Chapter 438: Going Mad and Seeking Death

The old emperor kicked Jiang Tu several more times, venting his rage.

Finally, he sat wearily on the steps.

Qiu Defu hurried forward, placing a cushion beneath him to ensure warmth, then brought a warm towel at just the right temperature to lay over the old emperor's face.

The old emperor luxuriated in the comfort, his anger significantly abated.

"You good-for-nothing, you'll stay in the Ministry of Public Works. The Ministry of Revenue isn't suited for you. I don't want the whole realm to curse me. This year's been a mess from start to finish; at year's end, we need peace. Go tell Prince Zhong to return home and not enter the palace again for now. I'm tired—let the underlings handle the alchemy."

Qiu Defu received the order and immediately sent messengers to notify Prince Zhong, without delay.

As for Jiang Tu, he remained kneeling on the ground.

You're uneducated and lazy, only knowing how to eat, drink, and amuse yourself, fawning over your superiors and bullying your subordinates. I told you to get along with Chen Guanlou—you clearly didn't listen to a word.

Jiang Tu immediately protested, "Chen Guanlou is simply impossible to approach. I've tried several times, but he refuses to engage. I am incompetent—please, Your Majesty, punish me."

"You just used the wrong methods. Forget it—this task was hard on you. You've never dealt with these nobles before; you don't know how to proceed. I understand."

By the end, the old emperor gritted his teeth.

He clearly despised the united nobles.

Then he said, "The Zhu family has become too insolent—have the Embroidered Uniform Guard keep close watch. Send for Xiao Jincheng; I have orders for him."

To deal with the nobles, you must strike from within their own ranks.

Relying on this uneducated fool Jiang Tu is useless. A waste.

Since that path is blocked, let the Embroidered Uniform Guard act.

"After the New Year comes spring—issue orders: restore the curfew in the capital, strictly investigate lawbreakers, and ensure the upcoming Sacrifice to Heaven proceeds smoothly."

A capital without curfew is prosperous, lively, and free.

Without warning, the curfew was suddenly restored—throughout the capital, even ordinary people began to wonder: had something happened again?

Panic spread instantly.

Chen Guanlou was painting in his study, cultivating his spirit.

The chief steward bowed slightly, attending nearby, reporting: "Jiang Tu went to the Taiji Palace and was scolded by His Majesty for failing his duties—he was beaten as well."

"Jiang Tu is a sycophant. When His Majesty is pleased, he's a favorite; when displeased, he's a punching bag. Nothing strange about it."

"His Majesty's displeasure with Jiang Tu seems tied to the Young Master."

Chen Guanlou laughed aloud, "When he was in the Ministry of Public Works, Jiang Tu repeatedly tried to approach me. Do you think I'd give him the satisfaction?"

"His Majesty is dissatisfied with Jiang Tu and plans to deploy the Embroidered Uniform Guard. What should we do?"

"Cooperate for now—let His Majesty be pleased for a few days. Don't oppose him yet." Chen Guanlou spoke coldly, "Wait. By next spring, everything will become clear."

Jiang Tu, wronged in the Taiji Palace, returned home and summoned his henchmen to beat them senseless, venting his fury.

"Chen Guanlou refused me face—made me lose face before His Majesty. This won't go unpunished. Send a group to the outskirts—keep watch over the Hou Fu's estates. Burn what needs burning, loot what needs looting."

"Master, won't this provoke Hou Fu?"

"Who cares! I have His Majesty backing me. If I do nothing, I'll be beaten again next time I enter the palace. I must do something—something loud, something the whole court will hear—only then might His Majesty's rage subside. Start with Hou Fu's farmland, then their shops. In short: investigate every asset Hou Fu owns outside the capital. Loot them all—no mercy."

"But what if someone dies…"

"I've been waiting for someone to die. Killing a few is perfect! But make it discreet—killing requires method and skill, understood?"

"If we're killing, better to kill Chen clan members than farmhands."

"Good! Excellent! Kill Chen clan members. Find several martial experts—kill them brutally. I want to see how long Chen Guanlou can keep acting arrogant."

"I'll go at once."

These scum loved and excelled at nothing more than arson, murder, and plunder.

They'd been restrained before.

Now, with Jiang Tu's order, they were ordered to burn, kill, and loot—it was pure bliss.

First to suffer was Hou Fu's estate on the outskirts of the capital: a top-tier estate, mostly paddy fields, yielding substantial harvests annually, with a reliable water source—especially vital.

That night, masked men threw torches into the estate.

The farmhands awoke to flames too fierce to extinguish—only escape was possible.

By dawn, the estate was burned to ashes, and several were dead. Survivors were covered in soot, trembling with terror. This was an open, unhidden act of murder.

Someone was challenging Hou Fu's authority.

News reached Hou Fu—the chief steward flew into rage. He dispatched men to the estate to manage aftermath and investigate, then reported directly to Chen Guanlou.

Chen Guanlou: …

After a moment's silence, he ordered: "Send men to watch Jiang Tu's residence."

"So the Young Master believes Jiang Tu did this."

"Who else in the capital would dare challenge Hou Fu? He's His Majesty's mad dog. When His Majesty goes mad, if this dog doesn't go mad too, he dies. Take my token, mobilize troops, guard all other estates. Kill any suspicious individuals on sight! Cut off ten or eight of Jiang Tu's named henchmen and toss their heads onto his bed—let him learn some respect. A street thug, rich for only a few days, dares challenge Hou Fu? He's lost all sense of scale."

Chen Guanlou's tone was calm, yet every word dripped with slaughter and blood.

"Notify other households: I am launching a purge against Jiang Tu. Ask if they'll join. If they refuse, don't blame me when I turn on them."

The chief steward opened his mouth, then closed it, bowing low: "Yes."

To outsiders, Hou Fu appeared only as wealth.

They never knew that Hou Fu's century-long prosperity stemmed from its hidden power—a force not to be ignored.

When that force moved, the entire capital felt a chilling aura of death.

"Jiang Tu is bold and ignorant—purely seeking death."

"Even His Majesty dares not lightly touch the nobles. Jiang Tu has the audacity to… rush headlong into death."

"Jiang Tu should die."

"Jiang Tu won't die—Chen Guanlou will spare him."

"Jiang Tu may live, but everyone around him won't."

"Has Jiang Tu gone mad?"

Jiang Tu had not gone mad!

He was more composed than ever.

Precisely because he was calm, he chose to go mad. Between death and madness, he chose madness—because His Majesty demanded it. If he didn't go mad, His Majesty would.

When he lifted the curtain and saw the neatly arranged heads on the bed, his eyelid twitched—just one step away from true madness.