The Great Purge

Compared to the sharp edges of other high- Prime Minister's Mansion, Granny Long has always maintained the gentleness that she has had since her teenage years.

Compared to the clearly defined conservative and radical factions within the Prime Minister's Mansion, she had always gone with the flow.

This has nothing to do with ability; it depends on personality.

This is all Lou Ji's fault.

During Long Xinling's formative teenage years, Lou Ji's companionship helped her transform from a carefree girl into a more composed one. However, Lou Ji's silent help in handling all the dangers and trivial matters around her made Long Xinling indecisive.

She was a kind-hearted person, so kind that among the high-ranking officials of the Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion, she seemed like someone who had risen to power through connections with Lou Ji.

And that's precisely where the problem lies.

If Granny Long had truly risen to her position through connections with Lou Ji, Xu Yinhe would have spared her life, even out of consideration for Lou Ji. However, the reality is that Granny Long became a high-ranking Prime Minister's Mansion because of her noble bloodline.

Even today, the vast Prime Minister's Estate can actually be divided into five factions if one wants to further subdivide it.

The newly promoted elite groups over the past few decades, the original Xu Family of Jingjiang, the Feng Family of the Capital City, the local powerful Aristocratic Clan subdued by various means, and the Long Family of the Imperial Capital.

The first three need no further mention, as they were all firmly under Xu Yinhe's control. As for the local Aristocratic Clan he had subdued, they were scattered throughout the Great Yan, and due to the deliberate division by the Di'an's Prime Minister's Mansion, even if these Aristocratic Clan wanted to form a group of interests within the Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion, it would be difficult for them to unite and form a single force. The only exception was the Di'an Long Family.

The Prime Minister's Mansion has experienced two periods of rapid expansion, both of which were built on the corpses of two thousand-year- Aristocratic Clan.

The Crown Prince and the eldest princess of the Feng Family led a rebellion to seize power from their father. This power was initially held by Xu Yuan's Xu Yuan, but after her death, due to Feng Jiuxuan's hands-off approach, this power naturally passed to Xu Yinhe.

The relationship between the Long Family Di'an and the Prime Minister's Mansion was actually very complicated. The cooperation aspect was far greater than the annexation. Unfortunately, the timing of the death of the Long Family's sage coincided with the most turbulent period of imperial power transition.

This wouldn't have been a big deal for the Long Family. As one of the few thousand-year- Aristocratic Clan in the Great Yan Kingdom, they had experienced far too many similar situations. Their Lineage's resources were enough for them to remain neutral in this turmoil. However, the family head at the time, due to personal relationships and promises made to the other party, stepped in to support the former Crown Prince.

He is the emperor's elder brother who looks very much like Li Yunqing.

The result was obvious: in that political catastrophe, not long after the death of the Long Family sage, the head of the Long Family also perished along with Li Yaoxuan's Crown Prince brother, the crown prince.

The passing of the two key figures and a series of strategic errors made the Long Family's situation precarious. Furthermore, the infighting among the five sons of the family after the death of the patriarch directly led to the disintegration and division of the once powerful Long Family almost overnight.

In this environment, Granny Long's brother, through her relationship with Lou Ji, got in touch with Xu Yinhe had already risen to the position of Prime Minister of the Great Yan.

The man is in love, and the woman is interested.

The collaboration unfolded naturally.

With Xu Yinhe's help, Granny Long's brother unsurprisingly won the internal power struggle within the Long Family and became the sole head of the Long Family.

The Long Family became a close partner of the Prime Minister's Mansion.

However, even the closest cooperative relationships will always change with time and changes in interests.

In the tenth year that Granny Long's brother took power in the Long Family, a fierce conflict broke out between the head of the Long Family and Xu Yinhe at the Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion banquet that year.

Not long after the unpleasant parting, he suddenly fell ill, very seriously, and for no apparent reason.

As a semi-saint level expert, he died so quickly from that serious illness.

After that, a new round of internal strife broke out in the Long Family.

This internal strife came without warning and was extremely fierce. Almost all of the direct descendants of the Long Family died in this internal conflict, which also completely dismantled the behemoth that Long Family.

However, the powerful inertia of a thousand-year-old Aristocratic Clan still allowed the Long Family's influence to remain intact. Over the past few decades, they gradually centered around Long Xinling, the only surviving legitimate daughter of the Long Family.

It has nothing to do with cultivation level; it comes from the nobility of one's bloodline.

Just like in Xu Yuan's previous life, after the death of an ancient emperor, his ministers would always find a member of a collateral branch of the royal family to become emperor.

"."

A snowflake landed on the purple gauze, Lou Ji's eyes held a hint of melancholy.

"She didn't actually intend to restore the Long Family; she was more of a puppet placed in that position by those people. However, some of her descendants are ambitious and have already made contact with many of the former officials of the Long Family."

As she spoke, Lou Ji lowered her eyes, seemingly with a hint of self-mockery, and said:

"But even so, she could have survived."

Xu Yuan looked at her fair profile and asked in a low voice:

"To kill one's own offspring as a pledge of loyalty?"

Lou Ji shook her head:

"This is just one way. Your father is very tolerant; as long as we don't cross his bottom line, his tolerance for us is almost limitless."

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, and then he understood the meaning behind Lou Ji's words.

That old man didn't object to his subordinates having too much power.

Did Lou Ji wield much power?

Upon closer reflection, the Black Scale Guard were already quite frighteningly large.

The Black Scale Guard are almost ubiquitous throughout the Great Yan territory, and their single-line organizational structure makes them virtually independent of the Prime Minister's Mansion 'Black Scale Guard authority. In addition, Lou Ji has many channels for making money.

This is an organization similar to the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the previous life, but in order to control and eliminate the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the emperor of the previous life directly castrated its subordinates into eunuchs. However, Xu Yinhe did not care about these things, and even turned a blind eye to its private money-making channels.

That old man never minded delegating power, but only if you handed over your pledge of loyalty.

The blood debts inflicted by the Black Scale Guard have made them the enmity of almost every sect in the world. This is Lou Ji's pledge of allegiance to Xu Yinhe.

You, Long Xinling, want to restore the Long Family? Fine, but where's the pledge of loyalty?

Lou Ji said in a low voice, with a hint of helplessness:

"Your father has been waiting for her for a long time, but she hasn't responded. I was afraid she wouldn't understand, so I even tried to remind her privately, but she still didn't respond."

Xu Yuan looked puzzled.

"Why?"

This is already an open-book exam, or rather, even open-book exams are somewhat conservative; this is practically putting the answers right in front of you so you can just copy them.

Even if Granny Long couldn't bring herself to harm her own offspring, she could certainly harm the sect.

If Granny Long were willing, given her relationship with Lou Ji, Xu Yuan believed that even if it was inconvenient for her to take action personally, she would still have her Black Scale Guard provide her with intelligence support.

Lou Ji exhaled a breath of white mist that dissipated in an instant during the snowy night:

"Taking action against the sect would implicate many of the Long Family's old ministers, and those old ministers are all loyal to her."

"But aren't the results all the same?"

Xu Yuan said in a low voice, "Even if she doesn't do it, the Prime Minister's Mansion will do it after she dies."

"Due to her temperament, she cannot bring herself to harm her own people."

Lou Ji raised her eyes and looked at the gradually dissipating Sword-Ray in the sky, as if she could see the timid and trembling girl who spoke to her when they first met.

Lou Ji bit her lip and gently clenched her fist:

"If I had only assisted her back then, letting her handle those things on her own, and making her more cold-blooded, perhaps the outcome would be different now."

Granny Long died because of her gentle nature and her "attempt" to restore the Long Family.

Although it may not have been her intention, she had to die.

After saying that, Lou Ji didn't say anything for a moment, so Xu Yuan accompanied her as they walked out of the Xiangqin Pavilion.

The female retainers among Lou Ji's direct lineage have been dealt with; next, they will go to the Starview Pavilion, where the male retainers reside.

However, Lou Ji quickly adjusted her mood, and when the two arrived at the Starview Pavilion, she chatted with Xu Yuan with a smile.

She talked to him about the female guest named Sister Lou Ji.

To Xu Yuan's amusement and dismay, the reason his older sister's former younger sister was ordered to commit suicide by his father was because she was obsessed with love.

She had a husband who was utterly useless except for his looks and poetic talent.

He enjoyed associating with high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and liked to show off in front of them.

Just as Xu Yuan once stole internal documents from his father's study to sell for money when he was short of funds, Lou Ji's sworn sister's husband also frequently leaked confidential information because of those "friends".

However, the difference between the two is that his wife was only a high-ranking member of the Black Scale Guard, while Xu Yuan's father was the master of the Prime Minister's Mansion's mansion.

His actions would lead to serious consequences, while Xu Yuan's actions would absolve him of all consequences—if being hung up and beaten by Xu Changge doesn't count as a consequence.

Before tonight, Lou Ji had warned her adopted sister, whom she had picked up in the Black Alley, more than once, but love-struck people are incurable. She forgot about it after a few days and continued to indulge her husband.

So she died tonight.

Upon arriving at the Starview Pavilion, the snow that Feng Jiuxuan had dispersed with a single sword strike had already piled up again. Xu Yuan accompanied Lou Ji as they strolled and killed people within the Starview Pavilion.

They were all roughly aware of what they had done. Some of them chose to remain dignified, while others, with Lou Ji's help, managed to do so.

However, to Xu Yuan's dismay, all those unscrupulous retainers targeted him when they made their moves.

It's like a big dad wandering around with a flaw in his character.

As Lou Ji killed people, she also told Xu Yuan the reason why she was killing them.

Some betrayed directly, some made private compromises with the sect, and others became complacent after stabilizing their power.

In addition, Xu Yuan encountered two old acquaintances on his way to kill Lou Ji.

Jiang He and those two old men, Hua Hong.

After the Prime Minister's Mansion's grand formation is activated, those without Soul Key will be trapped in the Chaos Lineage Array and unable to use their Divine Sense to explore the outside world.

The two old men, each accompanied by two black-robed figures whose auras were unfathomable, knocked on doors one by one.

As they hesitated whether to greet them, the two old men snorted and brushed past them.

She doesn't seem to be in a good mood.

Killing one's own trusted subordinate is naturally not a happy thing.

Xu Yuan felt that this could probably be considered a kind of pledge of allegiance.

Emerging from the last courtyard, Xu Yuan sighed softly:

"This is truly a massive purge."

Tonight, Xu Yuan and Lou Ji killed a total of eleven people.

A rough count revealed one suspected Mortal Shedding, three suspected Origin Beginning, four suspected Grandmaster, and four ordinary people.

If we also include those people that Hua Hong, Jiang He, and other core members of the Prime Minister's Mansion disposed of themselves, this number would be several times higher.

When the aftermath of this purge spreads beyond the Prime Minister's Mansion, the number of people implicated will likely increase a hundredfold.

"Removing the tumor will be very painful, but it's the only way to continue the journey."

Lou Ji used Spirit-Dissolving Powder to dispose of the corpses and said softly, "Don't worry, your father had a plan for everyone he killed tonight. Tonight is the beginning and the end. There won't be any major upheavals in the Prime Minister's Mansion."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly:

"I hope so."

Lou Ji's beautiful eyes curved into a smile. She patted the remaining Spirit-Dissolving Powder on her hands and chuckled as she said:

"Everything's been taken care of. Changtian, are you going back to the inner courtyard tonight, or will you stay and have a heart-to-heart talk with your sister?"

Xu Yuan glanced at Lou Ji's smiling face and gently shook his head:

"I think you'd rather be alone right now than have a heart-to-heart talk."

Lou Ji raised her hand and patted Xu Yuan's head:

"Changtian, you really understand me."

Xu Yuan raised his hand to slap Lou Ji's hand away, turned around, and headed towards the inner courtyard.

"I'm going back now. So much has happened tonight, and Xin Yao knows nothing about it. She must be very worried being left alone in the inner courtyard."

"Let me take you."

"Need not."

"You want to get away right under Ran Jianli's nose?"

"."

"Squeak--"

When Xu Yuan returned to the inner courtyard and pushed open the main gate, he indeed saw the beautiful figure pacing back and forth in the main hall where the family was having a meal.

The brilliant Sword-Ray in the sky, like the aurora borealis, completely dissipated, and the firmament returned to darkness. Amidst the swirling wind and snow, the Inscription Lamp illuminated the hall, reflecting the anxious expression on the girl's face.

Upon hearing the noise at the door, a look of surprise flashed in the girl's eyes. She immediately hurried forward and asked eagerly:

"Third Brother, what's happening outside?"

Xu Yuan smiled gently at her, and as he walked into the lobby, he said softly:

"Good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

Xu Xinyao was taken aback upon hearing this, then stomped her foot in slight annoyance:

"Brother! Stop keeping me in suspense!"

Entering the lobby, Xu Yuan pulled out a chair and sat down, casually crossing his legs. Looking at his Fourth Sister, who was following him around like a shadow, he slowly smiled and said:

"The good news is that we have discovered the Realmspace Stone."

"What?"

Xu Xinyao was slightly taken aback, but she reacted quickly.

As a master of array patterns, she was all too aware of the value of the Realmspace Stone, an artifact capable of being engraved with teleportation arrays.

She tentatively asked:

"Is the matter outside due to the Realmspace Stone?"

"You could say that."

Xu Yuan nodded and whispered, "But the bad news is, we failed, and the cooked Realmspace Stone flew away."

"."

"."

Xu Yuan did not tell Xu Xinyao the whole story of tonight, but only briefly recounted what happened. Just as he was about to make some jokes to ease the atmosphere, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure in the courtyard outside the main hall.

A figure carrying a head.

Feng Jiuxuan has returned.