Chapter 58: C58. When Empires Crumble Within.

Chapter 58

Emperor Qianxing's blood boiled with a venomous fury, sparked by his grandmother's cunning deceit. But this was only the beginning—his rage flared brighter when he saw Pan Maocai's pathetic failure. The so-called seventh-grade military attaché couldn’t even pin down a rogue who’d butchered three people with nothing more than a kitchen knife. A man of his rank should have been capable, yet Pan Maocai had proven himself utterly useless.

Once upon a time, Qianxing might have dismissed Pan Maocai with a bored wave, hardly worth the breath it took to curse him. He was, after all, nothing more than a white-collar bureaucrat in military robes—barely a speck on the emperor’s radar. But those days were over. Pan Maocai and his family had made the unforgivable mistake of crossing the little emperor. For that offense, Qianxing had no intention of letting him—or his failures—slip quietly into obscurity.

Returning to the Governor's Mansion, Cao Xun wasted no time. He called for Shen Kuo, a Jinyiwei commander of the third rank, handing him the case with clipped precision: “Pan Maocai's botched arrest and criminal misconduct under the Dongcheng Military and Horse Department.”

Emperor Qianxing, his smile sharp as a blade, leaned forward and purred, “Handle this matter well, Shen Kuo, and your reward will be generous.”

Shen Kuo, ambition sparking in his dark eyes, fell immediately into line. “Your wish is my command.”

Shen Kuo knew better than anyone that the tides of favor were shifting. The once-favored Li Yong had long since fallen from the emperor’s grace, leaving the path wide open for an opportunist like him. This was no simple assignment—it was a golden ladder, one that could lead him straight to the top as the new commander of the Jinyiwei.

The game of power was ruthless, and Shen Kuo was ready to play. The mighty would fall, and the forgotten would rise—the emperor’s smile had made that promise. The question now wasn’t whether Shen Kuo would seize his chance, but how many heads would roll along the way.

*

As the sun dipped low and painted the horizon in hues of amber and crimson, Cao Xun could already sense what was coming—the young emperor would soon send for Li Yao, summoning him to distant Fuzhou in Jiangxi to deal with the bandit scourge.

Later that evening, after dinner had long settled, Cao Xun casually suggested a stroll through the garden, the kind of easy proposal that could never be refused. Yunzhu, elegant as ever, joined him. The sky darkened slowly, shadows spilling like ink across the pathways, and the lotus blossoms—delicate white and soft pink—folded in on themselves. The flowers withdrew shyly into the dark waters, as though the night had whispered something wicked in their ears. Yunzhu lingered, enraptured by their fleeting beauty, while Cao Xun waited patiently, knowing her satisfaction had to be earned in its own time.

Just last year, the Dingguo Palace ponds had been reborn, alive with the vibrant lotus blooms that now blushed beneath the closing curtain of twilight. And there she stood—Yunzhu—bathed in that exquisite light. The molten gold of the setting sun kissed her delicate features, and loose strands of her hair danced teasingly on the evening breeze. She was every bit a vision, one that could unsettle the calmest of men.

When her curiosity for the flowers was finally sated, Cao Xun decided it was time to speak. He told her of his afternoon meeting with the emperor—more precisely, of her younger brother's looming assignment.

Yunzhu’s serene expression tightened, dark clouds passing through her eyes. "Transitioning jobs," she said coolly. "Such a polite little phrase. But we both know what that means. The emperor wants my brother out of the way, doesn’t he?"

She turned to him, sharp as glass, and asked pointedly, "What did you tell him?"

Cao Xun, ever unshaken, replied smoothly, "There’s a mess of bandits holed up in Fuzhou, hidden in their mountains like rats. The terrain makes them hard to reach, harder to defeat. I proposed sending your brother to handle it. The emperor liked the idea—thought it was brilliant, in fact. Tomorrow, if all goes as expected, the decree will be issued. He’ll be appointed general, sent to Fuzhou with full reinforcements under his command."

Yunzhu lowered her gaze, her mind already working through the implications.

Jiangxi—such a vast stretch of land between the capital and her brother’s post. She could already feel the unease it would stir in her younger brother, still too tender to be thrust so far from home. As for her elder brother, the one now anchored by marriage and business, the opportunity might be seen as a proving ground—his chance to assert himself. Bandit suppression was no easy task, but it was leagues safer than going up against barbarian cavalry. The job would demand sweat, yes, but not necessarily blood—not the kind that ends in graves.

But Yunzhu knew better than most how small the young Emperor Qianxing’s mind was—petty, capricious, as volatile as an untamed child. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this assignment was more than it seemed. Sending her brother far from the capital might be a calculated move to strip her family of power, a way to isolate them from the emperor's watchful, suspicious eye. Out of sight, out of his endless crosshairs.

And yet, she couldn’t decide if this was an act of cruelty or mercy.

She mulled over the situation in silence, her gaze distant but sharp. Cao Xun, leaning lazily with a smirk tugging at his lips, broke the quiet with a teasing jab. "What’s this now? Cat got your tongue, or are you holding back tears again?"

Yunzhu shot him a glare that could burn holes through iron. “Do I look like the type to weep at every little thing?”

Cao Xun’s grin only deepened, eyes glinting with mischief. “Oh, but I remember. That first night outside Beijing—you thought no one noticed, didn’t you? Wiping those tears away so delicately. Must be favoritism, then. You’ll cry yourself sore for your brother but keep yourself dry and stone-faced for me? Now that’s hardly fair.”

She scoffed, dismissing his taunts, though the truth still gnawed at her. Letting go of her elder brother was no easy feat. His strength had been a comfort, his resilience a silent reassurance of his safety. Yet Cao Xun—this infuriating, cocky man—was the very reason her brother could stand firm against the chaos. She knew he was risking himself for her family, yet she couldn’t stop herself from leaning closer, her voice a low whisper as she questioned, “If my brother crushes the bandits as planned, won’t the Emperor’s fury boil over? You know he’ll lash out.”

Cao Xun’s response was maddeningly calm. He reached out, his fingers sliding tenderly through her hair as though she were the softest thing in his war-hardened world. “Don’t trouble yourself. I’ll see to it your brother gets one assignment after another—each more ruthless, each more defining.”

She stiffened at his words, her expression hardening.

Cao Xun’s smirk grew. “What? Your brother’s strong—unshakable—but raw. No matter how brave he is, he’s green where it counts.”

Yunzhu clenched her jaw, fire flashing in her eyes. “Train him if you must, but listen to me: If my brother comes back to me battered and broken, don’t you dare expect me to look at you with anything resembling affection.”

Cao Xun’s laugh was sharp, his gaze glinting as he leaned in close. “Unreasonable, aren’t we? You think any general worth his salt can promise every man’s safety on the battlefield?”

She tilted her chin defiantly. “I don’t care. Whose bright idea was it to marry me off to you anyway? My brother-in-law’s younger than you—maybe you should treat him with more care.”

His response was wordless at first—a slow, predatory smile curling at his mouth. Cao Xun liked this fire of hers, as much as he pretended otherwise. Without warning, he pulled her into his arms, his hand grazing her ear in a slow, playful pinch. “Listen here. I saved your father back in Ganzhou. Now I’m to hold your brother’s hand through battle, too. A man like me is carrying the whole family on his shoulders, yet when I return home, I’m expected to keep you satisfied, too. Don’t you ever wonder if I might drop dead of exhaustion?”

Her lips twitched, a breathy laugh escaping as she retorted, “You’ve conquered all nine regions, Cao Xun. You don’t strike me as the type to collapse so easily.”

He chuckled at that, though his eyes darkened slightly—teasing, yet loaded. “You underestimate how this aging body feels some nights. I may not be as tireless as you imagine.”

Her smile sharpened as she leaned closer, her hand trailing absently—almost wickedly—down his chest. “Then sleep in the courtyard for a few nights. Recuperate. I’d hate for you to lose your strength.”

The touch ignited something primal in him. Cao Xun, all vigor and steel at barely thirty, met her teasing with raw, unmistakable energy, the spark between them crackling like a storm on the verge of breaking.

*

The next day, Emperor Qianxing called Cao Xun to his side. Li Yao was summoned as well, and with his cabinet present, the Emperor announced his decision: Li Yao would be sent to Fuzhou to deal with the unruly bandits.

The Emperor's gaze flickered to Gu Shoufu, standing stiff in their midst. "And what do you think of this, Mr. Gu?"

Gu Shoufu hesitated. His eyes lingered a beat too long on his brash grandson-in-law before he finally spoke, his tone deliberately measured. "The terrain in Fuzhou favors defense over attack. It demands someone capable of clever maneuvers. I’m afraid Li Yao may not be up to the task."

Li Yao’s temper flared instantly, his voice gruff and laced with irritation. "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you calling me an idiot?"

Gu Shoufu’s hesitation melted into a sneer of thinly veiled contempt. "What I mean, Li Yao, is that you’re tactically inept. If you insist on declaring yourself a fool, well—that’s hardly my concern."

Li Yao’s anger erupted as he took two sharp steps forward, his voice booming louder. "I haven’t even left yet, and here you are condemning me! Have you suddenly developed the gift of foresight?"

The Empress Dowager, clearly unimpressed, narrowed her eyes and cut through the tension with an icy reprimand. "Li Yao, do not disrespect your chief minister—especially in His Majesty's presence."

Li Yao grunted, his frustration barely contained as he stopped mid-advance.

Emperor Qianxing, meanwhile, took in the scene before him. For all the formality of their blood ties, the relationship between the Li and Gu families was little more than brittle, ornamental glass. The disdain Gu Shoufu showed toward Li Yao was palpable—and obvious enough to suggest that once Li Yao returned, his temper would likely fall on his neglected wife, Gu Shoufu’s granddaughter. That bitterness would simmer and boil.

Still, the Emperor’s thoughts turned darker. Li Yao lacked strategy—that much was undeniable. Sending him to Fuzhou wasn’t a test of his abilities; it was a stage perfectly set for his failure. Let the proud heir of Ningguo Mansion march out, only to be undone by mountain bandits. It would be far more humiliating than any dismissal from office, and that suited the Emperor just fine.

And so, against Gu Shoufu’s weak protests, the Emperor doubled down on his choice. Li Yao was going.

Gu Shoufu had little choice but to bow to the decree, though the thunderclouds in his expression betrayed how bitterly he swallowed it.

The cabinet had other business to address, so Cao Xun and Li Yao took the opportunity to excuse themselves. As they exited, Emperor Qianxing’s eyes lingered thoughtfully on their retreating backs.

It hadn’t escaped his notice: Li Yao’s appointment had been his uncle’s suggestion. Should Li Yao balk at leaving the capital, his uncle would bear the burden of his insolence. If, as was likely, Li Yao failed and became a laughingstock, his frustration would undoubtedly fall on Cao Xun—a convenient target. And with all this brewing, the already strained bond between Duke Dingguo and Duke Ningguo would fray further under public scrutiny.

But there was another layer to this intricate power play. His eldest uncle, for all his calm and careful maneuvering, wasn’t exactly a slave to the Li family’s whims—nor particularly beholden to the seductive pull of the Empress Dowager. No, his uncle was far too shrewd, too seasoned in his early thirties to be caught dangling on the line of allure. Not like the younger uncle, who still festered in longing for the Empress Dowager’s beauty.

The Emperor suppressed a flicker of regret. If only he could leave the palace himself, he’d follow to see how Li Yao would snap, break, or dance around Cao Xun. It would be an irresistible spectacle—one he would’ve relished with devilish satisfaction.

*

Outside the Qianqing Palace, Li Yao strode a few paces forward before coming to an abrupt stop. Without ceremony, he slammed his hand down onto Cao Xun’s shoulder, his voice sharp and dripping with suspicion. “You’re really going to send me packing from the capital, huh? What’s your game here? Did you and that greenhorn emperor cook up this little plan to box me out, or do you just have a soft spot for him and want to see him play hero, running off to deal with the bandits?”

He paused just long enough for the weight of his words to settle, his tone darkening. “If it’s the latter, I couldn’t care less. But if it’s the former... I’d have to start wondering how you, my devious brother-in-law, plan to deal with my sister.”

Cao Xun shrugged off Li Yao’s hand like it was nothing more than an irritating fly. His expression remained flat, unimpressed. “Your job isn’t to ask questions, Li Yao. Orders are orders. Go do your damn duty and crush the bandits. Don’t overthink it.”

With that, Cao Xun turned on his heel and walked off without another word, leaving Li Yao to fume in his wake. Forced to take a separate route toward the Imperial Guard, Li Yao seethed—Cao Xun’s arrogance prickling under his skin. He cursed, loudly and without restraint, his frustration echoing through the palace grounds.

Nearby palace servants and guards turned their heads to witness the outburst, whispers already spreading. It wasn’t long before Emperor Qianxing heard about it, his laughter cutting through the air, light but amused.

Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Cao—calm and calculating—was less entertained. Her attention turned to the political game at hand. “Now that Li Yao’s out of the picture and your cousin has stepped into his shoes, what’s your take on the situation?” Her words dripped with shrewd intention, her gaze unyielding.

The young emperor smirked coldly. “Oh, he won’t betray me,” Qianxing replied with a lazy sneer, “but let’s be honest—if an assassin does come knocking, he’ll be the first one down. He wouldn’t save me if his life depended on it.”

It was at that moment that Shen Kuo of Jin Yiwei arrived, summoned into the imperial presence. In the tense hush of the hall, the truth emerged. The Dongcheng Soldiers and Horses Division had apprehended the fugitive—a man who had already claimed three lives. But the arrest itself? That credit belonged to Yang Mingdong. The problem? Pan Maocai, the commander's son, had brazenly snatched the glory, his father covering for him like the shameless fool he was. Outnumbered and outranked, Yang Mingdong kept his mouth shut, and the entire affair was swept under the rug—until Jin Yiwei dug up the truth in a matter of days.

The revelation soured Empress Dowager Cao’s expression, humiliation flashing across her face. The scandal, after all, reflected poorly on her maternal relatives—a failure she could neither tolerate nor forgive.

Emperor Qianxing didn’t miss a beat. His voice rang clear, sharp with purpose. “Bring Yang Mingdong here. I want him to face off against the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard. The better man wins the position—no exceptions.”

His words sent a ripple through the hall. Eunuchs and maids exchanged uneasy glances, but they knew better than to intervene. Idle gossip might amuse them, but the emperor’s decree was ironclad. Guards couldn’t afford to be placeholders or pawns. This time, only real strength and raw ability would decide who would stand at the emperor’s side.

In a bid to keep his grandmother’s nerves calm and her sharp tongue at bay, Emperor Qianxing went ahead and summoned Pan Maocai—again. Poor bastard. He’d already taken a brutal blow the day before, and now here he was, dragged out like yesterday’s leftovers for another round of humiliation. Not only had he been trounced twice back-to-back, but he also watched his coveted seventh-ranking title slip right through his sweaty hands. The prestigious rank of Pin? Gone. Just like that. Now he was nothing more than another faceless grunt in the ranks.

Here’s the kicker: the soldiers in the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division were no ordinary footmen. They were the best of the best—personally plucked and polished to guard the capital’s gates. Hell, even if Pan Maocai broke his back trying, there was no guarantee he’d ever earn a spot among those elites. But Emperor Qianxing? Oh, he’d cracked the door open just wide enough for his dear cousin to slip through without so much as a second glance.

Pan Maocai, cocky from years of swaggering around the Army and Horses Division like he owned the place, couldn’t swallow this bitter pill. But he wasn’t about to point his frustration at Empress Dowager Cao—he knew better than to spit at the hand that could crush him. So, when he dragged his sorry self back home, he unloaded his fury on his mother, Madam Zhongqinbo, cursing his rotten luck in whispers and mutters.

She was fuming, pacing the room like an untamed storm. "When that woman didn’t lift a finger for me, she acted all high and mighty, like she was too good for the rest of us. And now that she has meddled? Look at this mess! Everything’s ruined!"

Madam Zhongqinbo, oblivious to the deeper threads pulling at this mess, stormed off to Dingguo Duke’s mansion. Her destination? Pan Shi—sharp-eyed and cunning enough to sniff out a snake in the grass.

Pan Shi listened closely, piecing the story together like a hawk picking clean the bones. And then it hit her—right there, that tiny detail. Yesterday, when her grandson was pulling strings for his nephew to showcase his martial prowess, Cao Xun was lurking on the scene too.

Her lips curled into a sneer, venomous and certain. “Him. That little bastard. He sabotaged us on purpose.”

Madam Zhongqinbo latched onto the theory like a lifeline, her voice thick with spite and resolve. “We can’t let him get away with this. Shao is the emperor’s uncle—he’s got the bloodline to back us up!”

Pan Shi didn’t flinch, her tone cold and razor-sharp. “Don’t you worry. Shao’er’s not a man to play dirty, but I’ll make damn sure he knows what’s going on here.”

And just like that, the pieces started moving. The fire was lit.