Chapter 1 - Auspicious Beginning / Wishing all babies a happy spring! : "Look how frightened my beloved ministers have become."

Three days ago.

That night.

A figure in a black robe went unnoticed in the night, while a gust of wind swept through the desolate vegetation on the hillside. The scattered sounds of withered leaves being crushed echoed through the air.

"My lord."

The man in black, his expression subtly shifting, disappeared into the darkness. He nimbly knelt down on one knee in front of another person.

"explain."

The man opposite her spoke in a lazy, aristocratic voice, seemingly indifferent to the matter. But that single word made the man's expression shift, and his tense nerves tightened once more.

"Your Majesty, the two generals are already on their way back to the capital. General Han instructed his subordinates to report to Your Majesty that Liang He has been writing letters back to the capital frequently, and it seems that the Liang family has already taken some action."

"Heh." The Liang family.

Gu Huizhou slowly turned around, squinting at the moonlight. His long, narrow phoenix eyes were cold, but after a while, they turned into a smile. "They are all my subjects, and I will naturally treat them all equally."

The man in black paused, his gaze fixed on the ground. He saw the golden dragon embroidery on the emperor's dragon boots and froze for a second. The guard understood Gu Huizhou's meaning and lowered his head even further.

"Your subordinate understands."

Almost instantly, a flash of light and shadow shifted. The guard's gaze turned icy as he swiftly shouted, "Who!"

Gu Huizhou's gaze was fixed on a certain direction, "Snap—"

The sword and dagger clashed, and the next second, two drops of scalding blood spilled onto the ground unnoticed. The guard's breath almost stopped; he moved and flashed after them.

Gu Huizhou sheathed his sword, glancing indifferently at his bleeding wrist, as if nothing had happened.

The young emperor hung his sword at his waist and ran his hand along the fine, lustrous fabric. His gaze drifted, sometimes to the moonlight, sometimes to the ground beneath his feet.

It seemed that the damp, restless soil had soiled his pair of golden-threaded, soft-brocade dragon boots.

The shadows of the trees were dappled. "The people have been dealt with. Fifteen failed in his duty to protect his master; please punish him, my lord!"

His cold gaze shifted from the air to the bodyguard's head. "Follow the rules."

The guard's heart sank. With practiced movements, he raised his blood-stained sword and, with a resolute look in his eyes, thrust it towards himself.

A muffled groan, "Ugh—"

"Your subordinate takes his leave."

"Um."

The figure in front of him disappeared. Gu Huizhou looked at the barren hillside and slowly walked forward in the direction he had come from.

-

The Imperial Study.

"roll!"

The man on the dragon throne, dressed in a black and gold robe, had narrow eyes. After he finished speaking, everyone present immediately knelt down.

The lower-ranking officials cried out in unison, "Your Majesty, please forgive us!"

His voice trembled, his confidence faltering. No one dared to offend the current emperor, especially not this one.

He was notoriously capricious, and could be dragged out and beheaded in public if things went wrong!

An elderly minister with gray hair trembled as he tried to raise his head, but the moment his gaze fell upon the emperor's dragon boots, he was so frightened that his body trembled. He quickly shrank back and slammed his head heavily on the ground with a loud thud that sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

The imperial study was completely silent; only the emperor's breathing could be heard.

The chief eunuch Cui Xiangzhu, standing to the side, also lowered his head. With an unperturbed expression, he glanced at the emperor sitting on the high seat out of the corner of his eye, his eyebrows raised as he stared at the intricately carved micro-carvings on the roof beams.

He swirled the wine glass in his hand, playing with it, his eyes filled with a mocking and unrestrained air; he was even smiling!

Where is the sign of fury?

Cui Xiangzhu felt increasingly cold inside, and the more this happened, the more uneasy he became. This was his second year as a Grand Eunuch, and as the person closest to the Emperor, he still couldn't figure out the Emperor's personality.

One second he might be discussing governance with you, and the next second he might drag you out and behead you on some trumped-up charge.

I wonder when I'll end up like that, without a proper burial place!

The still air grew increasingly heavy, but this was only what the ministers perceived; many people had water stains appearing in front of them, with drops dripping from their foreheads.

"It was my fault."

"Look how frightened you ministers are!"

The emperor, seated abruptly, rose to his feet and strode quickly to stand amidst his ministers. The ministers behind him instantly changed direction, all bowing in the direction of Gu Huizhou.

He is the emperor.

"My dear minister, what are you doing? Get up quickly, it's all my fault."

"Your humble servant would not dare!"

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Who would dare to make the emperor admit his mistake? Moreover, this emperor is now known as a notorious tyrant.

The old minister was thinking to himself, but the next second he saw the pair of boots embroidered with black and gold dragon patterns stop in front of him, and a pair of long and powerful hands appeared in his field of vision.

Before Liang Fu could react, he heard the owner of those hands speak, "My dear minister, your head is bleeding. Let me help you up so we can see the imperial physician."

The voice sounded like a vengeful ghost from hell. Liang Fu's face turned deathly pale, and his already pale complexion turned into a lifeless purple. "This old minister, this old minister dares not."

Just as those hands were about to touch him, the man suddenly stood up. Liang Fu, who was halfway up, lost his balance and fell to the ground again. His face, which had been pale just moments before, was now flushed with color.

His forehead, which was already bleeding, was now a bloody mess.

"My dear subject is bleeding!"

Gu Huizhou turned around in surprise and said, "Quickly summon the imperial physician."

Cui Xiangzhu immediately signaled the eunuch at the door to announce the news, leaving only a very faint sound of the door closing.

"Tsk." The emperor, strolling among the crowd, sighed softly.

It seems like they're annoyed.

"If you ministers have nothing to do, you should all go and visit Lord Liang, who is seriously ill. After all, Lord Liang is not in a good mood these days, so please do not appear in front of me for the next few days."

"I don't like it."

"I obey the decree!"

"I obey the decree!"

...

The group staggered to their feet and silently left the imperial study. They tried to keep their steps in unison but inevitably became disorderly. The gaze behind them was as sharp as silver needles. They wished they could run away immediately, but who would dare to!

Look at that prime minister whose face is covered in blood.

"To make an example of someone."

Amidst the endless expanse of red walls, someone sighed deeply.

The other minister standing nearby remained calm. Upon hearing this, he merely exhaled a slight puff of white air. "Let's go and visit Lord Liang."

Inside the Imperial Study.

The smile on Gu Huizhou's face vanished. His eyes lowered as he stared at the memorial on the table. The fierceness between his brows almost solidified into a tangible form. The young emperor, dressed in a black and gold embroidered robe, casually put down the wine cup in his hand and spoke softly.

"Clean up all the debris on the ground, so as not to hurt our veteran officials who have served the country and the people for two dynasties."

He spoke those four words slowly and lightly, as if a gust of wind could blow them away.

"yes."

The sky was gradually darkening.

In an inconspicuous corner of the imperial study, a door was pushed open without attracting anyone's attention. The palace guards and eunuchs had been dismissed by the emperor, leaving him alone on his high seat, reviewing memorials.

"They're here."

"Your humble servant Xu Yi greets Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty!"

The newcomer had a face as beautiful as a peach blossom and a face as handsome as Pan An; anyone who saw him would take a second look. At this moment, he lowered his head and remained silent. He was dressed in a coarse cloth robe wrapped in several layers, but even this could not suppress the scholar's demeanor.

He was the undisputed third-place scholar, handpicked by Gu Huizhou.

Back then, this incident caused quite a few rumors. Some people said that His Majesty had no one in his harem and was probably gay, let alone personally choosing such a handsome and talented scholar as the third-ranked scholar.

Gu Huizhou remained indifferent to this.

"Get up."

The candlelight made the man's eyes appear even colder and more stern.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xu Yi stood up, her gaze meeting that of Gu Huizhou, who sat in the superior position, with neither servility nor arrogance.

"Your Majesty, Liang Fu is a veteran of two dynasties and has now firmly secured his position as Prime Minister, so why is he still so... careless with his words?"

Careless words?

Gu Huizhou silently repeated the word to himself. He had to admit, that old man was very good at pretending.

"I have only been on the throne for two years, and the imperial examinations have only been held for a year. How can those old fogies possibly give up?"

Xu Yi's heart skipped a beat. Could it be!

"As important officials of the previous dynasty, the Liang family assisted the late emperor in governing the Yun Kingdom. They upheld benevolent governance and loved the people, yet they sacrificed many of the Yun Kingdom's cities. Does the Liang family not love the people of the Yun Kingdom?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Yi heard the emperor chuckle softly.

"Please enlighten me, Your Majesty!"

Xu Yi had only been given a prominent position by Gu Huizhou for two months, and he was still figuring out how to navigate the affairs of the court. His eyes were full of thirst for knowledge; he had passed the imperial examinations hoping to rise to a high position, but his reputation as a third-place scholar had also drawn considerable criticism.

Now that he has finally been given an important position by the emperor, he is determined to seize this opportunity, even at the cost of his life.

In an instant, he showed no fear even in the eyes of God the King.

"The Liang family has long been dissatisfied with me. Recently, my soldiers on the front lines are about to return to the capital and recapture twelve cities on my border. They have helped me win the hearts of the people and achieved great feats. Liang He, as one of the commanders, has made great contributions. As the elder brother of the Grand General, Lord Liang should not sit still."

"Once the famous generals return to court, I will have them carefully tallied up their military achievements. You will keep an eye on the Liang family's movements for me."

Xu Yi nodded emphatically, "Yes!"

"Go."

"Your humble servant takes his leave!"

Gu Huizhou didn't speak again. He watched the small door open and close, and a hint of weariness in his eyes was unintentionally revealed, but he immediately suppressed it and reached out to pick up the next folded document.

The earth dragon was thriving, and his light robe draped softly over his body.

The wound on his wrist, inadvertently exposed, was gruesome, with layers of bright red blood still spreading through it. The man didn't seem to care, even pressing his wrist against the corner of the table, unintentionally applying pressure. A hint of satisfaction even appeared in his eyes at that moment.

Behind another door, Xu Yi walked out of the palace through a hidden door. The path was dark and narrow, and not a single patrolling guard could be seen. He used to be somewhat afraid, but now his mind was a complete mess, so he couldn't care less about such things.

"As trusted confidants of the late emperor, the Liang family has been doing their utmost to assist His Majesty, and can certainly be considered loyal ministers. How could they have been treated like this recently..."

Xu Yi muttered to himself as he walked.

Has the Liang family long harbored resentment towards the Emperor?

Xu Yi frowned. He had been intentionally watching Liang Fu in court recently, but couldn't discern anything. However, if what His Majesty said was true, that the Liang family was dissatisfied with the Emperor, then the great victory at the front would not be good news for the Liang family.

His brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

Xu Yi had no opinion of Liang Fu before. In fact, before he took the imperial examination, he often heard that the Prime Minister had proposed good policies for the late emperor, which would benefit the people of the region.

But now...

As they approached the palace gate, Xu Yi pursed his lips and remained silent. He took out the token from his waist and gestured to the guards. Neither of them spoke, but they nodded to each other.

The gate opened slowly in silence, revealing a crack just wide enough for one person to pass through, before returning to its previous state after Xu Yi had passed through. It was as if no one had ever come this way before.

The soldier looked around warily, and when he saw a young eunuch slowly walking towards him in the distance, his expression suddenly relaxed. He stretched his shoulders and shook his legs. As the man got closer, the two guards exchanged a glance and both saw disdain in each other's eyes.

"You two! Serving in the palace is a blessing you earned in your past lives! If I see you slacking off again, I'll tell Eunuch Cui!"

The little eunuch was arrogant and domineering.

"Yes, yes, yes! After all, even the Emperor doesn't come here, and it's really freezing cold late at night. I hope you'll forgive me, Eunuch!"

The guard's previous sharp disdain vanished without a trace, replaced by a fawning smile.

"Alright, alright, let's just pretend we didn't see anything this time!"

The eunuch was so pleased with himself that the corners of his mouth almost reached the sky. He glanced at the two men, then snorted and left, naturally not noticing the sarcastic looks on the two guards' faces as they turned away.

These scum will be dragged out and fed to the dogs by His Majesty sooner or later!

A moment later, a carrier pigeon landed beside the two men, and one of them exclaimed, "There's news?"

Thirteen, equally delighted, eagerly opened the note and even took out the food he had prepared earlier from his sleeve to feed the carrier pigeons.

[It has been discovered that Liang Chengfeng, the eldest son of the Liang family, has been frequently in contact with people outside the city, but the identities of these people are currently unknown.]

The joy lasted only a moment before fading, and Fourteen remained silent, pursing his lips.

"Go and inform His Majesty first. Tell them to continue the investigation. The Liang family's actions are becoming increasingly obvious."

"good."

With a swift movement, the black figure blended perfectly into the night, moving quickly through the palace. As he passed the little eunuch, Fourteen deliberately threw a pebble down beside him.

"Who! Who dares to plot against our family!"

With a sneer, Fourteen ignored the little eunuch's angry roar and rushed into the depths of the palace.

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Happy Spring! [Starry eyes][Starry eyes][Starry eyes]

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