Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 120 The emperor himself is the sharpest knife and the coldest will.

night, deeper.

The air inside the East Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace seemed to have frozen solid by the emperor's sharp, decisive whisper.

Wang Chengen remained frozen in place, the words "whetstone" echoing repeatedly in his mind. Each word struck him like a heavy bronze bell, making his soul feel like it was about to break.

He felt as if he had glimpsed some unfathomable, terrifying truth that was beyond his comprehension.

In the midst of this almost frozen silence, a series of hurried yet deliberately suppressed footsteps sounded outside the hall.

The footsteps carried an undisguised bloodlust and restlessness, like a hungry wolf that had been trapped in a cage for a long time and finally smelled blood.

Zhu Youjian didn't even lift his eyelids, simply uttering two words: "Come in."

No sooner had the words been spoken than the palace door was pushed open, and a figure practically rushed in.

The visitor was none other than Wei Zhongxian.

At this moment, he was completely different from the person he usually was in the palace, who, though humble, always had a hint of arrogance in his eyes and brows.

The scarlet python robe he wore fluttered in the wind as he walked quickly, as if it were soaked in blood.

In the candlelight, his old face was deeply lined with wrinkles, and his expression was extremely solemn.

Wei Zhongxian rushed to the imperial desk almost at a jog, and then, with a speed and force far beyond his years and status, he knelt down heavily with a "thud"!

The knee struck the hard gold brick with a dull, loud thud, a sound that made Wang Chengen, standing nearby, twitch involuntarily.

"Long live the Lord!"

Wei Zhongxian's voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded, and it contained the fury of someone whose sore spot had been touched. He raised his head, and his wrinkled face was filled with humiliation and a resolute plea for forgiveness.

"This old servant is incompetent! This old servant deserves to die! How could I allow these hypocrites who have read the classics to their death, these pedantic scholars who only know how to wag their tongues, to stir up trouble right under the Emperor's nose and defile His Majesty's ears! This is my oversight, and I deserve to die ten thousand times!"

As he spoke, he held up a stack of physical evidence in his hands.

Those were several statements that had just been scalded with boiling water; the ink was still wet, and the paper was still damp and warm.

These are all irrefutable pieces of evidence obtained by agents of the Eastern Depot using their most skilled and ruthless methods.

The process of torture needs no further explanation, but the result was clear and fatal.

The evidence was complete and the direction was clear. In Wei Zhongxian's view, this was irrefutable evidence and an excellent opportunity to wipe out Qian Qianyi and the entire gentry group behind him!

He desperately needed such a pledge of allegiance.

Wei Zhongxian was once the most trusted and most fervent henchman of the late Emperor Tianqi.

He bit people, eliminated dissidents, and amassed wealth for the late emperor.

There was a tacit understanding and trust between them that outsiders could not comprehend. It was cultivated through their daily companionship. With just a glance from the late emperor, he knew who to bite and how hard to bite.

However, the new emperor is different.

This young emperor was as deep as the sea and as ruthless as winter. He needed neither companionship nor an accomplice to bear the infamy for him.

The emperor himself is the sharpest knife and the coldest will!
Wei Zhongxian keenly sensed that his position in the new emperor's heart was undergoing a subtle change. He was no longer the indispensable vicious dog, but more like an old tool that was temporarily kept but could be discarded at any time.

This feeling made him restless and unable to eat or sleep.

He desperately needs to make a contribution, a great contribution!
He wanted to prove to the new emperor in the most violent and direct way that he, Wei Zhongxian, was still the most loyal, efficient, and ruthless henchman of the empire!
He wanted to use the blood of his enemies to rebuild the trust between himself and the new emperor, and to consolidate his power.

Therefore, when he discovered the unusual activities of Qian Qianyi and his group of civil officials over the past month or two through the eyes of the Eastern Depot, he was almost ecstatic!

It's like a pillow being delivered to someone who's sleepy!
Wei Zhongxian immediately mobilized the most elite forces of the Eastern Depot, and with almost frantic efficiency, obtained what he considered to be irrefutable evidence in the shortest possible time.

He presented this evidence, which he believed could unleash a massive bloodbath, to the emperor with great anticipation, then kowtowed heavily and pleaded for his life with murderous intent:

"Your Majesty! The evidence is irrefutable! Qian Qianyi and his cronies, these hypocrites, outwardly obeyed but inwardly defied, colluded with those inside and outside the government, incited students, and attempted to undermine the foundation of the nation! Their intentions are despicable, and their crimes deserve to be punished! This is no different from treason!"

"Your Majesty, please grant this old servant an imperial decree! This old servant guarantees that before dawn, not a single word of criticism will be heard in the capital! The eight thousand guards of the Eastern Depot are already on high alert, awaiting only Your Majesty's command!" Wei Zhongxian said expectantly.

They hoped the emperor would be pleased, even if it was just a look of approval or a word of authorization like "Granted."

Then he will be like a tiger that has finally broken free of its shackles, pouncing on those who he has long disliked, turning their mansions into another hell on earth filled with howls of agony!

However, none of his expectations came true.

Zhu Youjian reached out and slowly picked up the blood-stained confession with two fingers. He glanced at it casually, as if he were looking at a boring newspaper full of nonsense, not an irrefutable piece of evidence that could lead to someone's death.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, Wei Zhongxian's latest pledge of allegiance floated away like a falling leaf and was casually tossed into a corner of the imperial desk.

Wei Zhongxian's heart sank.

He looked up and saw the emperor's expressionless face.

Then, he saw a slight smile appear on His Majesty's lips.

A laugh, seemingly rolling out from the deepest part of his chest, rang out.

"Ha ha……"

Wei Zhongxian and Wang Chengen both felt a chill rise up their spines.

The laughter didn't stop; instead, it grew louder and louder.

Wei Zhongxian was completely dumbfounded.

He knelt on the cold floor tiles, looking up at the young emperor who was laughing wildly.

His mind went blank; his heart, which had remained calm and cunning through countless political storms, was once again filled with utter bewilderment.

Wang Chengen was also dumbfounded.

He stood to the side, his hands and feet ice-cold, a thought he dared not delve into yet could not suppress growing wildly in both his and Wei Zhongxian's minds simultaneously—

Your Majesty... has it... gone mad with anger?

The thought was so outrageous that they both immediately tried to suppress it, but the confusion overwhelmed them like a tidal wave.

Finally, the deafening laughter abruptly stopped.

The change was so abrupt, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

Zhu Youjian slowly sat up straight. His eyes, which had been moist from laughing, were now frighteningly bright, like two will-o'-the-wisps burning coldly in the midnight wilderness!

Zhu Youjian looked down at Wei Zhongxian, who was kneeling on the ground with a blank and fearful expression, and made his comments word by word in an extremely calm voice.

"Wei Zhongxian".

"When you see a fire, you always think about immediately grabbing a bucket of water to put it out."

"This is your instinct. It's your most commendable instinct!"

These seemingly complimentary words plunged Wei Zhongxian's heart into an abyss.

Zhu Youjian did not look at him again, but slowly stood up and walked to the window, looking once more at the deep night outside the imperial city.

His voice carried a hint of cat-and-mouse excitement, and an almost perverse enjoyment of being in control of everything.

"And I..."

He paused for a moment, as if savoring the bloody feast that was about to unfold, which he himself was directing.

"...I think the fire isn't burning bright enough."

(End of this chapter)