Chapter 96 Thunderous Methods

Although the dramatic coup in the Hall of Preserving Harmony has come to an end, for the busy court, this great purge has only just begun.

This night was destined to be a sleepless one for countless powerful and influential people in the capital.

The Regent's Palace's black-armored troops did not return to camp. Instead, like a black tide, they swiftly sealed off all the major roads in the capital. The streets were filled with the sound of galloping hooves, the blazing torches, and the occasional sounds of gates being smashed open and cries for mercy.

The next morning, at the Golden Palace.

Despite the bloodshed that had just taken place last night, no one dared to be absent from the morning court session today. Not only did they not dare to be absent, but all the ministers arrived exceptionally early, standing with their hands at their sides, barely daring to breathe, for fear that their names would appear on the "Book of Life and Death" in the Regent's hands.

Shen Jin, dressed in a black court robe, sat upright on the regent's throne beside the dragon throne. After last night's slaughter, the murderous aura emanating from him had not diminished but rather increased. With just a glance, his ministers below trembled.

The young emperor Shen Xingchen sat on the dragon throne, his eyes still a little red, but his posture was more upright than ever before.

After last night's events, he seemed to have grown up overnight.

"If you have something to report, do so now; if you have nothing to report, leave the court."

The eunuch's high-pitched voice echoed in the hall.

No one dared to utter a sound.

“Since none of my ministers have anything to report,” Shen Jin said slowly, his voice as cold as ice, “then I… do have one.”

He casually tossed a thick stack of memorials onto the imperial desk.

"Smack!"

A sharp crack startled everyone.

"Last night, the Empress Dowager forced the emperor to abdicate, intending to rebel. Although the Empress Dowager orchestrated this, without the collusion of court officials and their secret communication, how could a woman deep within the palace have such confidence?"

His deep, piercing gaze slowly swept over the ministers kneeling in the front row.

"The Minister of Rites, the Vice Minister of War, and... the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review."

"Do you still want me to call out your names one by one?"

"Thump! Thump!"

As soon as their names were called, several ministers instantly collapsed to the ground, their faces ashen.

"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! I was forced! It was the Empress Dowager...it was the Empress Dowager who threatened me with my family!"

"Forced?"

Shen Jin sneered, "When you accepted bribes from the Empress Dowager and impeached me in court, why didn't you say you were forced to? When you secretly withheld grain supplies and tried to kill the Northern Army, why didn't you say you were forced to?"

"He who eats the king's food does not think of serving the country, but instead helps the wicked and disrupts the court."

"They deserve to die!"

Shen Jin waved his sleeve and shouted sternly:

"Shadow One!"

"exist!"

"Drag everyone on the list away! Dismiss them from their posts, investigate them, and throw them in jail! According to the law... they should be executed!"

"Confiscate their property and deposit it into the national treasury!"

"yes!"

The fierce imperial guards stormed into the main hall and dragged the dozen or so high-ranking officials who usually acted arrogantly away like dead dogs. Screams and pleas for mercy echoed through the sky, but they could not evoke even the slightest pity from Shen Jin.

This is swift and decisive action.

He will never be lenient with these parasites who threaten the foundation of the nation.

...

Behind the screen.

As the regent's wife who "rules from behind the curtain," Jiang Mianmian was sitting on a small stool, holding an abacus and rapidly clicking the keys.

The Minister of Rites' family...I heard they have a treasure pavilion filled with antiques, worth at least 100,000 taels of silver.

[The Vice Minister of War's family... that fat man is the most greedy; he must have a lot of gold bars hidden in his house, conservatively estimated at 200,000 taels.]

[Plus other miscellaneous fish...]

Wow! This round of confiscations has made the national treasury incredibly rich! Shen Jin isn't just purging the court; he's clearly generating revenue!

Jiang Mianmian's eyes lit up as she calculated, and she was practically drooling.

However... isn't it a bit of a waste that so much money has been confiscated?

[Chen Jin, Chen Jin, could you give me just a little bit? Just a little bit! Even those unwanted calligraphy and paintings would be fine! I'm not picky!]

Sitting in front, Shen Jin couldn't help but twitch his usually cold and hard lips when he heard this familiar money-grubber's voice.

This woman.

She was calculating accounts while committing murder, and she was still calculating accounts while ransacking the house.

but……

His usually reserved gaze softened slightly.

If she hadn't used a "miracle" to recover 50,000 taels of silver in Jiangnan and used "explosives" to defend the city in the North, the vast national treasury would have been empty long ago.

Share some with her?

She could have the entire national treasury.

"Pass on the order."

Shen Jin suddenly added, "Of the proceeds from the confiscation of property, in addition to going into the national treasury, 30% will be allocated... to the Regent's Palace."

"The reason is... the princess suffered too much shock during this northern expedition and needs... some tonics to calm her nerves."

All the ministers: ???

Buying supplements?

Thirty percent of the confiscated property? That's hundreds of thousands of taels of silver! What kind of tonics would cost that much? Did they eat dragon meat?

But looking at the Regent's expression that said, "I'll confiscate the property of anyone who dares to oppose me," who would dare to say no?

"Your Highness is wise! Long live the Princess!"

Jiang Mianmian, behind the screen, almost burst out laughing.

【Oh my gosh! Shen Jin, you're so perceptive! Love you, love you! Mwah!】

[Please do more of these house raids in the future! I'm willing to be terrified every day!]

...

With the court cleansed, the only one left was the biggest fugitive—Lin Wan'er.

"Report—!"

A commander of the Imperial Guards rushed into the hall. "Your Highness! We discovered traces of Northern Yan's spies in a dilapidated temple in the west of the city! But the place was deserted, and we only managed to capture a few small fry."

"According to their confession... Lin Wan'er, the illegitimate daughter of the Lin family, attempted to flee the country last night with a map of the capital's defenses and the remnants of the Northern Yan army!"

"What?!"

Jiang Zhan was shocked and stepped forward. "Lin Wan'er? She...she actually betrayed the country and colluded with the enemy?!"

Although he knew that this illegitimate daughter was wicked, he never expected that she would dare to commit such a heinous crime that would exterminate nine generations of her family!

"Prime Minister Jiang."

Shen Jin looked at his father-in-law and said calmly, "This matter has nothing to do with you. Lin Wan'er has long been expelled from the Lin family, and the person behind her... is a remnant of the previous dynasty."

"Remnants of the previous dynasty?" Jiang Zhan was even more shocked.

"That's right."

Shen Jin stood up, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. "Does she think she can escape?"

"Pass down the order! Seal off the area within a hundred miles! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must bring Lin Wan'er back to me!"

"Not only because she stole the defense map, but also because..."

Shen Jin recalled the grievances Jiang Mianmian suffered in Jiangnan, and the vicious curse Lin Wan'er had inflicted on Jiang Mianmian in that letter.

"She still owes the princess a debt that hasn't been settled yet."

...

Half an hour later.

In a desolate forest on the outskirts of Beijing.

A dilapidated horse-drawn carriage is speeding along at breakneck speed.

Inside the carriage, Lin Wan'er, dressed in coarse linen clothes, could not hide the terror and madness on her face. She clutched the bundle containing the defense map tightly, repeatedly urging:

"Hurry! Hurry up! Once we're out of this forest, we'll be safe!"

The one driving the carriage was none other than "Lone Wolf," a spy from Northern Yan.

"Shut up!" Lone Wolf roared impatiently. "This road is difficult to walk on! If you make another sound, I'll throw you off!"

Lin Wan'er gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with resentment and venom.

Just wait... When I arrive in Northern Yan, when I meet Prince Xiao Yi... I will make you all pay the price!

However.

Just as the carriage was about to rush out of the woods.

"boom--!!!"

A loud bang.

The road ahead suddenly burst open, and a huge crater appeared in the middle of the road.

The carriage couldn't avoid it, the horses were startled and neighed, and the carriage and its riders tumbled violently into the ditch.

"Ouch!"

Lin Wan'er fell and was bleeding from her head. She crawled out of the carriage in a disheveled state.

Before she could even stand up straight, a red figure descended from the sky, stepping on her back and pinning her firmly to the muddy ground.

"run?"

Jiang Mianmian held an unlit firecracker in her hand, smiling as she looked at the woman at her feet.

"Sister Lin, where are you rushing off to? Didn't you say you were going to be my foot-washing maid? I've already prepared the water, why are you running off like this?"

Lin Wan'er struggled to lift her head and saw the face she hated to the core, and that... Shen Jin standing behind Jiang Mianmian, coldly watching her with a sword in his hand.

Despair overwhelmed her in an instant.

"No...don't kill me..."

Only then did Lin Wan'er finally understand what it meant to have nowhere to turn.

Shen Jin stepped forward, picked up the bundle that had fallen to the ground, took out the defense map inside, glanced at it, and then casually used his internal force to pulverize it into powder.

"take away."

Shen Jin turned around, his voice as cold as if he were dealing with an ant, "Lock her in the Heavenly Prison. I will make her... wish she were dead."

That's right.

Jiang Mianmian dusted off her hands and watched Lin Wan'er being dragged away like a dead dog.

It's time to settle some scores.

With swift and decisive measures, the court was purged and traitors were arrested.

On this day, Shen Jin used blood and an iron fist to completely consolidate the power of Da Gan, and also cleared away the last and most vicious obstacle for Jiang Mianmian.