After failing the imperial examination, he began to wield immense power after entering the palace!

"Alright, then we'll proceed according to the law."

The Chu Emperor delivered his verdict without any expression.

"Cao Mo, execute him."

"Family members will be exiled, and their property will be confiscated."

Du Jiang's heart sank to the bottom.

An ally, gone just like that.

That little eunuch, with a flick of his wrist, cut off an arm of a powerful clan in Guanzhong.

How cruel.

He was not reconciled.

"Your Majesty! Cao Mo deserved to die; I have nothing more to say!"

"But Gao Jin arrested His Highness Prince Wei and imprisoned him in the Ministry of Justice yesterday. What right does Gao Jin have to arrest him?"

"This is a grave offense; Your Majesty, please investigate!"

Li Fan lowered his head, a slight smile playing on his lips.

It would have been better if Du Jiang hadn't mentioned the Prince of Wei, because he did...

The Chu Emperor's face darkened, and his voice suddenly rose:

"I sent Gao Jin to investigate the case, but he, a prince, went to the Ministry of Justice prison to favor a murderer and obstruct the imperial envoy from handling the case."

"Is there a problem with Gao Jin arresting him?"

"I would like to ask, what is the relationship between the Prince of Wei and Cao Mo? Cao Mo committed the heinous crime of wiping out his entire family, why would a mere prince like him stand up to protect him?"

Large beads of sweat rolled down Du Jiang's forehead. He didn't dare to say a word and realized that the situation was not good.

The Chu Emperor took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said coldly:

"Gao Jin, you will personally go to the Ministry of Justice prison later to announce Cao Mo's sentence."

"As for the King of Wei, he is ordered to stay in prison for fifteen days to reflect on his actions."

"No one is allowed to visit or plead for leniency before the expiration date."

Li Fan readily agreed, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Consort Xie's lips curled into a very slight smile. The Emperor of Chu was taking this opportunity to suppress the Prince of Wei.

She turned her head to look at the Emperor Chu, her voice clear and respectful:

"Your Majesty, the truth of the case has now come to light; General Zhang Xuan was wrongly accused."

"I have also heard that in the great battle in Liaodong, if General Zhang had not led the suicide squad to cover the rear, Liu Zhengsheng's 100,000-strong army would have suffered at least half of its losses."

"Such loyal and capable ministers and generals should not be wronged and suffer injustice."

The Chu Emperor nodded, his anger subsiding somewhat.

"Zhang Xuan was indeed a loyal minister."

"By imperial decree, Zhang Xuan shall be promoted two ranks, his title of Loyal and Martial General shall be restored, and he shall be reassigned to Liaodong to command an army."

Consort Xie was overjoyed.

She had long wanted to seize control of the military outside the region, but she had been struggling to find a suitable candidate.

This time, she can finally support one of her own people again.

"Your Majesty is wise."

The Chu Emperor leaned back on his dragon throne.

His sallow face showed no expression, but his eyes lingered on Li Fan for a moment.

"Gao Jin, you have done a great job solving the case. You shouldn't waste your skills."

"Join the Eastern Depot and become the chief eunuch."

The hall fell silent.

The eyes of hundreds of court officials all fell on Li Fan, some with shock, some with fear, some with confusion, and some with anger.

The Eastern Depot.

That was the Imperial Guard, established by Emperor Taizu himself, specifically to monitor officials, gather intelligence, and arrest those imprisoned.

At its peak, the Eastern Depot's agents were everywhere, striking fear into the hearts of officials. Even princes would avoid the Eastern Depot's director.

Over the years, although the Eastern Depot fell into the hands of Empress Yang and was rendered useless and merely a formality, its structure and power remained...

If someone gets it running again, it will be a sword hanging over everyone's heads.

Now, this knife is to be handed over to a young eunuch—this is a terrible situation!

The Chu Emperor ignored the commotion in the hall and continued:

"Once Liu Zhengsheng is escorted back to the capital, you will continue to thoroughly investigate the Liaodong military defeat case."

"I need to know whether Liu Zhengsheng colluded with the Tartars and betrayed the country for personal gain."

Li Fan's heart skipped a beat.

Colluding with the Tartars—these four words carry a hundred times heavier weight than any other crime such as embezzlement, bribery, or murder.

It seems that the Chu Emperor intends to use this opportunity to severely weaken the power of the powerful clans in Guanzhong.

"Yes! This servant will certainly not fail His Majesty's grace!"

Du Jiang's face instantly turned very gloomy.

Cao Mo has already fallen, Liu Zhengsheng is still being escorted back to the capital, and now His Majesty is going to thoroughly investigate the case of collusion with the Tartars...

If this investigation continues, it's uncertain whether Liu Zhengsheng will survive; even those of us who are close to him might be implicated.

"Whoosh?"

A strange glint flashed in Empress Yang's phoenix eyes.

Over the years, the Eastern Depot has been in her hands, but she has never used it.

It wasn't that she didn't want to use it, but that she knew the knife was too sharp; once drawn, it would either injure someone else or herself.

But His Majesty has now given the Eastern Depot to Consort Xie's people. Is this a reduction of her power, or a warning to her?

It seems I need to see this little eunuch again.

The Chu Emperor stood up, the hem of his dragon robe trailing on the ground, and walked away without looking back.

"Court adjourned!"

Hai Gonggong's high-pitched voice echoed in the hall.

Empress Yang rose, her crimson palace gown trailing on the ground as she walked. As she passed Consort Xie, she paused slightly and glanced at her.

That glance was full of meaning.

Du Jiang got up from the ground, his face ashen, like a walking corpse.

He turned around and his gaze met Li Fan's.

The little eunuch was standing up from the ground, brushing the dust off his knees, with that infuriating smile on his face.

His fist hardened even more.

"Minister Du".

Li Fan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, his tone as polite as if he were greeting an old friend:

Take care.

Du Jiang's temples throbbed, and he gritted his teeth as he forced out a sentence:

"You castrated dog, don't be so smug. You just wait and see."

After saying that, he turned and left, his back view filled with anger.

The courtiers filed out, and the hall was soon empty.

Consort Xie walked slowly to Li Fan.

Today she was wearing a purple court dress with a gold belt around her waist, which accentuated her slender waist.

"Congratulations, you've achieved your goal and entered the Eastern Depot."

Li Fan lowered his head, his posture respectful:

"It is all thanks to Your Highness's help that I am where I am today."

"Your Majesty's great kindness and virtue will never be forgotten by this servant."

Consort Xie looked at his obedient appearance, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes. She took half a step forward, getting closer to Li Fan.

A cool, refreshing fragrance wafted from her and entered Li Fan's nose.

"I know you hate Cao Mo, and I'm willing to give you this opportunity. Go to the Ministry of Justice prison and kill him."

"I'll cover for you in everything!"

A seemingly casual remark was like a knife handed to Li Fan.

Li Fan's heart stirred.

Killing Cao Mo would mean completely breaking ties with the powerful clans of Guanzhong, and standing firmly on her side with no turning back.

But could he not kill them?

If we don't kill him, what will Consort Xie think of him? How will she treat him?

Why should she believe that someone who doesn't even dare to seek revenge would have the guts to do things for her?

Li Fan raised his head, his gaze meeting Xie Guifei's dark eyes frankly, and said without hesitation:

"Yes, Your Highness, I will take care of it immediately."

Consort Xie glanced at him, a hint of genuine satisfaction flashing in her eyes.

She didn't say anything more and turned to walk out of the hall.