Well, Well, Well, Promoted Again. Can He Still Rebel?

"Princess, wonderful news, wonderful news!"

"Xiaoyun, how many times have I told you? You must stay composed when something happens, not panic."

"Princess! Prince Duan, the minister of revenue, and the governor of the Capital Prefecture have been arrested!"

"What!!!"

Huai'an stared in astonishment, gripping Xiaoyun's arms tightly with both hands.

"Say that again. Who was arrested?"

"Princess, calm down."

Xiaoyun smiled. "Princess, you heard right. It was the fathers of the three men Heir Gu killed: Prince Duan, the minister of revenue, and the governor of the Capital Prefecture."

This is too unbelievable...

Huai'an was a little dazed. "Why were they arrested?"

"I heard that just now, in front of the imperial palace, every censor in the Censorate impeached the three of them for colluding with the enemy and committing treason. They even brought out a whole chest of evidence."

"Her Majesty the Empress was furious after she saw it. She crippled Prince Duan's cultivation on the spot and had all three thrown into the imperial prison. Once the investigation is complete, they'll be executed according to the law."

Joy appeared on Huai'an's face.

"What about Gu Yuan? What did Her Majesty say?"

"Princess, not only is Heir Gu all right, those censors even asked Her Majesty to reward him for his service."

"The Mystic Shadow Guard have already gone to the imperial prison. I expect he'll be out very soon."

"That's wonderful!" Huai'an jumped up in excitement. "Come on, let's hurry and tell the Marquis of Pingxiang and the others the good news."

"Then... are you still going to ask Her Majesty to grant you a marriage, Princess?"

Whoosh!

Huai'an's face turned red.

"O-of course not... He's all right now, so why would I ask for a marriage..."

Xiaoyun smiled knowingly.

"Princess, you were willing to go so far for Heir Gu. He must be very grateful to you!"

Huai'an snorted softly.

"Who wants his gratitude? That outrageously bold fellow-it'd be enough if he stopped bullying me... Hmph!"

The imperial prison.

Gu Yuan watched the three men being brought into the cell and stretched luxuriously.

Senior Sister really is efficient!

Before long, the cell opened, and Shangguan Weiming walked in with several Mystic Shadow Guards.

"Commander, what brings you here?"

Shangguan Weiming grinned. "You brat, you really are lucky!"

"Originally, after killing those three, you were certain to die. But now Prince Duan, the minister of revenue, and the governor of the Capital Prefecture have committed grave crimes, and a group of censors have pleaded on your behalf. Not only are you innocent, you've rendered great service."

What does he mean, lucky? This was entirely due to my own ability!

"Gu Yuan, receive the decree."

"This subject receives the decree."

"By the mandate of heaven, the Empress decrees:"

"Gu Yuan has slain traitors and greatly pleased Us. We hereby appoint him imperial commandant of the fourth rank, senior grade, and place him in charge of searching and confiscating the property of Prince Duan, the minister of revenue, and the governor of the Capital Prefecture. Thus decreed."

Huh?

Imperial commandant of the fourth rank, senior grade?

I've been promoted just like that?

Gu Yuan did not know whether to be happy or sad.

What happened to rebelling? Why do I keep rising higher in office?

"Commandant Gu, aren't you going to receive the decree?"

"Gu Yuan receives the decree!"

Shangguan Weiming's lips curved upward. "Lin Yu, Zhao Sheng, follow Commandant Gu and confiscate their property."

"Yes, sir!"

Joy appeared on both men's faces.

Confiscating property-that's a truly lucrative assignment!

According to the rules from above, the Mystic Shadow Guards in charge of confiscation could take five percent of the property seized.

Prince Duan, the minister of revenue, the Capital Prefecture... Even if we only get a small share of what's seized from those three households, we'll each end up with tens of thousands of taels of silver!

Gu Yuan frowned deeply.

Something's wrong!

Very wrong!

What is the Empress playing at?

Not only did she promote me, she's also putting me in charge of confiscating their property.

Isn't she practically inviting me to line my pockets?

Could she be using silver to test me?

Heh!

My chance has come!

Empress, oh Empress, let me show you what a truly corrupt official looks like!

"Ahem... What exactly is the procedure for confiscating property?"

Shangguan Weiming smiled. "Zhao Sheng and the others know how it works. Just leave it to them."

"Also, remember not to go too far. If you anger the Empress, things won't end well."

That's exactly what I want!

Empress, get ready to fly into a rage!

"Thank you for the guidance, Commander. I understand."

"Come on, let's go confiscate some property!"

The Heaven-Praying Hall.

The Empress had summoned her ministers for an unscheduled court meeting.

News traveled quickly through the capital.

The entire court already knew that Prince Duan and the other two had been imprisoned.

The ministers who had close ties to the three were as silent as cicadas in winter, cold sweat streaming down their foreheads. None dared make a sound.

They absolutely did not believe the claim in the Censorate's memorial that the evidence had fallen from the sky.

As they saw it, there was only one organization in Qi Capital capable of gathering so much evidence without anyone noticing: the Mystic Shadow Guard.

In other words,

The Empress had most likely obtained evidence of the three men's crimes long ago and had delayed revealing it until she could catch them all in one sweep.

And Gu Yuan's killings had given her the opportunity!

It was even possible that the Empress had ordered Gu Yuan to kill them.

Otherwise, why had Gu Yuan suddenly been given leave, only to appear at the Bureau of Music at the same time as the Heir of Prince Duan and the others?

For a member of the esteemed Mystic Shadow Guard to kill over a woman of lowly status, the motive itself made no sense...

But if the Empress had arranged it, everything fell into place.

How devious!

Among the important ministers at court, aside from those censors who only wanted to be remembered in history, who could truly claim to be squeaky clean?

If she could take down Prince Duan today, she could take them down tomorrow.

It all depended on the Empress's mood.

Sensing the powerful aura coming from the dragon throne, the ministers were filled with dread.

The Empress had changed.

In the past, the Empress had prided herself on her strength and disdained such tactics, so they had still been able to deal with her.

But now that an Empress at the peak of martial strength had begun to scheme, life was likely to become difficult...

On the dragon throne, Qi Yueli's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile.

She could sense their unease and terror, and she was quite satisfied.

It did no harm to give these fellows who traded on their seniority a fright.

"Regarding Prince Duan, the minister of revenue, and the governor of the Capital Prefecture, We presume you are all aware of what has happened."

"We are merciful and have always turned a blind eye to your actions. But some have been clever in their own eyes, thinking We knew nothing, and have tested Our limits time and again."

"We are very disappointed!"

Gasp!

The ministers trembled and hurriedly prostrated themselves, their backs already soaked with cold sweat.

"Please quell your anger, Your Majesty. We are guilty!"

"We have no wish to pursue past matters any further. Now that Great Qi's fortunes are in turmoil, We hope you will work with Us to stabilize the situation, rather than scheme and deceive one another at court. Do you understand?"

No wish to pursue past matters any further...

Those words made the ministers heave a great sigh of relief.

"We are willing to give our lives for Your Majesty and for Great Qi, without hesitation!"

Qi Yueli smiled faintly.

"Rise."

"There is another matter We wish to discuss with you."

"The positions of minister of revenue and governor of the Capital Prefecture are now vacant. Do any of you have suitable candidates?"

The ministers looked at one another.

In the past, they would surely have spoken up at once to recommend their own people.

But now, their trembling hearts told them that silence was best.

"Your Majesty, this old minister does have a candidate who could serve as minister of revenue," said a man past seventy, looking drowsy.

"During the late emperor's reign, this man served as vice minister of revenue. He was outwardly rough but attentive to detail, meticulous and self-disciplined, and never made a mistake in the accounts he handled. Unfortunately, he was far too straightforward and did not fit in with the Ministry of Revenue at the time. In the end, he resigned and settled down as a marquis with no official duties."

Qi Yueli's eyes brightened slightly. "Who are you speaking of, Chancellor Du?"

"The Marquis of Pingxiang, Gu Ming."