The Mastermind Behind the Scenes, Someone Else Entirely!

Chapter 44: The Mastermind Is Someone Else!

Chu Lu asked in surprise, frowning, "Why are you so late?"

"Your subordinate presumes that even if the Imperial Guards were taken down, subsequent events could still cause turmoil in the capital. Therefore, I spent some extra time cleansing the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Patrol and Arrest Division, then sent people to blockade the residences of the ministers. Now, no matter what His Majesty does, no one will resist," Su Muyun replied.

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

At this moment, the Empress asked blankly, "What, what are you talking about? Taking down the Imperial Guards? The Imperial Guards are full of our Liu family members, how could you take them down?!"

"Speak! How did you take them down?!" 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 arrest the Empress and imprison her. I have matters to question her about later. As for the rest..." Chu Lu said expressionlessly, "Kill them all."

"Yes, your subordinate accepts the decree!"

Immediately, two soldiers stepped forward, flanking the Empress and taking her arms.

The Empress was stunned, then struggled furiously, "Let me go! Let me go! I am the legitimate eldest daughter of the Liu family, the current Empress! What are you people?! How dare you touch me? I will kill you, I will kill you!"

She then roared at Chu Lu, "Xu Liniang, you don't need to put on a show! Even if a few generals are willing to help you, what of it? All the civil and military officials are our Liu family's people! Kill them all? Ha! Then let's see how you govern..."

Thwack.

A hand moved, a blade fell, and a batch of heads tumbled to the ground.

The civil and military officials, who had held onto a sliver of hope, were instantly stunned, then screamed in terror and scattered, trying to flee the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

However, all the exits had been blocked, and the unarmed civil and military officials were no match for the soldiers.

In an instant, blood flowed like a river, and screams echoed endlessly.

The Empress watched the scene before her, dazed, and then let out a despairing cry, "Ahhhhhhhh!"

The slaughter in the Hall of Supreme Harmony ended quickly.

But the slaughter outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony had just begun.

Chu Lu took the lead, bringing a group of Imperial Guards out of the palace and first went to the Liu family, achieving his initial goal.

—To obtain the family tree, follow it, and unleash a massacre.

However, Chu Lu deliberately left some room; servants and slaves were merely confined if they did not resist.

Those whose relationships had been severed were treated the same.

After finishing off the Liu family, they immediately rushed to the next family, and the next, and the next...

It wasn't until the next morning that things finally came to a close.

The imperial city was strewn with corpses and rivers of blood, the stench of blood thick as if on a battlefield.

On this day, the citizens of the imperial city trembled in fear, hiding in their homes.

In the prison, Minister Zhao sat righteously amidst a pile of straw.

On that day, after being dragged out by the soldiers assigned by the Empress, she was directly thrown in here.

Members of the Liu family had even come to her directly, stating that the Empress's patience had reached its limit and that she would never leave unless she was willing to defect.

Minister Zhao merely snorted in response.

She was a scholar of the most traditional kind, having studied the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood, and placed the utmost importance on principles and ethics.

As a civil official of Dayan, her loyalty to His Majesty was only natural.

As for the Empress, a wicked creature who disrupted the court, she wished she could kill her. She would rather die than bow down to her.

At this moment, someone entered and instructed the jailer to open the cell door, saying, "Minister, please come out."

Minister Zhao frowned, feeling uneasy. She didn't believe the Empress had changed her mind and assumed her end was near.

But she still sneered, "Does the Empress not want to wait any longer? It matters not. You despicable people, this old woman will await you in the Yellow Springs!"

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

"Enough. I have no interest in listening to your sophistry." Minister Zhao stood up, chest out, head held high, and walked out, declaring loudly, "I fear not the shattering of my bones, for I wish to leave a clear conscience to the world!"

The person: "...Never mind, you'll understand later."

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

However, moments later, looking at the Qianqing Gate before her, she was stunned.

She had expected to be led to the execution ground for beheading, so why was she being brought to the Qianqing Gate?

"Minister, you'll know once you enter."

Minister Zhao's brows furrowed, and she said coldly, "Fine! I'll see what tricks you're playing."

Minister Zhao mused that if the Empress had devised some sinister scheme to humiliate her, she would simply throw herself against a pillar in the hall and die!

She strode in and found the hall empty, with only Chu Lu seated on the throne.

His face was somewhat weary, and he was covered in blood, staining the yellow robe a deep red.

Minister Zhao's pupils contracted. She immediately shouted, "Help! Emperor..."

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

Minister Zhao finally relaxed, but the confusion in her heart grew even stronger.

—Where did the Emperor's blood come from?

At this moment, Chu Lu said, "I called you here to give you two instructions. First, from now on, you will be the Prime Minister, and you will temporarily manage state affairs. Second, the court is currently short-handed, so you need to arrange things as quickly as possible."

"Ah?" Minister Zhao was a bit stunned, feeling as if she had been hit by a club.

—How did I suddenly become Prime Minister?

Although she was bewildered, Minister Zhao still replied cautiously, "This old woman is honored by the Emperor's trust and will naturally do her utmost. But the issue is this personnel change. That... the former Prime Minister, she..."

"It's fine, she's dead."

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

"They're also dead. All officials in the court who were related to the Liu family are dead."

Minister Zhao was stunned. She stared for a long while before understanding the meaning of the words, then exclaimed loudly, "Ah!?"

Minister Zhao remembered that she was already the only one loyal to the Emperor in the court. Chu Lu said that all officials related to the Liu family were dead, which meant that all the high-ranking officials qualified to attend court were dead?!

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

"I killed them."

Minister Zhao felt her vision blur, suspecting she was dreaming.

Although she had vaguely guessed, hearing Chu Lu admit it personally still dealt her a huge shock.

"By the way, the Liu family faction within the Imperial Guards has also been purged. You don't need to worry about rebellions or anything like that," Chu Lu added.

Boom.

Minister Zhao felt like she had been hit hard again.

—Even the military power has been taken back?!

"So, can you handle it?" Chu Lu looked at Minister Zhao's dazed appearance, a little worried. "If not, I'll find someone else."

"Yes! I can do it!" Minister Zhao suddenly reacted.

How could she let this golden opportunity slip away before her eyes?

She quickly shouted, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, your humble servant will handle everything perfectly!"

With all the court officials dead, even if she took the position of Prime Minister, she would be a commander with no troops.

This situation sounded terrible, but it wasn't actually difficult to handle.

Firstly, she already had a large group of old friends who had been ostracized by the Empress and were now at home. As long as she brought them back, she could immediately fill half the vacancies.

Besides that, Dayan held imperial examinations every year, and the number of scholars qualified to be officials increased annually. However, official positions were limited, and as long as no one left, they couldn't enter.

Over time, a large reserve force had naturally accumulated.

Minister Zhao could select a group from them to fill the positions.

Although there might be some initial chaos, they would quickly adapt and allow the government to operate stably.

Ultimately, simply handling administrative affairs was not difficult. The difficulty always lay in other aspects.

Therefore, Minister Zhao agreed readily.

"Very good, then it's up to you," Chu Lu said, standing up. "Court is dismissed."

Minister Zhao panicked at this sight. She shouldn't have panicked, but the events that had transpired in such a short time were too outrageous, making her inevitably uneasy.

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

"To interrogate the Empress."

#######

Chu Lu opened the chat group and clicked on the task interface.

[Task Content: Travel to Female Fiction World No. 9, help Xu Liniang resolve all hidden enemies, and stabilize the country.]

Now that he had killed all the people who needed to be killed, and the Empress was locked up in prison, he should have completed the task.

However, Chu Lu clicked it, and a pop-up window appeared.

[Task not completed, unable to claim reward.]

"I knew it!" Chu Lu's face showed no surprise.

He had already guessed that this might happen.

Xu Liniang, on the other hand, looked surprised. "Eh? Is the system malfunctioning? Why isn't it completed yet?"

"It's not malfunctioning," Chu Lu said. "Xu Liniang, do you remember? Before you transmigrated, when you were recounting your experiences, you mentioned something."

"Ah? What?"

"You said everything was going smoothly until one day, the Empress suddenly seemed like a different person, and that's when your life became a mess," Chu Lu said.

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

"Mm. It was possible before, but now that the mission shows incomplete, it's certain."

"But... she's the Empress! Who could possibly control her?"

"Why don't we ask and find out?"

Chu Lu went to the Imperial Prison and saw the Empress with disheveled hair.

Upon seeing him, the Empress lunged forward, grabbing the bars and shouting, "You dog emperor! Let me out quickly! Or you'll face a terrible end!"

"Empress, you've already lost," Chu Lu sighed. "Face reality, you're a prisoner now."

"Heh! Bullshit!" the Empress sneered. "Our Liu family is a prominent clan, passed down for countless years. Do you think a mere emperor like you can overthrow us? If you don't release me soon, be careful of my mother..."

"Your mother is dead, and your stepmother is dead too," Chu Lu said. "Your entire family is dead."

"Hmph, you think I'll..."

"I'm serious. Look if you don't believe me." Chu Lu moved aside, pointing to a row of heads. "Your family is all here, together."

That row of heads was specifically prepared by Chu Lu, arranged neatly, all facing the same direction, and all with expressions of dying with regrets.

The Empress: "..."

The Empress immediately rolled her eyes and fainted.

After a long while, the Empress slowly woke up, holding her forehead and murmuring, "Was it a dream? Such a terrible dream."

"It's reality," Chu Lu said.

The Empress then jolted awake, turned her head, and immediately saw the row of heads behind Chu Lu again.

This time, she didn't faint, but her expression became even more venomous.

"Dog emperor, you'll die a horrible death!" the Empress said angrily. "Even if you wiped out my entire Liu family, others will still come to seek revenge! If one Liu family falls, there will be thousands more!"

"They're all dead too," Chu Lu said.

The Empress froze.

Chu Lu continued, "Everyone related to the Liu family is dead. I've even piled up a jingguan outside. If you don't believe me, I can take you to see it."

The Empress trembled slightly. Due to extreme shock and fear, she could no longer maintain her venomous expression.

"You, you you you, how could you..." the Empress's tone softened. "How could you do this?"

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

The Empress: "..."

"Alright, enough small talk, let's get down to business," Chu Lu said, looking at the Empress. "There's a reason I kept you alive. I have a few questions for you."

Chu Lu slowly continued, "Whether it was slandering the Consort with a winnowing basket, poisoning me, or trying to seize my throne... did you really come up with these things yourself?"

Hearing this, the Empress trembled all over, her eyes showing intense shock.

Although she quickly masked it the next moment, it didn't escape Chu Lu's notice.

Chu Lu immediately understood he hadn't guessed wrong.

"I, I don't know what you're talking about. Of course, I came up with it myself," the Empress said.

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

"I'm not lying!"

Chu Lu sighed and clapped his hands.

The next moment, a group of soldiers entered carrying various torture instruments.

Looking at the instruments, the Empress's face turned ashen.

Chu Lu glanced at them and also showed a hint of disgust.

Despite having killed countless people, Chu Lu, like ordinary people, was resistant to cruel torture and hated the wails, screams, and twisted bodies.

This was why Chu Lu had wasted so much time talking to the Empress earlier. If he could break her psychological defenses with words, he wouldn't need these.

But if the Empress insisted on being stubborn, Chu Lu wouldn't hold back.

He wasn't a saint, after all.

Besides, a gentleman stays away from the kitchen, and an emperor can naturally stay away from the prison.

At worst, he just wouldn't look.

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

The Empress glanced at the torture instruments, then at Chu Lu's indifferent expression.

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

"It all started when I went back to my maiden home for a visit..."