Chapter 30: The Azure Emperor

If the person behind the scenes truly is the Crown Prince, Wang Yu’s words would be enough to lower the Prince’s guard, making his own subsequent investigation much easier.

Conversely, if the mastermind is not the Crown Prince but another prince, the Crown Prince would certainly not let these matters slide after Wang Yu’s provocations. Within the capital, the Prince’s influence is something Wang Yu cannot possibly match.

However, having the Crown Prince assist in the investigation is exactly what Wang Yu desires.

…………………

The poetry gala, which held little appeal for Wang Yu, finally concluded. Naturally, everyone began to disperse to their respective homes. Perhaps many remained unsatisfied and gathered in small groups to continue their nightlife.

Wang Yu, however, had Zhao Yun drive his carriage straight back to his manor. Having just taken Tian Yan into his service, he was currently deeply enamored and enjoying the pleasures of the boudoir.

Yet, while Wang Yu indulged in his comfort and wallowed in the lap of luxury, many others in the capital remained wide awake, having not slept soundly for several days.

The Six Fan School and the North and South Bureaus.

The former was an agency specifically established by the imperial court to manage martial artists of the jianghu. If any rogue warrior committed a crime, it would be handled by them—essentially an official underworld organization.

The latter was the intelligence network of the Great Cang Empire. The South Bureau handled internal affairs, while the North Bureau handled external ones; they monitored the empire and investigated foreign nations, respectively. Together, they formed a massive, mutually balancing entity.

The appearance of an unknown Heaven-Man level expert in the capital naturally concerned these two departments. If any trouble arose, they would be the first to suffer the consequences.

However, once these two behemoths exerted their strength, they failed to uncover anything regarding Ling Donglai’s background. Yet, in just a few days, they managed to unearth the earlier assassination attempt, discovering several traces of evidence.

Inside the Imperial Palace.

Emperor Cang sat in the Imperial Study, quietly reviewing memorials. He was considered a diligent emperor, though his talents lay primarily in strategy rather than administrative governance.

Although he did not enjoy these trivial matters and occasionally found them taxing, he still meticulously processed each and every one of them.

Yet, the nation did not prosper because of his diligence; instead, it gradually declined due to incessant natural and man-made disasters in recent years. Furthermore, even as the Emperor, his decrees could not be effectively implemented across all corners of the Great Cang Empire.

Ultimately, this stemmed from historical baggage.

Back then, he was not the Crown Prince, nor was he among the most prominent princes. However, he played his hand better than the rest. While the Crown Prince and the other contenders were preoccupied with their internal strife, he had secretly made many promises and gathered many allies in the shadows.

Figures such as the current Empress, the current Imperial Consort Dongfang, and the present General of the East, Wang Chang, were all part of his rise. Ultimately, relying on his calculations and the strength of various parties, he stepped over piles of corpses to reach his current position.

Even after ascending to the throne, many royal clansmen remained in opposition. The three most formidable factions were led by the Prince of Jing, the Prince of Cheng, and the Prince of Wei—the three royal dukes.

Given his personality, he would have preferred to ruthlessly purge such opposition. However, shortly after his ascension, foreign powers invaded, and he was forced to temporarily spare the three.

Who would have thought that this would give them a chance to recover? The three princes held a tight grip on the Heyang, Qingnan, and Qingbei provinces, effectively turning these territories into their own independent kingdoms.

With hostile foreign nations watching like tigers, and the three princes maintaining a facade of submission, Emperor Cang was forced to tolerate them, eventually leading to the current situation where they had become too powerful to control.

He stood up slowly and walked to the window, looking out at the scenery—at the empire that was his. The Imperial Study was one of the tallest buildings in the capital, offering a view of nearly the entire city.

A cool breeze blew in, and Emperor Cang felt a chill. He remembered that in the past, a gentle woman would always drape a cloak over his shoulders at this hour.

But now, that was merely a memory.

Today, he had gained much, but he had lost just as much.

"Your Majesty, Head Constable Liu and Bureau Chief Ning have arrived!" An old eunuch appeared silently behind the Emperor. His thin, high-pitched voice interrupted the Emperor’s reflections, both beautiful and somber.

"Send them in!" The Emperor returned to his seat to continue reviewing the memorials. A calm, emotionless voice followed. He was, after all, Emperor Cang—the man who had climbed to the throne over a mountain of corpses.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!" Two voices rang out, and two figures appeared. These were the Head Constable Liu and Bureau Chief Ning mentioned by the eunuch.

The man on the left was of medium build, with a sallow complexion and a beard under his chin. He was Liu Yunxiu, the head of the Six Fan School. The title of "Divine Constable" signified that his martial cultivation had reached the Heaven-Man realm.

Only a constable at the Heaven-Man level was qualified to be called a Divine Constable. Of course, the Six Fan School currently had only Liu Yunxiu as such an expert.

The man on the right appeared entirely ordinary. If he were wearing different clothes, people might mistake him for a common vegetable farmer rather than the shadow that loomed over the hearts of the imperial court officials. He was Ning Buqi, one of the two heads of the North and South Bureaus, specifically the head of the South Bureau.

One was infamous among the martial artists of the jianghu, and the other was infamous among the court officials, yet both were the right and left arms on which Emperor Cang relied.

"Rise," Emperor Cang said, his eyes still fixed on the memorial. "What brings you two here?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have come regarding the matter of Mr. Ling. We are incompetent and have been unable to uncover his origins. We only discovered that General Wang Yu of the Eastern Command had stated that Mr. Ling saved his life, and thus, he serves as his bodyguard," Liu Yunxiu’s voice rang out first.

At the same time, Ning Buqi cursed the "old fox" inwardly. Liu Yunxiu had snatched the chance to report the primary news to the Emperor, leaving him only the secondary matters to discuss.

A strange Heaven-Man level expert had appeared in the capital; as the master of the Great Cang Empire, how could Emperor Cang not be concerned? Even before the poetry gala had ended, someone had already reported the news of Ling Donglai to the Emperor.

As for Lu Shenmo, he had only attended the event to watch the horses and drink wine at the invitation of a close friend. He knew nothing else, saw nothing, and said nothing to anyone.