Chapter 376: I Am Righteousness Itself

Chen Guo, Wan Yi, Imperial Palace.

The newly appointed Grand Eunuch Jia Bao approached behind Emperor Gan'an with trembling steps, forcing his voice into a carefully modulated tone—neither too high nor too low—before speaking slowly.

"Your Majesty, the two envoys dispatched last night with the Jing Army have gone missing. Given past patterns, they are likely dead."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Gan'an clenched his fingers violently and hurled the teacup in his hand straight at Grand Eunuch Jia Bao's face.

"Worthless!"

The latter let the scalding tea pour over his face, tea leaves still clinging to his nose, yet dared not wipe them away—only fell to his knees with a thud, begging Emperor Gan'an for forgiveness over and over.

After several breaths, Emperor Gan'an, tired of the incessant pleas, waved his hand impatiently.

The man retreated as if granted amnesty.

Only after exiting the grand hall did the newly appointed Grand Eunuch Jia Bao dare to wipe the tea leaves from his nose—his back was already soaked through.

After two consecutive Grand Eunuchs of the Inner Court died, Emperor Gan'an picked him from among the eunuchs—the least among the weak—and appointed this seventh-rank, first-layer eunuch as the new Grand Eunuch.

Yet he was likely the most oppressed, most fearful, and most powerless Grand Eunuch in Chen Guo's history.

Emperor Gan'an grew increasingly moody and harder to please.

And orders came one after another.

Worse still, the National Academy's stance grew ever more rigid.

Previously, only high-ranking eunuchs were questioned about their whereabouts; ordinary eunuchs moving within Chen Guo were generally ignored.

But now, every eunuch leaving the palace gates was interrogated.

And the emperor's assignments in this regard kept multiplying—he was now a rat caught in a bellows, suffering from both sides!

"Ah, when will this torment ever end?"

Jia Bao sighed inwardly, shook his head, and walked toward the duty room.

There was no choice—he still had to serve. After all, such was his fate.

He had climbed so hard to reach this position; he could not let it end like this.

The goal of an eunuch was to ascend to this post, then dominate the palace, becoming the old patriarch.

But now—

With the Grand Eunuch's exit, Emperor Gan'an finally unleashed his fury.

His fingers trembled with rage!

How many times already?

The State Master was growing ever more insolent!

Since the Yangjiang County blood sacrifice incident, the State Master's restrictions on the palace—or rather, on him, the emperor—had grown ever harsher.

Previously, it had merely been normal political maneuvering.

Later, it became political suppression.

But now, it was no longer suppression—it was control!

In just three months, the situation had collapsed to this.

His imperial edicts, especially those involving envoys, could not even leave Wan Yi City!

Over the past month, he had tried every method imaginable.

He sent eunuchs out during their leave, disguised them, even yesterday sent an envoy bearing his sacred decree disguised as the lowest-grade Jing Army—and they were still discovered.

In just one month, over forty eunuchs had been slain by the State Master.

And it wasn't just eunuchs.

But court ministers too!

As emperor, he naturally had no shortage of ministers willing to serve him.

Yet over the past one or two months, those who served him had their legs broken, suffered grave injuries, fallen into comas—and their families faced relentless attacks from all sides.

A few diehard loyalists had died under mysterious circumstances.

Now, the court ministers understood.

Even those willing to serve dared not do so anymore.

Thus, Emperor Gan'an was sealed inside the palace—his decrees could not leave Wan Yi.

Of course, it wasn't quite that extreme.

Normal administrative orders were still fine.

But anyone assigned special missions involving diplomacy or external affairs met a terrible end!

This filled Emperor Gan'an with profound dread.

The State Master's actions had stripped him of all sense of security.

This made his recent actions increasingly frequent.

But the more he acted, the heavier the control and suppression became.

Emperor Gan'an grew ever more anxious!

"I've had enough! I've had enough!"

Suddenly, Emperor Gan'an roared in fury, "Old Patron, come out!"

At his roar, the rarely seen eighth-rank Old Patron, hunched and silent, appeared from the shadows of the hall, bowing slightly, "Your Majesty, your humble servant is here."

"Old Patron, go—I command you—assassinate!"

"Ambush!"

"Use any method you must!"

"Within three days, kill Cheng Yuexiao for me!"

"I've had enough!"

"Enough!" Emperor Gan'an bellowed.

Yet even as Emperor Gan'an flew into a rage, the eighth-rank Old Patron stood motionless.

Emperor Gan'an, enraged, lunged forward and kicked him, "What? Even you dare defy my command!"

"Even you dare oppress me?!"

The eighth-rank Old Patron took the kick without flinching, bowing again, "Your Majesty, ancestral law forbids your servant from striking any who bear the Nine Sheng Bells, unless your life is in peril."

"And—"

"And what?" Emperor Gan'an glared.

"Your Majesty, the State Master fought the Master of Xumi Palace over a month ago. I observed his power has greatly increased. Previously, I could barely match him.

Now, I am no longer his equal.

Even if I attempted assassination, success would be impossible."

Hearing this, Emperor Gan'an clenched his fists in fury, pacing back and forth, "Rebellious traitor!"

"Rebellious traitor!"

"Can such a rebellious traitor not be dealt with?!"

"Old Patron, if I issue an imperial decree to forcibly reclaim the Nine Sheng Bells, do you have any chance?" Emperor Gan'an asked again.

"Your Majesty, when the State Master fought the Master of Xumi Palace, he did not use the Nine Sheng Bells."

At this, Emperor Gan'an was speechless with rage.

Seeing the emperor's explosive fury, the hunched Old Patron slowly stepped forward and bowed again, "Your Majesty, I have one word—"

He spoke only half, when Emperor Gan'an suddenly turned, glaring at him with wild, furious eyes.

The words died on his lips. The Old Patron sighed, swallowed his counsel—that Cheng Yuexiao was no traitor—and slowly shook his head, retreating.

"Ancestral law stands above all—I obey only ancestral law!"

"Ancestral law! Ancestral law!"

"Before there was ancestral law, did the founding emperor do nothing?!" Emperor Gan'an was now babbling.

The Old Patron could only slip silently aside, waiting quietly for the emperor to calm down.

Emperor Gan'an gradually calmed.

But his eyes, now calm, burned with madness.

"Old Patron, I cannot wait!"

"I cannot sit here and die!"

"I will execute the plan I previously devised!"

"The current world's situation—especially the urgent need of Xumi Palace and Mu Ling Palace to integrate into this world—is precisely the moment they crave territory. Now is the time to ally with them, to gain maximum gains at minimal cost. Once this window closes, it will never reopen!"

"I cannot wait!" Emperor Gan'an muttered, as if speaking to himself—or to someone else.

"Your Majesty, reconsider," the Old Patron bowed again, softly.

"No, I have decided!"

"I have rehearsed this plan dozens, even hundreds of times!"

"If executed properly, it is foolproof!" As he spoke, Emperor Gan'an fixed his gaze on the Old Patron.

In the entire palace, the only person Emperor Gan'an could trust—and discuss with—was this Old Patron.

Others—he could not trust, nor even grant the right to speak.

Yet the Old Patron said nothing more, bowing again, "Your Majesty, this concerns Chen Guo's fate. Please reconsider."

"I will invite the Master of Xumi Palace to establish Xumi as the state religion of Chen Guo."

"Your Majesty, the Master of Xumi Palace cannot defeat the State Master! Even if installed as state religion, it will bring chaos and strife!"

"I cannot allow this rebellious traitor to continue! If I do, I will one day be trampled underfoot by him—deposed by him!"

As he spoke, Emperor Qian'an suddenly strode forward several steps and reached Old Retainer's side. "Old Retainer, will you be able to act when the time comes?"

"Your Majesty, ancestral decree!"

"Ancestral decree, ancestral decree—can't you speak beyond the ancestral decree?"

"Your Majesty, the Xumi Palace cannot confront the State Master! Moreover, Grand Marshal Pei is closely allied with the State Master," said the Old Retainer.

"Old Retainer, that's exactly what I'm asking! I don't want you to confront the State Master—I want you to hold back Grand Marshal Pei so the State Master is left isolated and unsupported. Can you do it?" Emperor Qian'an demanded sharply.

"Your Majesty, the Xumi Palace cannot confront the State Master."

"Old Retainer, just tell me—can you do it or not? The State Master's issue will be handled by the Master of the Xumi Palace," Emperor Qian'an urged.

"Well… I have no problem holding back Grand Marshal Pei."

"But Your Majesty, there is something I must say," the Old Retainer said solemnly.

Seeing the Old Retainer agree to this, Emperor Qian'an's expression brightened immediately, and he hurriedly asked:

The Old Retainer quickly added, "Your Majesty, have you considered that even if the Master of the Xumi Palace succeeds, even if the Xumi Palace is installed as the new state religion and state master of Da Chen—"

"Won't you fear that the Xumi Palace might become a second State Master?"

"Even worse—might it prove more extreme and harder to control than the State Master himself?"

"Your Majesty, to be fair, although State Master Cheng has recently overstepped boundaries, he has always been loyal to the state. His recent transgressions stem from the Yangjiang incident and the death of the prodigy Xu Jin."

"In my view, the State Master still acts solely for the good of Da Chen."

"But the Master of the Xumi Palace is entirely different!"

"Your Majesty, please think carefully!" said the Old Retainer.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qian'an nodded with a smile—clearly, the Old Retainer was the one who truly had his interests at heart.

"Old Retainer, your concerns are not lost on me."

"Old Retainer, I currently stand at the peak of the sixth realm, ninth layer, and with numerous star artifacts and the Imperial Seal of Da Chen, I possess the combat power of a seventh realm, ninth layer peak, correct?" Emperor Qian'an asked.

"On paper, yes—but in actual combat, it's uncertain."

"Old Retainer, you underestimate me! Though I haven't plucked a Golden Star, after years of training in the Star-Picking Realm, I've continuously sharpened my combat skills!"

"I believe my current combat power can certainly match a seventh realm, ninth layer peak."

"Even when Grand Eunuch Chu was alive, he was no match for me," Emperor Qian'an declared confidently.

"That's plausible."

Seeing Emperor Qian'an so confident, the Old Retainer dared not press further.

To press further would be to shame the emperor.

"Then tell me, Old Retainer—if my cultivation breaks through to the seventh realm, will I be able to fight an eighth realm?" Emperor Qian'an asked.

"Theoretically, yes."

"But combat between seventh and eighth realms cannot be judged by ordinary standards."

"Still, if Your Majesty breaks through to the seventh realm, with the Imperial Seal and your array of star artifacts, achieving eighth realm combat power is possible," said the Old Retainer.

"That's precisely what I've been considering!"

"Old Retainer, once I break through to the seventh realm, and given me just a little more time, I will possess the strength to confront an eighth realm."

"At that point, how could the Xumi Palace ever tower over me?"

"I will have the power to stand against them!"

"Old Retainer, what do you think?" Emperor Qian'an asked eagerly.

"It's possible—but this matter is of immense gravity. I beg Your Majesty to think carefully!"

"I can't wait any longer!"

Emperor Qian'an shook his head. "This opportunity is once in a millennium! Moreover, I fear the Xumi Palace will become too dominant—so I intend to introduce another faction and vigorously support the State Academy."

"Let the three powers contend."

"I will stand at the center, maintaining balance—and Da Chen's strength will flourish!"

"And I shall restore the glory of the Da Chen Emperor!"

The Old Retainer watched the ecstatic Emperor, wishing to dissuade him—but he now understood that the Emperor would listen to no counsel. He could only offer advice from another angle.

"Your Majesty's plan concerns the very fate of Da Chen. I am too dull to help you foresee every flaw, but I beg you to deliberate deeply and simulate every possible outcome."

"If any sign of danger arises, Your Majesty must not stubbornly press forward!"

"I understand, Old Retainer—rest assured, I've planned and simulated this for months!"

"Now, if you agree to act, one major obstacle is removed."

"Then, once the final key issue is resolved—"

"The grand scheme will be accomplished!" Emperor Qian'an exclaimed excitedly.

"Then I shall take my leave."

"Go, Old Retainer."

Emperor Qian'an waved his hand, and the Old Retainer vanished silently. Soon after, a sigh of helplessness echoed from a dark, silent chamber.

He thought of the Emperor's words, of his possible plans.

Though the Old Retainer saw a chance of success, he also saw great uncertainty.

"If all else fails, I'll have no choice but to follow the first ancestral decree," the Old Retainer sighed.

Inside the hall, Emperor Qian'an immediately contacted the Master of the Xumi Palace, using a starlight projection to speak face-to-face.

Though he couldn't send an envoy, starlight communication could not be barred by the State Master.

"Your Majesty!" The Master of the Xumi Palace's starlight projection appeared in the hall, now sporting a short beard.

"Master Luo, have you given thought to what we discussed last time?"

"Your Majesty, this matter is not difficult. I can arrange allies to resolve your problems!"

"But the present world's factions have been entangled for so long; if the Xumi Palace enters now and acts boldly, we risk being besieged by all sides!"

"Your Majesty, if you wish me to act, you must grant me a righteous cause!" said Master Luo Xian of the Xumi Palace.

"Master Luo!"

"In the present world, in Da Chen—I am righteousness itself!"

"My word is righteousness!"

"Whatever you require, I can give you!"

"I swear this by the power of the Imperial Seal, invoking a divine oath," Emperor Qian'an declared.

At these words, Master Luo Xian smiled. "Then all is perfect! When will Your Majesty act? I must begin preparations."

"Wait one month. One final critical matter must be resolved—that will be the moment to strike!"

"Then I shall await Your Majesty's good news," said the Master of the Xumi Palace, bowing.

(End of Chapter)