“You dare!”
“We have people in the court…”
Master Liu and the other powerful local gentry were instantly furious. They slammed the table and stood up. But just as the words left their mouths, the Imperial Guards behind them had already tightened the noose around their necks.
A single strike to the throat—blood sprayed violently.
In the stunned gazes of everyone present, the man collapsed into a pool of blood, body convulsing uncontrollably.
In an instant, apart from Li Qiushui and Assistant Governor Lian, everyone else was slaughtered.
“Ah!”
Assistant Governor Lian, soaked in blood, was so terrified he fell to the floor and crawled under the table, trembling violently, “Spare me! Spare me! Please don’t kill me! I’m not with them!”
Lin Ming bent down with a playful expression and said, “Anyone doing this badly in life surely can’t be with them.”
Li Qiushui’s face was stained with blood—none of it her own—and she stared at Lin Ming in disbelief. She never expected that this so-called banquet was never meant for negotiation.
Lin Ming said coldly, “Hang their heads on the city walls of Huazhou. Tell the remaining merchants and nobles that those who died were my beloved kin and sworn brothers. As for the others…” He curled his lips, “Pay more.”
“Lin Ming! You’re insane! Completely insane!” Li Qiushui screamed in anger.
Lin Ming calmly shot her a glance, “Nonsense. If I weren’t insane, would I have come here to provide disaster relief? Isn’t it exactly this madwoman the Empress wants?”
After this banquet of blood, all the major families in Huazhou were struck with fear and began donating eagerly.
In just two days, they raised 50,000 shi of grain, 400,000 taels of silver, and 5,000 taels of gold. The disaster in Huazhou began to ease significantly.
However, the events in Heyu soon drifted like snowflakes into the distant imperial court in Chang’an.
The entire court was in shock.
Empress Ye Qinghuan sat on the dragon couch, trembling as she read the memorial. Then, with a loud crash, she slammed it to the ground.
“Reversal of Heaven and Earth!”
She cried out angrily, “He’s only been in Yuzhou for a few days and already wiped out an entire local office, hosted a banquet just to massacre Huazhou’s elite? At this rate, before the disaster is even resolved, the court will fall into chaos!”
Sure enough, the first to strike during the morning court session was the Censorate.
“I impeach the Imperial Envoy, Duke Commander Lin Ming! And Deputy Envoy, Palace Official Li Qiushui!”
“The Yuzhou Governor was a fourth-rank official of the Empire. He was executed without trial, his entire household annihilated!”
“Huazhou gentry, always law-abiding and respectful to the court, were lured into a banquet and slaughtered to the last man by Lin Ming!”
“Is this disaster relief, or a bloody purge? If such atrocities go unchecked, the Great Duan Empire will fall into ruin!”
Ye Qinghuan rubbed her temples, feeling the headache worsen. “Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures.” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Had this been Lin Ming’s actions alone, she wouldn’t have cared about the impeachment.
But the key problem was that Lin Ming was wielding the Sword of Imperial Authority given by the Empress herself—he was killing people in her name.
This implied that it was her, Ye Qinghuan, who ordered Lin Ming to carry out this bloodbath.
So, while the officials appeared to be impeaching Lin Ming, they were actually targeting her.
And the Censorate was only the first wave.
Soon after, the six great clans raised their voices.
“The Liu family of Huazhou has distant ties with our Liu Clan. Now, they’re all dead! I must ask—was this the will of Duke Commander Lin Ming, or Her Majesty?”
“Does Her Majesty truly despise us six clans so much? We’ve devoted ourselves to the Great Duan Empire for years, and now we’re to be discarded like hunting dogs once the rabbit is caught?”
Since Lin Ming himself belonged to one of the six great clans, they dared not directly target him.
Their anger could only be directed at the one behind the scenes—Empress Ye Qinghuan—suspecting she was using Lin Ming as a blade.
Ye Qinghuan exploded in fury upon hearing this, “Insolence! Are you planning to rebel? If so, why don’t you just kill me right now and end the reign!”
Shua!
“We dare not harbor such disloyalty!”
All officials were terrified and knelt to the ground.
Ye Qinghuan took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm, “I had no prior knowledge of what Duke Commander Lin Ming did in Heyu, nor did I instruct him. I promise to give you all a proper explanation. But right now, the disaster is urgent. A single misstep and the entire effort will collapse. I urge all of you to prioritize the bigger picture and be patient.”
Her reassurance finally began to cool the boiling tension.
“Report! Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from Imperial Envoy Lin Ming!”
“Oh? Finally!”
Ye Qinghuan’s eyes shimmered as she looked forward to hearing Lin Ming’s explanation.
But when she opened the letter and read it, her bright phoenix eyes darkened instantly.
She stood up and tore the letter to shreds, her beautiful face flushed, anger blazing, “That damn Lin Ming!!!”
Her roar shook the entire court.
Everyone jolted and asked in confusion, “Your Majesty, what did Duke Commander Lin Ming write to enrage you so?”
“Blasphemous words!” Ye Qinghuan was livid.
The letter began with:
The moment her eyes landed on those words, Ye Qinghuan lost her mind and instantly destroyed the letter.
The censors were intrigued and leaned forward, eager to pick up the torn scraps.
Ye Qinghuan shouted, “No one is to pick them up! Anyone who does will be executed along with nine generations of their family!”
The censors froze. “Your Majesty, if we don’t read it, how will we know what treasonous words Duke Commander Lin Ming wrote?”
Ye Qinghuan’s cheeks were burning, her ears flushed red. She gritted her teeth and said, “I said he wrote them, so he wrote them. Do you really need to know what they are? Either way, they’re treasonous!”
“Yes…”
It was the first time the ministers had seen the Empress so flustered. They began whispering amongst themselves.
“What could Duke Commander Lin Ming have written to enrage Her Majesty so much?”
“Enraged? Her face was red like an apple. Maybe it was something… embarrassing?”
“Though she reigns over the Empire, Her Majesty is still a young maiden. Such a reaction is understandable…”
Ye Qinghuan’s chest heaved with rage, her graceful figure barely contained in her robe.
Many of the nearby officials and guards couldn’t help but sneak glances from the corners of their eyes.
Had it not been for Lin Ming, they’d never have had the nerve or chance!
Ye Qinghuan furiously shouted, “Guards! Send someone to Heyu. Retrieve the Sword of Imperial Authority from the Imperial Envoy. I will not allow him to cause chaos in my name!”
“Deliver my decree with an urgent 400 kilometers relay! Make haste!”
Ye Qinghuan was determined to punish Lin Ming.
Without the Sword of Imperial Authority, let’s see how he drags her into the mess again!
“Yes!”
A few days later, a eunuch arrived with the imperial decree.
“Imperial Envoy, Duke Commander Lin Ming, acted without Her Majesty’s approval, exceeded his authority, and executed local officials and gentry, thereby shaking the foundation of the Empire. He should be severely punished!”
“However, in light of your tireless efforts in disaster relief, though your merit may be limited, your hard work is evident. Therefore, Her Majesty will not punish you further. But your Sword of Imperial Authority shall be revoked, and you are to be sternly reprimanded! Handle your affairs with caution!”
After the decree was read, the eunuch forced a smile and said, “Duke Commander, please hand over the Sword of Imperial Authority. Don’t make this servant’s job difficult.”