Jiang Human Emperor's Brain-Dead Fan

When they reached a secluded spot, Prefect Gong slapped the Jiang Clan Leader across the face, sending him spinning twice in the air before he hit the ground, his mouth full of blood.

"You bastard! Appointing me as Qing City Lord was the biggest mistake of my life. If your Old Ancestor wants to live a few more years, let him figure it out himself—don't drag us into cleaning up his mess!"

"Didn't you say your Old Ancestor's demonic cultivation was tacitly approved by Jiang Human Emperor? Contact him now—only his word can save us now!"

The Jiang Clan Leader gulped, spat out the blood in his mouth, and said, "It's always been Jiang Human Emperor contacting us; we've never been able to reach him."

Prefect Gong now suspected that Jiang Human Emperor had no idea Jiang Yixing was practicing demonic arts. Maybe Jiang Human Emperor truly was selfless and had never once returned to the Jiang Family.

But dwelling on that now was useless.

"So Jiang Human Emperor is unreliable, is that it?" Prefect Gong's face was so dark it seemed ready to drip water. "There's only one plan left."

"What is it? Send someone to kill that Zhang Li?" the Jiang Clan Leader and City Lord Zeng asked eagerly.

"Idiots! Zhang Li just applied for a Time Rewind and gets killed right after? That's not killing Zhang Li—that's slapping the Imperial Court in the face. If the Court ignores this, where's its authority? When they investigate, we're all finished!" Prefect Gong cursed loudly. His century of cultivated composure had been shattered twice in one day—once by Zhang Li, and once by these two fools.

"The Third Prince admires the Human Emperor's achievements, so he's inclined to promote officials who've served as Qing City Lord. Right now, the only person we can move is the Third Prince. If we get him to conduct the Time Rewind and cover for us, only then do we have a chance to survive!"

"But which of us is qualified to see the Third Prince?"

Prefect Gong sneered coldly. "I'm not the only one who got promoted after being Qing City Lord. Their current positions aren't low. Now that the scandal's out, no one's getting away. Have them pull some strings."

"Jiang Human Emperor's cousin practices demonic arts, and it was done with his approval—is this true?!"

The Third Prince stood up excitedly, his face full of disbelief.

"Your Highness, it's true. When I served as an official in Qing City, I learned of this matter and was deeply shocked myself."

Over the past few days, every official who had served as Qing City Lord used every connection they had, finally securing Prefect Gong an audience with the Third Prince.

After entering the capital, Prefect Gong rehearsed his lines several times before daring to approach the Third Prince.

"Jiang Human Emperor holds a high position with few true confidants, so he values family ties greatly. But as the Human Emperor, he can't show it too openly. He couldn't bear to see his cousin die, so he secretly allowed him to practice demonic arts, break through to Nascent Soul, and extend his lifespan."

"Now, if those two reckless fools confirm the Human Emperor's cousin is practicing demonic arts, the matter of Jiang Human Emperor's tacit approval might also come to light. If that happens, Your Highness, Jiang Human Emperor's reputation will plummet!"

"If we cover this up, once Jiang Human Emperor finds out, he might even thank us."

The Third Prince paced the room a few times, his eyes gleaming with delight, muttering under his breath, "Human Emperor's reputation," "thank us," "Human Emperor's kind heart couldn't bear to let his brother die," "demonic arts can't outweigh brotherly bonds." Finally, he said to Prefect Gong, "I am aware of this matter."

Great Zhou Dynasty, Xuanzheng Hall.

Zhou Emperor Ji Zhi was a man with Double Pupils, tall and slender, with a handsome face. Just sitting there, he exuded an aura of authority and righteousness.

This wasn't an illusion—it was a tangible sensation brought about by the nation's fortune weighing upon him.

The Great Zhou Dynasty's fortune was closely tied to its laws. The more just the laws, the stronger the fortune. And Zhou Emperor Ji Zhi, as the bearer of that fortune, would be crushed by its weight if he acted unjustly.

Zhou Emperor Ji Zhi flipped through the memorials and petitions requesting a Time Rewind and asked, "Qing City has a Nascent Soul Cultivator suspected of practicing demonic arts. The Qing City Lord may have bent the law and destroyed evidence. Now someone needs to go to Tianqing Prefecture to trace time. Who wants to go?"

Several princes and princesses remained silent. Such tasks brought no credit for success and only blame for failure. Usually, the Emperor assigned two people—one to execute, one to supervise. This was just a formality.

"Your Imperial Majesty, your son wishes to go." The Third Prince stepped forward, drawing sidelong glances from the other princes and princesses, who wondered why the Third Prince was so eager. Trying to impress the Emperor? "Then the Third Prince will go, with the Fourth Prince accompanying him. This matter is settled. Court dismissed."

After court, the Third Prince called out to the Fourth Prince.

"Fourth Brother, come here a moment."

The Fourth Prince frowned. His relationship with the Third Prince wasn't great. Both had their eyes on the throne, and their open and covert struggles were countless. Many court officials had already begun picking sides.

Being called over now, the Fourth Prince could only think it was about the Time Rewind.

"Third Brother, what is it?"

"Do you know the background of this case Father has sent us to trace time for?"

"Isn't it just the Qing City Lord helping a Nascent Soul Cultivator practice demonic arts?"

"That Nascent Soul Cultivator's background isn't simple. He's Jiang Human Emperor's cousin—his only living relative of the same generation."

"What?!" The Fourth Prince was startled. When he first heard the Third Prince mention the case had some background, he hadn't thought much of it. With the Great Zhou's strength, even if the target was a Dao Sect Emissary, they would act according to the law—arrest who needed arresting, judge who needed judging.

Unless the other party had a background so formidable that even the Great Zhou dared not provoke it.

The Human Emperor's cousin, his only relative—that identity fit the bill.

Moreover, if the Human Emperor's cousin was practicing demonic arts, could the Human Emperor truly be unaware? The Human Emperor's power was unimaginable. Was he also practicing demonic arts? If the Human Emperor practiced demonic arts, would the Great Zhou dare to intervene or not?

Tsk, the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. No wonder there was such a huge background, yet Father hadn't mentioned it in court. Once brought up, whether the Human Emperor's cousin had practiced demonic arts or not, the final conclusion would have to be "no"! The Great Zhou Dynasty had the authority to govern the Human Emperor but lacked the power to do so. He was a Great Ascension Stage cultivator—mobilizing all the Great Zhou's forces would be nothing but moths flying into a flame.

The Fourth Prince's mind turned swiftly, and he quickly reached a tacit understanding with the Third Prince.

Though they had their conflicts, when it came to the Great Zhou's face and survival, they could still reach a temporary truce.

The location for the Time Rewind was set on the outskirts of Qing City, so after submitting the petition, Jiang Li and Yuan Wu Xing returned to Qing City.

These past few days, Yuan Wu Xing had been living in fear. Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation cultivators, rarely seen in ordinary times, kept visiting, each one trying to coerce or bribe Senior Zhang Li into withdrawing his petition.

Their reasons were all the same—something about affecting the Human Emperor's image, the bigger picture, and so on. Jiang Li listened with barely concealed yawns, finding nothing new. He politely but firmly rebutted every one of them.

One Spirit Transformation cultivator, lacking in composure, was provoked by Jiang Li's retort, "What do you know about Jiang Human Emperor?" and flew into a rage, attacking. Jiang Li promptly treated Yuan Wu Xing to a classic demonstration of a genius Nascent Soul cultivator battling an old-school Spirit Transformation cultivator.

Someone knocked on the door. Yuan Wu Xing sighed helplessly and went to answer it.