Prince 020

The imperial guards turned their heads, looking toward the Emperor.

They knew he was the Son of Heaven. Even if the eunuch faction and the Ningxi faction saw him as nothing but a puppet, in their eyes, he was still the Son of Heaven. And the Son of Heaven had just declared that whoever arrested Li Shanxiang would be promoted three ranks and granted a noble title.

Fang Zhiyi pulled a stack of banknotes from his chest.

"In addition to the title, there's also money."

The eyes of the imperial guards finally shifted. One by one, they turned toward Li Shanxiang.

Li Shanxiang never imagined that the men he had painstakingly cultivated as his trusted followers would betray him for mere money and a title.

"Do you think, if you kill me, they will spare you? You are already no different from rebels!"

Hesitation struck the guards once more.

"I promise you, what happens today will not be pursued," the Emperor said slowly.

"Don't believe him!" Li Shanxiang yelled frantically.

If any other Emperor had made such a promise, few would have believed it—rebellion was a capital offense. But this Emperor was known for his gentle nature, a fact the imperial guards knew well. They exchanged uneasy glances, uncertain what to do.

Then a sinister voice rang out.

"Commander Li seems to worry about me quite a bit. Sending me gifts all the way here."

Li Shanxiang turned in horror toward the hall's entrance. A hunched figure slowly walked in.

"Prince, I ran into a bit of trouble, so I'm slightly late."

Fang Zhiyi waved a hand. "No matter."

"You... you're still alive?" Li Shanxiang stammered in disbelief.

Zhu Hong smiled, a smile that made Li Shanxiang's heart tremble.

"You think I removed the men watching you for no reason? It was to lure out your little schemes." He waved his hand, and several severed heads were thrown into the hall.

Li Shanxiang froze in shock.

Then a flood of soldiers charged in.

"Forgive us for arriving late to protect Your Majesty!"

Li Shanxiang saw the armor on these troops. They should have been with the Capital Army—the very troops that were supposed to be guarding the city walls.

His eyes widened. "Impossible. The Ningxi faction fled. By now, the Capital Army should be..."

"Under the control of your eunuch faction, you mean?" Zhu Hong's voice was low, like a wooden mallet pounding into Li Shanxiang's heart. "Thanks to you, not a single one of those loyal to you remains."

Moments ago, the Capital Army had been in chaos due to fleeing generals. The eunuch faction, who had seized the opportunity to consolidate power, had no time to celebrate before their own junior officers struck off their heads.

Then men arrived with "imperial decrees" claiming to take command of the Capital Army.

Of course, the decrees were forged. But who could tell the difference anymore?

The eunuch factions within the Supervisory Directorate, the Bureau of Military Affairs, and the Imperial Horse Administration were almost simultaneously assassinated. Wave after wave of forged imperial decrees, combined with "compensation payments," quickly calmed the restless troops.

"I told you, there's money," Fang Zhiyi said.

Li Shanxiang's legs gave way. He collapsed onto the ground, murmuring, "Impossible..."

The imperial guards finally made up their minds. Weapons drawn, they charged at Li Shanxiang.

---

The Liao Kingdom's probing attack was repelled. When the news reached their ruler, he was baffled.

"Didn't they say Great Zhou was in turmoil? The capital is surrounded. Why don't the border troops return to reinforce it?"

The scouts brought back word that not only had the border troops failed to return, but they had also received new weapons and armor. Their morale was higher than ever.

The Liao ruler was utterly perplexed.

"Write to Wang Changlin. Ask him what is happening!"

"Yes!"

---

Within the capital, the atmosphere lightened. Commoners filled the streets once more.

Rumor had it that, just before dawn, Prince Qi had ridden out of the city alone, carrying an imperial decree to negotiate with the rebels. The result was that the rebels surrendered. Even more absurdly, that very day, the leaders of the rebel forces entered the capital and received rewards from the Emperor.

---

"Second Son, you're telling me this scrawny man is good at war?" the Emperor said, glaring at a dark, thin man standing before him. He was clearly skeptical.

Fang Zhiyi nodded. "He's a fierce fighter. Assign him to Li Wenlong's command."

Naturally. In the original story, it was this man who had crushed the Emperor entirely. Of course, he could fight. Fortunately, Fang Zhiyi's people had found him first this time.

The Emperor frowned, looking at the men standing before him.

"Second Son, you... you truly killed all those court officials?"

"Yes. Don't worry. Historians will curse me, not you."

"That's not what I mean. I mean... what do we do now?"

Fang Zhiyi paused, glancing around. Many of those present were his own people. But he suddenly realized that in his bloodbath of the entire court, he had killed everyone who actually did the work. There was no one left to govern.

Relying on his Deathless Hall operatives to run the state would be a disaster. Within three days, they would likely be drawing blades on one another.

After all, governing a realm wasn't like fighting battles. It required actual debate and argument.

"Er... I have some people, but would you dare use them?" Fang Zhiyi asked bluntly.

The Emperor was even more direct. "Use them. Why not?"

"Very well." Fang Zhiyi sighed.

The death warriors who had once followed him never imagined they would go from starving, disposable killers to civil officials. Personnel from the account books department and the money lenders' offices were all transferred into the court by Fang Zhiyi.

"You'll need to issue an edict. First, shift all blame onto the eunuchs and the Ningxi faction. Then condemn yourself a little. Finally, call for talented men from across the realm..."

"You mean hold the imperial examinations?"

"Exactly. These are extraordinary times. Keep it simple. Don't forget—while the internal troubles are resolved, external threats are still watching hungrily."

At the mention of Liao, the Emperor's face darkened.

"Second Son, perhaps I should abdicate and pass the throne to—where are you going?"

Fang Zhiyi ran off swiftly. "My mother is about to give birth! I need to check on her!"

"Your mother..." The Emperor muttered to himself. "Your mother has been dead for years."

---

In the end, Fang Zhiyi was forced into the position of Grand Scholar, an outcome that left him cursing nonstop. He had been willing to clean up the internal chaos, but the problems plaguing Great Zhou went far beyond corrupt officials.

The root issue was the people's livelihood.

Though the fighting had alleviated some tensions, the fundamental problems remained unsolved. The common folk couldn't fill their stomachs, local officials continued to tax them ruthlessly, and another revolt was only a matter of time.

And when that happened, Liao would launch an all-out assault on Great Zhou's borders.

He wanted nothing to do with such a mess.

"Host," Xiaoxiaohei finally spoke.

"Speak." Fang Zhiyi was busy calculating how much money he had left. He had been wealthy before, but now—after funding the border troops and paying off the newly incorporated army—he was nearly broke. The gold seized from the noble families had all gone into the national treasury.

"An Otherworldly Arrival is imminent. Cannot pinpoint exact coordinates..."

"What? An Otherworldly Arrival?" Fang Zhiyi was caught off guard.

"Otherworldly Arrivals have occurred before. But their energy is weak. In worlds like this, their mortality rate is high. Disease, social hierarchyn accidents, and war all claim their lives."