Don't Get Cocky Too Soon, You Eunuch Dog

Zhang Wuji closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, the arrogance from moments ago had vanished, leaving only a deathly ash-gray despair.

"Wei Zhongxian, you castrated dog, don't be too smug just yet. Sooner or later, I will settle this score with you," Zhang Wuji said through gritted teeth.

"Hehehe, I'll be waiting then," Wei Zhongxian waved his hand. "Take them away! Throw them into the Eastern Depot dungeon for strict interrogation!"

Accompanied by a chorus of miserable wailing, the six imperial officials were dragged into the darkness like dead dogs.

Just as Zhang Wuji thought tonight's humiliation was over and prepared to return to his manor to think of countermeasures, Wei Zhongxian suddenly clapped his hands, throwing out another shocking piece of bad news that struck him like a thunderbolt.

"Oh, right, Lord Vice Grand Secretary, please wait a moment. I also have an oral decree from His Majesty. I originally planned to announce it during tomorrow's morning assembly, but since we ran into each other tonight, I might as well tell you now." The smile on Wei Zhongxian's face grew even brighter, but to Zhang Wuji, it looked like a death-invoking curse.

Zhang Wuji halted his steps and stiffly turned around. "What oral decree... does His Majesty have?"

Wei Zhongxian cleared his throat, his shrill voice echoing down the long street:

"His Majesty's oral decree: Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Zhuge Huaijin, although stubborn in temper and having offended the late Emperor, is upright and unyielding. His loyalty to the sovereign and patriotism are clear for all to see. His house arrest is hereby lifted! He is ordered to enter the Cabinet and attend to government affairs at the hour of Mao tomorrow, to lead the Cabinet and sort out the accumulated administrative affairs of the Great Zhou! Respect this!"

"Boom!"

These few words were like the profound thunder of the nine heavens, striking directly on the crown of Zhang Wuji's head, blasting his mind into a blank void.

Zhuge Huaijin! That stubborn and inflexible old stone from the latrine! That old thing the late Emperor utterly detested had actually been let out by the little emperor?!

Who was Zhuge Huaijin? He was an anomaly in the Great Zhou court! He came from a humble background without the support of massive noble families or clans. Relying entirely on his extraordinary talent and infuriating righteousness, he had forcefully climbed to the position of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

This old thing was not only a die-hard royalist, but he also refused to tolerate the slightest wrongdoing. When the late Emperor was on the throne, indulging in massive construction projects and extravagant debauchery, Zhuge Huaijin even dared to drag a coffin to the royal court to offer a death remonstrance. In the end, he thoroughly disgusted the late Emperor, was stripped of all real power, and confined to his manor for an entire year!

It was precisely because Zhuge Huaijin was confined that Zhang Wuji, as the Vice Grand Secretary, was able to cover the sky with one hand over the past half year. He controlled the Cabinet, frantically planted his own people in the Six Ministries, formed factions for personal gain, dominated the court, and enjoyed the overwhelming power of a "hidden prime minister"!

Now, the little emperor had actually released this fierce tiger from its cage and directly let him take over the Cabinet!

Zhang Wuji felt a sweet taste in his throat and almost spurted out a mouthful of old blood.

He instantly saw through the little emperor's intentions! How was this a simple rehabilitation? This was clearly the little emperor digging up Zhang Wuji's foundation!

The little emperor knew that if he directly dismissed him, it would definitely cause a fierce backlash from the entire civil official group and the noble families. But if he let Zhuge Huaijin out, the situation would be completely different. Zhuge Huaijin was the rightful Grand Secretary; his taking over the Cabinet was reasonable, logical, and lawful.

Moreover, with Zhuge Huaijin's nature of hating evil like an enemy, once he regained power and saw how Zhang Wuji had turned the court into a foul mess over the past half year, he would definitely fight him to the death!

When that time came, the civil official group would immediately split into two factions: one faction would be the "pure stream" following him to protect the interests of the noble families, and the other would be the "royalists" gathered around Zhuge Huaijin, taking it upon themselves to rectify the administration of officials!

Once the civil officials engaged in infighting, how would they have any energy left to care about how the little emperor seized military power? Or how he managed the depots and guards?

What was even more terrifying was that the little emperor held an army of three hundred and thirty thousand troops and the vicious depot guards in his hands. He could sit steadily on the dragon throne, watching the civil officials tear at each other like dogs, while occasionally releasing the vicious hound of the Eastern Depot to bite people. He would always stand in an invincible position, acting as the supreme judge!

"Such a venomous scheme... such deep calculation..." Zhang Wuji muttered to himself, his face ashen like dirt. For the first time, he felt a deep-seated fear from the bottom of his soul toward this little emperor who was only sixteen years old.

This was not a child who could be manipulated at will; this was a tyrant, a ruthless hero wearing the guise of a youth!

"Lord Vice Grand Secretary, why are you sweating? The night wind is cold, you should wear more." Wei Zhongxian smiled with feigned concern. "His Majesty also said that since the Grand Secretary has just returned to the court and is unfamiliar with the current political affairs, he will have to rely on the Vice Grand Secretary's 'assistance'. You must take good care of your health."

Wei Zhongxian emphasized the word "assistance" heavily, filled with sarcasm.

Zhang Wuji didn't speak anymore. He took a deep look in the direction of the imperial palace. That colossal structure hidden in the night now seemed like a giant beast opening its bloody maw in his eyes.

He knew that seeing the Empress Dowager tonight was completely out of the question. If he tried to force his way into the palace again, not only would he fail to save anyone, but he would also give Zhuge Huaijin leverage to attack him.

"Return to the manor!"

Zhang Wuji bit the tip of his tongue, forcing himself to stay awake, and got into his sedan chair. He had to rush back immediately to summon his trusted advisors. If Feng Xiang and Shen Jian were lost, then so be it. The most urgent task now was how to deal with that old monster Zhuge Huaijin who was about to emerge, and how to maintain his control over the Cabinet and the Six Ministries!

Watching Zhang Wuji's sedan chair disappear dejectedly into the night, the smile on Wei Zhongxian's face vanished instantly, his eyes turning cold and sharp.

"Pass down the order, keep a dead watch on every corner of the Zhang Manor!" Wei Zhongxian ordered coldly. "Also, tell Pei Jingzhe to speed up the confiscation of those twenty-odd households! Before dawn, His Majesty wants to see real gold and silver piled up in the inner treasury's storehouse!"

At the same time Zhang Wuji returned in defeat, the entire capital had already turned into an Asura slaughterhouse.

...

Inside the Ganquan Hall, candlelights flickered. Wang Hao sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes half-closed, his knuckles rhythmically tapping on the imperial desk. He was waiting, waiting for a turning point that could bring the dead game of the Great Zhou Empire back to life.

To prevent completely forcing those deep-rooted and closely connected noble families to rebel, the tip of Wang Hao's blade was not pointed directly at the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, nor at the Ministers of the Six Ministries. He controlled the scope of tonight's strike to the middle and lower-level officials, taking down a primary second-rank Right Censor-in-Chief along the way as a warning to those noble families.

A full twenty-four imperial officials holding posts in crucial departments.

In Wang Hao's eyes, these twenty-four people were twenty-four fattened pigs. Their official ranks were not high, mostly between the primary fourth and fifth ranks, but every single one of them occupied highly lucrative positions. More importantly, the Western Depot and the Brocade Guards had long since investigated their crimes thoroughly—embezzlement and accepting bribes were merely routine; smuggling military supplies, colluding with Tartars beyond the pass, and even secretly raising evil spirits!

Every single one of these crimes violated the bottom line of human morality and the laws of the Great Zhou. Even the noble families behind them, faced with such irrefutable evidence, absolutely wouldn't dare to protect them openly and could only hold their noses and accept the loss.

A ruthless smirk curled the corners of Wang Hao's mouth. The noble clans actually thought they could just strip him of his power and live in peace? Keep dreaming. Tonight, he was going to carve twenty-four pieces of flesh right off their bones!