The Man Secretly Kept by Empress Xiao Mingzhao

Wei Shuo ordered his men to take Xiao Ruyi back to the Grand Princess's estate. He made it explicitly clear that they must find someone to treat her, but only to save her life, not to heal her crippling wounds—he had to make sure of that.

When Xiao Ruyi lay in a sickbed, and was confined to it for the rest of her life, would she still be able to maintain her facade of being as indifferent as a chrysanthemum, aloof and uncontentious?!

The soldiers accepted the order and departed. Only then did Wei Shuo wipe the blood from his blade clean and turn back. From afar, he saw another figure standing behind the thousand troops he had brought.

Surrounded by his personal guards, the man looked like a god of war.

At first glance, his expression and demeanor gave Wei Shuo a strong sense of familiarity.

He looked exactly like Lin Yi, who back in the day had relied on his seventy thousand Chifeng Army troops to suppress the barbarians, preventing them from taking a single step past the borders.

Only, Ren Tianye was far more ruthless and decisive than Lin Yi.

With these thoughts in mind, Wei Shuo took a deep breath and strode toward Ren Tianye. He needed to give Ren Tianye a reasonable and proper explanation for everything he had just done.

Not far away, Deputy General Wang Ming had already dropped to one knee, preparing to report all of Wei Shuo's actions to Ren Tianye, but Ren Tianye interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "No need. I have basically seen it all clearly."

Ren Tianye's tone was mild, but a stormy sea of shock surged within his heart.

He never expected this, truly never expected this!

Wei Shuo actually dared to stab Xiao Ruyi three times right there in the martial arts arena!!!

He had thought Wei Shuo was just going to demand an apology from Xiao Ruyi, but the result... he directly beat her half to death?

Wei Shuo, oh Wei Shuo...

This guy should be named Lin Chong instead!

When he was kind, he was kinder than anyone; when he was ruthless, he was more ruthless than anyone!

Such a talent was exactly what Ren Tianye genuinely desired.

However, Ren Tianye knew even better in his heart—Wei Shuo had caused a massive disaster!

Xiao Ruyi was the Grand Princess, the late Emperor's sister, highly revered by the royal clan. Now she had been turned into a cripple, and in broad daylight, no less, specifically occupying the martial arts arena to do so!

The capital would likely erupt into instant chaos over this!

Those loyal to the Great Yu Dynasty would surely view him as a thorn in their side, a nail in their flesh!

They would itch to eliminate him!

Wei Shuo was no fool; he absolutely could understand this point. So why did he do it?

Ren Tianye waited for Wei Shuo's explanation.

"Your subordinate, Wei Shuo, pays his respects to the Grand General!"

Wei Shuo knelt on one knee, pronouncing his words heavily.

Especially the words "Grand General."

Obviously, in his heart, what he acknowledged more at this moment was Ren Tianye's identity as "Grand General," rather than his identity as the Grand Commandant. Or rather, he revered the title of Grand General more.

Ren Tianye looked down at him.

Wei Shuo was no longer young, and he carried a sense of worldly weariness. Yet, kneeling there now with a resolute posture, he seemed to have regained some of his youth, looking more like a battle-hardened general than a wealthy marquis bedridden with illness!

"Rise!"

"Follow me back to the estate!"

"Yes, Grand General!"

Ren Tianye turned his head and looked at Wang Ming. "Wang Ming!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"I, the Grand Commandant, have received His Majesty's decree: Royal Censor Wang accepted bribes and bent the law, embezzled funds, fabricated evidence to frame loyal officials, hoarded forbidden books, and illicitly discussed state affairs. His crimes are numerous. Therefore, the Marquis of Changping, Wei Shuo, is ordered to execute him and exterminate his entire clan!"

"The Grand Princess, Xiao Ruyi, bears the duty of a senior minister to the late Emperor and the mandate to protect the imperial family. Yet, when His Majesty was trapped in the Imperial Chen Estate, she sat idly by, betraying the late Emperor's trust and committing grave disloyalty. Her crimes are unforgivable. However, considering the Marquis of Changping's meritorious service to the state, he is specially ordered to handle her at his own discretion."

"Both imperial decrees are placed on my desk. Go fetch them and announce them to the imperial court and to the world!"

"Yes, your subordinate obeys!"

Wang Ming turned and left. Wei Shuo, who was half-kneeling on the ground, suddenly stiffened. By the time he looked up, Ren Tianye had already turned to leave. He only felt a heat in his chest, a surge of passionate blood ready to burst forth, and his eyes couldn't help but grow hot.

But he quickly suppressed it.

He stood up, mounted his horse, and closely followed Ren Tianye.

All the way to the Grand Commandant's estate.

Ren Tianye sat upright on his tiger chair, with the clerk Su Jin beside him, brush in hand, ready to record. Wei Shuo, upon entering, directly knelt on the ground. "Grand General, your guilty subject Wei Shuo requests punishment."

"But before the punishment, your guilty subject has some words in his heart that he must spit out. I beg the Grand General's permission."

Ren Tianye said mildly, "Speak!"

Wei Shuo took a deep breath and said loudly, "Grand General, I know you feel that my slaughtering people in broad daylight is detrimental to you."

"But what I want to say to the Grand General is..."

"This Great Yu Empire is no longer a normal world!"

"Today's Great Yu, whether in the imperial court or the countryside, has become unbearably filthy. It is full of painted demons and ghouls with the hearts of monsters and the faces of fools. Such a world cannot be stopped without the force of arms!"

Wei Shuo shouted the words "cannot be stopped without the force of arms" through gritted teeth, his tone filled with a ruthless, bloodthirsty intent.

However, this actually made Ren Tianye deeply agree.

He had risen all the way from a minor guerrilla general in the Northern Frontier to his current position—allowed to keep his sword and shoes in the imperial court, exempted from stating his name when bowing, and nominally holding the military power of the entire empire as Grand Commandant. He had seen far too many demons, monsters, and vile creatures!

He could relate deeply!

Just as he was about to ask a question, Wei Shuo spoke again. "Grand General, you must have already perceived and realized that the chief culprit is the Female Emperor, Xiao Mingzhao. But does the Grand General know what Female Emperor Xiao Mingzhao has done in the capital?"

"And what she has done to her close officials?"

Ren Tianye did not speak, only looking at Wei Shuo.

Wei Shuo immediately continued, "Female Emperor Xiao Mingzhao, in order to promote her so-called dream of universal harmony, executed the commander-in-chief of the Chifeng Army, Lin Yi, and married an alien barbarian. The Grand General knows these things, so there is naturally no need to elaborate!"

"But aside from these matters..."

"In the capital, she has been overtly and covertly encouraging those who go mad for love, often praising them, saying that these people are warriors charging forward for love, and that they will surely be given important positions once universal harmony is achieved."

"As a result, she has cultivated a large batch of hypocritical, love-obsessed monsters who view romance as everything!"

"Besides encouraging them, she herself sets the example!"

"With her behavior advertised throughout the capital, who knows how many people follow the example of their superiors, imitating Xiao Mingzhao's shameless actions!"

"This has turned the capital of Great Yu into a chaotic and filthy place!"

Speaking of his anger, two sharp glints shot from Wei Shuo's eyes. He said, "If these things merely turn Great Yu into a breeding ground for demons through subtle influence, then..."

"The laws that Xiao Mingzhao is about to promulgate will plunge Great Yu into an abyss of suffering, leaving the common people of the world with no place to survive."

Laws?

Ren Tianye was slightly startled.

Xiao Mingzhao was going to promulgate new laws?

He truly did not know about this.

"I am unworthy, but as the Marquis of Changping and the Prince Consort of the Grand Princess, even though I have long been bedridden, I still know a little. But just the little that I know is enough to make me burn with anger."

"It's just that I was a dying man before, able only to watch helplessly. Now that the Grand General has saved my life, I am determined to expose these things to the public!"

As he spoke, Wei Shuo took a small booklet from his breast pocket and said, "This is what the Empress, Xiao Mingzhao, previously sent to Xiao Ruyi. General, please take a look!"

Su Jin immediately stood up, took the booklet from Wei Shuo's hands, and respectfully handed it to Ren Tianye. Ren Tianye opened it to read, and was almost dumbfounded by what he saw.

Those who revere love and remain faithful in romance shall be exempt from corvee labor for half a year, and given priority in applying for farmland and housing!

Those who help others achieve happiness and facilitate good marriages shall be rewarded with fifty taels of silver and have a merit recorded.

Those who slight their romantic bonds and act ruthlessly or unfaithfully shall be penalized with one month of penal labor.

Those who break up marriages or slander loving couples shall be punished with twenty strokes of the cane!

...

Ren Tianye read only a few rules before he completely lost his composure.

And as he continued reading, he was absolutely stupefied.

Among the rewards, there were actually grants for salt and tea trade licenses...

This was simply outrageous!

If this nonsense were implemented across the realm, in just a few years, the entire world would be filled with people obsessed with nothing but romance. The Great Yu dynasty, already tottering in the storm, would completely collapse. Furthermore, this trend would persist, polluting the entire history of the Yu people!

"Xiao Mingzhao has already implemented these laws on a small scale within the capital for several years now..."

As Wei Shuo's voice rang out, Ren Tianye cried out in his heart that they were doomed.

With everyone being influenced by Empress Xiao Mingzhao like this, how many normal people could possibly be left in the capital?

Xiao Mingzhao was truly out of her mind!

"General..." Wei Shuo said, "The harm of this poison has already spread with immense influence. At a time like this, I believe that nothing short of military force can excise it!"

"The poison in Xiao Ruyi has already taken deep root. Thus, I will let her taste the blade, to let her know what it truly means to be human!"

Pausing for a moment, he continued, "General, you have always been puzzled as to why no one comes to pledge their allegiance to you. I believe you have racked your brains over this. But it is truly not your fault, because you could never have imagined the terrifying state the capital is currently in!"

"The people of the capital, be they high-ranking officials, commoners, or humble peddlers, under the call of Empress Xiao Mingzhao, are all wallowing in romance. They have absolutely no time for anything else!"

"Therefore, the reason you cannot recruit talent is that the only things they care about are love, maintaining an aloof and pure facade, betrayals and reconciliations, infidelity and undying devotion... They have no mind to pay attention to you, General, nor any mind for the imperial court!"

These words struck like a clap of thunder!

They shocked Ren Tianye so much that he stood up. However, being a man of deep shrewdness, his face remained calm, though he could not hide the stormy waves surging in his heart.

So that was how it was!

It was like trying to force large-scale trade into a small-scale peasant economy—it simply wouldn't fit!

These courtiers and officials in the capital had their own pursuits, and these pursuits were not wealth, fame, or power. Therefore, no matter how much effort Ren Tianye exerted, it was completely ineffective!

Thinking of this, Ren Tianye finally understood everything.

Yet he couldn't help but want to laugh.

Damn it all...

Since ancient times, those who served as officials did so either to survive, for profit, for power, or simply with the desire to do practical good for the common people. But a situation like this... where everyone was obsessing over damn romance...

It was absurd!

If this was the case, then Wei Shuo was indeed right!

Without blades and blood, it could not be excised!

With these thoughts in mind, he helped Wei Shuo up and said, "Is it precisely because of this that you, General Wei Shuo, must be so ruthless and fierce? That you would rather bear infamy to unleash a massacre?"

"Exactly!" Wei Shuo said. "Only by slaughtering all these people can the realm attain peace. Even if rivers of blood flow as a result, even if it plunges the world into chaos, these monsters and freaks must be eradicated!"

"Kill every single one we see; kill every pair we find!"

"Let heads roll."

"Only by removing this deeply rooted poison can you, my Lord, establish a true dynasty."

"Otherwise, everything is but an illusion!"

At this point, Wei Shuo knelt down once again. "General, I know you harbor lofty ambitions, but you were unaware that the capital had been turned into such a foul mess by Xiao Mingzhao. That is why, upon entering the capital, you treated the officials kindly and implemented benevolent policies. However, the actual situation is beyond what any normal person could anticipate."

"Therefore, I make bold!"

"I beseech you, General, to unleash a massacre!"

"Only in this way can we attract talents like Lord Pei Jingzhi, and only then can we reshape the entire world!"

Ren Tianye did not reply immediately. He sat back down in his tiger chair and fell into deep thought.

If what Wei Shuo said was true, then aside from killing Empress Xiao Mingzhao, there were two crucial things he had to do right now.

First was to slay the monsters and freaks plaguing the Great Yu realm.

It would be best to establish a specialized department for this.

Second was to rescue all the suppressed virtuous and capable talents from beneath these monsters, and employ them according to their abilities.

Take Pei Jingzhi, for example.

He had not known much about Pei Jingzhi originally. After all, the man merely held the post of Superintendent of Banquets, a position responsible for imperial meals, sacrifices, and court etiquette—hardly a position of great importance.

But after seeing Pei Jingzhi at the gates of Eldest Princess Xiao Ruyi's estate last time, he had Wang Ming investigate him, only to discover that this Pei Jingzhi was quite extraordinary.

His title as Superintendent of Banquets was merely a sinecure granted by Empress Xiao Mingzhao. In reality, he was rarely in the capital all year round, being dispatched by the Empress to rush to various regions.

According to the investigation, he reorganized grain reserves, relieved the hardships of the people, repaired water conservancy projects, prevented floods and promoted agriculture, pacified refugees, opened up wastelands to build settlements, cleaned up official administration, and rectified public morals...

It could be said that he was a pillar of the realm.

A pillar of the realm, not of the Great Yu dynasty.

Without men like him, Great Yu would have collapsed long ago.

"General..." Seeing that Ren Tianye had not spoken for a long while, Wei Shuo assumed Ren Tianye did not believe his words. Growing somewhat anxious, he said, "If you do not believe me, General, I can prove it to you."

"General, Empress Xiao Mingzhao once neglected state affairs for a very long time. General, do you wish to know what Xiao Mingzhao was doing during that period?"

Wei Shuo seemed to have grown increasingly dissatisfied with the Empress. He had long since changed his address from Your Majesty to Empress, and now he dropped titles altogether, calling her directly by her name.

Of course, after saying this, he did not actually wait for Ren Tianye to guess, but directly provided the answer.

"Xiao Mingzhao was keeping a man!"

"A person... whom you would absolutely never expect, General!"

"That person spent day and night with Empress Xiao Mingzhao, and for many days, they did not step out of the door!"

Ren Tianye's interest was piqued. "A man?"

"Yes, a young man of a similar age to you, General, to Tuoba Xiangtai, and to Zhan Shubai of the former Yunji City!"

Wei Shuo said, "I have already learned of his address from the Eldest Princess, Xiao Ruyi. If you are interested, General, I can take you to see for yourself right now!"

"I guarantee..."

"...it will be an eye-opener for you, General!"

...