Chapter 535: The Emperor Seems to Have Gone Mad

I have received the great mandate, I govern all lands, I promote the ultimate order, I entrust the needed talents; I consult you……

Appointed as Nan Jun Jinglue Shi, overseeing all military and civil affairs of Nan Jun Circuit, pacifying the barbarians, and guarding the borders; acting as Prefect of Hezhou, also managing prefectural administration, encouraging agriculture and sericulture, clarifying official conduct; appointed as Nan Jun Military Governor, commanding the troops, supervising military affairs, bestowing the ceremonial axe and shield, granting exclusive authority over conquest and punishment.

Chen Wuji finished reading this imperial edict, and his whole body went numb.

The Emperor…… really seems to have gone mad.

He couldn't believe it, flipping the imperial edict back and forth and reading it again, then handed it to Qin Zhanhong, saying, 'Help me verify, is this real or fake? It's already outrageous to be granted such an office, but how did they even add the position of Military Governor?'

The position of Military Governor was also abolished by the current court to prevent military officers from growing too powerful.

Compared to the overturning of prefectures, replacing inspectors with strategists is a divine operation that people criticize, yet abolishing the Military Governor post earned universal praise from court and countryside, especially the upright civil officials; when this edict came out, these people truly celebrated.

The Emperor, which string won't he let go of? Suddenly he brought this out!

This is too scary.

Qin Zhanhong also fell silent after reading it, saying, 'Husband, the edict is genuine, no doubt. But the Emperor's doing this really leaves people baffled; it looks like he's ready to throw in the towel.'

Perhaps… His Majesty the Emperor was pushed too hard by the power brokers, truly intending to ignore others and the fate of the realm, starting to act willfully.

There's also another letter; why don't you look at it first, husband? Maybe the answer is inside.

Chen Wuji broke open the lacquer-sealed letter tube and shook out a bamboo slip.

He opened it, glanced at it once, and the few characters at the heading frightened him into a shudder.

'Wuji, my brother, seeing the letter is like seeing you…… This Emperor really has gone mad; could he have written this letter?' Chen Wuji didn't know what words to use to express his feelings at that moment.

Just…… very crazy.

This level of madness is like Cao the boss giving Liu Bei a lift on his pants, then casually asking, 'Have you been tired from fighting me lately? Want me to send you some troops?'

Chen Wuji wouldn't even dare dream of such a plot in his sleep.

The Dayu Dynasty hasn't fallen yet; the world is still very stable, only the Lingnan Six Commanderies are in chaos.

They are the Lingnan Six Commanderies, blocked off by Shenxian Ling and long regarded by the Dayu Dynasty as a frontier exile.

It's not the Central Plains; there's no need to do this, right?

Qin Zhanhong's expression also looked a bit dazed.

This usually icy-beautiful maiden, like a snow maiden of the ice mountain, now shocked into a cute, foolish expression, looking like a lovable fox knocked silly by a stick.

Chen Wuji continued reading.

His Majesty the Emperor's following words were actually quite measured: he said that today, regardless of ruler and subject status, they would interact as ordinary commoners; he also said his life had been somewhat hard, but for a great loyal minister like Chen Wuji, this ruler would certainly not shortchange him, and so on.

Afterward, he again brought up the paper business.

Using a bunch of terms Chen Wuji could barely read, he lavishly praised the immense value of paper, then promised to do this business with Chen Wuji, saying that gold and silver were already on their way, and told Chen Wuji to prepare to receive them when the time came.

At the end of the letter, His Majesty the Emperor deliberately mentioned one matter.

He said that recently a batch of convicts in the heavenly prison would be exiled to Hezhou, all high officials who had committed crimes, asking Chen Wuji to pay special attention to them; if they could be used, just use them, he wouldn't mind, but they could only join Chen Wuji's retinue, not hold office.

After reading the whole letter, Chen Wuji felt only one thing—dazed!

Damn, it's so dazed.

Is this really a letter written by His Majesty the Emperor?

How can he be so unbelieving!

First, he's easy to talk to, and everything has a resolution.

Second, his attitude is too good to be believed.

He is the Emperor, not a Wealth Child; how could he be without pretension compared to Yang Yu, that Triple Prefectural Pacification Commissioner?

'I haven't found the answer; instead, it's made me even more confused!' Chen Wuji passed the letter to Qin Zhanhong, curled up in his chair, drank a few sips of tea, and steadied his mind.

'You previously said the current Holy One is a talented emperor with grand ambitions?' Chen Wuji asked.

Qin Zhanhong nodded, 'At least in my view, that's the case. Moreover, this isn't just my opinion; many in the capital say the same.'

'An emperor with grand ambitions, yet he actively abolished the ancestral system, pushing me to the position of the first Military Governor since the founding of the Dayu Dynasty, also holding the posts of Nan Jun Jinglue Shi and Prefect of Hezhou, concentrating all military and civil authority in my hands—this kindness and generosity is truly exhaustive.' Chen Wuji said thoughtfully, muttering.

'He also agreed to the paper business, even deliberately mentioning the exiled convicts from the heavenly prison. What does this mean? Even the lowest-ranking inmates in the heavenly prison must be third-rank officials, right?'

'How I hear His Majesty the Emperor's meaning, is he still wanting to send me talent, or let me use whoever is usable without objection—this is clearly pointing at me.'

'What exactly does he want to do?'

Qin Zhanhong finished reading the letter, then also fell silent.

After a long while, she then said, 'Husband, no matter how you say it, this is definitely a good thing now; perhaps we can regard it as His Majesty the Emperor wanting to cooperate with you.'

'Have all the civil and military officials of the court died? He wants to cooperate with me?' Chen Wuji shook his head, 'But based on what he's currently showing, it really does seem like that.'

'But I really don't understand, what could he gain from cooperating with me?'

'Perhaps…' Qin Zhanhong racked her brains and then said, 'Perhaps His Majesty values your potential, husband. You rose from obscurity, yet in just half a year you command tens of thousands of troops and steadily hold Hezhou; perhaps that's what His Majesty sees.'

'After all, your previous position as Brigade Commander was still appointed by His Majesty; perhaps His Majesty has always kept you in mind, monitoring your movements.'

Chen Wuji, thoughtful, gave a slight nod, 'I know this; he has indeed been paying attention all along.'

'What I can't figure out is this: placing me in the vast territory of the Dayu Dynasty, I'm utterly insignificant; there are certainly many like me in the world, so why would he pay attention to me?'

Based on what Zhang Xiuer briefly revealed, Chen Wuji had already determined that the mastermind behind the Peach Blossom Garden is not the Emperor himself, but some major figure within the palace walls.

This question also left Qin Zhanhong stumped.

She thought for a long time, but still couldn't come up with a similar answer, so she simply gave up.

'Husband, why waste time overthinking? For now, if it's good, that's enough; when the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road; when the boat reaches the front, it will go straight.' Qin Zhanhong jumped off the desk, swinging her arms, saying, 'Perhaps after some time, these problems that have us agonizing without resolution will be readily solved.'

Chen Wuji shook his head.

Before, he indeed had this temperament, leaving unsolvable problems to time.

But now he can't do that.

He must take responsibility for those who follow him, for the people of Hezhou, and cannot leave everything to chance.