Chapter 1 Shadow of the Setting Sun

The sunlight streamed through the window lattices, painting the Qinzheng Hall.

Jiang Chen had already reviewed over fifty memorials and received two groups of ministers.

The imperial examination was over.

The arrangements for the hundreds of successful candidates had become a troublesome matter.

The heads of the Six Ministries, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, the Right Censor-in-Chief, and other high-ranking officials in positions of real power were practically tearing each other apart in order to snatch up a few more candidates.

They not only abandoned their usual refinement but also cursed and exposed each other's past misdeeds in the court.

Some with quick tempers even started fighting, brawling right under Jiang Chen's nose.

If the palace guards hadn't intervened,

blood would probably have been spilled three feet deep in the Qinzheng Hall today.

Jiang Chen was amused and angered by these shameless old fellows.

These dignified imperial officials were acting like hoodlums!

However, this also showed the superiority of the imperial examination from another angle.

The official selection system proposed by Jiang Chen selected truly talented people, leaving others no choice but to acknowledge its merits.

Evening.

After the last group of ministers left,

Jiang Chen put down the memorials in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and wearily pinched the bridge of his nose.

Noble Consort Shu happened to enter at this moment.

Seeing this scene,

a trace of heartache flashed in her beautiful eyes, and she felt self-reproach.

She felt that she hadn't taken good care of Jiang Chen and was an unworthy wife.

She moved her lotus-like steps lightly, walked to Jiang Chen's side, and said softly:

"Your Majesty, allow this consort to massage you and relax your muscles."

Jiang Chen took her jade hand, kissed it lightly, and said:

"Okay, let's go to the side hall. I want to experience Yun'er's skills today."

Noble Consort Shu's pretty face blushed, and she gently hammered Jiang Chen's chest.

She said shyly, "Your Majesty, the palace servants are all here. How could you kiss this consort's..."

Jiang Chen's heart itched at Noble Consort Shu's shy and coy appearance.

With a wave of his hand, he put his arm around her slender waist and entered the side hall.

The door closed.

Jiang Chen lay on Noble Consort Shu's jade legs, and under the beauty's gentle massage, he fell into a deep sleep.

Not until half an hour later,

when Feng Jin came to report,

did he wake up from his dream.

"Your Majesty, Commander Jing and Commander Xu are back!"

"They also brought back a mysterious person. Commander Jing suspects that this person may be the 'Master' Meng Huaishu mentioned, and asks how you want to deal with him."

As soon as he finished speaking,

Jiang Chen's somewhat drowsy brain immediately cleared.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he made to get up.

But then he thought of something, sat back down, and put his arm around Noble Consort Shu, comforting her with a few words.

After that, he left in the company of the crowd.

In the center of the Qinzheng Hall,

Jing Yue stood in front of the imperial table, reporting on the situation in that mountain.

It turned out to be a secret training ground, designed meticulously, with no lack of food, clothing, housing, or transportation.

There were also hundreds of experts stationed on the periphery, all of whom had been cultivated from childhood and had never been exposed to the outside world.

Such a grand scheme made it no exaggeration to call this training ground a state within a state.

After finding the place, they fought with the other side, from late at night until noon the next day.

Among them, Jing Yue, as the vanguard, led the dark guards deep into the enemy's interior and captured Zhao Minghe, the suspected "Master."

Xu Changqing and his soldiers, who later came to reinforce, joined forces with the Imperial Guards to trap nearly a thousand assassins in the depths of the mountains.

Of course, they deliberately held back at the end and captured more than fifty people alive, who would be escorted to the capital later.

After all, the most important thing at the moment was the 'Master.'

In addition, Xu Changqing discovered a small mountain that had been artificially hollowed out during the subsequent search.

Inside were stored countless gold, silver, jewels, and provisions!

Due to the large quantity and the difficult mountain roads, he immediately ordered the mountain to be sealed off.

He personally led a team, guarded the spot, and waited for Jiang Chen's instructions, without following Jing Yue and the others to the capital to report on their duties.

Jiang Chen was greatly shaken by this!

He held the action report submitted by Xu Changqing and sneered.

"These rebellious subjects really know how to amass wealth!"

"So many weapons, provisions, and those assassins are more than enough to rebel three times... However, a rat is still a rat. Even if they are given the most abundant capital, they only dare to do things secretly and can't be brought out into the open!"

Although Jiang Chen's tone was cold and even revealed a kind of disdain,

everyone present was his confidant and could feel the anger suppressed within him.

At this moment, even close officials like Feng Jin and Jing Yue didn't dare to speak casually.

They were afraid of igniting the emperor's anger.

Since the founding of the dynasty by the Taizu Emperor, the Great Wei had strictly prohibited weapons.

Especially some medium and large-sized weapons, such as the Dahuang crossbow, were basically taboo, and anyone who touched them would die!

However, the items seized in this training ground were all 'big guys.'

There were even some siege ladders and bed crossbows used to attack cities!

How could His Majesty not be angry?

After Jiang Chen vented his anger, he sat quietly for a while.

Only when the state of anger subsided did he rise and head to the imperial prison.

He couldn't wait to see that Master.

He wanted to ask who gave him the guts to do such a rebellious thing!

The imperial prison.

The deepest, most severe cell.

A middle-aged man with a dignified appearance was tied tightly to an iron frame, his face full of pain.

His hands and feet were bound by shackles, and his pipa bones were pierced by a barbed yoke.

The inhuman torment and the severe pain in various parts of his body made even breathing difficult.

'Da, da.'

Footsteps came from a distance, and he struggled to open his eyes and look out.

Jiang Chen walked up to him expressionlessly and sized him up.

He frowned and said, "You are that mysterious Master?"

Hearing the dissatisfaction in Jiang Chen's tone, Zhao Minghe took a deep breath and retorted:

"I am. What's wrong? Are you, the useless emperor, frightened by this Master's heroic appearance?"

"Bold!"

"How dare you, a mere rebel, humiliate His Majesty!" Feng Jin's eyes widened, and he scolded sternly.

Zhao Minghe smiled arrogantly upon hearing this, not bothering to talk to Feng Jin at all.

His arrogant attitude didn't give off the feeling of a prisoner at all.

Jiang Chen looked at him, his eyes slowly narrowing.

Like a tiger about to hunt, he exuded a chilling aura.

"Feng Jin, step back."

"I want to have a good chat with this, um, Master Zhang."

Jiang Chen's tone was calm, without a trace of severity.

But seeing him like this, Feng Jin trembled all over and trotted back to his original position.

Because Jiang Chen always had this expression whenever he was about to exterminate a clan.

"Master Zhang, the supplies you hid in the back mountain have all been added to my private treasury."

Jiang Chen's voice was very calm.

But in Zhao Minghe's ears, it was a pain no less than ten thousand arrows piercing his heart!

Years of hard work were taken away by his enemy.

This feeling of suffocation made his blood begin to surge backward!

Zhao Minghe's eyes turned bloodshot, and he said fiercely, "You came here just to show off, you dimwitted ruler?"

Jiang Chen walked towards him with his hands behind his back, saying, "Of course not. I'm just curious where you got so much gold, silver, and provisions. Also, which bunch of dogs sold you those weapons?"