Hearing this, Qiu Qianlong hurriedly knelt down and pleaded guilty:
"Your subject failed in his duty and was too lax in controlling his subordinates, allowing the Demonic Cult rebels to take advantage of the situation. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
"Enough. Get up. This isn't your fault."
Emperor Shunying raised a hand in a gesture of support, his tone softening somewhat:
"Man's greed can swallow an elephant. As long as someone is human, they will have weaknesses—some are greedy for wealth, some lust after beauty, and some cling to power. There is always a weakness the Demonic Cult rebels can seize upon."
"If these people could be bribed, they only have themselves to blame for being too greedy and showing their greed so shamelessly!"
Emperor Shunying's tone suddenly turned cold again, and murderous intent surged around him:
"A bunch of ingrates who bite the hand that feeds them! Have I not treated them well enough? Have I not paid them enough? Or have I turned a blind eye to their corruption on ordinary days, allowing them to indulge their greed to their hearts' content?"
"As long as they could work for me, I was too lazy to concern myself with ordinary embezzlement and fraud."
"But if they dare collude with the Demonic Cult, then they have crossed my bottom line!"
"Do they want me to hand this empire over to someone else?!"
Emperor Shunying flung the memorial and list away. His long hair stirred without any wind, making his robe billow loudly.
An incomparably powerful surge of true qi burst from his body and instantly swept through the entire Palace of Gazing Immortals.
The blazing flames in the alchemy furnace were actually suppressed into a slight pause by this force, while all the candles in the hall tilted to one side.
Judging solely from the purity and domineering nature of this true qi, Emperor Shunying's own martial cultivation was clearly formidable as well.
A moment later, he reined in his true qi, and only then did the strange phenomena in the hall slowly subside.
Emperor Shunying's gaze was indifferent as he ordered:
"Transmit my decree. Arrest and imprison everyone on the list!"
"Qiu Qianlong, personally lead the Nine Gates Guardians in handling this. Be sure to strip the skin from these people for me!"
"I want to see just how much nerve they have to dare collude with the Demonic Cult behind my back!"
"Yes, Your Majesty. This subject will obey your decree!"
Qiu Qianlong respectfully accepted the order. Only after kowtowing again did he slowly rise and bow as he withdrew from the Palace of Gazing Immortals.
The moment he stepped out of the hall, he saw a large group of eunuchs and palace maids still kneeling outside. Every one of them had their head buried extremely low, even breathing with utmost care.
Qiu Qianlong drew a deep breath and felt a fine layer of cold sweat had already seeped across his back.
He looked into the distance. A cold, sharp glint flashed through his eyes before vanishing in an instant, and he murmured under his breath:
"Demonic Cult rebels, remnants of the former dynasty... Every last one of them deserves to die!"
As soon as his words fell, his figure blurred. He transformed into a streak of afterimage and vanished on the spot.
At the entrance of the Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau.
Ever since receiving Zheng Haihan's order, Bai Yan had been sitting in front of the Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau without moving an inch.
As long as he guarded this place, none of the eight Imperial Guard captains listed on the roster would be able to leave through this gate.
Bai Yan sat in a reclining chair with one leg crossed over the other, leisurely cracking melon seeds in his hand. Melon-seed shells covered the ground.
Beside him, Li Kaiyao carried over freshly boiled hot water and refilled Bai Yan's tea, respectfully placing the teacup in front of him.
This was top-quality Early Spring Cloud Dragon tea. Supposedly, it had been personally picked and roasted by young women who had yet to marry, and cost five hundred taels of silver per catty.
As for whether it had truly been picked by maidens and roasted by maidens, no one knew. That was simply what everyone said.
Bai Yan could never bring himself to buy such expensive tea.
The tea had been given to him by his father-in-law, Ye Youcai—and not just a little, either. He had sent ten catties in one go.
He had said that if Bai Yan liked drinking it, he could keep it for himself; if he did not, he could use it to give to his Imperial Guard colleagues and foster better relations between them.
Bai Yan took a sip and smacked his lips thoughtfully. No wonder Father-in-law is so capable in business. He's far better than me at cultivating connections.
How did that saying go? The martial world had never been about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social finesse.
What a profound truth.
"Well, Captain Bai, what act are you putting on today? Could it be that Captain Commander punished you by sending you to watch the gate?"
A captain familiar with Bai Yan happened to pass by. Seeing Bai Yan's appearance, he could not help laughing.
Two Brigade Leaders followed behind him, and they nearly laughed aloud as well.
But remembering Bai Yan's fearsome reputation, they hurriedly fell silent and bit down hard on their lips, holding it in until their faces turned blue.
Their captain had a decent relationship with Bai Yan, so he dared to joke around. They did not have that kind of nerve.
Bai Yan set down his teacup and said with a smile:
"Was I not just bored? I heard the scenery at the Pacification Bureau's entrance was quite nice, so I came to take a look."
"Scenery? Here?"
That captain was dumbfounded.
He looked around in every direction. There was the gate, some stone pillars, and a bare rockery. Other than that, there was nothing.
How could this be called scenery?
As they were talking, another captain came over. He draped an arm around Bai Yan's shoulder, a lecherous smile spreading across his lips as he winked and said:
"If you're really that bored, Captain Bai, come with Big Brother to Baiwei Tower. Old Song is treating today. Miss Ruan and Miss Hua have been missing you so badly they're nearly going mad."
Bai Yan waved his hand and said:
"Not today. I have something to do today."
"Not today?"
Captain Song's eyes widened, and he deliberately drew out his words:
"Captain Bai, is it... that you can't do it anymore?"
The several familiar captains nearby burst into laughter, their eyes sweeping toward Bai Yan's lower back in unison, their faces full of wicked amusement.
Captain Song shook his head with exaggerated solemnity, looking as if he mourned the decline of the younger generation:
"Captain Bai, youth may be capital, but you still have to learn restraint."
"You can't rely on being young to do whatever you want. Otherwise, you'll regret it in the future."
Several middle-aged captains nodded and chimed in:
"Old Song is right. We've all been there. Young people need to listen to those who've been there."
Bai Yan spat and cursed with a laugh:
"Bah! You old coots, get lost. My waist is in fantastic shape. I can go seven times in one night without even taking a break."
"Hahaha! If you're lacking, just say so. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Everyone laughed even harder.
"Heh heh, Old Tang has a secret formula here. If you need some, Captain Bai, I can spare you a little."
"Once you use it, I guarantee you'll be vigorous as a dragon and strong as an ox!"
"Damn, Old Tang, you have something that good? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"What, Old Song, do you need some too?"
"Ah, no, I mean... I don't need it. I was asking for a friend. My friend needs it."
"Oh~~"
Everyone drew out their voices, snickering wickedly.
While Bai Yan was trading jests with the several old hands, a middle-aged captain walked past with two Brigade Leaders, heading straight for the gate.
When Bai Yan saw him, he immediately called out with a hearty smile:
"Captain Zhou, where are you headed?"
The man Bai Yan stopped was Zhou Zaiwei, one of the eight Imperial Guard captains on the list.
"So it is Captain Bai. It has been a long time."
Zhou Zaiwei smiled and returned the greeting with a cupped fist. His tone was quite calm:
"It's just that I have nothing to do, so I thought I'd take a few men out to patrol the streets."
"Oh? Patrol the streets?"
Bai Yan raised an eyebrow.
"That is the constables' job. Are you planning to snatch their work, Captain Zhou? Aren't you afraid the local government office will come looking for an explanation?"
The smile on Zhou Zaiwei's face did not change as he said:
"I'm not competing with them for credit. I'm only patrolling to pass the time. Even if we catch criminals, the credit will still belong to them."
Bai Yan shook his head:
"Forget patrolling the streets. How does that count as passing the time? We have company here anyway. Come play a few rounds with us."
Old Tang, Old Song, and the other captains immediately became interested when they heard this.
Old Song rubbed his hands together and said eagerly:
"Captain Bai is right. We're idle anyway, so we might as well play a few rounds and liven things up."
Old Tang chimed in as well:
"Exactly, exactly! I lost several hundred taels of silver to you last time. Today, I have to win it back!"
"Captain Zhou, want to join us for a few rounds?"
Several of them turned around and invited Zhou Zaiwei.
There were not many forms of entertainment in ancient times. When the Imperial Guard had free time, aside from visiting brothels and drinking flower wine, all that remained was gambling with dice.
Old Song and Old Tang were both experts at it, and Zhou Zaiwei liked gambling too. He often joined their games. By all rights, this kind of gambling was exactly his favorite pastime.
But today, Zhou Zaiwei refused. He waved his hand and said:
"Forget it. I didn't bring any money when I left today, so I won't join in the fun."
With that, Zhou Zaiwei was about to lead his men outside.
In the next instant, a dark shadow flashed past and blocked his path.
Before you continue