Chapter 177: Freaking Awesome

Whether he was too focused on the Emperor or simply assumed everyone would obey an imperial command, Lu Bing never expected Ling Ji to make a sudden move.

Before he could react, Ling Ji grabbed him, executed a shoulder throw, and sent him flying.

But this man, who looked so frail, was sent spinning through the air yet managed to land steadily on his feet.

Ling Ji raised her hand, a dagger in her grasp.

The dagger wasn’t hers; she had snatched it from Lu Bing’s hand.

The moment Lu Bing saw this, his expression shifted. His previously harmless face turned instantly grim, and his entire demeanor radiated killing intent.

Realizing he had been exposed, he dropped the act, targeted Xiao Yang, and charged straight for her.

Li Wei and Mu Yunlian instantly appeared in front of Xiao Yang, while Xiao Cheng and Xiao Lan had already drawn their swords.

Ling Ji flew forward to meet his attack, and the two began to fight right there at the banquet.

Terrified by this turn of events, Lu Huaixi and the others had turned deathly pale. Assassinating the Emperor was a crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of one’s family. Yet, when they looked up, the Emperor at the head of the banquet didn’t look angry at all. Instead, she held her wine cup, a bright smile on her face, as if watching something deeply amusing.

Lu Bing’s movements were swift, while Ling Ji’s movement technique was ethereal. As they fought, their clash held an indescribable beauty.

But no matter how beautiful, it wasn’t a dance—every move was lethal.

The figure in purple pushed her speed to the absolute limit, moving like a phantom, her form impossible to track. Then, finding the right moment, she sealed his throat with a single slash.

Fresh blood splattered through the air like scattered flower petals, a final touch to this moment of ultimate aestheticism.

Xiao Yang set down her wine cup and clapped. "Excellent."

She was extremely satisfied. Turning to Lu Huaixi, she said, "Governor Lu, this program you’ve arranged is good, simply marvelous. I have never seen such a spectacular performance. It’s just... isn’t a program like this a bit hard on the sons?"

Lu Huaixi had long since fallen to his knees and was now trembling uncontrollably. "Your Majesty, that is not my son! My Bing’er doesn’t know any martial arts at all!"

Lu Huaixi was truly terrified. ’How did my son suddenly learn such advanced martial arts and try to assassinate the Emperor? This isn’t just being hard on the son, this is being hard on the entire clan! We’re all going to be wiped out in one fell swoop!’

Aside from the people Xiao Yang had brought with her, everyone else had a gleaming, cold blade pressed against their neck, waiting to drink blood.

An assassination attempt on the Emperor... No one here was going to leave alive today.

Lu Huaixi kowtowed repeatedly, his head hitting the floor with loud THUDS. "Your Majesty, please see the truth! This subject would never disrespect you, much less dare to plot against you! This is a setup! Someone must be trying to frame me! Your Majesty, please see the truth!"

The others also recovered from their shock and began to beg for mercy, terrified they wouldn’t even make it out the door today.

Xiao Yang sipped her wine unhurriedly. This wasn’t the Lu Family’s wine, but a special vintage Ling Ji had brought for her, and it was exceptionally smooth and delicious.

She watched them with a detached air. "Oh, so this was a murder plot. And here I was, thinking it was a special program you had prepared. I was even considering giving you a reward."

Lu Huaixi’s original goal had indeed been to curry favor, but now? Would he dare?

"This subject was negligent. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness."

Xiao Yang put down her cup and stood up. "As for your reward, I will consider it carefully."

Lu Huaixi’s face drained of all color. He prostrated himself on the floor. "Your Majesty, I truly have been wronged! This subject was wrong, I was truly wrong, but I honestly have no intention of harming Your Majesty..."

Lu Huaixi pleaded as he tried to grab onto Xiao Yang’s feet, only to be kicked away by Li Wei.

Xiao Cheng, following close behind, bent down to stop him from lunging again. "You should be grateful that Her Majesty is in a good mood today. It’s bought you a few more days to live."

Xiao Yang left. The Governor Mansion was surrounded; under suspicion of assassination, no one was getting out.

Mu Yunlian had secured the largest residence in Luoyan City, which was where Xiao Yang was now staying, surrounded by the Black Dragon Cavalry.

Just as she returned, however, someone came to report that a thief had broken into the residence. They were discovered in time and didn’t manage to steal anything, but they also weren’t caught.

Xiao Yang finally understood why people on TV always cursed their subordinates as useless. She felt a strong urge to do the same right now.

’All these people to catch a few thieves, and they still let them get away?’

’Even if their martial arts were superb, there were so many guards! Human-wave tactics, a dragnet strategy... they should have been able to wear them down and catch one or two!’

Xiao Yang went back to her room and had just let out a sigh of relief when she suddenly noticed a pile of memorials on the desk.

The familiar mountain of memorials instantly gave her the illusion of being back in the Imperial Palace.

’When I was a CEO, I signed documents all day. Now that I’m the Emperor, I approve memorials all day. I really can’t escape this miserable fate, no matter where I go.’

News that the Emperor was in Luoyan City had secretly spread, and officials from more than a dozen surrounding cities immediately sent memorials, expressing their desire to come and pay their respects.

Xiao Yang glanced over the names and addresses on the memorial covers. Although she had never met these people, there were quite a few ’old acquaintances’ among them—the kind who would send memorials to the capital every ten days or half a month to send greetings, pay their respects, and spout all sorts of nonsense. They were, in a way, a different kind of pen pal.

Among the dozens of officials, two, in particular, stood out. One was Qiu Changyu, the husband of a cousin from the Chen Family. A relative, technically speaking, but so distant that he would have been safe even if the nine generations of their family were executed.

When the Chen Family fell, Qiu Changyu was implicated and impeached. However, he immediately submitted a memorial to declare his stance, then directly turned over all his illicitly acquired wealth to the Ministry of Revenue, presenting it as a tribute and tax payment.

He neither admitted his guilt nor proclaimed his innocence. Instead, he declared his loyalty to the Emperor and his devotion to the country and its people, and then he coughed up everything he was supposed to.

He was a man of great perception and decisive action.

Xiao Yang had also had him investigated. Qiu Changyu came from an ordinary background and had indeed ridden the Chen Family’s coattails to get ahead. However, he was a decent official and a good person with his own set of principles. Under his governance, Lingzhou was orderly and well-managed. He had no great merits, but also no major faults, and could be considered to have made some achievements.

After reviewing the Ministry of Revenue’s ledgers, Xiao Yang had decided to keep him.

’There are few clean officials in the court. I can’t set my standards too high, or there will be no one left to do the work. I can only pick and choose, focusing on the big picture while letting the small things slide.’

The other person was Wu Taimei, the Danzhou Governor. From his name alone, it was clear that this was no ordinary character.

At that time, Xiao Yang had just transmigrated and was acting erratically, giving out nonsensical replies. It was a case of a chicken talking to a duck, yet somehow, someone had managed to successfully receive her signals.

Wu Taimei had submitted a memorial stating that the Capital Commandant of Dan State was hoarding military power for his own ends. As the governor, Wu Taimei had no real authority and was being bullied relentlessly. He had written a complaint of over a thousand words and submitted it seven or eight times.

Xiao Yang saw the last one and wrote a direct reply: "The enemy of your enemy is your ally. Take what’s his."

And as a result, Wu Taimei went to see the Capital Commandant’s wife.

This Capital Commandant was greedy and lecherous. He had countless concubines, frequented brothels, and had turned his home into a cesspool of misery, even infecting the women with venereal diseases.

His wife despised him, but she was dependent on his power and could do nothing about it.

When Wu Taimei approached her, the Capital Commandant was about to take the wife’s beautiful young niece as a concubine. The Capital Commandant’s Wife was livid, and when Wu Taimei promised he could help her secure half of the family’s assets, she immediately agreed to help him.

The two of them got their hands on evidence of the Capital Commandant’s crimes. First, they arranged for him to die in the arms of a brothel courtesan. Then, Wu Taimei emerged with the evidence and seized power.

After succeeding, Wu Taimei reported everything to Xiao Yang in painstaking detail, even adding that he had married the former wife’s young niece himself.

Xiao Yang had no idea just how beautiful that niece was, but Wu Taimei’s smug, triumphant attitude was practically overflowing from the memorial.

Back then, Xiao Yang had immediately thought that this man was a rare talent.

However, not long after, Wu Taimei sent another memorial. He reported that banditry was rampant on the border of Dan State. These bandits robbed and plundered, killed without remorse, and frequently moved between the territories of Dan State and Liangzhou.

Xiao Yang’s reply: "Don’t be a coward. Just get it done!"

And then, Wu Taimei took his troops, marched from Dan State all the way into Liangzhou, and captured every last one of the bandits.

When the governor of Liangzhou came out to curse him for crossing the border, he just slapped the Emperor’s memorial right in the man’s face.

This infuriated the Liangzhou governor so much that he submitted thirty consecutive memorials decrying Wu Taimei’s outrageous actions.

At the time, Xiao Yang hadn’t yet fully consolidated her control over the court, so she was completely stunned when she saw this news.

She sent Xiao Lan to make a trip and see what was really going on. The report that came back was more or less the same as what Wu Taimei himself had written.

Xiao Yang could only sigh with endless emotion. ’This weirdo is a true talent.’

It got to the point where Xiao Yang no longer dared to write casually in her replies to his memorials. She might be putting on a crazy act, but this man actually believed it all. He was just that ridiculously awesome.