"Minister, have the men been dispatched yet?" The Emperor changed the subject.
Fang Zhiyi nodded: "They have, twelve in total. The imperial decree will surely be delivered."
The Emperor was satisfied: "Now, how should we deal with Wei Kaiyuan when he returns?"
Fang Zhiyi glanced around and made a gesture to the Emperor.
The Emperor's brows relaxed completely. Indeed, Fang Zhiyi was truly a good Prime Minister, so attuned to his thoughts!
Fang Zhiyi did as he said.
Upon returning home, he encountered Shen Xun, who had come to visit with his son, followed by Li Li.
Fang Zhiyi was pleasantly surprised—this was an unexpected delight.
Immediately, he warmly received Shen Xun and Li Li, even ordering the servants to prepare a feast. Shen Xun was flustered by the hospitality. Recalling recent events, he steadied himself.
"Prime Minister Fang, regarding the matter of your son..."
Mentioning Fang Bufan only made Fang Zhiyi's eyes flare up: "That disgrace! Have you caused trouble again?" He bent down to remove his shoe, ready to beat Fang Bufan. Shen Xun hurriedly intervened, while Li Li was stunned. He had only accompanied Shen Xun to gauge the situation, never expecting the Prime Minister to resort to violence so quickly.
"Prime Minister, please calm down! Your son hasn’t done anything wrong."
Fang Zhiyi looked at Shen Xun, his expression shifting rapidly: "Good then. I entrust my son to you, Minister Shen. Scold him or beat him as needed—don’t hold back!"
"Prime Minister, what exactly... what has Shen Xun done wrong?" Shen Xun finally blurted out.
If Fang Zhiyi had merely reprimanded or impeached him, he would have understood. But the Prime Minister’s recent behavior had left him uneasy.
"Done wrong?" Fang Zhiyi paused, then laughed. "You’ve done nothing wrong, Minister. It is I who am at fault."
Shen Xun stared at him in shock.
"Let’s drink, gentlemen!" Shen Xun and Li Li, being military men, had little resistance to alcohol. Besides, they couldn’t refuse the Prime Minister’s hospitality. The three sat down and began drinking.
After several rounds, Fang Zhiyi suddenly waved his hand: "I entered officialdom young, and I earned my position fairly." He poured wine for Shen Xun, who accepted it respectfully, then filled Li Li’s cup.
"But back then, the Emperor was young, and the court was in chaos."
Shen Xun nodded repeatedly—he knew that history.
"Minor officials like me had no chance of rising—until one day, I met the Emperor. After a conversation, he took a liking to me. From then on, my career soared."
Shen Xun grew uneasy. Why was Fang Zhiyi reminiscing?
"In the 32nd year of the old calendar, the barbarians invaded. I petitioned to resist them. That night, the Emperor summoned me to the study and spoke with me at length." Fang Zhiyi’s grip on his cup tightened, veins bulging on his hand.
Li Li noticed this detail.
He had joined the court later and knew little of this incident. Fang Zhiyi? Opposing the barbarians? Nonsense! Everyone knew he was a pacifist.
Fang Zhiyi took a sip and lowered his voice: "The world calls me a treacherous minister."
Shen Xun was terrified. If others said this, fine—but for the Prime Minister himself to say it? And to him?
"But they don’t know... they don’t know."
Fang Zhiyi’s gaze grew distant: "I, too, grew up reading the classics. I understand that every man bears responsibility for his country’s fate."
The two men stared at him in disbelief.
"But what could I do? The world sees a villain, but who has seen my struggles?"
"The military funds for Liaodong—I embezzled them! You knew that, right?"
Neither dared respond. They regretted coming today. After this conversation, their heads might roll tomorrow—Fang Zhiyi had executed several officials before.
"Did you see me spend that money? This residence looks exactly as it did when I first arrived!" Fang Zhiyi stood and pointed upward.
"It was for The Imperial Concubine’s moon-viewing pavilion."
At this, Li Li sobered instantly. Shen Xun turned to exchange a shocked glance with him.
"The former head of the Ministry of War—I submitted a memorial, the Emperor approved it." Fang Zhiyi drew a finger across his throat. "Executed."
"You all say I killed him, but why would I? I barely knew him!" Fang Zhiyi staggered, and Shen Xun rushed to steady him.
"Resisting the barbarians... the border troops had no funds." Fang Zhiyi slumped back into his seat. "Then, a young general emerged from the Liang State’s household. When I saw the barbarians retreat, it was glorious!"
He took a fierce gulp of wine: "But a few days ago, you saw—he’s being recalled to the capital."
Shen Xun and Li Li sat rigidly. Were these words meant for their ears? Yet piecing it together, they realized Fang Zhiyi was merely the Emperor’s scapegoat.
No wonder his temperament had changed—even his son wasn’t spared.
It all made sense now!
"Regardless, I ask you both to take my useless son away. Let him learn what the border soldiers endure while he wreaks havoc under his father’s name!"
Fang Zhiyi bowed deeply.
The two exchanged glances and hastily returned the gesture.
"Prime Minister, I cannot promise much, but I accept this task," Shen Xun said, deeply moved.
Watching them lead away his dozing, foolish son, Fang Zhiyi sighed in relief, his drunken gaze clearing.
"I can’t clear my name, but at least I can shift some blame."
"Do you think the Prime Minister was sincere today...?" Shen Xun couldn’t help asking.
Li Li immediately raised a finger to his lips in warning.
"It didn’t seem feigned," he whispered. After Fang Zhiyi’s "heartfelt confession," even a fool could see the truth. Why had so many impeachment memorials against him vanished? People said he suppressed them, but now it was clear—the Emperor simply ignored them.
A Prime Minister held great power, but without the Emperor’s approval, could he embezzle funds or impeach colleagues? The more Li Li thought, the more it made sense.
How pitiful. Li Li shook his head. As an overlooked imperial guard captain, he understood the frustration—like a general forced to obey a eunuch’s orders.
Meanwhile, in the northern Liang region, Wei Kaiyuan’s army rested. By candlelight, Wei Kaiyuan studied the map, planning the next advance. Along the way, he had absorbed scattered border troops, and now his forces were formidable—victory seemed within reach!
"Report! A courier from the court has arrived!" A soldier rushed in.
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
