Chapter 29: The Empress: This Palace Is So Exhausted

Tianlin Guard headquarters, Gui Water Office.

Shen Shuqiu sat before his desk, his expression solemn.

Not long ago, the my lord of the thousand-households who oversaw the Bing Fire and Ding Fire offices had personally come to find him, demanding that the Yan Liang brothers be sentenced as quickly as possible.

The case had to be closed within three days!

The meaning was plain:

This case absolutely must not drag anyone else in!

But the problem was, Yan Liang had already confessed, and even his innermost secrets had been stripped clean by Chen Mo…

Originally, Shen Shuqiu hadn't wanted to get mixed up in this matter either.

But the Empress still hadn't given her instructions, so he could only brace himself and tough it out.

"That kid Chen Mo — grabs a person and then washes his hands of it…"

"He takes the credit, I take the blame — what a bastard!"

"Once this mission is over, I'll send him to capture the Ten Great Heavenly Demons — he doesn't come back until he does!"

Shen Shuqiu muttered through gritted teeth.

Thud thud thud—

Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps rang out, and a constable stumbled in.

"My-my-my…"

"My my what? Panicking like this — what kind of decorum is that?"

Shen Shuqiu said, frowning.

The constable paid no heed to the rebuke, swallowed hard, and said: "my lord, Captain Chen has returned!"

"Heh, he still dares come back? I was just about to give him a piece of my mind…"

"He brought back the corpses of the Ten Great Heavenly Demons!"

"…"

Shen Shuqiu suspected he might have been under too much pressure lately and was hallucinating.

He reached out and picked at his ear, asking:

"What did you just say? Say it again?"

The constable got straight to the point: "The case in Tongling County — the true mastermind behind it is the evil ghost Qin Wuxiang, who has been beheaded by Captain Chen! The corpse is currently laid out on the training ground!"

After a brief silence, Shen Shuqiu sprang up abruptly and strode out of the office.

The entire training ground was already packed to the rafters, shoulder to shoulder, the uproar rising to a fever pitch!

He parted the crowd and walked to the very center, where he saw a headless corpse lying on the open ground before him.

Beside the corpse lay a head, its features blurred and faceless, with a purple comma-shaped jade insignia imprinted between the brows.

As a member of the Tianlin Guard, who had never dreamed of capturing the Ten Great Heavenly Demons and bringing them to justice, becoming famous across the land, bringing glory to their house?

Shen Shuqiu was no exception.

He had pored over all the files on the Ten Great Heavenly Demons and knew their characteristics like the back of his hand—

One glance was enough to basically confirm: this was indeed the corpse of the Tenth Heavenly Demon, Qin Wuxiang!

"You guys didn't see it — that battle was simply earth-shattering, blotting out the sun and moon!"

"Qin Wuxiang transformed into a hundred-zhang-tall giant demon, demonic flames billowing to the heavens, invincible! One slap leveled an entire city block!"

"But Captain Chen merely smiled faintly and said calmly: A firefly's light, and you dare vie with the brilliant moon? Bring the blade!"

"He casually slashed out a blade — the blade aura tore through the void, triggering a heavenly anomaly, and sliced that giant demon clean in two on the spot!"

"The might of a single blade — terrifying beyond compare!"

Qin Shou stood in the crowd, speaking with torrential fluency, as if he were performing a comic dialogue routine.

The people around him listened as though they were right there on the scene, their hearts soaring, letting out bursts of exclamations from time to time.

"Where's Captain Chen? Why don't I see him?"

Someone called out loudly.

Qin Shou shook his head and sighed:

"The captain's fine in every way — he's just too low-key."

"He said: credit should not be claimed alone, blame should not be shifted. He was unwilling to steal the spotlight himself, and chose to give the chance to shine to us little brothers."

"Now THAT'S what you call vision!"

The other constables who had carried out the mission together nodded one after another in agreement.

Captain Chen really has such vision!

"Chen Mo… Chen Mo…"

A sudden cry rang out.

Then, more and more people joined in, gradually swelling into a mountain-shaking, sea-roaring chant!

These were the Ten Great Heavenly Demons! And it was the first kill, no less!

Not just the Gui Water Office — the entire Tianlin Guard shared in the glory!

"Chen Mo! Chen Mo!"

The chant was deafening.

Amid the roaring crowd, Shen Shuqiu stood frozen like a statue, his expression somewhat dazed and incredulous.

"I was just shooting my mouth off — and he actually went and brought the Heavenly Demon back?!"

He knew full well — to become one of the Ten Great Heavenly Demons, how could Qin Wuxiang be an easy opponent?

Even if Chen Mo could win, it would absolutely not have been that easy.

No doubt it was a hard-fought battle!

When this mission was first assigned, he never imagined it would be so perilous...

Just after solving the barbarian slave case, only a few days passed, and now he's delivered such a tremendous surprise!

"This kid really made me look good!"

"But one thing at a time—I'll still hold you accountable for taking the blame... though not too hard."

Zhao Hua Palace.

Incense curled gently within the hall.

Behind the lacquered screen, a yellow phoenix robe sat upright, and a languid voice spoke:

"How is the case progressing?"

Yan Peizhi's expression grew solemn below the dais.

He knew the Empress's question carried two meanings: one regarding the Ministry of Revenue corruption case, the other concerning the breeding of barbarian slaves.

"Your Highness, under the joint interrogation of the Three Departments, progress has been very smooth; all three Ministry of Revenue clerks have confessed—the embezzlement of relief funds was their personal act..."

The Empress listened in silence, offering no comment.

Yan Peizhi knew the Empress was waiting for him to continue.

"Regarding the barbarian slave case, according to my knowledge, the Yan Liang brothers have fully confessed their crimes."

"As for whether others are involved, this old minister still needs..."

At that moment, a female official hurried into the hall.

She circled the screen and whispered something into the Empress's ear.

Watching this familiar scene, Yan Peizhi shuddered inwardly, wondering if more bad news was coming...

"Good. Very good."

"You've truly given this Empress a 'surprise'!"

After a moment of silence, the Empress sighed.

Yan Peizhi exhaled in relief.

It must be good news.

"I never expected he could slay the Tenth Heavenly Demon's Righteous Method and rid our Great Yuan of a scourge!"

"To rid the people of evil, his merit towers like mountains—he must be richly rewarded!"

The Empress's voice echoed through the hall.

Yan Peizhi's expression turned stunned.

The Heavenly Demon List recorded over a hundred demon lords.

Many had been captured, and many more slain on the spot.

The list had been updated dozens of times, yet the top ten had remained unchanged for years!

Now someone had slain one of the Top Ten Heavenly Demons?

This was truly a Great Achievement!

"Congratulations, Your Highness! Joy to Your Highness!"

"Our Great Yuan truly boasts heroic spirit and a flood of talent! This is the people's blessing and the nation's fortune!"

"Who is this hero who accomplished such a feat?"

Yan Peizhi said, beaming.

Lately, he had faced nothing but misfortune and felt humbled before the Empress; now that a chance to curry favor had appeared, he would seize it tightly.

Once the Empress revealed the identity, he would steer the conversation toward "Your Highness's golden voice and jade resonance, your sage light illuminating all," affirming that everything was due to her cultivation.

He was certain to please her imperial countenance, making her glow with delight...

In an instant, the entire flattery routine had already played out in Yan Peizhi's mind.

This was the self-cultivation of a seasoned court minister.

"Oddly enough, you know this person—and he has an unbreakable connection to your Yan family."

The Empress spoke calmly.

Hearing this, Yan Peizhi was even more delighted.

Could it be the achievement of some clerk or director from the Ministry of Justice?

It was as if heaven had handed him a pillow just as he dozed off!

"Your Highness, don't keep us in suspense—who is this extraordinary figure?" Yan Peizhi pleaded eagerly.

"Chen Mo," said the Empress.

Yan Peizhi froze. "... Who?"

"Chen Mo—the man who personally arrested your nephew and threw him into the Imperial Prison."

The Empress said coolly: "Both are Captains of the Tianlin Guard. Chen Mo eradicates evil and rescues the people from suffering, while your nephew spends his time breeding barbarian slaves and corrupting the court..."

"Sometimes I can't even tell who the real traitors are."

Boom!

It was as if a bolt of lightning had exploded beside his ears!

Yan Peizhi's knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor in a kneel.