I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 313 Metaphysics
The assassination of the delegation from the northern countries shocked the entire capital, and almost all members of the Six Doors were mobilized.

However, Chen Ming was kept on. Firstly, he had just taken office that day and didn't even have any subordinates. Secondly, it was also out of consideration for him, since he only had the strength of a first-rank cultivator.

As the head of the intelligence department, Shang Xiangrong was naturally unable to leave at this time.

Therefore, another person took Chen Ming to the office.

He was a very old man of the first rank, with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles. His surname was Zhou, and he was known as Master Zhou. He was a senior member of the Six Doors, specializing in logistics and clerical work. Because of his excellent memory and his rigid personality, he earned the nickname Master Zhou.

"Sir, this is it."

Master Zhou led Chen Ming to a pavilion and said respectfully.

"Mingjing Tower?"

Chen Ming glanced at the plaque above the pavilion. The building was quite large, similar in size to Shang Xiangrong's "Kurong Courtyard".

The difference is that this place is deserted and empty; not a single person can be seen. The attic door is also tightly closed, clearly indicating that it is not usually visited.

Master Zhou asked, "If Your Excellency is not satisfied with this name, you may change it."

Chen Ming thought for a moment and said, "Then let's change it to Lin Yuan Lou."

"Yes."

As they were talking, the door to the attic opened, and a middle-aged man came out. He paused for a moment when he saw the two people at the door, then bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Zhou, and this gentleman."

Master Zhou introduced, "This is Lord Gu, who will be the master of this place from now on."

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across the middle-aged man's face. He then performed a deep bow, saying, "Your subordinate, Du Yan, greets Lord Gu."

Chen Ming waved his hand, his attitude neither friendly nor distant, "Get up, no need for formalities."

Master Zhou said, "If Lord Gu has any questions, he can ask him. I have other tasks to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

After Master Zhou left, Chen Ming entered the pavilion and found it empty. He asked, "Du Yan, are you all alone here?"

Du Yan replied, "My lord, there are currently three people in Mingjing Tower who are responsible for daily cleaning."

"Where are the other two people?"

"I'm taking leave and staying home."

"So, you're my only subordinate?"

Du Yan smiled bitterly, "I was seriously injured before, and my strength has regressed to the sixth rank. I can only be considered half a cripple and can't help you much, sir."

Chen Ming smiled, pulled up a chair and sat down, and said, "Then tell me, what is the main function of this pavilion?"

Du Yan lowered his head and whispered, "Supervise all officials."

"..."

Chen Ming almost thought he had misheard. "Are you kidding me? Just the two of us, monitoring all the officials?"

Du Yan smiled wryly, "My lord, you may not know this, but there are two halls within the Six Doors. The Hall of Reincarnation is responsible for suppressing the world. The Hall of Yama is responsible for supervising all officials."

No wonder it's called the Palace of the King of Hell; it's specifically for dealing with one's own people, so naturally, it's hated by gods and ghosts.

Chen Ming asked, "What about the Lord of the Underworld?"

"Since the Palace Master was seriously injured and went into seclusion decades ago, he has not shown his face. There are rumors that he doesn't have much time left..."

Seriously injured?

A powerful expert at the Life Palace Realm was actually severely injured. After decades of seclusion, no wonder the Underworld Palace had become such a wretched sight, a mere decoration with no real presence.

Chen Ming then asked, "Besides this place, does the Yama's Palace have any other departments?"

"Yes, but it only belongs to the Yama Palace in name only. Those officials all follow the lead of Palace Master Hong."

That's understandable; they need someone to rely on.

In other words, the current Six Doors is actually a monopoly.

Chen Ming suddenly understood why the emperor had appointed him as a high-ranking official: he wanted him to rebuild the Underworld. Perhaps, once the Underworld was destroyed, he would be appointed as its new ruler.

Is this to make him a member of the Imperial Guard of the Great Jin Dynasty?

I have to say, it's pretty cool.

Chen Ming stroked his chin, suddenly realizing who had sent the assassins from Xikang when he left Beijing last time. Most likely, it was someone from within the Six Doors (a government agency).

It must be that the people from the Six Doors (a government agency) knew the emperor's thoughts and wanted to get rid of him in advance because he was blocking someone's path.

He asked, "Du Yan, you should be very familiar with the Six Doors, right?"

Du An said cautiously, "It depends on which aspect."

"It's about the people in the Six Doors, their backgrounds, their abilities, and so on."

"Know a thing or two."

"Alright, the first task I'm giving you is to compile a list of people from humble backgrounds who are frustrated in their careers, but who are capable and have a strength of at least the third rank."

"Yes."

"Going right now."

……

After giving his instructions, Chen Ming left "Mingjing Pavilion"—no, it's now "Linyuan Pavilion"—to find someone to inquire about information.

Such a big thing has happened, we should at least find out about it.

Finally, news came in the evening.

The murderer was named Yang Shuchang, a powerful expert in the Divine Realm, and his identity was not simple; he was the adopted son of General Yang Wuzhong.

Yang Wuzhong was originally the commander-in-chief of the five military garrisons in the northern frontier. After the great defeat last year, the emperor was furious and he was imprisoned.

It can be said that because of the northern states, this great general was disgraced and destined to be nailed to the pillar of historical shame.

Yang Shuchang grew up in the northern frontier and harbored deep-seated hatred for the northern states. He was exceptionally talented and was originally Yang Shuchang's most valiant general, but he disappeared after the defeat last year.

There have always been rumors that he was killed in action. Others say he was wounded and captured.

No one expected that he would suddenly appear in the capital and commit such a shocking crime.

It should be noted that the delegation from the northern kingdoms was by no means weak. The prince in charge was a top-tier first-grade expert, and there were two other experts at the Divine Treasure Realm, one of whom was said to be at the third level of the Divine Treasure Realm.

Such strength was completely annihilated in just a few breaths.

I wonder what level of skill Yang Shuchang has reached.

Even such a powerful figure could not escape the pursuit of the Six Doors and was captured in just two hours. He is now imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison.

When Chen Ming heard this news, he was having tea with a man in red who was guarding the Six Doors.

The man in red, surnamed Jia, sighed, "General Yang is truly unparalleled in loyalty and bravery. Even knowing he would die, he still took action to avenge General Yang."

Chen Ming thought to himself, "This guy is a proponent of war."

"However, after such an incident, the northern kingdoms will certainly not let it go. I'm afraid the flames of war will reignite in the northern frontier."

Chen Ming said, "That's probably his intention. Right now, in the court, only General Yang has experience in commanding large-scale battles. In the end, His Majesty might have no choice but to appoint General Yang."

"However, I heard that General Yang's cultivation level is only at the second level of the Divine Realm. Logically speaking, with his strength, it is impossible for him to destroy the Northern Kingdom's delegation."

Chen Ming's heart skipped a beat. "You mean, he has accomplices?"

Jia Hongyi said, "His Majesty must think so too. I just don't know which unlucky guy will be in charge of this case."

Chen Ming deeply agreed. This matter is very complicated. If they can't find anything, they can only wait for His Majesty to punish them. If they do find something, the person might be gone before His Majesty even punishes them.

If they could wipe out the forces of the northern kingdoms' delegations, killing an ordinary red-clad figure would be a piece of cake.
Just then, a eunuch came to find Chen Ming, "Your Highness, His Majesty requests that you enter the palace immediately."

"..."

Chen Ming suddenly had a bad feeling.

No way?
……

"Lawless!"

Inside the imperial study, the emperor angrily threw a jade ruyi to the ground, his face flushed red, and his lips trembled with rage, showing that he was truly furious.

Chen Ming silently walked over and picked up the broken jade ruyi.

There were only the two of them in the study.

Only in his presence would the emperor lose his temper like this.

"Do they think the Great Jin Dynasty isn't chaotic enough? Foreign delegations are killed without a second thought. How many people will die if war breaks out?" The emperor said, pounding his chest in anguish.

Chen Ming finally spoke, "Your Majesty, please calm down."

"My dear minister," the emperor suddenly grasped his hand and said excitedly, "you must help me! In this court, I only trust you now."

Chen Ming sighed inwardly and said resignedly, "Your Majesty, please give your orders. I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

"Go and interrogate Yang Shuchang. I need to know who is behind this and opposing me!"

"Yes."

This hot potato still ended up in his hands.

However, the emperor was kind enough to send his old eunuch with him. This served as both surveillance and protection.

This old eunuch is no ordinary person; he's a peak-level expert in the Divine Realm. Having him by my side gives me a great sense of security.

……

That night, Chen Ming, carrying the imperial edict, led the old eunuch to the fourth level of the imperial prison.

This is where prisoners from the Divine Treasury Realm are held. It is an independent space with unique laws governing heaven and earth, essentially a place devoid of spiritual energy.

Whether it's the Divine Realm or the Yang God, here everyone becomes an ordinary person, and their magical power disappears as soon as it leaves their body.

When Chen Ming entered the fourth floor, he felt nothing at all, just like usual.

He knew it was because he was under divine command.

In this world, imperial power is not merely a form of authority; it represents true power. The closer one is to the palace, the stronger the imperial power becomes.

Imperial edicts are one such example.

In places like this, imperial edicts are the supreme law.

Of course, once outside the secret realm, the imperial edict can no longer affect the laws of reality.

Chen Ming first went to see Yang Wuzhong, the most legendary figure in the military.

The Yang family was also a hereditary noble family, but they were not particularly prominent at the beginning of the dynasty. At the time of the founding of the dynasty, the ancestors of the Yang family were only granted the title of earl. Later, several outstanding figures emerged, which made the Yang family increasingly prominent.

By the time of Yang Wuzhong's generation, he had become the number one figure in the military.

He was not only a master of military strategy, but also possessed unparalleled personal strength, reaching the peak of the Divine Realm. He was just one step away from forging his "Life Palace" and becoming a legendary, god-like being.

"General Yang. The Emperor sent me here to ask you some questions."

Chen Ming was quite polite; one naturally has to be polite in front of such a powerful figure.

Yang Wuzhong looked to be in his early forties, a middle-aged man with a square face. He was sitting on the ground, resting with his eyes closed. Upon hearing this, he opened his eyes, glanced at him, then closed them again, saying, "I have nothing more to say. I've said everything I needed to say. Please leave."

"Is the General aware of the recent arrival of envoys from the northern kingdoms in the capital?"

Yang Wuzhong did not answer.

Chen Ming continued, "The delegations from the northern countries came for two things: first, to redraw the borders; and second, to ask for a marriage between their king and the eldest princess."

Yang Wuzhong's eyelids twitched, then he opened them again, stared into Yang Wuzhong's eyes, and slowly said, "You're telling me this to humiliate me?"

"No, it's because of something that happened later. Your adopted son, Yang Shuchang, in a fit of rage, slaughtered the entire delegation from the northern kingdoms. This included a prince and two experts at the Divine Treasure Realm."

"impossible!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Wuzhong blurted out, "Chang'er could never have such strength."

"Therefore, he must have had accomplices."

“If you’re asking who his helpers are, you’re asking the wrong person.” Yang Wuzhong closed his eyes again.

After that, no matter what Chen Ming said, he remained silent.

……

Chen Ming had no choice but to leave and went to another cell to see Yang Shuchang. Yang Shuchang was also sitting on the ground, his lips tightly pursed, motionless, like a statue.

He asked a few questions as usual, but Yang Shuchang didn't react at all and ignored him completely.

There's really nothing you can do if a powerful expert at the Divine Realm is determined not to speak.

Because torture is useless.

So this is a hot potato.

Chen Ming didn't waste any more time with him and left the prison.

He told the old eunuch and went back to the palace alone, while the old eunuch naturally had to return to the palace to report to the emperor.

Chen Ming knew that the interrogation wouldn't yield any results; he wasn't a famous detective in his previous life and didn't have the ability to solve cases.

To find out who's behind this, you'll have to rely on metaphysics.

After returning to his palace, he closed the door and took out the tortoise shell.

As his cultivation level increased, especially after achieving the Yang God realm, the effects of using the "Weapon Nourishing Technique" became better and better. Not only did the tortoise shell recover completely, but even the crack began to repair itself.

"Tortoise shell, oh tortoise shell, please tell me, who is the one who killed the delegation from the northern kingdoms?"

Chen Ming chanted as he infused a stream of spiritual energy into the incantation.

Suddenly, several images flashed before his eyes, including one of an old man who had been standing behind Yang Shuchang. There were also images of him interacting with several other people.

He not only knew the person in one of the pictures, but he was also very familiar with him.

"It really is her?"

Chen Ming wasn't too surprised.

Standing next to the old man was none other than the eldest princess.

“I knew she wouldn’t be willing to marry into the northern frontier.”

A rumor circulated a couple of days ago that the eldest princess had taken the initiative to request the emperor to marry into one of the northern kingdoms.

In retrospect, it was all just a show, a publicity stunt. They had actually planned to wipe out the delegation long ago.

Chen Ming opened his eyes and looked at the tortoise shell in his hand. Seeing that its luster had only dimmed a little and no new cracks had appeared, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He put away the tortoise shell and began to think about how to explain himself to the emperor.

(End of this chapter)