The True Mastermind Lurked Elsewhere!

Chu Lu was somewhat surprised. Frowning, he asked, "Why did you come so late?"

"This general dared to believe that even after taking control of the Imperial Guards, what followed might still throw the imperial capital into turmoil. Therefore, we spent additional time purging the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Patrol Camp as well, then sent people to seal off the residences of all the ministers. No matter what Your Majesty does now, no one will resist," Su Muyun said.

"I see." Chu Lu had originally intended to hold them accountable, but upon hearing this, he let it go.

At this moment, the Empress asked blankly, "What... what are you talking about? What do you mean, taking control of the Imperial Guards? The Imperial Guards are filled with members of our Liu Family. How could you possibly take them over?!"

"Speak! How did you take them over?!" the Empress shrieked hysterically.

But Chu Lu ignored her, and Su Muyun ignored her as well.

"Your Majesty," Su Muyun said, "please give the order. What should we do next?"

"Send two people to seize the Empress and lock her in prison. I still have questions for her later. As for the rest..." Chu Lu said expressionlessly, "Kill them all."

"Yes, this general accepts the decree!"

At once, two soldiers stepped forward and seized the Empress from either side.

The Empress froze, then began struggling furiously. "Let me go! Let me go! I am the Liu Family's legitimate eldest daughter, the reigning Empress! What do you think you are?! How dare you touch me? I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

She roared at Chu Lu again, "Xu Liniang, don't put on a bold front! So what if a few generals are willing to help you? The entire Imperial Court is filled with members of our Liu Family! Kill them all? Ha! Let's see how you govern—"

Splat.

With a flick of the blade, a batch of heads had already hit the floor.

The civil and military officials, who had still clung to a thread of hope, froze. Then they screamed in terror and scattered in every direction, trying to flee Taihe Hall.

But every exit had already been blocked, and the unarmed officials were no match for the soldiers.

For a time, blood flowed into rivers, and screams rang out without end.

The Empress stared at the scene before her, stunned for a moment before crying out in utter despair, "Aaaaaah!"

The slaughter within Taihe Hall ended quickly.

But the slaughter outside Taihe Hall had only just begun.

Taking the lead, Chu Lu brought a force of Imperial Guards out of the Imperial Palace and headed first for the Liu Family, accomplishing his original goal.

—Obtain the family register, follow the map to the trail, and unleash a massacre.

However, Chu Lu deliberately left them a way out. Servants and slaves who did not resist were merely imprisoned.

The same went for those who had already severed ties with the family.

After wiping out the Liu Family, they hurried without pause to the next household, then the next, and the next...

It was not until the following morning that everything finally came to an end.

Corpses lay everywhere throughout the imperial city, blood flowing into rivers. The stench of blood was so thick that it resembled a battlefield.

That day, all the citizens of the imperial city were gripped by fear, hiding in their homes and trembling.

Inside the prison, Minister Zhao sat amid a pile of straw with an upright, unyielding expression.

After she had been dragged out of the hall by soldiers assigned by the Empress that day, she had been thrown directly into this place.

People from the Liu Family had even come to tell her bluntly that the Empress's patience with her had reached its limit. Unless she was willing to submit, she could forget about leaving for the rest of her life.

Minister Zhao had merely snorted coldly at that.

She was the most traditional kind of scholar. Since childhood, she had studied the Four Books and Five Classics, placing the greatest importance on moral principles and proper relations.

As a civil official of Dayan, loyalty to the emperor was only natural and right.

As for a filthy dog like the Empress, who brought chaos to the Imperial Court, Minister Zhao wished only to kill her. Rather than bow her head and submit, she would sooner die.

At this moment, someone walked in, instructed the jailer to open the cell door, and said, "Minister Zhao, please come out."

Minister Zhao frowned, unease rising within her. She did not believe the Empress would change her mind. It seemed her final hour had arrived.

Yet she still gave a cold laugh. "The Empress can no longer wait? Fine. You despicable people, this old woman will wait for you in the Yellow Springs!"

"Minister Zhao, you misunderstand." The person was just about to explain.

"Enough. I have no interest in hearing your sophistry." Minister Zhao rose, held her head high, and strode out, declaring loudly, "Though my body shatter into dust, I do not fear; I shall leave my purity in this world!"

The person said, "...Forget it. You will understand soon enough."

"Hmph. Lead the way!" Minister Zhao said with a cold laugh.

Yet a moment later, she froze as she looked at the Gate of Heavenly Purity before her.

She had thought she was being taken to the execution ground to have her head cut off. Why had they brought her to the Gate of Heavenly Purity?

"My lady, you will know once you enter."

Minister Zhao's brows knitted together as she said icily, "Fine! I want to see what trick you are playing."

Minister Zhao thought that if the Empress had devised some venomous scheme to humiliate her, she would smash her head against one of the hall's pillars and die!

She stepped inside and found the hall completely empty, with only Chu Lu seated upon the throne.

His face looked somewhat weary, and he was covered in blood. His yellow imperial robe had been forcibly dyed red.

Minister Zhao's pupils shrank, and she immediately shouted, "Quick, someone come! Your Majesty—"

"Don't shout, don't shout." Chu Lu waved a hand. "I'm fine. It's all other people's blood."

Only then did Minister Zhao relax, but the doubts in her heart only grew stronger.

—Whose blood was on the emperor?

At this moment, Chu Lu said, "I called you here to give you two instructions. First, from now on, you will be the Grand Chancellor, and you will manage the affairs of the Imperial Court on my behalf. Second, the Imperial Court is severely short-staffed right now. Make arrangements as quickly as possible."

"Ah?" Minister Zhao was somewhat dazed, as though someone had struck her over the head with a stick.

—How had I suddenly become Grand Chancellor?

Though utterly bewildered, Minister Zhao still answered cautiously, "This old woman has received Your Majesty's trust, so naturally I will give my heart and soul. But regarding such a personnel change... well... the former Grand Chancellor, she..."

"It's fine. She is already dead."

"Eh? But even so, the other officials..."

"They are dead too. Every official in the court connected to the Liu Family is dead."

Minister Zhao was stunned. It took her quite some time to understand what those words meant before she cried out, "Ah?!"

Minister Zhao remembered that she had already been the only member of the imperial faction in court. Since Chu Lu said that every official connected to the Liu Family had died, did that not mean every high-ranking official qualified to attend court was dead?!

"Th-this-this, Your Majesty, how did they die?" Minister Zhao stammered.

"I killed them."

Minister Zhao's vision swam, and she suspected she was dreaming.

Though she had vaguely guessed as much, hearing Chu Lu admit it personally still dealt her an enormous blow.

"Oh, right. The Liu Family faction within the Imperial Guards has also been purged. You do not need to worry about things like rebellion," Chu Lu added.

Boom.

Minister Zhao felt as if someone had slammed a heavy hammer into her again.

—He had even taken back military authority?!

"So, can you do it?" Seeing Minister Zhao's dizzy, disoriented appearance, Chu Lu was a little worried. "If not, I'll find someone else."

"Yes! I can do it!" Minister Zhao suddenly snapped back to her senses.

How could she let such a chance to soar into the blue clouds slip past her very eyes?

She hurriedly shouted, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. This minister will certainly handle everything properly!"

Every minister in the Imperial Court was dead. Even if she accepted the post of Grand Chancellor, she would be a commander without an army.

This situation sounded terrible, but it was not actually difficult to deal with.

First, she herself had a large number of old friends who had been ostracized by the Empress and were now idle at home. So long as she brought them back, half the vacant posts could immediately be filled.

Furthermore, Dayan held imperial examinations every year. Every year, the number of scholars qualified to become officials increased, but official positions were like radishes in their holes: unless someone left, no one else could enter.

Over time, a large reserve force had naturally accumulated.

Minister Zhao could simply select a group from among them to fill the vacancies.

There would inevitably be some chaos at first, but they would soon settle in and allow the Imperial Court to operate steadily.

In the end, handling government affairs alone had never been difficult. What was difficult had always been everything else.

Thus, Minister Zhao agreed without hesitation.

"Very good. Then I'll leave it to you." Chu Lu rose to his feet. "Court is dismissed."

Minister Zhao panicked at the sight. Ordinarily, she should not have been so flustered, but what had happened in such a short time was simply too absurd, leaving her unable to steady her mind.

"Your Majesty, where are you going?" she asked instinctively.

"To interrogate the Empress."

Chu Lu opened the Chat Group and selected the task interface.

Task: Go to Female Fiction World No. 9, help Xu Liniang eliminate all hidden enemies, and stabilize the realm.

By now, he had killed everyone who needed killing, and the Empress had been locked in prison. By all rights, the task should have been completed.

However, when Chu Lu tapped it, a pop-up appeared.

Task incomplete. Rewards cannot be claimed.

"I knew it!" There was not the slightest trace of surprise on Chu Lu's face.

He had long suspected this might happen.

Xu Liniang, on the other hand, looked thoroughly surprised. "Eh? Did the system malfunction? Why isn't it complete yet?"

"It didn't malfunction." Chu Lu said, "Xu Liniang, do you remember? Before you transmigrated here, when you told us about your experiences, you mentioned something."

"Ah? What?"

"You said everything had originally gone smoothly, until one day, the Empress suddenly seemed like a completely different person. Only then did your life turn into a complete mess," Chu Lu said.

Xu Liniang froze, then immediately reacted. "Chu Lu, are you saying someone was manipulating the Empress from behind the scenes?!"

"Mm. It was only a possibility before, but since the task says it is incomplete, now it is certain."

"But... she is the Empress! Who could possibly manipulate her?"

"Why not ask her and find out?"

Chu Lu arrived at the Imperial Prison and saw the disheveled Empress.

The moment the Empress saw him, she lunged forward, clutching the bars as she shouted, "Dog Emperor! Let me out at once! Otherwise, you won't die a good death!"

"Empress, you have already lost." Chu Lu sighed. "Face reality. You are already a prisoner beneath the steps."

"Heh! Bullshit!" the Empress sneered. "Our Liu Family is an aristocratic clan that has endured for countless years. Do you think a petty emperor like you can overthrow it? If you don't let me out now, just wait until my eldest maternal aunt—"

"Your mother is dead, and your little mother is dead too," Chu Lu said. "Your whole family is dead."

"Hmph, you think I would—"

"I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, look." Chu Lu stepped aside and pointed to the row of heads. "The entire family is here, neat and complete."

Chu Lu had specifically ordered those heads prepared. They had been arranged in a perfectly orderly line, all facing the same direction, every one of them wearing the expression of someone who had died with eyes unclosed.

The Empress said, "..."

Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.

After a long while, the Empress slowly woke up. Rubbing her forehead, she muttered, "So it was a dream? What a terrifying dream..."

"It's reality," Chu Lu said.

Only then did the Empress jolt awake. She turned her head and immediately saw the row of heads behind Chu Lu again.

This time, she did not faint, but the venomous expression on her face grew even deeper.

"Dog Emperor, you will not die a good death!" the Empress said furiously. "Even if you wipe out my Liu Family, others will still come to avenge us! When one Liu Family falls, there will be thousands upon thousands more!"

"They are all dead too," Chu Lu said.

The Empress froze.

Chu Lu continued, "Everyone connected to the Liu Family is dead. I even piled a Jingguan outside. If you do not believe me, I can take you to see it."

The Empress trembled faintly. She was so shocked and terrified that she could no longer even maintain the venomous look on her face.

"Y-you, you... how could you..." The Empress's tone softened. "How could you do this?"

"I didn't want to either, but I had no choice." Chu Lu sighed. "Who told you to court death?"

The Empress said, "..."

"Enough. The idle talk is over. Let's discuss serious business." Chu Lu looked at the Empress. "There is a reason I kept you alive. I have several questions for you."

Chu Lu slowly said, "Whether it was framing the Imperial Consort with a dustpan, poisoning me, or trying to seize my throne... did you really think of all those things yourself?"

At those words, the Empress's entire body shuddered, and intense shock appeared in her eyes.

Though she immediately concealed it in the next instant, it did not escape Chu Lu's notice.

Chu Lu immediately understood that his guess had been right.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. Of course I thought of it myself," the Empress said.

"...Empress, do you think you still have the right to hide anything?" Chu Lu said.

"I'm not lying!"

Chu Lu sighed and clapped his hands.

In the next moment, a group of soldiers filed in one after another, carrying all manner of torture instruments.

The Empress's face immediately turned deathly pale when she saw them.

Chu Lu glanced at them and revealed a trace of disgust as well.

Though he had killed countless people, in this regard, Chu Lu was no different from ordinary people. He resisted brutal torture, hated anguished screams and twisted flesh.

That was why Chu Lu had wasted so many words on the Empress earlier. If he could shatter her psychological defenses with words, there would be no need to use such things.

But if the Empress insisted on being stubborn, Chu Lu could not afford to care about that anymore.

He was not some saint.

Besides, a gentleman could stay away from the kitchen; naturally, an emperor could stay away from the prison.

At worst, he simply would not watch.

"Empress, this is your last chance." Chu Lu said, "Will you talk or not?"

The Empress looked at the torture instruments, then at Chu Lu's cold expression.

She swallowed, and in the end, unable to withstand the fear in her heart, nodded. "I'll talk. I'll talk!"

"It all began when I returned to my maternal family for a visit..."