Yun Ye planned to go see Li Chengqian. When would this endless turmoil ever end? At a time like this, the first thing he must clean out was certainly the military—this was almost certain. To keep the nation from experiencing upheaval, gripping the gun barrel tightly was essential.

How to deal with those generals—Yun Ye didn’t care. Since they had already stepped into the court’s circle of fame and profit, being beheaded was a very normal matter. Sometimes beheading wasn’t because of right or wrong, but because of necessity.

Cao Cao killing his own grain supervisor was just like this. The thing called talent was relative. Sometimes when the emperor planned to chop off someone’s head, he also looked at their capabilities.

One couldn’t kill incompetents—killing them was too easy. That way it couldn’t serve the purpose of warning posterity. The truly formidable were troublesome to kill, with worrying consequences. So killing those neither soft nor hard was most convenient.

Qiu Xinggong was just like this—always drifting outside the great aristocratic clans, not a minister from the emperor’s founding, completely relying on seniority grinding to mix his way to this official position. Living behind closed doors trembling with fear, only hoping to eat a mouthful of rich and noble rice. Now it was good—he was picked out by Li Chengqian to be killed as the chicken.

The effect of killing Qiu Xinggong wasn’t good. The next one would be Li Jingye. When moving against Li Jingye, concrete chains of evidence would be needed to prove this fellow deserved death. Otherwise Li Ji’s rebound would be too great and would make the emperor lose face badly.

The next day after breakfast, Yun Ye went to Chang’an City. Wang Cai naturally followed behind. Yun Ye extended his hand from the carriage window to stroke Wang Cai’s head while explaining the principles of the imperial court to Wang Cai.

Wang Cai very obviously understood Yun Ye’s words, frequently curling his lip to show disdain. His mouth had just healed. On the left side of his lip there were still scattered red marks. That hedgehog had been chopped into meat paste by the coachman with a knife, so broken up that even the family dogs wouldn’t eat it.

With Wang Cai for company, the journey didn’t feel boring. Watching him run two quick steps to chase rabbits in the fields, no matter how he played tricks, Yun Ye found it very pleasing. A thirty-year-old horse—who had Wang Cai’s spirit?

Talking and laughing, they arrived at Chang’an City. The carriage entered the city gate and turned directly onto Vermillion Bird Avenue. Yun Ye planned to first go to the Investigation Court to see how things had developed. Zhou Xing had been bound and hung all night—who knew if his mouth was still so tough now.

Many people had gathered in front of the Investigation Court. Many were the Court’s warriors. Zhou Xing was hung on the Investigation Court’s main gate. Liu Jinbao led family generals standing with legs apart in front. Although those warriors were full of anger, not one person dared step forward. Yun Ye’s awesome reputation made them not dare show any offense.

Yun Ye got off the carriage and walked over with his hands behind his back. The crowd immediately parted. Those who should bow bowed, those who should bend at the waist bent. The Investigation Court that had just been buzzing with voices immediately became silent as ravens and sparrows.

Zhou Xing hung in midair, struggling to raise his neck and say loudly: “Duke Chu! This humble official’s position was personally bestowed by His Majesty. This is a government office. Please leave this humble official some face, and also preserve some face for His Majesty.”

Yun Ye said with a cold face: “If it weren’t for His Majesty’s sake, you would have been skinned and had your tendons pulled long ago. Your turn to be talkative? I’ll ask you one more time—are you releasing those women and children or not?”

Zhou Xing said with a savage smile: “The Investigation Court has always carried out punishments at night. Last night at the midnight hour punishment began. By the hour of the dragon, two hundred thirty-one criminals had all perished. Duke Chu, you came too late!”

Yun Ye was stunned for a moment. A trace of pain appeared on his face. With his backhand he pulled out the horizontal saber from Liu Jinbao’s waist and fiercely slashed down at Zhou Xing. This strike clearly intended to cut Zhou Xing into two pieces.

But unexpectedly a war lance came across from the side to block in front of Zhou Xing, who had closed his eyes awaiting death. With a “clang” the horizontal saber struck the lance’s spearhead, sparks flying in all directions.

When Yun Ye looked closely, the one blocking his killing was actually Cheng Chumo. Fully armored, he grasped the war lance with one hand, standing there with a gloomy face. The war lance flashed several times on Zhou Xing’s body, and Zhou Xing fell from midair. Cheng Chumo barked quietly at Zhou Xing: “Why don’t you scram quickly!”

Zhou Xing, not caring about the soreness throughout his body, fled wretchedly into the Investigation Court with the support of Court warriors. The door was immediately closed.

Yun Ye glanced at Cheng Chumo, turned and walked away. Since Li Chengqian had sent Cheng Chumo to stop him, today he couldn’t kill Zhou Xing. With a belly full of rage and nowhere to vent, he hatefully slashed the horizontal saber at his own carriage shaft, lifted his leg, and got on the carriage.

“His Majesty requests Duke Chu enter the palace for conversation!” Cheng Chumo said, opening his mouth like a mechanical man.

“Tell His Majesty that this old minister is unwell today and doesn’t wish to transmit illness to His Majesty. I’m returning to Yushan to recuperate. Please ask His Majesty to forgive me!” As soon as Yun Ye’s words fell, the carriage turned its horse’s head and galloped toward outside the city.

Wang Cai hadn’t seen Cheng Chumo for a while. He ran over and affectionately rubbed his head against Cheng Chumo’s chest. Cheng Chumo stroked Wang Cai’s mane and said with a bitter smile: “Tell your big brother, this old man really had no choice. Killing one Zhou Xing and ruining his relationship with the emperor—not worth it!”

Seeing Yun Ye’s carriage run far away, Wang Cai cried out and chased after him…

After Yun Ye had completely gone far away, Zhou Xing walked out from the Investigation Court and bowed to Cheng Chumo: “Zhou Xing thanks the Grand General for his life-saving grace!”

Cheng Chumo glanced at Zhou Xing: “If today weren’t this old man on duty, the one cutting you down would be me!”

Zhou Xing watched the departing Cheng Chumo and let out a long breath. Just now he truly had felt Yun Ye’s killing intent. That strike had no theatrical component at all—it was meant to kill him. If not for Cheng Chumo’s war lance, he didn’t dare think what kind of fate would have been his. Only now did he understand that if Yun Ye was determined to kill him, he had not the slightest possibility of survival.

Cheng Chumo walked into Wanmin Palace, cupped his fists toward Li Chengqian to report. Li Chengqian sighed: “Xiao Ye probably doesn’t know how he’s complaining about me in his heart. That he’s unwilling to come to the imperial palace—I already anticipated this.”

“When dealing with Qiu Xinggong, Xiao Ye maintained silence. This was already extremely rare. Now dealing with Qiu Xinggong’s family members—this contradicts his principles of being human. That’s why he acted.”

“This way, he won’t set foot in the imperial palace again in the future. I don’t understand—he’s an invincible commander who has traversed battlefields for many years. His killing decisions are swift and decisive. Whether at Kucha City, or Great King City, or the Western Regions, or the South Sea—those he’s killed are countless. How can he be brooding over the life and death of a few women and children? Doesn’t he know the principle of eliminating problems at the root?”

Cheng Chumo was silent for a long while before saying: “These women and children are our own people, so he became angry. The other people are all foreign tribes. No matter how many are killed, it’s because of war, to open up space for our own race. He has reason to comfort himself. Killing his own people—he can’t stand that.”

Li Chengqian nodded: “That’s the principle. I’ve repeatedly hoped he could enter court to manage affairs. He has politely declined every time. Remaining at Yushan, teaching, gambling, drinking—unwilling to enter the court hall. Compared to his indifference, Zhangsun Chong and Dugu Mou fall into a lower class.”

Cheng Chumo said: “In the world there was originally only one Yun Ye, and there will only be one Yun Ye. Back then the Great Emperor said that having one Yun Ye in the world is good fortune. A hundred or so Yun Yes would be disaster, even more severe than military disaster.”

“His aspirations aren’t in the court hall. The court hall even makes him feel disgusted. He likes mixing with peddlers and common laborers, likes mixing with literary scholars and men of letters, but just won’t deal with us politicians. This is his nature. He wants a simple life. Your Majesty should give it to him.”

Li Chengqian sighed once more, then continued lowering his head to review his memorials. Since Yun Ye hadn’t killed Zhou Xing, a little defiance—Li Chengqian wouldn’t mind…

Returning home, Yun Ye sat on the threshold at the main gate, face gloomy, not making a sound. Wang Cai lay comfortably beside the stone drum, his long tail swishing back and forth to drive away flies for himself and Yun Ye.

The family’s servants didn’t dare go out the door anymore. One by one they walked against the wall. Those wanting to go out on business, seeing the master sitting on the threshold, would rather go around through the back door than touch bad luck.

Li Chengqian’s murderous nature was truly getting heavier and heavier. It really fulfilled that statement he himself said in history: “I am the Son of Heaven. I should indulge my desires. If there are those who remonstrate, I’ll kill them. Kill five hundred people—won’t that settle it?”

It seemed the killing heart was brought from the bones and wasn’t completely changed by later education. Forty years as Crown Prince had already caused some distortion in his heart. Now with great power in hand, he thought it was deserved—whatever he did was deserved. Added to his barbarian bloodline, even his blood was stained with the factor of killing.

This kind of desire could only be suppressed by one’s own reason. Now he had become an unsupervised wild horse, wanting to do whatever on Great Tang’s land—this was extremely wrong.

That Li Er in his later period could suppress his own violence and achieve perfection was because he had sufficient learning and breadth of mind to embrace everything. Compared to his own father, Li Chengqian ultimately fell far short. Not everyone could become an emperor for the ages.

Without surprise, Li Chengqian’s reward would soon arrive. This was another flaw in his character—on one hand doing things that hurt you, on the other hand desperately trying to compensate. Really didn’t know how such a character was formed. When he was Crown Prince before, you couldn’t see so many problems.

A palace attendant came from ahead. Yun Ye didn’t want to face him. He stood up and returned to the mansion, having Xinyue receive the heavenly messenger. He himself lazily lay on the bed, recalling bits and pieces of the past, and couldn’t help falling asleep.

When he woke, it was already dusk. He hadn’t undressed, so he had slept in a body of sweat. Unwilling to bathe at home, he took his change of clothes, planning to go to Huang Shu’s bathhouse to wash, then have Huang Shu give him a good back scrubbing. Then get some wine and properly find out what exactly Xiao Wu was doing!

She took money from the Yun Family, went to the Cheng Family, Niu Family, and Yuchi Family to get money, and from time to time went to find Li Tai to swindle a bit. Money aside, many instructors from the academy were also invited by her to help. The eldest daughter-in-law of the Gongshu Family had simply become joined at the hip with her—you could see their shadows no matter where. The only thing she didn’t do was come home to pay respects. What kind of large project actually required so much money and grain? Yun Ye was very curious…