Only Wu Junji could sleep soundly that night.
The flames at Jixia Academy burned through half the sky, and countless people threw on clothes and shoes and came out of their homes to watch.
Those whose children studied at Jixia Academy were utterly distraught, their anguished wails piercing the heavens.
Emperor Zhou sat waiting in the Hall of Governance.
Just before dawn, the decree of self-reproach from the Retired Emperor in the Palace of Eternal Longevity arrived.
The handwriting was scrawled, every sentence disparaging himself and taking the blame. Emperor Zhou had no idea what thoughts his reputation-conscious father had harbored while writing it.
He finished reading it, thoroughly pleased, then dampened it and used it as a rag to wipe the Deputy Imperial Seal.
The Retired Emperor's decree of self-reproach would spare Emperor Zhou a good deal of trouble.
But Emperor Zhou was not afraid of trouble.
The Imperial City's northern and southern armies numbered over a hundred thousand in total. Fully armored, they marched in every direction that night.
The clatter of iron armor never ceased in the streets of Chang'an City, and the officers leading the troops shouted,
"All of Jixia Academy conspired to murder the Crown Prince! Exterminate three generations of every student's family!"
"Clear the streets! Kill anyone who blocks the way!"
Countless officials trembled with terror. Some listened to the slaughter and plundering next door, afraid they would be next, and huddled shivering with their families, young and old.
Some roared accusations of foolishness and tyranny at the emperor, taking up weapons to rebel and resist.
Others tried to flee and cry for help, only to be hacked in half.
Blood stained official seals, and nobles and ministers were trampled underfoot.
Such was the rule: each emperor had his own ministers.
Early the next morning.
Wu Junji woke amid the familiar scent of Sandalwood Incense. His eyes opened, and his heavenly eye activated unconsciously. Something in the room seemed to possess an overwhelming presence, strong enough to rouse him from his dreams.
He lifted the bed curtains and turned toward it. Hearing the sound, Nanny Wang came over.
"Your Highness, you're awake?"
Wu Junji pointed toward the palace's southwest corner.
"What's over there?"
Nanny Wang answered, "Turtle Thirteen, Your Highness's favorite pet."
Turtle Thirteen was small, with a round, perfectly regular shell-the sort of symmetry a diviner would love at first sight.
Wu Junji had insisted on taking Turtle Thirteen even to Jixia Academy.
The academy had turned away Eunuch Qian and Nanny Wang, so Turtle Thirteen had returned to the imperial palace with them.
Emperor Zhou had kept Turtle Thirteen in Taiji Palace.
Nanny Wang's heart ached for him. As she helped Wu Junji dress, she kept cursing the damned lot at Jixia Academy.
Her words went in one ear and out the other. Following that inexplicable pull, Wu Junji pattered over to look at Turtle Thirteen.
At first glance, Wu Junji felt that Turtle Thirteen was different from before.
Seemingly... more spiritually aware.
A transformation into a demon!
The thought sprang into Wu Junji's mind.
In his conception, demons were oxen and horses that never tired.
And one demon could do the work of ten oxen.
Making enemies of them would be a terrible waste of these born beasts of burden.
But taking control of the Demon Domain and making them obedient would not be easy either.
He had initially considered the Human Emperor Banner.
Now that he had sworn a Heavenly Oath to bring prosperity to the Demon Domain, that method was no longer an option.
Demons had another drawback: their lengthy Demon Spirit Stage.
Demons at this stage were ghosts, and utterly useless ghosts at that. Their very existence was a nuisance.
At first, they were animals. Useless.
At the Demon Spirit Stage, they were ghosts. Useless.
Only great demons at the Form Transformation Stage were useful.
But subduing those great demons one by one would be far too troublesome.
A bold idea arose in Wu Junji's mind.
Why couldn't he create a batch of new demons?
A batch of conventional demons that could use demonic power before taking human form, bypassing the Demon Spirit Stage and advancing straight to the Form Transformation Stage!
Shorten their growth period, so that the moment they gained awareness, they could serve as his oxen and horses... no, contribute to the land beneath their feet.
Wu Junji thought of the Human Emperor's seal.
After receiving their formal appointments, Great Zhou's officials could use their official seals to open their heavenly eyes. They could also suppress monsters with those seals, preventing them from coming near.
Official seals were conduits for power.
And that power came from the Jade Seal, from Great Zhou's national fortune.
He could likewise create a conduit similar to an official seal, using Human Emperor Fortune as its source of power and making demons serve him through it.
A contract.
Wu Junji's thoughts spread ever further. He considered many things, such as the impact these new demons would have on society.
Such as whether anything unforeseen would happen if the new demons gathered with demons like the Lord of Changbai Mountain.
Such as how to settle the new demons and arrange matters in the Demon Domain.
Such as how to reconcile conflicts between demons and humans.
He considered the benefits, and he considered the drawbacks.
Wu Junji confided, "88, I should be able to do this, right?"
He could hardly end up dying in the ancestral shrine with the old geezer.
As for risks, what undertaking came without them?
As long as the risk could not kill him outright, Wu Junji would be the winner.
He stroked Turtle Thirteen's shell, deciding to make the turtle his first test subject.
First, he needed to find a conduit similar to an official seal.
Ideally, it would continually hold and channel Human Emperor Fortune, allowing him to sense every demon's actions through it at any time.
Wu Junji tentatively fed Human Emperor Fortune into the turtle tank, hoping to establish something like a contract with the turtle through the tank.
After working at it for ages, he had achieved nothing.
Wu Junji gave up and went to get food, rubbing his belly.
The old geezer returned from court in high spirits, followed by a scholar whose chin sported a wispy, radish-root beard.
Wu Junji thought he looked familiar. Taking a closer look, he realized this was his imperial chancellor.
In his previous life, after killing his younger brother and seizing the throne, he had lacked anyone to employ, so he had invited the sixty-five-year-old Yu Sheng into court.
Nominally the chancellor, he actually held very little power. He was Wu Junji's mascot for attracting talent.
Yu Sheng's students were scattered throughout the land, and he was already old. Wu Junji had figured he could outlive him.
Instead, the man had outlived him. What a pity.
The current Yu Sheng was thirty.
Unable to navigate the ways of officialdom, he had relied on his considerable family wealth to become the head of Minglu Academy.
His bearing was exceedingly deferential, his smile seemingly painted on his face. Every expression and movement conveyed respect and fear.
"Father." Wu Junji went to greet him, spreading his arms.
Emperor Zhou bent down, lifted the little Crown Prince by his armpits, and cradled him. Then he planted two smacking kisses on the little fair-weather doll wrapped in gauze, with only his eyes showing.
He asked the man beside him, "Master Yu, what do you think of my son?"
Wu Junji looked at him curiously.
The elderly Chancellor Yu had been a mere ornament. In Great Zhou's later years, the system of Three Dukes and Nine Ministers had been replaced by Three Departments and Six Ministries. Wu Junji had abolished the chancellorship only to appoint another chancellor immediately afterward. Everyone knew he was simply waiting for Yu Sheng to die.
Yu Sheng had known his place very well. He attended court every day solely to tell the emperor that he was still alive, but would die soon, so His Majesty should be patient.
With that unspoken understanding, the two had passed through their final years together. Before his death, Wu Junji had considered having that old turtle buried with him.
Then he had decided the man was too old, and his flesh would stink.
Despite their time as ruler and minister, they had never truly confided in one another. He was rather curious how Yu Sheng would assess him.
Yu Sheng studied him carefully, then praised him lavishly.
"Your Majesty, His Highness's eyes shine with light, his divine bearing held within. Clearly, he harbors profound strategies and remains unruffled in danger. This is truly the bearing of an unparalleled heir!"
Emperor Zhou burst into hearty, delighted laughter.
The corner of Wu Junji's mouth twitched. The young Yu Sheng was quite practiced at flattery.
"In that case, how about I have the Crown Prince take you as his teacher?"
At those words, Wu Junji froze. Yu Sheng froze as well.
Yu Sheng could only smile bitterly. Did he dare refuse?
Minglu Academy had long suffered under Jixia Academy.
Of the two great academies, the former had no aristocratic clans, while the latter had no students of humble birth. Whether in teachers or texts, Minglu Academy could not compare with Jixia Academy.
Yu Sheng despised Ruan Yuan for peddling lofty virtue, while Ruan Yuan despised Yu Sheng for reeking of money.
He had once imagined that, should Minglu Academy ever surpass Jixia Academy, he would thoroughly mock Ruan Yuan.
But that day had come too quickly, too suddenly.
Overnight, Jixia Academy had fallen.
He had been dragged out of his academy ten li away, stuffed into a carriage, and rushed into the palace.
All along the way, weapons clashed and armored horses thundered, the sounds of slaughter unceasing.
Wherever the firelight reached, homes were plundered and clans exterminated!
The blood-soaked paving stones gleamed!
When he stepped out of the carriage, his legs felt weak beneath him.
His Majesty's personal eunuch had casually explained that Jixia Academy had harbored treasonous intentions, colluding with the Retired Emperor to deceive His Majesty and abuse the Crown Prince.
His Majesty had been enraged. The academy had been burned, and every teacher and student killed. Not only that, but three generations of those students' families had been exterminated!
Then the eunuch had said that His Highness was still young and must not be allowed to become fearful because of this. He had to rise again in the very place where he had fallen.
That was precisely why they had sought him out.
Yu Sheng had smiled bitterly again and again. When he saw the court, more than half emptied overnight, every scrap of a scholar's backbone deserted him.
The embers of Jixia Academy had yet to scatter. Afraid they might catch on his clothes and burn him alive, he dared not refuse.
Yet the little Crown Prince was the very source of that fire.
Of this imperial father and son, one had dared to swear a Heavenly Oath with audacity that eclipsed the heavens. Henceforth, gods would watch his every deed from three feet above his head. The slightest selfish intent would bring heavenly thunder crashing down and collapse the nation's fortune.
The other was cruel and bloodthirsty, caring nothing for his reputation. Tens of thousands might have died in a single night!
Yu Sheng still wanted to struggle a little.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is naturally gifted and refined, already displaying a dragon's majesty at such a tender age. I fear I might hinder so worthy an heir. That would be an unforgivable crime."
Emperor Zhou's smile faded, and he stared at him without a word.
Wu Junji likewise remained silent.
Although he did not know what the old geezer was plotting this time, was he really so unpresentable?
One after another, they all refused to teach him properly.
Two similar pairs of eyes watched him, one domineering and savage, the other cold and disdainful.
Yu Sheng immediately dropped to his knees, drenched in sweat.
"I thank Your Majesty for your favor. I shall spare no effort in teaching His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Before you continue