Seeing Gu Chengyin enter, Lyu Fang immediately stood up from his chair. A warm, enthusiastic smile piled onto his face as he quickly stepped forward to greet him, cupping his hands in salute.
Oh, Junior Preceptor Gu, you have finally arrived.
It must have been truly hard on you, staying at the Bureau of Official Personnel these past few days.
This humble servant has been worrying about you the whole time!
At the same time, Huang Jing, who had guided the way, silently retreated and gently closed the door behind him.
Only Gu Chengyin and Lyu Fang were left in the room.
Gu Chengyin's mind raced, but his face remained impassive. He cupped his hands and said, Eunuch Lyu is too kind. Are you... waiting for me?
Hearing this, the smile on Lyu Fang's face faded slightly.
Junior Preceptor Gu, time is short, so I will skip the pleasantries.
Saying so, Lyu Fang took a half step forward, lowered his voice, and asked very seriously,
I heard you went to the Wanxiang Pavilion last night? I wonder... did you gain anything?
Gu Chengyin's heart skipped a beat. It was not surprising that Lyu Fang knew he had gone to the Wanxiang Pavilion.
After all, the Golden Imperial Guards stationed in front of the pavilion were not just for show; they would definitely report whoever went in and out.
But to specifically ask about what he gained?
Needless to say, it was highly likely that Emperor Luo had guessed what he went there to do.
Dealing with people of such high caliber was always troublesome. Just stepping out of the door was enough for them to deduce your intentions.
Gu Chengyin sighed. Instead of answering directly, he asked in return,
Does Eunuch Lyu think... I should have gained something, or should I not have?
He gently kicked the ball back while observing Lyu Fang's reaction.
The smile on Lyu Fang's face completely disappeared, and his expression turned unusually serious.
Junior Preceptor Gu, you are the Junior Preceptor to the Crown Heir, personally appointed by His Majesty's golden words.
You are the Crown Heir's most valued confidant. With your abilities and loyalty,
Going to the Wanxiang Pavilion to seek out some past records is naturally the right thing to do.
As for those rumors outside, they are nothing but clumsy tricks by treacherous villains to frame the loyal and confuse the public.
Your loyalty to the Crown Heir and your contributions to the imperial court are obvious to everyone, both in and out of the government. Even His Majesty...
Lyu Fang cupped his hands toward the direction of the main hall. ...also acknowledges you.
These words were spoken with high-sounding righteousness and strict propriety.
On the surface, it was a strong show of support for Gu Chengyin, refuting the rumors and emphasizing his merits and loyalty.
But the underlying message could not be more obvious.
Lyu Fang, or rather Emperor Luo behind him, was sending him a message and setting the tone for him.
They did not care what Gu Chengyin had actually found; they only cared whether this finding could perfectly serve the current political needs.
Gu Chengyin's mind was crystal clear.
It seemed that the identity he had fabricated as the heir of the Azure Cloud Immortal Clan would not only avoid arousing Emperor Luo's suspicion and suppression.
Instead, because it was sufficiently prestigious, mysterious, and offered an effective explanation, it might actually receive tacit approval or even support?
In a way, this could be considered leaving a weakness in Emperor Luo's hands.
But whether this weakness could be exploited depended on how solidly he could establish this identity.
If it was so solid that no one could pick out any flaws, then this weakness would naturally be as if it never existed.
A look of realization and gratitude appeared on Gu Chengyin's face. He solemnly cupped his hands toward Lyu Fang and the direction of the main hall, saying,
I could die ten thousand deaths and still be unable to repay His Majesty's trust.
Rest assured, Eunuch, I will definitely not let His Majesty down.
Watching Gu Chengyin's reaction, a smile resurfaced on Lyu Fang's face as he nodded in satisfaction.
Junior Preceptor Gu is a smart man. Please wait here with peace of mind. When His Majesty summons you, someone will naturally come to guide you to the hall.
I will take my leave now.
After saying that, Lyu Fang cupped his hands again, turned around, opened the door, and silently walked out.
Inside the grand hall, the atmosphere was solemn and dignified to the extreme.
Civil and military officials were orderly stepping into their positions, the sound of their boot soles treading on the golden bricks light yet dense.
The Second Prince, Luo Yanchen, also attended the morning assembly. His face was somewhat pale, with faint dark circles under his eyes.
Wearing the prince's ceremonial robes, his figure appeared somewhat frail. His gaze wandered, occasionally sweeping over the imperial steps and the direction where Luo Zhao stood.
Meanwhile, slightly further back in the ranks of the civil officials, Shangguan Yuan, who was supposed to be reflecting on his mistakes behind closed doors at home, was also present among them.
When the last official stood firmly in place and adjusted his attire, the entire grand hall instantly fell into a dead silence.
Hundreds of gazes, both open and veiled, were focused on the empty, gilded dragon throne above the imperial steps.
In the midst of this suffocating wait, steady footsteps could be heard from behind the throne.
Wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and a winged crown, Emperor Luo slowly emerged, flanked by two palace maids holding ceremonial fans.
The appearance of Emperor Luo made the already solemn atmosphere of the grand hall three points heavier.
Lyu Fang, who followed him out, stepped forward to face the officials, took a deep breath, and loudly announced,
His Majesty has arrived!
Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long, long live!
The civil and military officials in the hall, including Luo Zhao, bowed in unison and chanted praises.
Rise, my subjects. Emperor Luo's voice was plain but did not lack majesty.
The officials gave their thanks, stood up, and resumed their positions.
Lyu Fang continued to fulfill his duties, once again calling out loudly, If there are matters to report, present your memorials; if not, the court is dismissed.
This routine announcement sounded to everyone's ears like the harbinger of a sudden thunderclap.
How could there possibly be nothing?!
Just the fine iron chests that had been unloaded from the Crown Heir's entourage and were now piled outside the hall...
...already foreshadowed that there would inevitably be a storm of blood and rain today.
Everyone's minds instantly tensed up at this moment.
The storm was about to begin.
But who would be the first to light the fuse?
Would it be His Highness the Crown Heir, armed with thunderous evidence, launching the first strike?
Or would the Chief Minister, with his deep calculations, seize the initiative?
However, to everyone's surprise, the first person to step forward was neither Luo Zhao nor Xiao Song.
It was not even Cui Shifan or any other Grand Secretary.
From the middle-back section of the civil officials' ranks, an official wearing a green official robe strode out.
Everyone's gazes uniformly focused on him, and many revealed expressions of astonishment.
Director of the Bureau of Official Personnel under the Ministry of Personnel: Xiao Maoqing.
Xiao Maoqing lifted the hem of his robe and bowed respectfully, saying,
Reporting to His Majesty! I, Xiao Maoqing, Director of the Bureau of Official Personnel under the Ministry of Personnel, have a matter to present!
From upon the throne, Emperor Luo's gaze swept over him. Granted.
Thank you, Your Majesty!
Xiao Maoqing straightened up, faced forward, and spoke in a ringing voice:
The matter I present concerns the very foundation of the selection and appointment of officials, as well as the discipline of the imperial court and the safety of the state!
Recently, while the Bureau of Official Personnel was conducting a routine review of the files of newly inducted officials, we discovered a case of extremely severe omission—even deception!
The hearts of many officials leapt into their throats.
Upon investigation, the newly appointed Director of the Imperial Household Department, concurrently holding the title of Junior Preceptor to the Crown Heir and imperially enfeoffed as the Marquis of Bingjian, Gu Chengyin...
...has submitted a biographical file that contains major discrepancies. Key information is severely lacking, and there are contradictions throughout that cannot be justified!
Everyone's hearts instantly understood: the Xiao clan was planning to break the stalemate starting with Gu Chengyin.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
