Chapter 2 — The System Told Me to Stay Silent, But the Tyrant Hears Every Word

While my inner self screamed in utter madness, my face was forced to contort into a smile that looked far worse than weeping.

"Many thanks, Chief Eunuch Li, but... is this truly proper according to court protocol?"

Eunuch Li cast a deeply meaningful glance in my direction. "His Majesty has spoken. Eunuch Chen has labored bitterly and rendered great service; this is merely what you rightfully deserve." With those words, he flicked his wrist, turned on his heel, and led his entourage away, leaving me stranded alongside two stunning maidens who could do nothing but stare at me with wide, uncomprehending eyes. As I gazed upon them, a chilling realization washed over me: the path of my life had violently swerved into a realm of supreme absurdity. Far away within the tranquil confines of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xiao Mo was sipping warm tea, the corners of his lips curving upward in a smile brimming with intrigue. He set his porcelain teacup down upon the table and murmured softly to himself, "A woman? How fascinating."

Ever since that fateful night, my standing within the palace grew remarkably delicate and strange. Everyone knew that I, the newly arrived junior eunuch, enjoyed the profound favor of the Sovereign. Not only had I been bestowed with a thousand taels of pure gold, but I had also been exceptionally granted two palace maidens to wait upon my person. Overnight, I transformed into the most sought-after figure throughout the entire Forbidden City. Countless sycophants devised endless schemes to curry favor with me at my threshold, all of whom I skillfully turned away. It was a complete joke to think otherwise—at this very moment, my singular desire was to put as much distance as humanly possible between myself and that tyrannical autocrat who possessed the terrifying ability to read my innermost thoughts.

Yet, the harder one attempts to flee from trouble, the more eagerly trouble tends to find its own way to your doorstep. During the morning court assembly, Grand Chancellor Wang Defa began stirring up trouble once more. As an elder serving across three successive reigns and leaning heavily upon his towering status and immense authority, this old fox had frequently tripped up Xiao Mo in the past. Today, he had once again colluded with a faction of censors, seizing upon the pretext of "heavenly portents and imperial misrule" to forcefully compel Xiao Mo into issuing a decree of self-blame.

I cowered behind a massive crimson pillar, desperately trying to shrink my presence down to absolute zero.

This old bastard truly is not a shred of good. Every single day he shouts grand platitudes about serving the country and the people, while his stomach is filled with nothing but hypocrisy and greed. He is merely trying to force Xiao Mo into dividing state power with him; his wild ambitions are by no means small. Now that I think about it, the amount of private silver this old man has hoarded is astonishingly well hidden. Right beneath the leaning ancient scholar tree in his back courtyard, he has buried a neat sum of three hundred thousand taels of pristine snowy silver. Not to mention the secret mansion he maintains in the eastern district to hide away his mistresses, housing a full eight concubines on the side, each of whom foolishly believes she is his one and only. If this scandal were ever to see the light of day, it would be a miracle if his fierce tiger of a wife didn't skin him alive.

While secretly enjoying the gossip, I mentally tore the man to shreds with furious internal rants. On the dragon throne, Xiao Mo had initially worn a grim, ashen expression, but as he listened to Wang Defa's endless, verbose accusations, his hands involuntarily tightened into fists. Yet, as the tirade droned on, his expression gradually shifted into something utterly bizarre. He raised a single eyebrow, the corners of his mouth twitching upward uncontrollably, until he finally let out a soft, low chuckle.

The entire civil and military assembly froze in sheer astonishment. Wang Defa stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded, utterly unable to comprehend what madness had seized the Emperor.

"Your Majesty... whatever is Your Majesty laughing at?"

Xiao Mo lazily lifted his eyelids, fixed his gaze upon the chancellor, and spoke at a leisurely pace.

"This Emperor is simply laughing at the Grand Chancellor for truly devoting body and soul to our nation and its people."

"It is merely a puzzle to us why someone as incorruptible as the Grand Chancellor would find his back courtyard enriched by an extra three hundred thousand taels of silver buried beneath the leaning ancient tree?"

Upon hearing those words, the color drained completely from Wang Defa’s face, turning it as white as a sheet of paper. He stared at Xiao Mo as if he had just laid eyes upon a malevolent ghost, his lips trembling so violently that he could not articulate a single syllable.

Without granting him the slightest moment to catch his breath, Xiao Mo smoothly continued.

"And as for those eight delicate beauties residing in the eastern district, the Grand Chancellor must surely find it immensely exhausting to juggle them all day after day."

"This Emperor has heard that the Grand Chancellor's esteemed wife has always been a paragon of virtue and benevolence; surely she would not mind welcoming eight new sisters into the family?"

With a thunderous crash, the entire imperial court exploded in an uproar.

Every pair of eyes in the hall turned toward Wang Defa with looks of utter, unadulterated disbelief. The chancellor felt a sudden wave of pitch-black darkness wash over his vision, his legs turning to absolute jelly before he collapsed heavily onto the cold stone floor with a resounding thud.

"Your Majesty! Spare my life, Your Majesty! This minister... this minister was merely momentarily confused!"

Tears and snot streamed uncontrollably down his aged face; gone was even an ounce of the arrogant, overbearing momentum he had brandished while cornering the throne just moments prior.

Xiao Mo let out a cold snort, flicked the wide sleeve of his imperial robe, and strode away. As he swept past my hiding spot, his footsteps abruptly paused, and he uttered a single sentence in a voice audible only to the two of us:

"Chen Gou, report to the Imperial Study the moment court is dismissed."

My legs turned to water, and I nearly dropped to my knees right alongside the chancellor. It was over—truly, thoroughly over. This time, my exposure was absolute and complete.

I dragged my leaden feet step by step toward the Imperial Study, feeling precisely like a condemned criminal walking toward death by a thousand cuts. Xiao Mo sat behind the mahogany desk reviewing memorial documents, refusing to even lift his head.

"You have arrived?"

"This... this humble servant pays his respects."

He laid down his vermilion brush, raised his head, and transfixed me with a gaze as sharp and piercing as a burning torch.

"Chen Gou, let me ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Beneath the leaning ancient tree in the eastern district, aside from the silver, what else is hidden there?"

Inside my mind, countless mythical beasts galloped past in a furious stampede.

Damn it! He actually can read minds! Is there any way for a person to live anymore? From now on, I can't even curse him out in the privacy of my own skull?! What else is beneath the leaning ancient tree? There is also a portrait of your late father, which Wang Defa used acupuncture needles to pierce all over the face, cursing your father every single day to die young and transmigrate swiftly! Do you think I dare utter those words out loud?!

Externally, cold sweat poured off me in torrents while internally, I was already desperately calculating the most efficient escape route.

"Reporting... reporting to Your Majesty, this servant... this servant truly has no idea."

I had no choice left other than to play the fool. Xiao Mo looked deeply into my eyes, his gaze brimming with heavy scrutiny.

"Is that the truth?"

He did not press the matter further, shifting instead to an entirely different topic.

"In your estimation, how ought Wang Defa to be dealt with?"

How ought he to be dealt with? If it were up to me, you should drag him straight out and chop off his head to prevent him from causing any more demonic trouble! But you certainly won't do that; you still need to keep the old fox around to balance out the Empress Dowager's faction on the other side. In my opinion, you might as well pack all eight of those mistresses and move them directly into the chancellor's main residence. Let his backyard burst into flames every single day, and we shall see if he still has the mental capacity to meddle in court affairs.