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!
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
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!
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...
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
