The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

He possessed a modern soul and was already resistant to the act of kneeling. Moreover, at this moment, he felt at ease and knew that his background was related to Emperor Qing, so he naturally had more confidence than ordinary people.

The other person was, of course, Lin Mu.

He stood leisurely with his hands behind his back, amidst a crowd of kneeling people, like a crane standing among chickens.

That aloof and indifferent attitude towards imperial power was even more glaring and unbearable to look at than Fan Xian's standing posture, as if he were the true ruler of this place.

Eunuch Hou glanced at the two standing men, but did not reprimand them. He simply conveyed Emperor Qing's decree clearly according to procedure: "Teng Zijing is not dead. The Surveillance Bureau has made other arrangements, which I am aware of. This does not constitute deceiving the emperor."

"Judicial trials are the responsibility of the Prefect of Kyoto. The royal children should go home and mind their own business."

These words were originally spoken by Emperor Qing in response to the Crown Prince's interference in the judicial process and his attempt to frame Fan Xian.

Under normal circumstances, Li Chengqian might have felt dissatisfied and resentful, but at this moment, this decree sounded to him like a life-saving talisman, like heavenly music.

"We will obey Your Majesty's decree!"

The crown prince was the first to kowtow in response, his voice carrying a hint of relief.

Almost simultaneously, a system notification sounded in Lin Mu's mind:

[Ding! You have encountered the auspicious figure, Eunuch Hou, triggering the side quest: Enjoying Your Retirement.]

[Task requirement: Within three years, ensure that Grandpa Hou retires smoothly and enjoys his later years.]

[Task Reward: Randomly selected.]

Lin Mu's gaze shifted slightly, landing on Eunuch Hou.

In the original storyline, this old eunuch was indeed a clever man, tactful and meticulous in his dealings, deeply trusted by Emperor Qing, and considered a long-standing figure in the palace.

However, conventional methods are unlikely to be effective in getting such a powerful eunuch, who is deeply favored by the emperor and has no intention of retiring, to retire early. The key must lie with Emperor Qing, or... the future new emperor.

It seems that the matter of having Emperor Qing leave the stage early needs to be expedited.

Chapter 86: Emperor Qing's Fear

Emperor Qing decreed that the matter of Guo Baokun being beaten should be dealt with hastily.

When the imperial decree was announced, the entire government office fell silent.

No one dared to discuss it, let alone question it.

After receiving the decree, Li Chengqian did not want to linger for a moment and immediately walked out. He felt no sense of security in front of Lin Mu, this outlaw.

Fan Xian stopped Li Chengqian.

"There is something I would like to ask Your Highness."

"speak."

Li Chengqian appeared somewhat impatient.

Fan Xian asked, "I was assassinated in Danzhou before. I wonder if the Crown Prince knew about it?"

The light in Li Chengqian's eyes turned slightly cold. He turned his head to look at Fan Xian and remained silent for a moment.

He snorted coldly and left.

A breeze blew through the doorway, causing the hems of their clothes to flutter.

This silence itself is the answer.

Fan Xian stood there, watching the Crown Prince's departing figure, and he already had his answer.

Even if it wasn't Li Chengqian, at least he tacitly approved of it.

Seeing that there was no show to watch, Lin Mu glanced at Guo Baokun, which frightened Guo Baokun into silence, not daring to make a sound.

All the anger turned into fear at that moment.

Eunuch Hou then had Mei enter the palace with proper etiquette, so there was no need to continue the case.

"Let's go."

Seeing that there was no show to watch, Lin Mu walked out of the government office.

Fan Xian glanced at He Zongwei on the ground, and then looked at Lin Mu's back with a hint of apprehension.

This fellow villager is very murderous!

……

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

The sunlight streaming through the intricately carved window frames cast long, grid-like shadows on the ground.

Emperor Qing sat on the bed, wearing a nightgown, his hair disheveled, holding a pen in his hand and reviewing memorials, his face expressionless.

But the eunuch Hou, who was standing to the side, kept his head down so low that he could barely breathe.

Standing in the hall, Mei Zhili was drenched in cold sweat, filled with trepidation.

The air inside the hall was heavy and still, as if a storm was about to break.

[Grandmaster… How could he be a Grandmaster? Lin Mu's background is flawless; there's absolutely no way he could come from the Temple. Could it be… one of the Celestial Veins recorded in ancient texts?]

[And he seemed to know I would issue an edict to protect Fan Xian. Does he have someone he's planted in the palace? What is he planning?]

Emperor Qing put down his brush, his inner turmoil far exceeding what he showed on his face.

He spent over a decade scheming to build the Southern Qing into a war machine capable of conquering the world, all in an attempt to unify the land and become the sole emperor.

The biggest obstacles are the Grandmaster and the Temple.

A Grandmaster is one who can teach a million people, coming and going freely, transcending laws and worldly conventions.

He was confident he could defeat any grandmaster in the world one-on-one, but he wasn't sure he could completely eliminate any of them.

If they are not completely eliminated, when he marches north or west in the future, his rear may be turned upside down by such people.

Therefore, he laid out a huge plan, patiently waiting for the opportunity to capture Si Gu Jian, Ku He, and even Ye Liuyun all at once.

As for the mysterious temple, it was a thorn in his side.

The temple messenger is neither human nor ghost, has an ageless appearance, immense strength, and is devoid of emotion and desire. Although he has no true qi circulating, his combat power is comparable to that of a grandmaster.

The secrets contained within the temple can allow the Qing Kingdom to go further.

Perhaps we can even obtain the secret to immortality.

No emperor could resist the temptation of immortality.

The key to exploring the temple lies with Fan Xian, this illegitimate son.

He had waited sixteen years for this day.

All the groundwork had been laid, except for one final opportunity: a strategic defeat for Northern Qi and the capture of Yan Bingyun.

Yan Bingyun was a pawn personally sent by Chen Pingping, firstly to dig deeper into Northern Qi's intelligence, and secondly to let Northern Qi seize this sufficiently valuable bargaining chip in exchange for Xiao En, who had been imprisoned for many years.

Only when Xiao En leaves the dungeon and embarks on his journey back to Northern Qi can the secrets about Fan Xian's background, which Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping have carefully planted in Xiao En's heart over the years, be revealed to Fan Xian through the old monster's obsession with family.

These plans are interconnected and extremely tightly linked, leaving very little room for error.

Lin Mu, this "Grandmaster" who appeared out of nowhere, became the most uncontrollable variable on the entire chessboard.

[No relatives, no wife, no children, no ruler, no father... Such a person has no ties, like a gust of wind that cannot be grasped; how can one possibly control him?]

Emperor Qing had already thoroughly investigated Lin Mu.

His early records were unremarkable, and the information fabricated by the system was flawless. He was nothing more than a somewhat skilled but unremarkable martial arts practitioner.

His true rise to fame is a recent event.

At present, apart from his obvious reputation for being "lustful," it seems that he has almost no weaknesses.

The thought of Lin Mu openly defying imperial authority sent a deep shadow of gloom across Emperor Qing's eyes.

Imperial authority will never tolerate such provocation, even if the other party is a Grandmaster.

He suppressed his thoughts about Lin Mu and turned to look at Mei Zhili.

A mere Prefect of the Capital dared to try to smooth things over in court. Although he intended to maintain the dignity of the court, it only made him appear more indecisive.

Most importantly, Mei Zhili betrayed him and sided with the Crown Prince.

After sending Mei away, he arranged for her to retire and return to her hometown.

"Eunuch Hou."

Emperor Qing's voice revealed no emotion.

"The old slave is here."

Emperor Qing said calmly, "Have the people from the Surveillance Bureau keep an eye on Mei Zhili, and on his way back to his hometown... stage it as a bandit robbery and murder."

"Yes."

Eunuch Hou lowered his head even further, his voice completely still.

Emperor Qing waved his hand, and Eunuch Hou withdrew silently.

The Imperial Study returned to silence.

Emperor Qing stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky outside the window, which was divided into squares by the palace walls.

Fairness of the law?

Those are rules set for the world to see.

The royal family itself is the rule-maker, and naturally, it can also become the rule-breaker at any time.

At this moment, Emperor Qing fully demonstrated the capriciousness, meanness, and ingratitude of the imperial family.

……

The Fan residence, study.

Fan Jian rubbed his temples, his face showing undisguised exhaustion and anger: "You were too impulsive today! Questioning the Crown Prince about the Danzhou matter in front of so many people? Do you know what that means?"

Some things should never be exposed.

Even if both sides are fully aware of the situation, once it's brought to the forefront, it's a complete breakdown of relations, leaving no room for reconciliation.

The crown prince is the heir apparent and represents the face of the royal family.

If we push too hard, and His Majesty decides to sacrifice the pawn to save the king, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Fan Xian, however, appeared quite calm. He even poured himself a cup of tea and blew on it to cool it down. "I wanted to know, so I asked, but he didn't say anything."

Fan Jian snorted coldly, raising his voice several decibels: "The Crown Prince's silence is the clearest answer!"

"He's not taking any action against you now because the time isn't right, but your actions today have completely placed you in opposition to the Crown Prince!"

Fan Xian took a sip of tea and looked up at Fan Jian: "Does Father think that if I don't ask and pretend I don't know, the Crown Prince will let me off the hook when he ascends the throne?"

"The assassination attempt in Danzhou left no room for compromise."

"If he wants to kill me, am I just supposed to stick my neck out and let him chop it off?"

Fan Jian was speechless for a moment, his expression changing.

He was well aware of this principle, but years of navigating the ups and downs of court life had made him accustomed to a more tactful and patient way of dealing with things.

At the same time, he secretly resolved to depose the crown prince.

Fan Xian will not allow anyone to harm him. Since they have already broken off relations, they cannot sit idly by and wait for their doom. If the Crown Prince wants to harm Fan Xian, then they should find a way to replace him with a new heir.

Putting the matter aside, Fan Jian asked, "Leaving aside the Crown Prince's matter, you beat Guo Baokun, fine, but why did you deliberately leak your whereabouts and even prepare witnesses in advance? Did you want everyone to know that you are lecherous and domineering?"

"Yes."

Fan Xian did not deny it.

"Why is this?"

Fan Jian frowned, utterly bewildered by his son's self-deprecating act: "Do you know that once this reputation is established, it will be a huge obstacle to your career and your future leadership of the Imperial Treasury!"

"To call off the engagement."

Fan Xian spoke decisively, his eyes clear, without the slightest hesitation: "I cannot marry Lin Wan'er."

"Nonsense!"

Fan Jian slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup jump: "Do you know what this marriage means? The Imperial Treasury! That's the foundation your mother, Ye Qingmei, built with her own hands!"