Checking In for Sixty Years, From Puppet Emperor to Heavenly Emperor – Chapter 16

Ch 16: It’s Better to be a Foolish Emperor

“Very good, Purple Guard 1, have your people bring the Empress and Tenth Princess over,” Zhou An said.

Purple Guard 1 immediately sent someone to notify them. Before long, Zhou Ling Sha came over, relieved to see Zhou An. She quickly ran over and called out, “Emperor Brother, it’s great you’re alright!”

The Empress also walked over, performed a salute, and called out, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Everyone knew about the turmoil in the Imperial Palace, and everyone hid in their rooms, afraid of being implicated. Dying at this time would be a pointless death.

The Empress had been standing on the pavilion, watching the battle. Even when the Empress Dowager was finally defeated, she didn’t show herself.

Zhou An nodded to the Empress, patted the little girl’s head, and then said, “The Azure Guard and Dark Guard will be merged into the Brocade Guard, led by Zhou Ling Sha, responsible for monitoring the ministers in the court and guarding the safety of Qian Capital.”

Zhou Ling Sha was shocked, and even the Azure Guard and Dark Guard couldn’t believe it. Although they didn’t dare to object, there was obvious disapproval in their eyes.

Zhou Ling Sha said in a panic, “Emperor Brother, I can’t do it, I don’t know how.”

“Zhou Ling Sha, you are the personally taught disciple of the Great Ancestor Emperor. This is also an order personally issued by the Great Ancestor Emperor. Your ability has already been recognized by the Great Ancestor Emperor. Do you want to defy the decree?” Zhou An had a stern expression, causing Zhou Ling Sha to lower her head and not dare to object.

The Dark Guard and Azure Guard were shocked to hear that this Tenth Princess was actually a personally taught disciple of the Great Ancestor Emperor. They had already heard about the Great Ancestor Emperor appearing during this turmoil in the Imperial Palace. Although they didn’t know if it was true or not, this person’s martial arts were extremely high, and it was even rumored that he possessed Houtian Tenth Level. They had to believe this.

Now that even the Emperor had said it, no matter what doubts there were, they had to firmly believe it.

The Empress was also shocked, and a slight change appeared in her eyes as she looked at Zhou Ling Sha. In this way, the imperial dynasty would truly be the Zhou Family’s imperial dynasty.

Zhou An looked at the Empress and smiled, then continued, “The Purple Guard will continue to be responsible for the safety of the Imperial Palace and only be responsible to me.”

“Yes,” the Purple Guards all saluted.

“The Purple Guard suffered great losses this time. Continue to cultivate the original Purple Guard training camp. Ask the Shangguan Family for the funds.”

After this, the Shangguan Family might have wavering hearts. The Brocade Guard must keep a close watch. If there are any suspicious people, immediately arrest and investigate them. If they dare to resist, they can be executed first and reported later,” Zhou An said.

“Yes,” the Brocade Guard and Purple Guard responded at the same time.

“By the way, most of the people in the imperial court are from the Shangguan Family. If I deal with these ministers now, I’m afraid there will be a serious gap in the empire’s officials. Empress, what do you think I should do with the Shangguan Family?” Zhou An asked rhetorically.

Shangguan Rong thought for a moment, then said with a nervous expression, “Your Majesty, the Shangguan Family has committed the great crime of exterminating the Nine Generations, so they cannot be easily spared.

However, the Shangguan Family is the number one family in Qianyuan. Seventy percent of the country’s officials are from the Shangguan Family, and many of the retainers in their respective families are independent cultivators, even from the heretical path.

If you order their execution, you will inevitably force them to rebel immediately. Even with the Great Ancestor Emperor backing you, there is no chance of winning. Instead, it will cause the Qianyuan Empire to suffer heavy losses due to this internal strife, giving the surrounding countries a great opportunity to invade.

The Empress Dowager saw this point, and knowing that she could seize imperial power by force, she found it difficult to face the situation afterward, so she had been using a gradual approach, gradually taking over the entire empire.

Therefore, Your Subject believes that the culprits should be dealt with, and a way out should be given to the Shangguan Family. You cannot force them too quickly. Then, cultivate the forces on Zhou Di’s side to restrain the Shangguan Family’s faction.

It won’t be too late to implement thunderous methods when Your Majesty has enough strength.”

Zhou An smiled and nodded, saying, “Okay, let’s do as the Empress says. I’m satisfied with what the Empress has done. I might as well let you handle state affairs on my behalf.”

Shangguan Rong was shocked, without any joy, but instead felt pressure. She was a member of the Shangguan Family, and Zhou An wanted her to deal with the Shangguan Family.

However, Shangguan Rong had made up her mind long ago when she married into the Imperial Family. She performed a salute and said, “Your Subject will never fail to live up to Your Majesty’s high expectations.”

Zhou An let Shangguan Rong do it because he knew she was the most suitable person at the moment, and it was the most stable method.

If he handled it himself, it was highly likely that he would force the Shangguan Family to rebel immediately. In that case, he probably wouldn’t survive. Currently, his martial power was not enough to crush everything, and he needed to buy more time to check-in and become stronger.

In the imperial court, when it came to rebellious hearts, ninety percent of the ministers had them. They all had large families supporting them. The Emperor was just putting on an act for the time being.

Who told him that he started as a useless emperor? I’m afraid that the power of most of the ministers in the imperial court was higher than Zhou An’s.

And Shangguan Rong represented the Shangguan Family. If she handled it, the forces behind all the ministers would have to weigh their options, and the Shangguan Family would have to choose between the Right Prime Minister and the Empress.

The most important thing was the information left by the Great Ancestor. Zhou An knew that even if he grasped all the power, in the eyes of cultivators above Innate Sixth Level, he was just a mortal, and killing him was just a thought away.

In the eyes of these high-level Innate cultivators, the emperor was just the king of ants, not of much significance.

It was also because of this that the Great Ancestor finally gave up imperial power to seek immortality and pursue the Dao.

Zhou An wanted to put his energy and time into checking-in and cultivating. If the Empress liked the struggles in the imperial court, then let her do it. As long as he was strong, everything she fought for would be his.

If he wasn’t strong, even if he took everything, it would belong to others.

“Alright, you all go and do your work. Ling Sha, do well. The Great Ancestor Emperor is watching in secret,” Zhou An smiled, saying it clearly for Zhou Ling Sha to hear, but actually for the newly formed Brocade Guard to hear, so that they wouldn’t dare to act rashly.

“Yes, Emperor Brother,” Zhou Ling Sha rejoiced secretly. She liked investigating other people’s secrets the most. With the Brocade Guard, she felt that things would be very fun in the future.

Zhou Ling Sha couldn’t wait to have the two new commanders of the Brocade Guard take her to see the Qian Capital headquarters.

From Zhou Ling Sha’s keen observation ability last time, Zhou An knew that she was suitable for this job. Although she was still a bit inexperienced, working in the Brocade Guard would allow her to grow quickly. After all, born in the Imperial Family, she had been exposed to power struggles since she was a child. Zhou An believed that she would definitely be an excellent Brocade Guard commander.

“Alright, now let’s take a look at the secrets of this Western Palace together,” Zhou An said.

“Yes,” the several commanders of the Purple Guard responded and led the way.

On the surface, the Western Palace was where the Purple Guard trained, lived, and worked. He had already checked-in here a long time ago. He wanted them to lead the way to see the hidden places.

The underground here was where the real secrets of the Purple Guard were located. The entrance was also relatively hidden, inside a rockery.

Many people who opposed the Empress Dowager were imprisoned underground, and there were even well-known experts from the Jianghu. There were just dungeons and interrogation rooms, as well as the elixirs needed for cultivation and the secret manuals of various Jianghu sects that the Empress Dowager had collected over the years.

However, Zhou An was not interested in these. No matter how powerful the secret manuals were, they were just ordinary martial arts. What he needed was a Sky-Rank Cultivation Method.

The main purpose of the Empress Dowager establishing the Azure Guard was actually to collect Sky-Rank Cultivation Methods. Unfortunately, Immortals were rare and hidden among the people, making them extremely difficult to find.

Even if they were found, ordinary people couldn’t catch these people who could fly and escape. Therefore, the only hope was to hope that these Immortals could leave behind a legacy, so that they could pick up a bargain.

It was just that the Empress Dowager didn’t expect that many Immortals could deduce things. Some large Immortal sects could even deduce the world hundreds of years later. It was almost impossible for mortals to obtain their inheritance.

After checking-in here once, Zhou An left. He only instructed the Empress that those ministers who had not made any major mistakes could be released. As for the Jianghu guests, the Empress could handle them herself.

The battle in the Imperial City was bound to cause a stir throughout Qian Capital. Everyone was waiting for the results. Not to mention the ministers in the court, even the wealthy merchants and celebrities below were extremely concerned. On the other hand, the common people didn’t care so much.

Inside a private room in a restaurant in Qian Capital, three men and one woman were sitting at a table. A fat monk was eating the meat on the table with big mouthfuls.

Another middle-aged man was silently drinking wine. The last man and woman, one handsome and one beautiful, were flirting with each other with their eyes.

After the fat monk raised his wine jar and took a big gulp, he said with satisfaction, “There was turmoil in the Imperial Palace. The Empress Dowager and the Duke Protector of the Realm are dead. The Purple Guard only has thirty or forty people left, and less than half of the Imperial Guard remains. Now, even if the Imperial Palace wants to be heavily guarded, it can’t be done. This is an excellent opportunity. The Master has ordered that we must seize that treasure before anyone else.

Then, we can enter the inner sect and learn the Sky-Rank Cultivation Method. Stepping into the Innate Realm will also be within reach. Do the three of you have any plans?”

“Hmph, the only thing in the Imperial Palace that we are afraid of is that Great Ancestor Emperor. I think he is just someone pretending. The four of us will act separately. Even if this damn Great Ancestor Emperor appears, he can only stop one person at most. The others will have a chance,” the handsome man raised his cup, took a small sip, and had a disdainful expression.

“The problem now is, where is that treasure hidden by the Imperial Family? Although the Imperial Palace doesn’t have enough guards, it’s not difficult to hide something,” the middle-aged man said expressionlessly.

“Hmph, there aren’t many places to hide treasures. The Imperial Treasury is one, and the Emperor’s bedroom might have it,” the beautiful woman said.

“This puppet emperor shouldn’t know about this kind of treasure, but just in case, we should interrogate him. An hour ago, what do you think about that golden dragon in the direction of the Western Palace?” the middle-aged man asked.

“Only a true Son of Heaven can possess True Dragon Energy. The current Emperor can’t have it. Maybe it was treasure light. Many treasures will have visions when they are unearthed. Beast-shaped visions are not uncommon. It’s very likely that the treasure is in the Western Palace,” the fat monk said, picking up a whole chicken and tearing into it with big bites.

“Time is of the essence. We should act tonight, lest other fellow Daoists come, and it will be even more difficult for us to seize it,” the beautiful woman said.

“I’ll go to the Imperial Treasury,” the fat monk ate half a chicken in one bite, got up, hugged a jar of wine, jumped out of the window, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“I’ll go to the Western Palace,” the middle-aged man carried a heavy sword on his back and pushed the door open to leave.

The handsome man licked his lips and said, “I heard that the current Empress is as beautiful as a celestial being. Hehe, I’ll go and capture the Empress to interrogate her.”

“Then I can only go find the Emperor, hee hee,” the beautiful woman giggled. The two looked at each other and understood each other’s thoughts, and also left this place.