In the Golden Throne Hall, the officials lined up with their heads down, eyes darting around as if they had something to hide, fearing that Meng Qingzhou might see through them.
The main reason was the hysterical screams outside the hall, which were spine-chilling:
“Your Majesty, I am wronged! Meng Qin is slandering me! Please investigate thoroughly, Your Majesty!”
The once arrogant King of Longshang, upon being questioned, was stripped of his dignity by Meng Qingzhou. His spiritual power was sealed by the Empress, and he was about to be executed by death by a thousand cuts, like a dead dog.
Who among the officials didn’t have some dirt under their seats?
Some were both shocked and scared, but the Empress’s prestige was too high, her cultivation level had reached the Moon Shine Realm, and they didn’t dare to protest.
“Who would have thought that this Meng Qin could see through the secrets of heaven? The Empress must have brought in a dragon-slaying sword to cleanse the court,” one minister regretted deeply.
“As the saying goes, don’t be the bird that sticks its head out. I’ve lived half my life and forgot such a simple truth,” an elderly official said, tears welling in his cloudy eyes.
A handsome young civil official said calmly, “Don’t be too pessimistic. How could anyone see through the secrets of heaven? Besides, I just checked Meng Qin, and he has no spiritual power at all; he’s just a mortal!”
“In my opinion, the Empress wants to support Meng Qin but has no good reason to convince the court, so she’s using the King of Longshang as a scapegoat.”
“No need to worry!”
Upon hearing this, those waiting in line nodded silently, quite in agreement.
It made sense; they had overthought it.
It was just a pity for the King of Longshang, a noble under forty, who became a scapegoat for Meng Qin, who popped out of nowhere.
At this moment, it was the turn of the handsome young civil official.
The young official glanced at the ministers ahead, who were wiping cold sweat and sighing in relief, and none of them had been exposed.
This boosted the young official’s confidence significantly. He stood tall and confident.
“What’s your name?” Meng Qingzhou asked.
“Lu Beichuan,” the young official replied calmly.
Meng Qingzhou nodded and said, “Hmm… Lu Beichuan, the third-place scholar in the imperial examination three years ago, involved in examination fraud.”
“Evidence: Your father sold all his assets to buy a celestial-grade spiritual sword and bribed the chief examiner at the time. But you might not know, your father was worried the chief examiner wouldn’t know who sent the gift, so he engraved your name on the handle of the celestial-grade spiritual sword.”
The young official’s confident demeanor vanished instantly, his lips turning pale.
What?
How could he know such a secret?
The young official swallowed hard, his legs shaking like a sieve, a chill running from his spine to his head.
Two words popped into his mind: It’s over!
“Investigate thoroughly! If the situation is true, punish accordingly,” Dongfang Liuli said coldly, fully trusting Meng Qingzhou’s prophetic abilities.
If it weren’t for the need to show others, she would have wanted to stand beside Meng Qingzhou with a big knife, letting him point out names while she handled the executions.
The young official collapsed to the ground, muttering, “No, I’m the hope of my family, I can’t be in trouble…”
However, the Imperial Guard didn’t waste words, shackling him with spiritual power restraints and dragging him out directly.
Meng Qingzhou showed no pity, calling the next “lucky” person.
Of course, he couldn’t predict everyone’s dark history.
He relied on his familiarity with the novel’s plot, recalling the detailed settings of the supporting characters.
For instance, the King of Longshang, who was being executed by a thousand cuts, defected to join King of Shu, Zhao Yuhuan, in the middle of the novel, becoming a notorious ambitious hero of the demonic path.
And the young official trembling on the ground was destined to be a major corrupt official in the future of the Great Jin Dynasty.
As for some minor characters, Meng Qingzhou hadn’t even heard of them.
“You, forget it, it’s not a big deal, next one,” Meng Qingzhou waved his hand, pretending to be magnanimous and letting a nameless minor official go.
The minor official, who didn’t even have a name in the novel, left with a grateful look.
Revenge was revenge, and establishing authority was establishing authority. Since he was mingling in the court, he couldn’t offend all the civil and military officials to death.
Where mercy was due, mercy had to be shown.
“Prime Minister Jiang Canghai.”
When it was Jiang Canghai’s turn, Meng Qingzhou frowned, sensing something unusual.
He immediately moved like lightning, his hand groping Jiang Canghai’s old face.
“……” Jiang Canghai.
This familiar feeling, this familiar formula…
How much do you love my face? Why do you always have to touch it when we meet?
“Meng Qingzhou, this is too much,” Jiang Canghai tried several times to push his hand away, but Meng Qingzhou persistently followed, leaving Jiang Canghai helpless and black-faced.
Gradually,
Meng Qingzhou’s expression became serious and solemn.
Seeing this, everyone’s hearts tightened, their eyes widening in disbelief.
Could it be that the Prime Minister also had a dark history?
Even the usually lazy and casual Dongfang Liuli sat up straight, holding her breath in nervous anticipation.
Jiang Canghai was one of the pillars of the Great Jin Dynasty. If he had serious issues, it meant the country was doomed, and they could forget about conquering the world; they might as well wash up and go to bed early.
“Do I… have a problem?” Jiang Canghai, losing confidence, racked his brain to recall his past.
Fearing Meng Qingzhou’s still-debatable Sage status, Jiang Canghai had to take it seriously.
However, after thinking for a long time, Jiang Canghai was utterly confused! Could it be that he did something shameful while sleepwalking?
Meng Qingzhou spoke solemnly:
“Prime Minister, do you have a long-lost twin brother?”
Officials: ???
Empress: ?
Jiang Canghai: ??
“What do you mean?” Jiang Canghai asked, bewildered.
Meng Qingzhou said seriously, “To be honest, my hometown has a village chief named Jiang Dahai, whose birthdate and life destiny are extremely similar to yours!”
“No! It’s not just similar; it’s like you’re the same person!”
“I suspect he is your long-lost twin brother. What do you think?”
Jiang Canghai almost choked, coughing violently.
Goodness! So this is what you were talking about.
Of course, it’s similar because I’m playing the role of village chief Jiang Dahai! You’ve already read my fortune twice!
Jiang Canghai, exasperated but forced to lie, said, “Well… it’s true! The Jiang Dahai you mentioned is my… elder brother! We’ve already reunited, so there’s no need for you to worry, Meng Qingzhou.”
Hearing this, Meng Qingzhou touched his nose, secretly surprised.
There really is a twin brother?
Why wasn’t this in the novel’s plot? The author must have been lazy!
Jiang Canghai’s resentment almost overflowed as he silently looked back at the Empress, his eyes saying: Your Majesty! Look at what you’ve done!
I’ve never lied since I was a child, and now, with one foot in the grave, I’m forced to lie. Isn’t this ridiculous?
Dongfang Liuli, rarely showing a guilty expression, scratched her forehead, her eyes wandering, avoiding Jiang Canghai’s gaze.
Hearing the Prime Minister admit to having a twin brother, the officials began whispering, discussing how to find Jiang Dahai to curry favor with the Prime Minister’s elder brother.
Jiang Canghai closed his eyes, almost shedding tears.
My reputation is ruined!
Leave a Reply