed straight down!
And the place where he fell, without being a hair off, was exactly the head of the still-sleeping Tang San.
Bang!
Wang Sheng's elbow, in an extremely standard and ruthless elbow-strike posture, smashed heavily into Tang San's face!
This heavy 'Mount Tai Press' combined with an elbow strike forcibly woke the sleeping Tang San on the spot!
Hiss!
Tang San's eyes snapped open. He felt as if his nasal bone had shattered; an indescribable sour pain instantly rushed to his brain!
Strangely enough, if it were any other time for such a sudden accident...
...for the Tang San who came from the Tang Sect in his past life and possessed extremely high alertness...
...he definitely would have been able to sense the dangerous wind in the first instant and dodge it.
But for some reason, today he was like he was possessed; he had slept exceptionally soundly and had no reaction at all.
And this was naturally caused by that invisible misfortune card quietly exerting its first wave of power in the dark.
Wang Sheng was also dazed by the fall. Once he saw that he had actually smashed into Tang San, he was instantly startled awake.
"Tang... Tang San! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I really didn't do it on purpose!"
Wang Sheng scrambled up, repeatedly bowing and apologizing to Tang San, his face full of terror and guilt, fearing Tang San would lose his temper.
Tang San clutched his nose tightly, feeling a warm liquid flowing out.
He took his hand away to look; it was covered in blood. A nosebleed was dripping down uncontrollably.
Tang San suppressed the urge to curse. He grabbed a piece of rag to plug his nostrils and finally managed to stop the bleeding.
With a dark face, he shook his head gloomily and said, "Forget it, you didn't do it on purpose. Hurry up and go to the toilet, then go back to sleep."
...