above the galaxy

Chapter 626 I'm not dead?
This was a tremendous explosion.

It wasn't just because of the enormous sound and spectacular sight of the explosion, but also because the person who was hit was so unusual.

Sheng Jing, the head of the Sheng family and one of the three prime ministers of the empire, has held this prominent position for nearly twenty years, with countless trusted confidants and loyal followers under his command.
He's the kind of man whose mere stomp of his foot could cause a violent upheaval in the empire's economy.

Although the Sheng family is not among the nine great families, its overall strength is not much inferior to the other nine great families.

He was just blasted to death by a single cannon shot?
Not only Sheng Jing died, but his wife and daughter also perished; the entire family turned into dust and fell randomly.

No more descendants.

It was a very tragic situation.

Qianshan.

A small courtyard with a fence.

The old man, with an air of otherworldly wisdom, looked at the lingering halo in the distant sky, sighed deeply, and said, "Shen Wuxiang is blinded by rage; I'm afraid we also have to make a choice."

"Grandpa," Yu Haoran stood behind the old man, his face full of disbelief, and asked, "Did they really dare to kill Sheng Jing?"

"The facts are right in front of us, what is there to doubt? That kid in the north is causing more and more trouble, he's unstoppable, and he's already a force to be reckoned with. Shen Wuxiang is feeling immense pressure."

"The greater the pressure, the more he worries about instability within the empire. Therefore, he has to use the most brutal means to suppress it."

"A finance minister who is not of one mind with us still controls the economic lifeline of the empire. Even if they replaced him with Shi Hongchuan from the Shi family, can the imprint left by the Shengjing era over the past twenty years be so easily erased?"

"Who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve? How many more pawns has he secretly planted? The relationship between that young lady of the Sheng family and Tang Fei has always been ambiguous; who knows if they might stab us in the back?"

"This move not only eliminates a major threat but also serves as a warning to others. Moreover, it's only killing one monkey; how could the other monkeys not be worried and afraid? How could they not sense the danger?"

Thinking of Sheng Xinhuai, Yu Haoran couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

Such a stunningly beautiful woman, with her captivating charm, had lingered in his heart countless times. It's truly a pity and a shame that she passed away so tragically.

Looking at the young men and women with special interests in Phoenix, which one hasn't had different thoughts about Sheng Xinhuai?
Lolis are cute, but older sisters are really appealing.

Cuteness is nothing compared to sexy.

Of course, now is not the time for sentimental love.

"Grandpa, if Shen Wuxiang sends people again to win us over and ask us to stand up and support them, what should we do?" Yu Haoran asked, expressing his concerns.

"Is Phoenix still with that kid?" Yu Chang'an suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Yu Haoran looked surprised, wondering why his grandfather would suddenly ask this question. He said, "According to the intelligence we have, my cousin has been by Tang Fei's side, helping him win over old military and political officials and handle internal and external affairs. She is the number two person in the team."

"Everyone says that our Yu family is the family of a phoenix queen, and we should trust the girls' choices."

"grandfather."

“My mind is made up.” Yu Chang’an interrupted Yu Haoran and said, “Call your dad and uncle and tell them to come back. I need to discuss something with them.”

The Yu family has three brothers. Yu Chenghai is the chief officer of Phoenix City, the lord of the city.

Yu Chenglong served as the military commander of the Fengwu Army and was already a deputy commander-in-chief.

As for the third brother, Yu Bainian, let's not even mention him; he was long ago ruined by the Tang bandits.

“Yes, Grandpa,” Yu Haoran replied.

He knew that his grandfather's decisions were irreversible.

Because of the existence of the phoenix, they may embark on a path that is 'extremely dangerous' but could potentially yield enormous rewards.

But how do we get past Shen Wuxiang?

Wangyue Island.

In the underground chamber, Shi Hongyun said excitedly, "Hongchuan, Sheng Jing is dead. He tried to escape in a starship, but Bai Xingjian blasted him to pieces with a single shot."

"Hmph, you think you can escape after offending the military minister? You're really overestimating yourself."

In Shi Hongyun's view, with Sheng Jing dead, it would be easier for his own brothers to take control of that position.

After all, the position of Minister of Finance was snatched from Sheng Jing's backside.

The conflict between the two families had long been irreconcilable. With Sheng Jing dead, the Shi family was the biggest beneficiary.
At least, that's how he sees it.

Shi Hongchuan, however, was shrouded in worry. He picked up the whiskey glass in front of him and downed it in one gulp. His voice was weary as he said, "In that case, we're now locked in a life-or-death struggle with them."

Shi Hongyun looked at his younger brother with a surprised expression and said, "Hongchuan, you don't want to have your cake and eat it too, do you? The Military Minister has treated our Shi family very well and even promoted you to that position himself. We can't do anything to betray the Military Minister."

Shi Hongchuan was speechless with frustration about his younger brother.

Just be a good playboy, drink and party, date celebrities, play golf, and stop interfering in national affairs.

If the Shi family had actually been handed over to you, it would have been finished long ago.

“He who cannot plan for the whole cannot plan for a part.” Shi Hongchuan picked up the glass bottle, poured himself another glass of strong wine, and explained, “Why did the military minister take action against the Sheng family at this time? It’s because he felt danger and pressure.”

"Who is putting pressure on him? It's the Tang bandits in the north. The Tang bandits are launching a fierce offensive, and the military minister is suffering defeat after defeat. It's still uncertain who will emerge victorious."

"To be more precise, who will achieve the final victory is now unknown. If the military and the ministers compete for the throne, then everyone will be happy. We historians have made the right bet."

"If that kid from the north wins, what will happen to the Shi family? Will the Shi clan even have a chance to survive?"

"This is why, after I took office as the Minister of Finance, I only replaced the heads of a few key positions with my own people; I did not completely eliminate the people of Shengjing."

"Although I haven't communicated with Sheng Jing about this matter, we have an unspoken understanding. He owes me a favor."

"Now that Sheng Jing is dead and the Shi clan is destroyed, the tacit understanding and human connection between me and Sheng Jing no longer exist."

"If Tang Fei ultimately wins and becomes the new master of the Phoenix Empire, he will surely think that we are in cahoots with the Military Minister, that the Shi family seized the position of Finance Minister from the Sheng family, and that we joined forces with the Military Minister to force Sheng Jing to his death."

"Given that kid's ruthless ways, do we Shi family have any chance of survival? Confiscating our property and exterminating our clan is not far off."

Shi Hongyun was dumbfounded. He had originally thought that the Shi family and the military minister were in cahoots, black and white.
Unexpectedly, the second brother, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, had been secretly colluding with Sheng Jing, betting on both sides.

"Hongchuan, what do we do now?"

"Now? Shengjing is dead, do we have any other choice?" He downed the whiskey in his glass and said with a gloomy look in his eyes, "We can only go down this dark path."
-
Countless families and countless courtyards are discussing Sheng Jing's death and its subsequent impact.

It all comes down to self-interest.

These were the first high-ranking individuals to gain access to core secrets.

When news of the Shengjing Starship's explosion spread online, the entire online world was in an uproar.

"What? The Finance Minister is dead? The spaceship exploded?"

"What era are we living in? A spaceship can explode? Which company's spaceship is this? We should boycott all of their products."

"I heard that the Chancellor of the Treasury betrayed the country and fled, only to be shot down by an Imperial missile."

"The person upstairs is a member of the entire family. How could the Finance Minister possibly betray the country? He's already a high-ranking official; who could afford to buy him?"

"Exactly! It was hilarious when they said the princess was selling out the country. The country belonged to someone else, who would she sell it to?"

"Putting aside his character, Sheng Jing is a capable person. He has made significant contributions to the country's steady economic growth in recent years."

"Light a candle for the wealth symbol."

May the Minister of Wealth have a safe journey.
-
People's eyes are sharp.

Unless someone is deliberately deceiving us.

However, there are times when deception cannot be concealed.

Although the authorities intervened, claiming that Sheng Jing betrayed national interests and fled to another country in a spaceship, most people still couldn't believe it.

First, the position of finance minister is far too prestigious. Having reached that position, what national interests could he possibly betray? And who could afford to pay the price?
Secondly, given the precedent of the phoenix, even a princess could betray her country. The story of the boy who cried wolf has been told so many times that people are no longer willing to believe it.

More importantly, it comes down to personal feelings. During the years that Sheng Jing was in power, the country became rich and powerful, and the national financial strength increased year after year. The people were very satisfied with him.

Longqing Street. Number 18.

Bai Xingjian was still standing on the street, surrounded by the Kunpeng mecha squad and security bureau agents he had brought.

After receiving Shen Wuxiang's hint, he immediately ordered the interception of the escaping starship.

When huge fireworks and explosions appeared in the sky above Lingjiu Mountain, he knew that the bombing mission had been successful.

The adjutant strode over and said in a deep voice, "Reporting to the general, the starship has been destroyed, and all personnel have perished."

"Send men to search Lingjiu Mountain to confirm that there are no survivors."

Zhuge Liang was cautious throughout his life, and Bai Xingjian always believed in this saying.

Caution is the boat.

"Yes, sir." The adjutant acknowledged the order and left.

But he was somewhat skeptical. The spaceship had been blown to pieces; how could the people inside still be alive?

The Kunpeng mecha unit was brought by Bai Xingjian, and everyone obeyed the general's orders without question.

However, things were in chaos at the security bureau.

what's the situation?
Did the spaceship explode?

Where's the director? Is their director still on the Starship?
It exploded too?
The image of the bureau chief exploding makes me feel nauseous.
Several high-ranking officials from the Security Bureau approached. Deputy Director Jiang Yubai looked at Bai Xingjian and said, "General Bai, Director Guo Nu of the Security Bureau has been taken hostage and is also on the Starship. How could you order an attack?"

"You have a problem with that?" Bai Xingqun glanced at Jiang Yubai with an indifferent look and said, "If you have a problem, go and raise it with the Prime Minister."

"."

One sentence left everyone feeling utterly speechless.

Who would dare to go to the military minister?
The finance minister was killed, so a security bureau chief doesn't seem like much of a deal.

It wasn't that they had much respect for Director Guo; it was mainly because he had promoted them all, and they had often enjoyed the good life with him.

Those who could become high-ranking officials in the National Security Bureau were all Guo Nu's staunch loyal henchmen.

They share the money, drink together, and step up when needed.
Bai Xingjian dismissed the Security Bureau personnel with a single sentence, then walked to a corner and dialed Shen Wuxiang's number again: "Military Minister, the matter has been taken care of."

"Has it been confirmed?"

"The starship has been destroyed; there's no way to save it now," Bai Xingjian said firmly. "I've already sent people over to confirm it again."

"Hmm. Well done, thank you for your hard work."

"The State Security Bureau..."

"You will temporarily serve as the director of the Security Bureau. Take charge of that work as well," Shen Wuxiang said decisively. "Xingjian, the domestic situation has been somewhat unstable lately, and I can't spare the time. You need to keep a close eye on things for me."

"There's an empire proverb: the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish. The more dangerous the job, the greater the reward. If you handle this task well, the future of the Imperial Censorate will be entrusted to you."

Bai Xingjian knew that Shen Wuxiang was just making empty promises.

The Censorate, the core power institution of the empire, is the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all officials.

The head of the Censorate, though not among the three prime ministers, wields no less power and is the emperor's true confidant.

For example, there was the 'mad dog' Yan Wenli, who could bite whomever he wanted. All the ministers were terrified, and even the three prime ministers had to show him extra respect.

He was exercising the power of an 'emperor'.

Bai Xingjian's eyes were firm, his back ramrod straight, as if Shen Wuxiang were standing right in front of him. With a resolute attitude and a sincere voice, he said, "I am willing to die for the military minister."

"Alright, I have other things to do. I'll give you a list later, and you can visit them one by one."

After saying that, he hung up the phone.
-
I don't know how long I've been in darkness, but the black veil above my head was suddenly ripped off.

Guo Nu looked around, his fat face deathly pale, and asked in a trembling voice, "I'm not dead?"

(End of this chapter)