"Anything else?" His Majesty asked.

"Your Majesty, I have nothing more to say for now." The old Taoist priest actually knew some secrets, but he couldn't reveal them all at this moment, just in case!

"Alright, Liu Xun, make the arrangements to protect him." He then asked the old Taoist, "By the way, what's your name? Why are you impersonating Daoist Xuyu? Is there any connection between the Shura Taoist Temple in Ziyun Town and Nanfang Nan?"

"I am Gao Qiu! The reason I impersonated Daoist Xuyu was simply to easily gain the trust of the people so that I could lure them to specific places to work for Nanfang Nan. As far as I know, Daoist Xuyu is also a pawn of Nanfang Nan. As for the others, I know nothing." Gao Qiu did not hide this fact.

"Very well, Liu Xun." After listening, the Emperor did not ask any further questions and ordered Liu Xun to take the person away and make arrangements. Before leaving, Gao Qiu did not forget to beg the Emperor to rescue his daughter. The Emperor did not speak, but simply nodded in agreement.

Seeing that Zhao Zhicheng had been dragged into this, Qiu Zeyu was about to speak up for him when a guard came to report that Murong Xingchen had arrived.

"Let him in!" the Emperor ordered.

Soon, the handsome and dashing Murong Xingchen walked up with an imposing air, bowed to the emperor, and stood up to await his question.

"I have an important matter to entrust to you!" the emperor said bluntly.

The choice of Murong Xingchen was based on several considerations. First, he was already in a career in government and had the ambition to achieve great things; second, his surname was Murong, and his grandfather was the great general Sima Luyao, so having him set the date was much better than setting it myself.

Another point is that the once incorruptible and courageous general who dared to speak up for the people now often wavers on important matters, goes against his own will, and can't tell which side to stand on! Let him think it over carefully.

Murong Xingchen was unaware of the intricacies involved, but he desperately wanted to prove himself, to earn his father's respect, and to bring honor to his mother. So, without a second thought, he agreed, "Thank you for your high regard, Your Majesty! Your humble servant will certainly not fail in your mission!"

"Excellent!" His Majesty laughed heartily. "As expected of a fine son of the Murong family! Like father, like son! However, this mission is of utmost importance. Any clues you have must be reported directly to me and not mentioned to outsiders, to prevent any unforeseen complications. Do you understand?"

Murong Xingchen glanced at Qiu Zeyu standing to the side, as if to say, does he know it's okay?

Following Murong Xingchen's gaze, the Emperor looked at Qiu Zeyu, laughed, and said, "He's one of our own. You can command him when necessary. I'll give you another thousand secret guards. Make sure you handle this matter perfectly! After this important matter is finished, I will reward you handsomely!"

Overjoyed to receive such high regard from the Emperor, Murong Xingchen was secretly delighted. Fortunately, he had been keeping his family's secret and frequently paying his respects to the Emperor, which finally led to his being given an important responsibility. He immediately clasped his hands in acceptance of the decree, saying, "Your humble servant is ready to serve you to the death!"

"Excellent! I have received a secret report that Hua Manlou is involved in the counterfeit silver case in Huludao. That incompetent Liu Fugui has been investigating for so long and hasn't found anything. Tomorrow I will strip him of his official robes."

He then turned to Murong Xingchen with a smile and explained, "Liu Fugui was a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations. Back then, he was upright and honest. But time has changed him. Now, after years in officialdom, he has become very slick and even dares to deceive me."

Murong Xingchen was about to speak up to defend Lord Liu, saying that Lord Liu had handled the misunderstanding between the barbecue restaurant and Hua Yuhe quite reasonably a while ago.

The emperor waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Using him is a waste of the national treasury. An official who doesn't serve the people might as well go home and grow rice. Sigh! Of all the new officials I have, you are the one I trust the most. I want to combine these two cases into one and entrust them to you. Do you have confidence?"

"Yes! Your Majesty, please rest assured! I will certainly live up to your mission and investigate the case thoroughly. No matter who the officials in the court are, as long as they are involved in the counterfeit silver case, I will not tolerate them!" Murong Xingchen assured him confidently.

"Good! Good! I didn't misjudge you!" The Emperor was very satisfied. He then took out a waist token and handed it to him, saying, "Silver and silver are the foundation of the nation's stability; there can be no mistakes. During the investigation, if anyone uses their official power to obstruct the investigation, you may kill them without mercy!"

Hearing "kill without mercy!" not only Murong Xingchen, but even Qiu Zeyu was shocked. This wasn't an order to kill...

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Murong Xingchen accepted the waist token and tucked it into his robes. Now that his emotions had calmed, he couldn't help but feel a little worried about his father and uncle. But then he thought again, the Murong family were all upright gentlemen, and his father always taught his family members never to abuse their power or accept bribes! He believed his father would never collude with outsiders to embezzle money; someone must be framing them. Fortunately, as long as he investigated the case diligently, he could surely clear the Murong family of suspicion.

"Liu Xun?" the Emperor called out. Liu Xun hurriedly entered from outside the door, "Your subject is here!"

"Issue an imperial decree: Liu Fugui has failed in his duties and is to be immediately imprisoned and interrogated! Murong Xingchen is young and promising and is to take up his post immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Liu Xun immediately drafted the decree.

The emperor then spoke earnestly to Murong Xingchen, “Lin’an is only two hundred li from Chang’an. It is a vital town of the country and cannot be taken lightly. I entrust it to you.” After saying this, he patted Murong Xingchen on the shoulder and returned to his desk to personally affix the imperial seal.

Liu Xun immediately issued an imperial decree to personally escort Murong Xingchen to his new post.

After the two left, Qiu Zeyu deeply felt the emperor's unfathomable heart! Just as he was about to rise and take his leave, the emperor spoke, "I know what you think of me? Despicable, isn't it?"

His Majesty's frankness made Qiu Zeyu somewhat apprehensive, and he dared not speak.

The Emperor chuckled and said, "If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? In my eyes, the country is more important than the family! You will understand in time!"

After saying that, he continued, "Immediately besiege Hua Manlou. If we capture Nan Fangnan, that will be fine. But if we fail, I will be accused of disregarding human life and will be attacked by censors."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!