I am a boss in the world of nine uncles

"This humble servant, Fu Lu, pays his respects to the Imperial Brother-in-Law."

The servant of the Prince's mansion patted his somewhat dazed head and bowed respectfully.

Sitting in the main seat, Cao Yi looked at him indifferently and asked, "Speak plainly, why do you want to see me?"

Fu Lu said, "My Sixth Prince sent me to tell the Imperial Brother-in-law that he requests you to deal with the rumors circulating in the streets within two days, so as not to tarnish my Prince's virtuous reputation."

Cao Yi frowned: "Is he teaching me how to do things?"

Fu Lu was stunned: "Huh?"

"What 'ah'? Go back and tell him that I didn't spread these rumors, so what business is it of mine? Why should I handle it?" Cao Yi said sternly.

Fu Lu: "..."

Has Cao Guojiu gone mad?
"Your Excellency, have you had too much to drink?" Fu Lu asked softly after a short while.

"You're the one who's drunk."

Cao Yi waved his hand and said, "I'll say it again: every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. Go find whoever spread the rumor."

Don't try to find the person spreading the rumors and then make me solve the problem. I am Cao Guojiu, not some lackey of the Sixth Prince.

Fu Lu: "..."

Cao Yi has truly gone mad.

Simply lawless!
In the blink of an eye.

Fu Lu, filled with rage, left the Imperial Uncle's residence, mounted a fast horse, and sped towards the Prince's mansion.

Little did he know, he had never actually set foot on the steps of the Imperial Brother-in-Law's residence from beginning to end...

"What, he really said that?"

Not long after, inside the palace, the Sixth Prince, who was eating roasted parrot, suddenly stood up, glared at everyone, and demanded an explanation.

Fu Lu smiled wryly and said, "Even if I had the guts of a bear and the gall of a leopard, I wouldn't dare to deceive Your Highness!"

"Well, that's outrageous!"

The Sixth Prince slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Guards, help me change my clothes! I'm about to go to the palace to meet the Emperor!"

half an hour.

It was almost evening.

A group of fierce soldiers suddenly stormed into the residence of the emperor's brother-in-law. Amidst a barrage of questions, they barged straight into the main hall. The leader addressed the six men who had come to them:
"By order of His Majesty, Cao Yi shall be imprisoned in the Imperial Prison to await joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices!"

Upon hearing the terms "heavenly prison" and "joint trial by the three judicial authorities," the five gods on the other side were completely dumbfounded.

For them, the news came as a complete surprise, and it immediately cut off their lifeline, directly restricting Cao Guojiu's personal freedom!
"What crime have I committed that I should be imprisoned in the imperial prison and subjected to a joint trial by the three judicial authorities?" Cao Guojiu asked, his voice trembling with shock and anger.

"You are suspected of cheating on the scientific expedition, accepting bribes, hoarding goods for profit, and other crimes. Please come with us," the leading officer said.

Cao Guojiu's heart skipped a beat.

Not right.

These charges would be earth-shattering for an ordinary official, but who is he?

He is Cao Guojiu!
His sister was the Empress of the Song Dynasty.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, even with conclusive evidence, the outcome would be nothing more than a slap on the wrist, a one-time punishment. How could it possibly lead to imprisonment?
"I want to see my sister, I want to see the Empress."

Realizing something was wrong, Cao Guojiu immediately shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Take him down!" the leader simply waved his hand and said softly.

Seeing the soldiers approaching with knives, Fang Gui, the Fire Monkey, instinctively tried to get up, but Liu Huan pressed his arm down, and he immediately calmed down.

They cannot have a direct conflict with the dynasty or the imperial power, otherwise they will likely be entangled in great karmic consequences and suffer endless troubles!

"Five immortals, you must find a way to see my sister, tell her what happened, and ask her to save me."

After being dragged away from his seat, Cao Guojiu quickly turned to look at the five gods of the Fire Department and shouted loudly.

Liu Huan said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, we will do everything we can to save you."

Having received this promise, Cao Guojiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave with the soldiers in front of him.

He had full confidence in the Five Immortals, and also full confidence in his sister's power in the court.

With both forces combined, he refused to believe he would lose!

In the blink of an eye, Cao Guojiu was escorted out of the Cao residence. The five gods looked at each other, and all of them saw solemn expressions in each other's eyes.

"It must be Yang Jian."

Shortly after, Zhu Zhao spoke with a serious expression.

Liu Huan nodded: "What's more troublesome is that we haven't even seen each other yet; the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, so we're on the defensive and it's impossible to defend against them!"

"Is there any way to change this situation?" Fang Gui asked seriously.

After pondering for a long time, Liu Huan slowly shook his head: "Unless we temporarily abandon Cao Guojiu and retreat in order to advance, it will be difficult to change this situation."

The problem is, I'm worried that if we retreat, the Emperor of Fengdu will bring the Eight Immortals and take Cao Guojiu away.

As you all know, Cao Guojiu is easily influenced; he can easily go astray, but it's not difficult for him to go astray either—it all depends on his surroundings.

Upon hearing this, the usually taciturn Winged Fire Serpent King Jiao whispered:
"Now that things have come to this, in order to prevent the first-mover advantage given to us by the cult leader from being wasted, I think the best course of action is to take a risky approach and incite Cao Guojiu to personally start the killing spree."

Once the killing is started, and a murder case arises, he cannot leave without completely resolving this karmic connection, just like us.

The other four immortals looked at each other and finally nodded in unison.

High in the sky, among the white clouds.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yao was not surprised but rather pleased, and turned to the Six Immortals beside him, saying, "The time is almost here..."

The six immortals were puzzled, and He Xiangu was the first to ask, "Master, how much longer is it?"

"Of course, it's almost time to convert Cao Guojiu."

Qin Yao said with a smile, "Although taking an unconventional approach is suitable for surprise attacks, the benefits can be great if successful."

But everything has two sides. A surprise attack means there is a risk of exposure, and if it fails, the whole thing will be lost.

To put it more clearly, the Five Gods are now instigating Cao Guojiu to commit murder, but if we can provoke Cao Guojiu's rebellious tendencies at a crucial moment, we can sever ties with them and thereby bring Cao Guojiu into our camp..."

That night.

Inside the prison.

Cao Guojiu sat cross-legged on the clean and tidy bed, gazing at the waning moon outside the window, but he was wide awake.

Although he firmly believed that with his sister around, he would be safe, people inevitably overthink when they're bored. For example, he even wondered what if something happened to his sister too?

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as he was getting increasingly anxious and impatient, five familiar figures suddenly appeared before his eyes...

"Greetings to the five celestial beings!" Cao Guojiu was overjoyed and hurriedly rose to pay his respects.

Liu Huan, however, looked serious and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, something bad has happened."

Cao Guojiu's smile froze: "What's wrong?"

“We can’t even get into the palace, let alone see the Empress. We’ve even heard that the Sixth Prince has reported everything you’ve done over the years to the Emperor, and he’s clearly trying to kill you,” Liu Huan said.

Cao Guojiu was struck dumb, and asked in astonishment, "You all can come and go freely in this imperial prison, how come you can't see my sister?"

Liu Huan explained, "Because the Heavenly Prison is not protected by the Golden Dragon of the Song Dynasty's national fortune, but it is above the Imperial Palace. Under the protection of the Golden Dragon, neither gods nor demons can enter the Imperial Palace, so what can they do?"

Cao Guojiu: "..."

This argument, at first glance, actually makes some sense. "So what do we do now?"

Before long, Cao Guojiu was at a loss and subconsciously sought help from the Five Gods.

Liu Huan solemnly said, "So much time has passed, and the Empress has still not come to your rescue, nor has she even shown herself. I think there are only two possibilities."

First, she was misled, living deep within the palace and unaware of the matter. Second, she herself was in trouble and could hardly protect herself.

Either way, it means you can't stay in jail any longer; otherwise, you might face execution!

Cao Guojiu was so frightened that his heart trembled and his head was buzzing. He hurriedly said, "Then I'll have to trouble the five immortals to take me out..."

"We can't get out," Liu Huan said, shaking his head.

Cao Guojiu was stunned: "Huh?"

Liu Huan explained with a sincere expression, "To be honest, we are not from the current timeline, but from the Tang Dynasty hundreds of years ago. If we do not want to suffer divine retribution, we cannot get involved in too many worldly affairs, otherwise we will be punished by the karmic consequences."

Cao Guojiu: "..."

He was completely stunned; his mind went blank.

"However, we have known each other for a while, and you even spent money to build the True Immortal Temple for us. We certainly can't just watch you die in vain."

After a short while, Liu Huan changed the subject, took out a golden talisman with a flick of his wrist, and handed it to Cao Guojiu: "This is a divine talisman. You only need to stick it on your chest, and you can borrow the divine power of us five immortals for your own use."

"Put on the golden talisman and fight your way out. If you're fast enough, you might even be able to reach the treasury and retrieve your treasure. From then on, living as a wealthy man in anonymity wouldn't be such a bad thing."

Looking at the golden tally handed to him, Cao Guojiu suddenly realized: "Doesn't this constitute fleeing from justice?"

"It's better to flee from justice than to die."

Liu Huan slapped the golden talisman into his hand, urging him deliberately, "Don't hesitate, life is the most important thing; without life, what else is there to talk about?"

Cao Guojiu: "..."

"If you actually listen to their nonsense, you'll be doomed forever." At that moment, a soft laugh suddenly came from the next cell.

"Who?!"

Liu Huan roared, his face full of anger.

The next moment, Qin Yao led the six immortals through the wall, looked at his face and said, "It's me."

The five gods all took two or three steps back in unison. Zhu Zhao asked in alarm, "How come you haven't lost your magic power?"

"None of you five have lost your magic power, so why must I be like this?" Qin Yao retorted.

The Five Gods: "..."

They have the help of the Tongtian Sect Leader.

Could it be that Laozi also gave him special treatment?
In the midst of this silence, Qin Yao looked intently at Cao Guojiu and solemnly said, "You think that meeting these five people is a kind of luck, but in reality it is a kind of misfortune."

I can tell you clearly that those five are all demons from the Tongtian Sect, and they are not immortals at all.

They don't genuinely want to help you; they want to corrupt you into becoming a demon.

Think about it carefully. Did you start going astray after you met them?
Were they also instigating all sorts of despicable behavior?

Cao Guojiu subconsciously thought about this matter, and for a moment he seemed to wake up from a dream.

Not to mention...

It seems that's really the case.

"Don't listen to his nonsense."

Liu Huan said softly, "Cao Guojiu, he is the extraterrestrial demon, your calamity."

Everything he says right now is meant to seduce you.

You might find his words very reasonable, but that's precisely the effect of his sorcery.

Cao Guojiu: "..."

Qin Yao sneered, summoning the Emperor's Seal with a flick of his hand, and an imperial robe flashed on his body: "Heavenly Demon? Evil Arts? Nonsense! I am Yang Jian, the Emperor of Fengdu. Your slander will be settled in the future."

The five gods quickly formed a magic array, ready for battle. Liu Huan said in a deep voice, "You don't belong to this timeline either. I advise you not to make a move. Once a war breaks out, it will damage the current timeline, and we will be the ones who are held accountable!"

Even so, I think I should be able to handle it better than you guys.

Qin Yao raised his hand and summoned the Four Fiend Swords, coldly saying, "I'll count to three. If you still haven't left, let's see who gives up first. A king's word is his bond. Three..."

The five gods all changed color, and an invisible pressure suddenly pressed down on their shoulders like a mountain, causing their primordial spirits to tremble slightly.

The threat from the Emperor of Fengdu, coupled with the assurance that a ruler's word is law, made them dare not doubt whether the other party was bluffing.

"Two." Qin Yao didn't deliberately drag out the time. He immediately started counting down, and the four fierce swords in front of him began to light up with law runes.

Sweat was faintly visible on the foreheads of the five gods, but a chill ran down their spines as they exchanged glances.

"one."

Qin Yao gave a soft shout and, controlling the Four Fiend Swords, took a sudden step forward.

In an instant, the five gods simultaneously vanished into light, none of them able to withstand such pressure, choosing instead to confront the Emperor of Fengdu head-on.

In fact.

It's not entirely fair to blame them for being weak; the main reason is that even the Tongtian Sect Leader said that it's best not to confront the Fengdu Emperor head-on...

"Now do you know who's good and who's bad?"

After scaring away the five gods, Qin Yao sheathed his four swords with a flick of his wrist and stared intently at Cao Guojiu.

Cao Guojiu stared at him blankly and murmured, "Are you really the Emperor of Fengdu?"

Qin Yao nodded slightly, put away his official seal and imperial robe, and returned to his white-robed state: "The genuine article."

Cao Guojiu: "..."

At that moment, he was completely lost.

Logically speaking, he should have believed the Emperor of Fengdu, since the name itself represented authority.

However, his brother-in-law, who also represented human authority, was well aware of how despicable many authorities were.

"Looking at you, you still can't tell the difference." At this moment, Qin Yao shook his head and sighed softly.

Cao Guojiu lowered his head, tacitly agreeing with this explanation.

Qin Yao said, "Uncle Cao, let me ask you, can you really distinguish between good and evil?"

Cao Guojiu said softly, "I am not an ignorant child; I can naturally distinguish between good and evil."

"Leaving aside distant examples, just look at recent events: selling exam questions, hoarding them for profit, and accepting bribes—isn't that evil?" Qin Yao asked.

Cao Guojiu: "..."

Qin Yao snapped, "Speak up, don't pretend you're mute."

Cao Guojiu could only answer, "It is evil!"

"Knowing it's an evil deed, why do you still do it? Don't you know that good and evil will eventually be rewarded?" Qin Yao questioned.

Cao Guojiu let out a long breath and said, "The Five Immortals told me that the saying 'good and evil will eventually be rewarded' is false."

The truth is, murderers and arsonists wear golden belts, while those who build bridges and roads leave no trace.

If evil people are always severely punished, then where are there any evil people in the world?
Therefore, this statement is nothing more than a helpless self-consolation for the general public… (End of Chapter)