When His Merits Threaten the Throne, the Empress Offers Herself in Marriage - Chapter 16:

Chapter 16: The Empress’s Delight

Inside the Grand Chancellor’s estate, Ye Mo received news that the disciples of Qingyi Tower had been wiped out outside the Jinling secret realm.

“Hiss… all dead?” Ye Mo’s face twitched as he sat with one leg crossed over the other, scrubbing his foot with a towel. It was unclear whether his expression came from the comfort of the foot massage or the shock of the news.

Hu An lowered his head and said, “Absolutely confirmed. Outside the Jinling secret realm, fifteen corpses. All of them had their throats slit with a single strike—clean and precise.”

Ye Mo nodded as he continued wiping his feet. “Dead is dead. It’s no big deal. Notify the offices in Jinling to collect and register the corpses, then inform Qingyi Tower to come claim them.”

Hu An nodded, then cautiously asked, “Master, if Qingyi Tower asks questions, how should we respond?”

Ye Mo finished with the other foot, tossed the towel aside, and walked over to the table. He picked up a golden needle and flicked it under the candlelight a few times.

“I already gave Qingyi Tower enough face by letting them participate in the Jinling secret realm. Whatever happens during it isn’t my concern. Since Xue Wuying’s disciples weren’t skilled enough and lost their lives, what right do they have to question me? When martial factions start meddling in court affairs, who gave such a minor group like Qingyi Tower the guts? If necessary, just say they leaked the news themselves, which attracted the attention of other warriors, leading to a fatal clash outside the secret realm. In short, this has nothing to do with me or the court. If they insist on holding someone accountable, then they’re going against the entire imperial court of Great Chu. Let them try if they dare.”

Hu An said, “I understand, Master. Just to be safe, I’ll assign a few more experts from the estate to protect you these next few days.”

“No need. With Ye Xiang and Ye Kong around, I feel quite secure.”

Ye Mo returned to sit at the bedside. A maid immediately stepped forward and pulled the lever for the ceiling fan mechanism. A breeze soon flowed down from above, sweeping away the summer heat.

After dismissing the maid, Ye Mo asked, “Any news from the palace?”

Hu An said, “About half an hour ago, Prince Jing seemed to have entered the palace.”

“He must be reporting the Jinling secret realm situation.”

Ye Mo lay down on the bed. Hu An moved to prop up his pillow.

“Heh, this time, even if Her Majesty wins, that’s good. She’s finally showing the demeanor of a true ruler. That’s how it should be.”

“Then Master, what should we do about entering the palace tomorrow?”

“You think this Grand Chancellor has nothing better to do?” Ye Mo gave Hu An a sideways glance. “With all the state affairs of Great Chu needing my attention, why would I waste time fussing over this? Besides, I never wanted Qingyi Tower to take over the Jinling secret realm. I’d never be stupid enough to bring this up publicly.”

Hu An looked confused. “Master, what do you mean by that? I don’t quite understand.”

“You really are dim. What kind of people make up Qingyi Tower? Even I, who have nothing to do with the martial world, have heard about them. They’re a bunch of lawless scoundrels. I only involved them out of necessity. If I could, I’d wipe out that entire pack of animals.”

“Master, are you saying…?”

“Do you know why the imperial capital of Great Chu was moved from Chang’an to Jinling?”

Hu An nodded. “I’ve heard of it. Back then, the Hu tribes near Chang’an refused to submit to imperial rule and frequently invaded our borders. The Mysterious Emperor was troubled by this and moved the capital here.”

Ye Mo said, “That’s just part of it. The real reason was that not only did the Hu tribes rebel, but those so-called neutral martial factions—Kunlun Palace, Tianshan Sect, and Xuanlong Hall—also loudly joined the Xia Empire’s side. Otherwise, do you think those barbarians alone could have posed a real threat? Would Great Chu have suffered such humiliation?”

At this, Ye Mo sighed again. “When the martial world goes unchecked, it only brings disaster to the people. I’ve studied ancient family records, and it’s truly disheartening. If the court could one day make these factions follow the law, the world would already know peace.”

“Master, don’t think too much. Since ancient times, on the Taiwu Continent, the martial world and the court have operated separately. It’s not something one person can change.”

“But someone has to try, right? Even if it’s just an attempt—what if it succeeds?”

Ye Mo took a deep breath. “But it’s still too early for that. Dealing with the martial world has to be done step by step. For now, the priority is to stabilize the situation in Western Xia. That pack of wolves and tigers is insatiably greedy.”

Hu An pulled up the blanket over Ye Mo. “Alright, Master. Don’t dwell on it. It’s late—you should rest. You’ll need to attend court early tomorrow.”

Ye Mo nodded. After instructing Hu An to blow out the lights, the room fell into darkness.

…

Meanwhile, inside Weiyang Palace.

After leaving Shen Lang’s home, Jiang Shangxian rushed straight toward the imperial city.

Before he even reached the imperial study, he couldn’t help but shout, “Your Majesty! Great news! Great news!”

Jiang Mengxuan, who had just dozed off at her desk, was startled awake by the thunderous shout.

Looking up, she saw her royal uncle smiling so hard his eyes had disappeared. Curious, she asked, “Royal Uncle, what’s the matter? What great news?”

Jiang Shangxian leaned over the desk excitedly and said, “Your Majesty, the Qingyi Tower situation has been resolved.”

As he spoke, he slapped the storage ring Shen Lang had given him onto the desk.

“Your Majesty, take a look. These are the treasures those fifteen Qingyi Tower disciples took from the Jinling secret realm—every single one has been delivered to you without a single item missing.”

Staring at the ancient storage ring, Jiang Mengxuan froze for a moment before abruptly standing up. “Royal Uncle, are you saying the matter with Qingyi Tower is already taken care of?”

Jiang Shangxian nodded firmly. “Yes, it’s done. All fifteen of Qingyi Tower’s disciples were killed outside the secret realm. Not one survived.”

Hearing this, Jiang Mengxuan instantly became wide awake.

“Royal Uncle, tell me—how did you manage it?”

“Naturally, I had people from the Jingwei Division take care of it.”

“The Jingwei Division?” Jiang Mengxuan was stunned. “How many people did you send?”

Jiang Shangxian raised one finger. “Only one.”

“One person?” Jiang Mengxuan was shocked. All fifteen Qingyi Tower disciples had postnatal cultivation. The Jingwei Division barely had any postnatal-level warriors. One person? How could that be possible?

Seeing her skeptical expression, Jiang Shangxian quickly said, “Your Majesty, do you know who handled it? It was Shen Lang—the one we spoke about yesterday.”

“Shen Lang?” The image of him solving a situation with a single strike at Wenxiang Tower flashed through her mind. “You’re saying… Shen Lang did this alone?”

“Your Majesty, you might not trust me, but you must trust him. Shen Lang has never disappointed anyone when it comes to getting things done. There’s nothing in the world he can’t handle—unless he doesn’t want to.”

Jiang Mengxuan nodded. She had reviewed Shen Lang’s dossier herself. Since the founding of the Jingwei Division a year ago, his performance had been consistently reliable. Every mission he handled had been flawless.

With that thought, the suppressed fire in her heart reignited.

“Excellent. Royal Uncle, tell me, what kind of reward should I give him?”

“Right! For this contribution, being a hundred-household officer isn’t enough. Even a thousand-household position would be well deserved.”

Jiang Shangxian scratched his head and said awkwardly, “Your Majesty is right. Frankly, Shen Lang is capable enough to replace me outright. But he only seems to care about money and doesn’t want to deal with troublesome responsibilities. I’ve hinted several times at promoting him, but he always refuses the title—even if he’s okay with increased salary. I didn’t want to push too hard, so I’ve been building a good relationship with him privately and helping him out a bit with daily matters.”

That last part was only half-true. Shen Lang refusing promotion was real.

But helping him with daily needs? That was nonsense.

If Jiang Mengxuan knew his idea of “helping” was taking Shen Lang out to brothels, her worldview would probably collapse on the spot.

“Hmm… I see. Then how should I reward him? Let me think about it carefully.”

Jiang Mengxuan slowly fell into deep thought.