"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Emperor Jinyuan paused as he watched the sea of ministers suddenly drop to their knees below him, and his expression darkened.
He glanced down at the one person who most ought to have been begging forgiveness.
Yet that person would not even look at him...
[Tch, no wonder they call the tyrant temperamental. Look at him, flying into a rage first thing in the morning, as though everyone owed him hundreds of thousands of taels!]
[And these ministers, buzzing away in a great swarm first thing in the morning like little bees. No wonder the tyrant has such a foul temper.]
[Being emperor clearly isn't easy, either. If I had to sit here listening to them buzz day after day, I'd leap up and slap the tops of their skulls clean off!]
[Come to think of it, the tyrant really is pitiful. His ministers scheme behind his back, and his consorts cheat on him behind his back.]
"Insolence!"
Emperor Jinyuan's face turned livid with rage, and he struggled to catch his breath.
He was suddenly beginning to regret bringing the little fellow to court!
He had intended to use him to discover which of these men said one thing and meant another, plotting against him in secret. Instead, he had worked himself into a fury before catching anyone!
"We deserve ten thousand deaths!"
The ministers all searched their consciences, wondering what treasonous thing they had just said to make the tyrant so angry.
[Looks like the tyrant resents being dragged out of bed early for court just as much as I do.]
[All this sudden shouting... he nearly scared my poor little heart out of my chest!]
Emperor Jinyuan reined in his anger a little.
He had nearly forgotten that the little fellow was frail and could not withstand a fright.
If he truly frightened him into falling ill, he would have trouble explaining it to the Prince of the Southern Garrison anytime soon.
As though oblivious to Emperor Jinyuan's gaze, Xiao Yu propped his head on his hand, looking "deeply worried."
[I almost forgot!]
[At this point in my previous life, the tyrant was attacked during court by assassins disguised as imperial guards. He was bedridden for half a month!]
Emperor Jinyuan could no longer sit still. He shot to his feet and drew the saber of a guard beside him, his eyes and ears alert to everything around him-
"Guards! Guards, quickly! Protect me!"
He did not forget to glance at Xiao Yu. Dequan, standing nearby, caught his meaning and hurried to shield Xiao Yu.
The ministers were bewildered by Emperor Jinyuan's sudden movements and had yet to react.
Hearing his shout, the assassins disguised as imperial guards assumed they had been exposed. They drew their swords and charged straight at Emperor Jinyuan. "Die, tyrant!"
Seeing that someone truly was trying to assassinate him, Emperor Jinyuan's pupils contracted, and a vicious gleam flashed in his eyes.
He immediately raised his blade and advanced with the other guards to fight them!
In mere moments, they had slaughtered every assassin, with a speed that left everyone speechless!
By the time the imperial troops stationed outside arrived, there was nothing left for them to do but collect the bodies.
As the ministers slowly recovered their wits, some praised Emperor Jinyuan's wisdom and martial prowess.
Others privately thought Emperor Jinyuan was far too brutal. He should have captured the assassins first, then interrogated them carefully to discover the mastermind.
[Well, well! The tyrant reacted pretty quickly! I barely blinked, and it was already over?]
Emperor Jinyuan gave a smug snort.
What else did he expect?
Back when he was still a prince, he had been the best martial artist among his brothers!
[Why is the tyrant looking at me like that? Surely he doesn't think Dad sent these assassins?]
[Even an idiot could figure out that Dad would never betray his sovereign!]
[Before I came to the capital, he reminded me over and over to treat the tyrant respectfully, never defy him, and even protect him if necessary...]
[Unfortunately, the tyrant doesn't see it that way. He's convinced Dad is using his army to build his own power and wants to proclaim himself emperor...]
[Sigh... how am I supposed to save my foolishly loyal Father?]
Xiao Yu opened his mouth, intending to explain. "Your Majesty-"
"Shut up! Say one more word, and I'll have your head!"
Emperor Jinyuan's face was dark as he spoke.
He turned away, unwilling to look at him anymore.
Sure enough, he still disliked everyone from the Prince of the Southern Garrison's household!
[Just as I thought... the tyrant has wanted the heads of everyone in the Prince of Zhennan's Residence for ages. Now he can't even tolerate frail little me...]
[Tyrant! If you dare sentence Dad to death, just wait until someone cuts off your head, hacks off your limbs, and leaves wild dogs fighting over your flesh!]
Emperor Jinyuan's foot slipped. Fortunately, Dequan caught him.
He returned to the dragon throne, his face full of indignation, and shot Xiao Yu a sharp sidelong look that made his displeasure plain.
That little brat! How could he not tell I was only trying to scare him?
Some ministers, convinced they had divined the emperor's wishes, began itching to act.
The vice minister of war went so far as to step forward. "Your Majesty, I have a matter to report."
"Speak!" Emperor Jinyuan said impatiently.
"Your Majesty, rumors have recently circulated that our troops on the Southern Border have repeatedly invaded Southern Zhao..."
The vice minister of war spoke with righteous conviction. "Southern Zhao has already sued for peace with our Jin Kingdom and even sent us a hostage prince... the conduct of our southern troops is most improper."
"As commander of all three armies on the Southern Border, the Prince of the Southern Garrison has failed to keep his subordinates in line. His intentions warrant punishment. In my opinion-"
"What a load of fucking bullshit!"
The ministers' shoulders involuntarily trembled.
Why was His Majesty so... vulgar today?
Emperor Jinyuan gave the vice minister of war an icy glance.
Xiao Yu's constant veiled jabs were already irritating him, yet this man dared to touch another nerve. He could hardly blame the emperor for showing no mercy!
He eyed the man askance. "What? Southern Zhao is allowed to stir up trouble along the border whenever it pleases, but our troops aren't allowed a little taste of action?"
"..."
The vice minister of war persisted. "In my opinion-"
"Your opinion, your opinion! I don't want your opinion!"
Emperor Jinyuan interrupted him. "If you have time to stand here offering opinions, my dear minister, you'd be better off allocating more provisions and supplies to the border after court, or donating more toward the soldiers' pay!"
The vice minister of war's shoulders trembled. "Your Majesty, I have no money..."
"The treasury is empty, yet the moment I ask you to contribute a little toward military pay, you all cry poverty! All you do is spout opinions all day, without accomplishing anything useful!"
The ministers dropped to their knees once more in a flurry. "We deserve ten thousand deaths. Your Majesty, please calm your anger..."
"You had better think carefully about how to replenish the treasury, or you really will deserve to die!"
The ministers said, "..."
Had they gone mad, or had His Majesty?
Seeing them all pretending to be clueless only angered Emperor Jinyuan further. "Court is dismissed!"
With that, he swept his sleeves and left.
"Your Majesty..."
Dequan hurriedly pushed Xiao Yu along after him.
"Eunuch De, who was that man just now?" Xiao Yu suddenly asked.
Dequan paused briefly and glanced ahead. Seeing that the emperor did not stop him,
he replied, "Li Zhong, the vice minister of war."
"Li Zhong?" Xiao Yu turned the spatial ring on his finger.
[The Li Zhong who's forty years old and has a charming young wife at home? So that's him!]
[In my previous life, Li Zhong loved his wife more than life itself, while his young wife loved silver more than life itself!]
[To please his young wife, Li Zhong not only extorted money from his subordinates, but even set his sights on embezzling the border troops' pay. Over the years, only twenty percent of the funds allocated to the various border garrisons ever reached them. The rest all went into his beloved wife's private coffers!]
[Li Zhong deserves to die!]
[Because of him, Dad and his men had to raise cattle and sheep and grow their own vegetables. Sometimes they even had to rely on help from the local people... and in the end, that only made the tyrant suspicious of them!]
[Thank goodness Dad and his men are loyal and devoted to the country and its people. Otherwise, who could possibly endure this?]
Emperor Jinyuan stopped in his tracks after hearing this, nearly grinding his teeth to pieces with rage.
Li Zhong, you bastard! You even dared embezzle military pay!
You must be tired of living!
[There's nothing wrong with Li Zhong loving his wife, but he never should have touched Dad's money. Now that I've seen him today, he can't blame me for delivering justice on Heaven's behalf...]
Emperor Jinyuan glanced at the sharp gleam in Xiao Yu's eyes, and an unreadable look flickered in his own.
That night, the vice minister of war's residence was looted clean.
The vice minister's wife fainted on the spot. Frantic, the vice minister sought an audience with the emperor that very night, begging him to order the Court of Judicial Review to catch the thief as soon as possible!
Before you continue