In this chaotic world of vying for power, I can become stronger by marrying a wife.

The air inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation felt sticky, like the low pressure before a downpour, making one's chest feel stuffy.

Su Ming knelt to one side, eyes downcast, as honest as a quail that had just arrived in the city.

Before long, hurried footsteps could be heard outside the hall.

Minister of War Zhang Tingyu and Vice Minister Liu Quan entered one after the other. Liu Quan's fat face was deathly pale, and beads of sweat dripped down his chin, falling onto the gold-brick floor and shattering into eight pieces.

Zhang Tingyu remained composed, but the slight trembling of his robe betrayed his inner turmoil.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

The two knelt down on the ground, their heads banging loudly.

The emperor did not wake him. He was twirling two jade walnuts in his hands, and the crisp clicking sound was particularly jarring in the deathly silent hall.

"They've arrived?" The Emperor didn't even lift his eyelids. "Look at this thing on the ground. Does it look familiar?"

The black spool lay alone on their laps.

Liu Quan picked it up with trembling hands, and after just one glance, his obese body seemed to have had its bones removed, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Your Majesty...I'm innocent!" Liu Quan cried out in a hoarse, duck-like voice, "This is slander! Someone is trying to frame me!"

"To harm you?"

Su Ming suddenly spoke up, his voice not loud, but carrying the unbridled arrogance typical of a soldier, "Lord Liu, your precious son Liu Tao is quite the big shot in the army camp, exchanging military rations for sand for the brothers to eat. Is this also my fault?"

Liu Quan whirled around, glaring fiercely at Su Ming, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. "Where did you come from, you stray dog, daring to bark and howl before the Emperor!"

"Who I am is not important." Su Ming grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. "What is important is that your son has already gone down to scout ahead and is waiting for your family to reunite."

"You—!" Liu Quan was so angry that his fat trembled all over, and he pointed at Su Ming for a long time without being able to speak.

That's enough.

At the Emperor's two simple words, Liu Quan instantly fell silent, collapsing to the ground and trembling.

Zhang Tingyu, a seasoned official, took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, it would be too hasty to convict an official of the court based solely on a ledger of dubious authenticity. Moreover, Su Ming is merely a military man; who knows if he was instructed by someone to fabricate evidence..."

"Forgery?"

Su Ming laughed, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

He pulled the still-warm Imperial Guard token from his pocket and threw it on the ground with a clatter.

"Lord Zhang, if account books can be forged, can't I forge this too? Last night, twenty-seven Imperial Guard brothers sneaked into my barracks, probably wanting to chat with me about life ideals? Too bad, their skills are too outdated, I sent them all back to their hometowns."

Zhang Tingyu stared at the token, his pupils suddenly contracting, and he swallowed the rest of his words.

Imperial Guard Token.

The moment this thing came out, the nature of the problem changed. This wasn't corruption; it was a coup, it was treason!

Just then, a high-pitched voice rang out from outside the hall: "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—"

A figure in bright yellow strode into the hall.

Crown Prince Zhou Qian, in his early thirties, had a delicate face, but his eyes revealed a ruthless edge.

He glanced at Liu Quan, who lay on the ground like a corpse, then looked at Su Ming kneeling beside him, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Get up." The Emperor pointed to the token on the ground. "Gan'er, do you recognize this?"

The Crown Prince glanced at it, his expression unchanged. "Your Majesty, this is the Imperial Guard's token. I do not know why it is here."

"You didn't know?" The Emperor laughed, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Qi An is your man. He mobilized the Imperial Guards to kill a centurion. How could you not know?"

"Father, please understand!" The Crown Prince knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face. "Although Qi An was recommended by me, I truly knew nothing about his actions! This servant must have been abusing his power to try and silence me and cover up his crime!"

What a brilliant move to sacrifice a pawn to save the king!

Su Ming mentally applauded the Crown Prince. With that kind of shamelessness and acting skills, it's a shame he's not a performer.

"Oh?" Su Ming interjected, "Then those twenty-seven Imperial Guard brothers died a truly unjust death. Running off to their deaths in the middle of the night instead of sleeping—was it all Commander Qi's idea? Your Highness's methods of managing subordinates are quite unique."

The crown prince abruptly looked up, his gaze piercing Su Ming like a knife. "How dare you! Who gave you the right to speak here!"

"Your Highness, you're quite the show-off." Su Ming wasn't intimidated and met his gaze directly. "While I was killing barbarians on the front lines, you were drinking tea in the palace; when I uncovered the military rations scandal, your men came to kill me to silence me. What, now you won't even let me speak?"

"you!"

"That's enough," the Emperor interrupted the standoff between the two.

The old emperor stood up and walked to Liu Quan and Zhang Tingyu.

"The evidence in the military rations case is conclusive. Liu Quan and his entire family will be executed. Zhang Tingyu, who knew about the case but failed to report it, will be dismissed from his post, investigated, and exiled three thousand li away."

Liu Quan's eyes rolled back, and he fainted from fright. Zhang Tingyu seemed to age ten years in an instant, slumped to the ground, took off his official hat, and kowtowed heavily.

"As for the Crown Prince..."

The emperor paused, his gaze falling on his son who was kneeling upright.

The hall was deathly silent.

Su Ming squinted.

He knew that the old emperor would not kill the crown prince.

If the crown prince is harmed, the court will be thrown into chaos, and the northern barbarians are still eyeing the border with predatory intent. The Great Zhou cannot withstand internal strife.

really.

"Qi An's unauthorized mobilization of the Imperial Guards is an unforgivable crime, punishable by the extermination of his entire family. The Crown Prince has failed in his duties, and is hereby fined three years' salary and confined to the Eastern Palace for three months to reflect on his actions."

A paltry punishment.

The crown prince breathed a sigh of relief, kowtowed to express his gratitude, and said, "Your subject accepts the decree."

Su Ming curled his lip. Twenty-seven lives, plus countless innocent souls who starved to death on the front lines, were exchanged for three months of confinement. This royal deal was truly a bargain.

"Su Ming".

The Emperor's voice suddenly turned to him.

"This humble subject is here."

"You have rendered a great service, yet suffered injustice." The Emperor walked back to his throne and sat down. "What reward do you desire?"

Su Ming's eyes darted around.

Want money? Too vulgar. Want an official position? That's like throwing your head to the brink of death.

"Your Majesty, I am a rough man and do not know the rules." Su Ming scratched his head, looking honest and simple. "The Divine Machine Battalion has just been established and is short of food and clothing. The brothers do not even have a decent sword. I dare to ask Your Majesty to grant me a favor so that the Divine Machine Battalion can... be legitimate."

The Emperor gave him a deep look.

That kid's smart.

Once the Shenji Battalion is officially established, it will become the emperor's personal guard, and the crown prince will have to think twice before making any moves.

"Granted." The Emperor wrote with a flourish of his pen, "Effective immediately, the Shenji Battalion shall be expanded to five hundred men, directly under the Emperor's command, and not subject to the Ministry of War. Su Ming shall be appointed as a sixth-rank Zhaowu Colonel, commanding the Shenji Battalion."

"Thank you for your great favor!" Su Ming shouted.

Stepping out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the sunlight outside was rather dazzling.

Su Ming stretched, feeling the cold sweat on his back finally dry.

"Captain Su, well done."

A sinister voice came from behind.

Su Ming turned around and saw the Crown Prince standing on the steps, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"Your Highness flatters me." Su Ming smiled and cupped his hands. "I can't compare to Your Highness, who cuts off the tail to save the day cleanly and efficiently."