The front hall of the prefect's residence.
A dozen or so tallow candles illuminated the hall as brightly as day.
A pale-faced eunuch wearing a bright red robe with python patterns and a black gauze hat with three peaks was standing on the steps in the center of the hall.
He held a bright yellow silk imperial edict high in his hands, his chin held high, with four burly imperial guards in flying fish robes standing in a row behind him.
The four guards all had bulging temples, and the backs of their hands, which were pressed against the hilts of the Embroidered Spring Blade, were covered with calluses. Clearly, they were all genuine masters of the Third Rank or above.
Gu Moran Ran stepped into the hall and glanced at the eunuch.
He recognized him as Eunuch Shuangxi, a capable subordinate of Grand Eunuch Gao Fu and the Deputy Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Palace.
"Oh my, Your Prince Yi has finally arrived! This servant Shuangxi and wishes you all the best!"
Eunuch Shuangxi chuckled in a high-pitched voice, then held the imperial edict horizontally in front of him.
" Great Yan Prince Yi Gu Moran, receive the decree!"
Gu Moran lifted the hem of his robe and knelt on one knee.
Behind them, Murong Xue, Tuoba Mang, and other generals knelt down in unison. Behind the screen in the back hall, Kim Seon-a, Shen Ling'er, and others held their breath and peered out through the openwork wooden carvings.
Eunuch Shuangxi unfolded the imperial edict and began to read it aloud, swaying his head:
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Now, Japanese pirates from the East Sea have invaded our borders. Thanks to the divine might of Prince Yi Gu Moran, they have sailed across the sea and displayed the power of our nation."
However, the Emperor was unwell and had to rest in bed. The affairs of the Six Ministries in the court were numerous and complex, and could not be left without a leader for even a day.
The Prince Yi Gu Moran, to quell the Japanese pirate rebellion as soon as possible, return to the capital in triumph, assume overall command of all affairs, and review all memorials from the six ministries, to be decided upon after the emperor's awakening.
So be it!
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Tuoba Mang's eyes widened, and he turned to look at Murong Xue beside him.
General Affairs Director?
Does he have a comprehensive grasp of the memorials submitted by the Six Ministries?
Isn't this just a Crown Prince regent with a different name?
Our chance has come in the Northern Territory!!
Eunuch Shuangxi rolled up the imperial edict, smiled, and walked down the steps, handing it to Gu Moran with both hands:
"Your Highness, shall we accept the imperial decree and express our gratitude?"
Gu Moran raised her head, her outstretched hands hovering in mid-air, not immediately reaching for the roll of bright yellow silk.
His mind was racing.
The position of General Affairs Director sounds incredibly prestigious, second only to the emperor.
But what is the reality?
That was someone who got up at dawn and went to bed at dusk, with endless memorials to review and lawsuits to settle.
They also had the dreaded job of taking the blame for the half-dead emperor on the dragon bed!
Moreover, he has his two fathers-in-law, the prime minister and the grand commander, backing him up in the imperial court.
Those two old foxes were so sturdy they could kill an ox; they were so powerful that not even a needle could get into their grasp on the government.
Why would they suddenly relent and dump such a huge, hot potato on their own shoulders?
If there were no ghosts here, he would have written the character "Gu" upside down!
Seeing that Gu Moran was slow to accept the imperial decree, Eunuch Shuangxi's smile faded slightly.
He took a half step forward, holding the imperial edict in his left hand, and said in a low, high-pitched voice with a forced smile:
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager and His Majesty are all eagerly awaiting your return in Chang'an."
"You wouldn't have gotten so used to being a local tyrant that you no longer even look down on that chair in the Eastern Palace of Chang'an, would you?"
Upon hearing this, Kim Seon-a, who was behind the screen in the back hall, felt a sudden jolt in her heart.
That eunuch has such a sharp tongue!
With just one sentence, Gu Moran was put on the hot seat. If he didn't accept, it would be seen as him holding military power and plotting something sinister!
A helpless, bitter smile instantly appeared on Gu Moran's face. He accepted the imperial edict with both hands and stood up.
"What are you saying, Your Excellency? I was just worried about my father's illness, and I was so flustered that I lost my composure for a moment."
As he spoke, a glint flashed in Gu Moran's eyes. Without making a sound, he activated the system 'Eye of Detection and scanned the Eunuch Shuangxi in front of him.
[Ding! Target: Shuangxi (Deputy Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household)]
[Martial Arts Cultivation: Fourth Rank Peak ( Sunflower Fragment )]
[Current Maliciousness Value: -65 (Ordered to strip the host of military power and lure the host to the capital)]
[Core Secret 1: This person is ostensibly the adopted son of Gao Fu, but in reality, he disguises himself and leaves the palace at midnight on the eighth day of each month to go to the back mountain of a temple on the outskirts of the capital.]
[He secretly met with a mysterious prince who was being kept in a temple.]
Gu Moran looked at the first message that popped up on the panel, and a chill instantly ran down her spine.
Mysterious Prince?
His father only had a few sons, and he knew the Imperial Clan Court Register better than his own family account books.
Aside from himself, the Prince Yi, the rest of his brothers were either crippled, dead, or their bones rotting in the imperial mausoleum. The remaining few were just small fry.
Where did this prince come from in this temple?
Without making a sound, Gu Moran grabbed two heavy fifty-tael gold ingots from the tray held by Tuoba Mang and, with a smile, stuffed them into Eunuch Shuangxi's sleeve pocket.
"Father-in-law, you've had a long and arduous journey across the sea. Here's a little money for tea; please use it to buy some tea with the guards."
Taking advantage of the gesture of handing over the silver, Gu Moran his finger in the air and opened the second page of the system panel.
A line of glaring red text popped up on the panel:
[Secret Core 2 (Special Fetish): This person suffered damage to his yin meridians due to early castration, resulting in an extremely twisted mentality and an extreme obsession with male enhancement.]
Note: The heavier the target's sweat, the more dirt and grime there is, and the stronger the sour smell, the more excited it will be.
Gu Moran's hand, which was stuffing the gold ingot into his mouth, trembled violently, and the hundred-tael gold almost hit Eunuch Shuangxi's foot.
That wasn't all; a long, densely packed list of victims then appeared at the bottom of the panel:
[Historical Record: Empress Dowager deposed and imprisoned in the Cold Palace (thirty-two times)]
Matron Cui head of the Imperial Household Department (18 times)
The Imperial Wardrobe Bureau Xiaohong, Xiaolü, Xiaozi, Xiaolan from the Imperial Wardrobe (five times each)
The Imperial Guards, Lieri Changfeng (each taking advantage of the Emperor's drunkenness, three times in total), were Fourth Rank imperial bodyguards.
Godfather Gao Fu (once, the attempt was interrupted)...
His errand boys, Little Xiaochuan, Xiaoji, Xiaopidan, Xiaoyou (eight times each)...
Gu Moran glanced out of the corner of his eye at the two guards behind Eunuch Shuangxi, who were coldly gripping their embroidered spring knives.
She glanced again at the face of her Eunuch Shuangxi, which was covered in thick white powder and was giving her a fawning smile.
A wave of acidic fluid surged from Gu Moran's stomach to her throat.
They didn't even spare the sixty-year-old Matron Cui from the Imperial Household Department and the burly, sword-wielding guards?
They even dared to bite that old eunuch Gao Fu?
Gu Moran's mind, which was originally filled with the Iwami Silver Mine and the political games in the court, was now completely turned into a pot of stale porridge by this line of red text.
"Your Highness is too kind. It is my duty to share His Majesty's burdens."
Eunuch Shuangxi squeezed the gold ingot in his sleeve pocket, his eyes crinkling with laughter.