novelburst
Chapter 538 - 398: Complete Victory
Chapter 538 - 398: Complete Victory
Chapter 538: Chapter 398: Complete Victory
“You sure hold a grudge!”
The Orthodox Emperor chided Zhou Yi with a diminishing rage and then asked.
“Is the ballad from the Capital true? Eunuch Zhu is a veteran of two dynasties; if you dare to slander him, it’s a grave offense!”
“Your Majesty, this servant would never speak untruthfully.”
Zhou Yi hurriedly responded, “That Eunuch Zhu has been selling medicine all over the palace since the previous emperor’s time, and that would be tolerable for ordinary Face-changing Cream. But I heard there’s also Red Flower Pills and Favored Pills and such.”
“One sells for hundreds of Silver Taels, and they’re in high demand. Over the decades, he must have accumulated hundreds of thousands!”
...
“Hmph!”
Hearing about the latter two medicines, the Orthodox Emperor harbored a deadly intent towards Eunuch Zhu. This lowly eunuch dared to affect the prosperity of the Imperial Clan, he said sternly.
“I will entrust this matter to you to thoroughly investigate Eunuch Zhu’s ill-gotten Silver!”
Zhou Yi’s face showed joy as he kowtowed, “This servant obeys the edict.”
The Orthodox Emperor somberly said, “Rumors outside claim Eunuch Zhu embezzled a million Silver Taels. If the amount turns out to be less, I will hold you responsible for false accusations…”
Zhou Yi’s thoughts raced; he didn’t understand why the Orthodox Emperor would give such an order, seemingly aiming to clean out the imperial censors completely.
Your Majesty, could it be you are also short of money?
“This servant will investigate thoroughly, eradicate the corruption, and restore the integrity of the imperial censors!”
The Orthodox Emperor nodded slightly, quite satisfied with Zhou Yi.
Without any background, he could only be loyal to himself; secondly, he was capable of handling matters, quickly contributing millions to the internal treasury; and thirdly, he was powerful, possibly becoming a Grandmaster in the future to protect the palace’s safety!
“Dismissed. Handle this matter well, and I will not mistreat a loyal official.”
“Long live Your Majesty…”
Zhou Yi kowtowed to take his leave, stepped out of the Qianqing Palace, and sighed with relief.
His back was cold with sweat; with the emperor’s unpredictable moods, even a high chance of success might lead to failure.
“This approach is somewhat risky. But if I don’t act, I’m just waiting for Eunuch Zhu to set traps, which is even more dangerous. It’s better to strike first!”
Zhou Yi pondered carefully; at this point, Eunuch Zhu was practically given a death sentence.
Victory was in hand!
Passing the palace gates, Zhou Yi called the young eunuch Xiao Qu to the side, inquiring which court officials had visited the Qianqing Palace in the last few days.
“Responding to godfather.”
Xiao Qu, quick-witted and with a good memory, listed them, “Yesterday, His Majesty summoned several officials from the Ministry of Revenue in succession, inquiring about the quantities of Gold, Silver, and provisions in the treasury. Today, military officials were assembled, seemingly to discuss selection for military formations!”
“The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War!”
Zhou Yi’s gaze sharpened, “Does His Majesty plan to wage war?”
Currently, the Northern Border is stable, with the King of the Northern Defense leading the army back and forth, subduing foreign tribes, and trading captured cattle, sheep, and people to Daqing to build the Town of the North.
There are rumors in the marketplace that once the Town of the North is completed, it could assure peace for a century at the Northern Border.
“To the east of Daqing lies the sea, to the south are the Hundred Thousand Mountains, with no substantial powers in continuation, leaving only the west…”
Zhou Yi deduced the Orthodox Emperor’s goal; a servant, regardless of right or wrong, must align with His Majesty’s will.
Daqing, located to the east of the Vast Continent, occupies a vast stretch of Binhai plains. To the north, the Gold Wolf Nation has been vanquished, and to the west, the foreign tribes established the Great Moon Nation.
“His Majesty urgently needs Gold and Silver, all for a western campaign!”
Excitement flashed in Zhou Yi’s eyes, guessing what the Orthodox Emperor needed. If he could confiscate the necessary Gold and Silver, he would secure his position in the emperor’s favor and rise rapidly through the ranks.
“That Xiao Yuan must have known about this long ago, yet he didn’t whisper a word of it.”
“Hmph, my Silver won’t be so easily taken!”
Zhou Yi remembered this in his heart and pulled out several silver notes from his sleeve, handing them to Xiao Qu, “You’ve done well. Take this Silver back home. I heard you have a brother who has studied?”
“Study well, and once he passes the imperial examinations, I’ll find him a position in the Capital officialdom!”
“Thank you, godfather!”
Xiao Qu kowtowed repeatedly. To be favored by the Supervisor of the Imperial Guards, even the magistrate of the Capital wouldn’t dare provoke him; finding a position would be effortless.
“Be diligent in your tasks.”
Zhou Yi offered a few words of encouragement, then quickened his pace back to the Duty Hall, ordering Wen Dianbu to summon thirty or forty eunuchs.
Each one was a martial expert, capable of defeating dozens from other halls.
“Follow me to investigate Eunuch Zhu!”
With a whoosh, Zhou Yi led scores of men charging towards the Supervision Hall.
…
The Supervision Hall.
Eunuch Zhu squeezed his corpulent body into the Taishi Chair, leisurely savoring his tea.
Surrounding him were more than thirty adopted sons, each with a different expression—most anxious and fearful, a few with shifty eyes, contemplating betraying their godfather to save themselves.
At that moment,
Chaotic footsteps approached from outside, and Zhou Yi’s voice preceded him.
“Godfather, your godson has come to pay his respects!”
Eunuch Zhu set down his teacup and watched the raging crowd approach, suddenly unleashing a chain of strange laughs.
“Hehehe! When I killed my own godfather and secured this position, I envisioned this day would come, but never did I expect it to be you, youngster.”
Zhou Yi entered the hall, smiling.
“I have been commanded by the Emperor to investigate the corruption case in the Supervision Hall, but rest assured, godfather, as long as you’ve not embezzled any silver, you’ll remain unscathed!”
Eunuch Zhu inquired, “Tell me, how can my people be spared?”
“Two million taels!”
Zhou Yi bowed towards the direction of Qianqing Palace, “The imperial treasury is depleted, His Majesty urgently needs silver, and we servants must alleviate His Majesty’s worries.”
Eunuch Zhu replied coldly, “Don’t be so greedy, even if I were corrupt, I couldn’t produce that much.”
“If godfather can’t muster the entire sum, what about your godsons here?”
Zhou Yi scanned the hall eunuchs, frightening them into stumbling back, and chuckled, “If that’s still not enough, there’re always those serving in the Supervision Hall. No matter how many we have to kill, we must amass that silver!”
Eunuch Zhu said solemnly, “The Supervision Hall is a linchpin of the Eunuch Affairs, not to be meddled with at your whim. If you kill too many, who will serve the Emperor?”
“Godfather, you think too highly of yourself,” Zhou Yi replied. “I heard about the floods in the south, with tens of thousands of refugees begging everywhere. Tell me, how much is one person worth? Killing one of you could pay for thousands of eunuchs!”
Eunuch Zhu’s eyes were cold. He was accustomed to demanding sky-high prices only to bargain down, but he hadn’t anticipated that Eunuch Yi would insist on such an exorbitant sum and refuse to budge.
After a long silence, he sighed resignedly,
“I agree, two million taels. But don’t break your word!”
“A man’s word is his bond, and once given, it cannot be retracted by a team of horses!”
Zhou Yi pointed at the eunuchs in the hall and said, “However, we must also include the lives of your godsons here.”
Eunuch Zhu nodded, “Naturally, my godsons…”
Before he could finish, an eunuch exclaimed, “Godfather, I don’t want to die!”
Zhou Yi circulated his True Qi to his index finger and shot it out, penetrating the eunuch’s skull with a thud; blood splattered, staining Eunuch Zhu and the others in red and white.
“Godfather, your godson was disloyal; I’ve dealt with him for you!”
Eunuch Zhu looked coldly at his remaining godsons: “Think of your relatives, your family, or your sons raised outside the palace—either you die, or they all do!”
The eunuchs turned deathly pale, knowing they could not resist.
A few quick-witted eunuchs ran over and knelt before Zhou Yi, banging their heads on the ground and begging for mercy.
“Eunuch Yi, we are willing to swear loyalty and offer all our silver!”
With several slaps, Zhou Yi crushed their heads to pieces. He glanced at the eunuchs of Duty Hall with a half-smile,
“I particularly despise betrayal!”