Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 37 With sinister intentions
When Xuanjizi followed the eunuch to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he saw Yang Zhao sitting upright on the dragon throne, his face calm and expressionless.

Xuanjizi dared not presume, and stepped forward to perform a proper Taoist kowtow. "This humble Taoist greets Your Majesty. May I ask why Your Majesty summoned this humble Taoist here so late at night?"

Yang Zhao smiled, then waved his hand, and all the bystanders withdrew. Yang Zhao then stepped down from the dragon throne and said excitedly.

"Immortal Master, there's no need for such formalities. I have summoned you here today because there is a matter of utmost importance that I wish to discuss with you."

"This place is crowded and noisy, Immortal Master, please follow me."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the inner palace.

Although Xuanjizi was somewhat surprised, he had no doubts and quickly followed.

The two of them, one in front of the other, passed through the beaded curtain and entered the inner room.

As soon as he stepped inside, Xuanjizi smelled a faint stench of blood. Before he could think about it, he caught a glimpse of the scene on the ground out of the corner of his eye.

On the thick carpet, a man whose outer clothes had been stripped off was curled up, with a pool of dark blood beneath him.

Upon seeing the man's face clearly, Xuanjizi was struck dumb. He staggered back several steps, his legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

"You...you...who exactly are you?!" He pointed at the "emperor" in front of him who looked exactly like Yang Zhao, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

He even wondered if he had stumbled upon some legendary demon with a painted skin.

Chen Ye was too lazy to waste words with him.

Under Xuanjizi's horrified gaze, he swayed and approached like a ghost.

Xuanjizi, who possessed some rudimentary skills, let out a strange cry upon seeing this and raised his hand to resist.

But in Chen Ye's eyes, his movements were as slow as a snail.

With a crisp "crack," Xuanjizi's wrist was snapped by Chen Ye at an odd angle.

A sharp pain struck, and just as Xuanjizi was about to open his mouth to scream, a hand gripped his throat tightly, silencing all his voice.

"I ask, you answer. If there is even a hint of falsehood, or the slightest hesitation..."

Chen Ye's voice was icy. With a flick of his wrist, the knife sliced ​​off a section of Xuanjizi's little finger.

“Ah… ow!”

Xuanjizi was in so much pain that his whole body convulsed, tears and snot streaming down his face, and his eyes were filled with fear as he looked at Chen Ye.

"Who recommended you to enter the palace?"

In excruciating pain, Xuanjizi dared not conceal anything and sobbed as he squeezed out two surnames through gritted teeth.

"The Cui family...the Wang family..."

"Why did they send you to bewitch Yang Zhao and gather a thousand young girls to refine elixirs?"

Xuanjizi was so frightened that he trembled like a leaf and told everything out loud.

It turns out he wasn't a highly accomplished master at all, but just a charlatan who swindled people in the martial arts world, only knowing a little bit of deception.

A few days ago, he was approached by the two top families in the capital—the Cui family and the Wang family—who offered him great rewards to enter the palace and bewitch the emperor.

The purpose was to make Yang Zhao act perversely, incur public wrath and resentment, and completely lose the support of the people and his prestige.

After listening, Chen Ye immediately understood.

The Cui and Wang families were powerful clans that had survived several dynasties, with extremely deep-rooted foundations.

Now that the Great Zhao Dynasty is on the verge of collapse, they are paving the way for their own future.

First, let the emperor destroy his own defenses, then use popular resentment to launch an attack, drag him off the throne, and replace him with a compliant puppet. When the northern steppe barbarians invade, whether to fight or make peace, kneel or surrender, won't it all be up to these aristocratic families to decide?

What a great move!
These powerful and influential families will stop at nothing to achieve their own wealth and glory.

"Great hero, spare my life! I was merely following orders. These matters have nothing to do with me. Please have mercy and spare me this time. I promise to leave the capital and Dazhao immediately and never return." Xuanjizi knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, tears streaming down his face as he begged for mercy.

His sincere tone and earnest attitude were truly moving.

But Chen Ye did not hesitate at all and swung his sword directly.

puff!
The knife was plunged directly into Xuanjizi's throat, silencing him completely.

Chen Ye didn't believe any nonsense about it being unrelated to him. The ringleader had to be eliminated, and his accomplices couldn't be let off the hook either.

Xuanjizi twitched a few times, then breathed his last and died.

Chen Ye stripped off his outer clothes, then slashed his and Yang Zhao's faces with a knife until they were bloody and unrecognizable.

After doing all this, he dragged the two corpses to a garden behind the palace. This was the emperor's private garden, and ordinary people were not allowed to approach it, making it perfect for destroying evidence.

Chen Ye found a flower bed, dug up the soft soil with a knife, threw the two corpses in, buried them, and then placed a heavy artificial rock on top of them.

By the time everything was settled, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

Chen Ye returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and said in a deep voice to the eunuchs waiting outside, "I am feeling unwell today and need to rest. No one is allowed to disturb me without my order. Also, Immortal Master Xuanji has left the palace on my secret orders to handle an important matter for me and will not be back for a while. You need not make a fuss about it."

These eunuchs dared not ask any further questions and repeatedly agreed.

After dismissing the eunuchs, Chen Ye returned to his inner room, cleaned up the scene, then took off his dragon robe and put on the dark purple eunuch robe.

With the twitching of his facial muscles, he transformed back into the sinister-looking old eunuch.

He left the Hall of Mental Cultivation silently and went to the artificial hill where he had previously hidden the old eunuch's body. He then disposed of the body as well, ensuring that nothing went wrong.

As for the little eunuch he had knocked unconscious, when he woke up he found that he had only lost an outer garment and nothing else had happened. Because he was afraid of being punished, he did not dare to make a fuss.

And so the matter was dropped.

Using his identity as an old eunuch, Chen Ye swaggered out of the heavily guarded palace without being stopped by anyone.

Once he reached a secluded corner outside, Chen Ye reverted to his original appearance, carefully put away the eunuch robes, and quietly returned to the tenement.

It was already broad daylight, and Fang Tao and the others had gotten up and were busy in the yard.

However, this was no problem for Chen Ye. He went around to the back and quietly slipped into his room through the back window. Then, he pretended to have just woken up and came out yawning.

Fang Tao and the others did not notice anything unusual. After finishing breakfast, Chen Ye found Chen Tao.

"Young Master, there is chaos and turmoil outside, and our wall-following business can't continue for the time being. I want to go out of the city and hide in the countryside for a couple of days."

Fang Tao was taken aback. Looking at Chen Ye's slightly haggard face, he assumed that Chen Ye was still heartbroken over the matter of Xiao Rui from the Cai Zi Men sect, and couldn't help but sigh.

"That's good. Things are chaotic outside right now, and business isn't easy. It's a good thing to go out and clear your head, to avoid the storm. Try to think positively; you always have to look forward."

After saying that, he took out a handful of ten-cash copper coins from his pocket and stuffed them into Chen Ye's hand: "Take it, be prepared to travel extravagantly even if you're poor, don't skimp on yourself."

Chen Ye did not refuse, silently accepted the copper coins, and nodded.

At the same moment, a magnificent carriage stopped outside the imperial city.

Wang Yuanzhi, the current Minister of Works and head of the Wang family, came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to request an audience.

(End of this chapter)