I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 596: Chapter 435: Favoring the Eunuchs
 

Zhao Mu took one step at a time up the jade steps, and amid the cries of “Long live the Emperor,” he seated himself on the dragon throne.

He looked down.

Everyone prostrated themselves on the ground, Eunuch Yi, Eunuch Yuan, Tang Mingyuan, and other such distinguished individuals did the same, and Zhao Mu couldn’t help feeling a surge of boldness.

“Rise, my beloved officials!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Zhou Yi stood to the left, bowing as he spoke, “Your Majesty, the empress dowager has been bewitched by the demon of Sanyang and possessed by ghostly entities. Your servant has recently learned a technique to exorcise ghosts and wishes to rid the empress dowager of these evils!”

Zhao Mu’s eyes shone with appreciation; this was an excellent proposition.

No matter how much trouble the empress dowager caused in the Inner Palace, she was still Zhao Mu’s mother. To actually kill her would stain his reputation for a lifetime.

Blaming it on possession by ghostly entities and claiming an accident occurred during the exorcism would make it as if the Sanyang Cult had killed the empress dowager.

“Eunuch Zhou, haste to my mother’s rescue!”

“As you command.”

Zhou Yi waved his hand, leading the skilled eunuchs of the Inspectorate towards Kunning Palace.

Eunuch Yuan soon stepped forward, “Your Majesty, your servant will now go and guard the palace gate, to prevent desperate actions.”

“Excellent.”

Zhao Mu spoke gravely, “I bestow upon you the authority to make decisions on the spot, to execute first and report later. The artillery trained by Master Tang outside the palace gates shall also be under Eunuch Yuan’s command.”

Eunuch Yuan accepted the order and departed.

Zhao Mu’s lips curled into a smile; one to clean up the internal threats, the other to defend against external enemies—indeed, the most reliable and loyal were the eunuchs.

The rest had families and businesses; they cared about their posthumous reputations and could not offer unconditional support to the emperor.

Only the eunuchs were completely dependent on imperial power and willing to do all manner of dirty work, with their only small vice being greed.

Zhao Mu pondered this and then gave a few more tasks to some eunuchs.

Some were to strike the palace bell, proclaiming Emperor Longqing’s demise and summoning the officials to Yangxin Hall for duties. Others were to carry the Imperial Edict to the military camps, stripping the Prince of Pingxi of his military command under the pretext of righteousness.

Still others were to summon the clan elders from the Zhao family to the palace, to support Zhao Mu’s ascension to the throne.

One by one, each matter was carried out methodically.

Tang Mingyuan stood to the left, frowning slightly, having long noticed Zhao Mu’s tendency to favor eunuchs, now increasingly reliant and trusting in them.

“Master Tang, do you have something on your mind?”

Zhao Mu asked with concern, “Master is like my brother; speak frankly, whatever it is, I shall agree.”

Tang Mingyuan hurriedly composed himself, realizing he was not even comparable to Eunuch Yuan, let alone a match for Governor Zhou, and after a moment’s thought, he spoke.

“Your Majesty, the previous emperor reformed the tax system for the good of the state and the people. It should be reinstated.”

Zhao Mu hesitated, “This tax system is problematic for the noble families and officials. Would its reinstatement not lead to unrest within the National Dynasty?”

Tang Mingyuan sighed inwardly; indeed, once seated on the dragon throne, right or wrong mattered less than the stability of position.

Fortunately, Tang Mingyuan was not a hidebound man, and quickly changed his tone, explaining.

“Your Majesty, as the legitimate eldest son of the late emperor and the banner with which you overthrew the Fake Emperor, you should restore the late emperor’s laws to demonstrate the legitimacy of your accession.”

“You make a good point.”

Zhao Mu nodded, “Let Master Tang oversee this matter. Temporarily take up the post of… Imperial Censor Grandee, and as a cabinet secretary, I bestow the Imperial Sword upon you!”

Tang Mingyuan bowed, “I thank Your Majesty.”

Zhao Mu smacked his lips; Eunuch Yi and Eunuch Yuan had knelt in thanks, and in comparison, Tang’s bow seemed somewhat less dignified. He then instructed,

“If any official acts against my wishes, hand them over to the Inspectorate for arrest. When my father introduced the new system, the Inspectorate played an indispensable role; I shall follow the old system.”

“Your servant obeys!”

Tang Mingyuan felt a chill in his heart; with a light utterance, his new power was almost entirely diminished.

Is this what it means to be an emperor?

The thunder and the rain, the joy and the anger, all at the heart’s whim.

Suddenly, Tang Mingyuan began to regret his choice of entering the arena of power, thinking perhaps it would have been more carefree to remain a well-fed son-in-law in Jiangning.

What did saving the nation or ensuring peace for generations have to do with him? They seemed more like shackles forced upon him.

Tang Mingyuan could do nothing but sigh helplessly; there was no turning back now. Daring to leave his post and run away, tomorrow his head would hang.

“Orthodox, Emperor Longqing, the Daqing Imperial Clan boasted outstanding figures for two generations, yet neither could last long due to unfortunate twists of fate. With Zhao Mu’s ascension to the throne, it’s hard to tell whether it’s a blessing or a curse.”

…

Kunning Palace.

Figures hurriedly approached, with Zhou Yi leading the way.

Outside the palace gate, over a hundred eunuchs kneeled. Seeing Zhou Yi’s figure, they grew pale with terror and knocked their heads on the ground with thudding sounds.

Zhou Yi asked, “Where is the Witch Empress?”

The eunuchs dared not respond, shrinking back, terrified of catching the supervisor’s eye.

Zhou Yi waved his hand and randomly grabbed an unlucky soul, gripping the eunuch’s neck tightly: “Did you not hear me ask a question?”

“Reporting to the supervisor, the… the Witch Empress has escaped.”

The eunuch’s face turned red as he begged for mercy, “Supervisor, spare my life, I’ve already done my best…”

Crack!

Zhou Yi snapped the eunuch’s neck, speaking somberly, “I ordered you to stop the Witch Empress first; even at the cost of your lives, she must be stopped. Otherwise, it’s considered neglect and lack of effort.”

“Supervisor, spare our lives.”

The pleas for mercy were incessant; the eunuchs were now regretting not dying at the hands of the empress dowager—then their families might still enter the Inspectorate for service.

Dying by the supervisor’s hand meant that none of the Nine Clans would find peace!

“According to my rules, all should be beaten to death and thrown into the well.”

Zhou Yi said coldly, “Considering it’s the auspicious day of His Majesty’s ascension, I’ll spare your dog lives. However, you must do me a favor.”

The eunuchs, having narrowly escaped death, were extremely grateful to Zhou Yi.

“Order us, Supervisor.”

“Pursue and eliminate the members of the Sanyang Cult!”

Zhou Yi said, “Anyone related to the Sanyang Cult, throw them all into the Eastern Depot’s dungeons, and those who resist shall be killed without mercy.”

“Interrogate the Sanyang deviants and gather all their cultivation techniques and texts.”

Zhou Yi speculated that old Lude had turned into a ghost and had seen his true face, thereby exposing his talent for immortality; he must find a way to kill the ghost.

In the past, old Lude had hinted to be wary of the empress, who very likely had clandestine ties with the Sanyang Cult; perhaps through them, a countermeasure could be found.

Hastily supporting Zhao Mu’s ascension was seemingly for power, but truly for regaining control over the Eastern Depot, facilitating the elimination of the Sanyang Cult.

“Do what can be done, leave the rest to fate! Truly if old Lude is untouchable, I can just hide in the mountains; no one can do anything about me.”

Zhou Yi was ready for the worst-case scenario; if his immortality was exposed, he would immediately flee.

In the midst of these thoughts.

The sound of footsteps approached. Eunuch Yuan came with his subordinates, his voice neither too yin nor too yang.

“Eunuch Zhou, you haven’t unleashed a massacre. Could it be that the sun has risen from the west?”

“Eunuch Yuan, regardless of what you become in the future…”

Zhou Yi clenched his hand and the air crackled, “Killing you now would be effortless!”

Eunuch Yuan showed no fear and said hauntingly, “Kill me, and would you then dominate the imperial palace alone?”

The emperor must maintain a balance. If Eunuch Yuan died, without any other eunuchs to check Zhou Yi’s power, it wouldn’t take long for an army to surround and kill the “treacherous eunuch.”

“Let’s go.”

Of course, Zhou Yi knew about balance and didn’t want to complicate matters further, leaving swiftly with his subordinates.

Eunuch Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He was betting that Zhou Yi would see the bigger picture and not cause trouble, then turned to the veteran eunuch beside him.

“I’m going to inspect the palace gates. Watch that Su Eunuch eat and drink. When he dies of overeating, that will be the end of it, or else I’ll have his Nine Clans executed!”

The veteran eunuch asked, “If he really dies from overeating, will we still execute the Nine Clans?”

Eunuch Yuan raised an eyebrow and gave the veteran eunuch a sidelong glance.

“You’ve been in the palace as long as I have; how can you not understand the rules? The whole family must stand together!”