Chapter 681: Became the Founding Sovereign of the New Dynasty, Supreme Ruler of the Three Realms

Keep in mind that Hua Xiren, though a maid of the Jia household, as one of the Twelve Golden Hairpins listed in the Jinling Register, was inherently a being of noble origin.

Even if her body perished and only a wisp of her soul remained, she would not, like ordinary mortals, descend to the Underworld, endure its rituals, and drink the Meng Po Soup to re-enter the Six Realms of Rebirth.

Instead, upon death, she would return to her rightful station, as a celestial deity whose karmic cycle had been fulfilled.

The Twelve Golden Hairpins—those in the Main Register, the Secondary Register, and the Tertiary Register—were all beings of the Illusory Realm of Grand Void before descending into mortal form.

After Luo Fu appeared suddenly in the heavens, he had already clashed with the Immortal of Illusion, and even nearly shattered the Illusory Realm of Grand Void entirely. Now, the Illusory Realm of Grand Void had formally fallen into Luo Fu’s hands.

Put simply, after Hua Xiren’s death, her soul now rested in Luo Fu’s possession.

Earlier, Luo Fu had been too preoccupied with resolving his own burdens to pay attention.

But now, upon discovering that among the maids presented by the Jia household, Hua Xiren had been replaced by Qingwen through deception, Luo Fu nearly laughed in fury.

Does the Jia household truly have no brains at all?

At this very point, they still dare play such petty tricks on him.

Know this: times are no longer what they were. The Luo Fu of today is no longer a regional warlord holding only half a kingdom.

He has already destroyed the previous dynasty; all that remains is to hold a coronation ceremony to complete his ascension as the founding sovereign of the new dynasty.

Under these circumstances, deceiving Luo Fu through impersonation—strictly speaking—is high treason.

With the Jia household’s status as former nobility of the fallen dynasty, plus the crime of treason, even without the prior offense of their servants nearly driving Luo Fu’s family to ruin, it would be enough to warrant the complete extermination of the entire Jia clan.

Throughout history, new dynasties have always enforced their laws with extreme severity.

Even during the reign of the Founding Emperor, the legal system often gave the impression of draconian harshness.

Only during the reign of the Second Emperor did this begin to change.

In a sense, this was a kind of alternative expression of “the ancestor merits merit, the descendant merits virtue.”

To deceive Luo Fu, the founding emperor of this new dynasty, the Jia household has clearly grown weary of life.

Since being appointed Chief Eunuch by Luo Fu’s own decree from the Jinling Royal Palace, he had remained ever at Luo Fu’s side—from Jinling Royal Palace to the Imperial Palace in Jingcheng.

Though young in age, his rise above the vast ranks of eunuchs alone proved his exceptional capability.

Almost instantly, the Chief Eunuch sensed the unusual shift in Luo Fu’s demeanor.

As a man of humble origins from Jinling, the Chief Eunuch had no ties whatsoever to the former dynasty’s nobility, and thus had no reason to speak for the Jia household or anger his master.

When Luo Fu first learned the Jia household had sent dozens of palace ladies, he immediately summoned them for audience; the Chief Eunuch naturally would not spoil Luo Fu’s mood at that moment.

But now that he had sensed Luo Fu’s change in attitude, he must serve his master well.

“Your Majesty,” the Chief Eunuch said, his dust whisk pressed tightly against his side as he bowed low, “I have received a denunciation from Niu Jizong, the former State Protector. The women the Jia household sent into the palace are suspected of impersonation, substitution, and deceiving the throne.”

After a brief pause, he cautiously observed Luo Fu’s reaction before continuing: “Upon investigation, I found that the maid named Hua Xiren, sent by the Jia household, had hanged herself several days ago. The Jia household substituted her with another maid named Qingwen.”

Luo Fu nodded slightly, glancing at the group of maids, now pale as death, trembling so violently they could barely stand.

“Are Itachi Qingwen?”

Her body went limp. In the Jia household, Qingwen had always been sharp-tongued and haughty, but now she was as boneless as a jellyfish, prostrate on the floor, crawling forward as if her limbs had melted, begging instinctively: “Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!”

In the Rongguo Mansion, no matter how sharp-tongued or arrogant Qingwen had been, she had always had backing.

When she first entered the Rongguo Mansion, her patron was the head steward of the Ning and Rong mansions, the Lai family.

Within the Jia household’s peculiar microcosm, Qingwen was, in a sense, second-generation—though a second-generation servant. The Jia household itself was bizarre: servants were not servants, masters were not masters.

Even the legitimate Jia heirs were expected to address Lai Da and Lai Er as “Grandfather.”

With such backing, Qingwen, except when before Jia Mu, was always confident and domineering toward others.

After being assigned to Jia Baoyu’s quarters, with Jia Baoyu—a man fond of beauty and pleasure—she, being exceptionally beautiful, was showered with sweet words and lived nearly as a lady.

But now, brought into the palace, she faced Luo Fu, against whom all her former confidence meant nothing.

In the Jia household, acting out her temper, as long as she didn’t offend Jia Mu, she would face little punishment, thanks to the Lai family’s protection; after being placed in Jia Baoyu’s quarters, she became practically a half-mistress.

But now she faced Luo Fu.

The Lai family, the Jia household—before this new dynasty’s founding emperor—were nothing but ants, to be crushed with a single thought.

Especially during the northern-southern standoff, when Luo Fu controlled half the southern lands, the rumors about him in Jingcheng were utterly terrifying. No demon or monster in the city’s tales was as fearsome as Luo Fu.

Before being sent to the palace, Qingwen had considered resisting—but the Jia and Lai families would never allow a mere maid to defy them.

Sent into the palace under Hua Xiren’s name, Qingwen lived in constant dread that this terrifying founding emperor would uncover her deception and punish her with unspeakable horror.

For days, Luo Fu had not summoned them. This did not bring her relief—it only deepened her anxiety, as if a sword of Damocles hung above her, its fall unpredictable.

Days of psychological torment had left Qingwen unable to speak normally before Luo Fu.

Luo Fu’s lips twitched; he clearly saw Qingwen’s terror.

But in Luo Fu’s eyes, Qingwen was more like a spoiled favorite, utterly unaware of her true station.

This state of utter panic would better teach her her place.

The inner palace was never a kind place; it was not an exaggeration to call it a flesh-eating abyss.

Had Luo Fu awakened his past memories soon after his reincarnation,

he might have held onto his former impressions of the Golden Hairpins. But who could forget that the Luo Fu of now had awakened his memories only after being driven to ruin by the Jia household’s servants?

Having endured feudal oppression, having tasted suffering worse than death—even now, as the new dynasty’s founding sovereign, the supreme ruler of the Three Realms—

Luo Fu could never again reclaim his former sentiment toward the Golden Hairpins.

Take Qingwen before him: had he retained his past impressions, he would likely have soothed her gently, at least spared her pride.

But now, in Luo Fu’s view, enduring such psychological torment was, ironically, good for her.

The Luo Fu of today desired the Golden Hairpins no more than a collector desires stamps: whether the stamp is sweet or not matters little—only that it quenches thirst.

Only after Qingwen was drenched in sweat did Luo Fu finally speak: “Rise. I assume a mere maid like Itachi lacks the audacity to deceive the throne. This must have been orchestrated by the Ning and Rong mansions of the former dynasty.”

Qingwen, having narrowly escaped death, was mentally blank, unable to even hear what Luo Fu said next.

Luo Fu did not mind. After all, these maids were nothing more than playthings brought into the palace.

These maids, utterly at his mercy, were not worth his time or anger.

He glanced at the Chief Eunuch beside him. Since selecting this man, Luo Fu had been satisfied with his perceptiveness—he almost always guessed Luo Fu’s thoughts correctly.

To other emperors, having ministers read their minds might be an act of disrespect.

But to Luo Fu, it meant nothing. He was not merely an earthly emperor—he was also the Heavenly Emperor of the Celestial Realm, the Supreme Lord of the Underworld, and the Emperor of the Human Realm, all three titles united in him.

With absolute power, in Luo Fu’s eyes, a subordinate who could guess eighty percent of his intentions was a valuable asset—and if he performed well, Luo Fu would not hesitate to grant him a divine boon.

“Go and issue the decree: the former Ning and Rong mansions have deceived the throne. All male members shall be imprisoned, held until after the coronation, to be tried jointly by the Three Judicial Offices.”

The Chief Eunuch hastily accepted the decree, yet did not leave immediately.

After all, Luo Fu had only spoken of the men’s fate—the Ning and Rong mansions still had a vast number of female relatives.

Especially since the Chief Eunuch had sensed, faintly, that Luo Fu held some hidden obsession with the women of the Ning and Rong mansions—making him even more cautious.

Seeing the Chief Eunuch hesitate, Luo Fu gave him a long, meaningful look.

In an instant, as if they shared a single mind, he understood.

The Chief Eunuch’s face broke into a wide smile: “Your Majesty, I shall personally deliver the decree to the former Ning and Rong mansions.”

Luo Fu nodded slightly, satisfied. “Go. I trust Itachi will not disappoint me.”

Outside the palace gates, the Chief Eunuch instinctively turned back to gaze at the towering palace walls.

He knew well that now it was his turn to take the blame—but to shoulder blame for a new dynasty’s founding emperor was, in a way, the truest sign of acceptance. From now on, no other eunuch in the palace would ever challenge his position.

The former imperial Rongguo Mansion.

Within Rongxi Hall.

As Jia Mu and the others, smug and self-satisfied, believed that presenting several beautiful maids to Luo Fu would conceal the Jia household’s crime of harboring Hua Xiren—

A young servant dashed frantically toward Rongxi Hall, tripped on the threshold, and tumbled headlong into the room.

“Impudent!” Jia Mu roared at this disgraceful display.

“Grandmother, disaster! Disaster! The mansion is surrounded by soldiers—and a eunuch has arrived to deliver an imperial decree!”

Jia Mu’s heart sank; her face drained of color.

“Quickly, summon Jing, She, and Zheng!”

As her words ended, the servant did not move. She panicked: “Why are Itachi still standing there?”

“What grand authority Itachi wield, Grandmother Jia.”

The next moment, the beaded curtain at the door was swept aside on both sides.

A youthful eunuch, clad in lavish robes, stepped into Rongxi Hall with his hands clasped behind his back, calm and unshaken.

“Itachi—”

At the sight of the eunuch’s attire, Jia Mu’s fury vanished instantly, replaced by unprecedented terror.

What’s happening? Is Prince Zhao about to strike the Jia household?

Prince Zhao’s harem, from his consort down to the maids, was deeply entwined with the Jia family. Even three of the Jia daughters had been sent to Prince Zhao’s harem. Why, then, was he striking now—with no warning at all?

The young eunuch smiled faintly at Jia Mu. “It seems Grandmother Jia understands why I have come.”

“I… I must see Princess Zhao! I must see Princess Zhao! The Jia household are loyal subjects of the new dynasty!”

“Enough,” the young eunuch sneered. “The Jia household has deceived the throne. Do Itachi truly believe His Majesty knows nothing?”

As he spoke Luo Fu’s name, the eunuch bowed respectfully toward the imperial palace.

“Itachi Jia household substituted a common maid for Hua Xiren through deception. This is treason. His Majesty’s decree: all male members of the former Ning and Rong mansions are to be imprisoned, held until after the coronation, to be judged jointly by the Three Judicial Offices. The female relatives are to be transferred to the Yetinggong to atone for their crimes.”

The Yetinggong was merely a euphemism; in truth, it was akin to the Jin Dynasty’s washing courtesan compound—except that, unlike the public facility of the Jin, the Yetinggong belonged solely to the palace’s master: Luo Fu.

In a sense, being sent to the Yetinggong after a family’s confiscation was almost a favorable fate.

After all, the Yetinggong lay within the palace grounds; if fortune favored her, a woman might catch Luo Fu’s eye and rise again.

Indeed, the Yetinggong was already an act of mercy—far kinder than the Music and Dance Bureau.

“Unfair!” Jia Mu instantly cast blame outward.

Are Itachi kidding? The new dynasty had barely been established when they were accused of deceiving the emperor—this was practically a death sentence aimed at confiscating their property and exterminating their clan.

Especially since the Jia family were former ministers of the previous dynasty; even if they were kin to Lin Ruhai, the founding emperor’s authority was absolute—no one, not even his original allies, could make him change his mind.

Not to mention Luo Fu’s situation was so extraordinary.

(End of chapter)