With the three immensely powerful figures imprisoned one after another, the royal court suddenly became much quieter.
However, everyone could sniff out a sense of terror. After all, the actions of the Imperial City Department were too chilling, leaving everyone in the court fearing for their own safety. Yet, for some courtiers who despised those three, it was a cause for celebration.
Still, some upright officials submitted memorials urging Emperor Huizong of Song to dismiss Fang Zhiyi, arguing that this man would cause public unrest and destabilize the court. Little did they know, the memorials impeaching Fang Zhiyi never reached Emperor Huizong of Song; instead, they ended up in Fang Zhiyi's own hands.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, discarding the donkey once the grinding is done, these people..." Fang Zhiyi flipped through the memorials that cursed him for acting against the natural order.
"My lord, your subordinate will handle this right away." A trusted aide beside him cupped his hands and was about to withdraw. Fang Zhiyi quickly stopped him: "Handle what? If we arrest more people, are you going to manage the state affairs when the time comes? Huh?"
The aide was taken aback: "But they curse you so viciously, my lord..."
"Being cursed a few times won't cost me a piece of flesh. Send word down that all our brothers are to keep a low profile lately."
"Yes, sir!"
"Oh, and bonuses will be distributed as usual... We made quite a fortune from the confiscations this time, and every brother will get a share!"
"Thank you, my lord!"
"Get lost!"
Fang Zhiyi pondered for a moment, then stood up, grabbed a new little gadget he had just made, and entered the palace. His path was completely unobstructed, and anyone who saw him took the initiative to bow.
"Honestly, before I met you, I always thought people like Gao Qiu, Tong Guan, and Cai Jing were the villains..." Little Hei teased, watching the terrified expressions of the palace servants.
"What do you know? To achieve great things, one cannot be bothered by trivialities. Instead of this, you might as well care about the progress of the transmigrator."
"Song Jiang is almost finished. Wu Yong was killed, Song Qing was killed, and Li Kui fell into Shao Jiang's trap and has now fallen into the hands of the authorities." Little Hei fell silent for a moment. "I reckon they will use this as an excuse to attack that county town."
"Isn't that simple?" Fang Zhiyi met with Emperor Huizong of Song. Seeing him arrive, Emperor Huizong of Song's face was full of joy.
"My beloved subject, you've come? Quick, quick! I still can't beat Shishi at this poker thing you taught me last time. Hurry and teach me a few tricks."
Little Hei glanced at the emperor speechlessly. It had seen many emperors, but one this absurd was truly rare.
However, thinking about how Fang Zhiyi had said that the historical Emperor Huizong of Song was a total failure, it made sense. Otherwise, how could a normal emperor let a guy like Gao Qiu rise to power?
Fang Zhiyi patiently explained it to the emperor, and took the opportunity to present the little gadget he had just made. The emperor was overjoyed, wondering why he had never realized before that this loyal subject understood his mind even better than his adoptive father.
"By the way, Your Majesty, regarding some of today's state affairs..."
Hearing this, Emperor Huizong of Song frowned: "State affairs again. How many state affairs can there be? How do I have so much time in a day to handle them?" But glancing at Fang Zhiyi, he sighed again: "Just have what's-his-name handle it for me..."
The corners of Fang Zhiyi's mouth curved slightly: "Your Majesty... you are the ruler of a nation. State affairs cannot be neglected..."
Little Hei said sarcastically: "You spend all day teaching him either to gamble or to play. He wasn't any good to begin with, and now you want him to be a good emperor?"
Fang Zhiyi ignored Little Hei and continued: "Absolute power must not fall into the hands of others. If Your Majesty is truly exhausted, your subject has a suggestion."
Emperor Huizong of Song's drooping face brightened up again: "Speak."
"Abolish the previous Department of Palace Eunuchs... and establish the Directorate of Ceremonial."
"The Directorate of Ceremonial? What does that do?"
"Have the palace eunuchs around Your Majesty join this Directorate. They can be considered Your Majesty's close attendants. Let them handle state affairs on your behalf. For anything they are unsure of, they can mark it and report directly to you, while also supervising the transmission and execution of imperial decrees..." Fang Zhiyi paused. "This way, Your Majesty can relax and enjoy yourself, while also staying informed about state affairs in a timely manner."
Emperor Huizong of Song thought for a moment and slapped his thigh: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Gao Lian, oh Gao Lian! You are simply... my treasure!"
Fang Zhiyi instantly got goosebumps all over.
"I leave this matter for you to handle!" Seeing a concubine peeking her head at the door, Emperor Huizong of Song's mind had already drifted away.
Fang Zhiyi bowed slightly, and Emperor Huizong of Song walked out quickly with impatience: "Today I will definitely avenge my past humiliations! Bring Li Shishi to me!"
A eunuch standing to the side with his head bowed now turned to Fang Zhiyi, looking at him with burning eyes.
Fang Zhiyi waited until Emperor Huizong of Song had completely left before straightening up: "Liang Nian'en, it's been a while since you secretly joined my Imperial City Department."
Liang Nian'en nodded: "Yes, my lord!"
"I leave this matter to you. Find some obedient and quick-witted palace servants as soon as possible... Understand?"
"Understood!" Liang Nian'en's body trembled slightly. He was originally just an ordinary eunuch. If it weren't for Fang Zhiyi's great purge, he would never have become a close attendant to the Son of Heaven in his entire life. From that moment on, he knew that following this lord would definitely bring him benefits!
Fang Zhiyi turned and took a few steps, then suddenly looked back: "By the way... a few days ago, I had someone send some money to your parents back in your hometown... I heard your younger brother is getting married. Congratulations."
Liang Nian'en was somewhat moved, never expecting the lord to actually remember his family! He was just about to thank Fang Zhiyi when suddenly a cold sweat broke out.
A few days ago? That meant the lord had already prepared everything for today at least a dozen days in advance! He had even figured out his position back then! This sentence was both a bestowal of favor and a warning!
"Th-thank you, my lord! If my lord has any needs, this lowly one will not hesitate even if it means dying ten thousand deaths!"
Fang Zhiyi said nothing, simply walking away slowly.
"You really are a villain..." Little Hei continued to mutter.
Fang Zhiyi replied: "You don't understand... In a world like this, one wrong move could lead to severe consequences... A perfectly timed warning is highly necessary."
When the news of the establishment of the Directorate of Ceremonial spread, the civil and military officials of the entire court exploded. In the past, although those few bastards were bewitching the emperor, at least the emperor still attended court sessions. Now look, the emperor has gone completely mad with play! Letting a eunuch handle state affairs on his behalf? This...
What infuriated them even more was that the eunuch claimed to represent the emperor, but every time he made a note, he would glance at Fang Zhiyi, the Director of the Imperial City Department standing at the front! It was obvious that this so-called Directorate of Ceremonial had also become Fang Zhiyi's property!
Yet no one dared to say anything. You must know, even the immensely powerful Cai Jing and the others had become prisoners overnight, and it was said they were now driven mad in confinement! Not to mention that he even sold out his own nominal father, Gao Qiu!
Who had enough heads to dare offend Fang Zhiyi? One could only say that they had hoped for the departure of three vicious wolves, only to end up with a fierce tiger!
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
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!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
