Chapter 712: Chapter 695: The Paralyzed New Dynasty

On a winter afternoon, there was still no sunshine.

The falling snow had become small, like grains of millet, stinging slightly when it hit the face.

In other parts of the Capital’s streets, people were sweeping the snow, but the road to the Demon Suppression Department didn’t need it.

These past two days, the streets outside the Demon Suppression Department should have been trodden into paths, even if there weren’t any before.

Just in the first night alone, the prison of the Demon Suppression Department held more than thirteen hundred people, and that was just a fraction. Many more were spread throughout the prisons of the Capital Mansion and Ministry of Justice, summing up to tens of thousands.

Hmm, the Capital Mansion and Ministry of Justice are headless now, since the Prefect of the Capital Mansion and the Minister of Justice are locked up in prison themselves.

The Capital’s rebellion this time has wide-ranging implications, with nearly one-third of the Capital’s officials and involved families related. Determining who was directly involved, who was unaware, and who only tried to sway both ways requires a much longer period of interrogation.

This reveals the trouble with politics dominated by Aristocratic Families. When the main Aristocratic Families in the Capital are all implicated, it means most officials are connected, and suddenly, there’s no one to use.

By now, the early morning court has been half-empty, and the remaining officials are panicking, the political situation in the Capital almost paralyzed, messier than when Xia Longyuan had just died. That more than half of the officials remained was thanks to Tang Wanju’s prior investigations and efforts to avoid widespread involvement.

There were also some people not involved in the case, because they were related to a few families like Cui Tang, officials and disciples of the Four Symbols Sect, and some minor families too insignificant to be implicated in major cases. Without these people, the morning court would have been an empty nest…

With such a vast implication, it could paralyze local governance. For now, Tang Wanju’s policy was except for letting people through at various checkpoints and cities, all other places were unrelated to this incident, regardless of whose protégés or old clerks they were, no questions asked. Otherwise, if they really investigated, even local governance would stall.

Despite this, everyone was in a state of panic, afraid of the purges.

This was a true conspiracy of great treason, along with the inviting of barbarians into the Capital – the harshest punishments wouldn’t be surprising.

Huangfu Qing and others did not feel it as directly, but only Tang Wanju knew this was the greatest political crisis for the new dynasty, a crisis where no one was available, from top to bottom, from high-ranking officials to middle-level to local.

Earlier, Tang Wanju had advised Xia Chichi to first make good use of people like Lu Jianzhang to stabilize the government, and later cultivate their own political base through measures like the imperial examination, which would be a long-term process.

When Zhao Changhe suggested to feint weakness to the enemy, to fish for a catch, according to the changing times, she didn’t object. If they didn’t catch a fish, it meant there was still hope for Lu Jianzhang and the others; if they did catch one, it meant there was no hope. If they could finish it in one fell swoop, that would be good, she just had to work much harder.

Not to mention anything else, just how could they possibly have enough manpower at present? The number of people involved exceeded ten thousand at a glance, not even counting the subsequent implications. How many were there in the Demon Supersession Department? Of course, they had to borrow people from the Four Symbols Sect, otherwise they couldn’t even maintain order.

At this morning’s court session, Tang Wanju was granted permission to leave early to get to work. She reported the situation and quickly left. Later, hearing the Emperor mention something about finding sweet potatoes, she wrote a letter to her nephew and then worked straight through until the afternoon without even taking a meal.

“Miss, you should eat something,” Bao Qin suggested.

“Hmm, just put it there; I’ll eat in a bit,” Tang Wanju answered.

“You said the same thing half an hour ago. The noodles are clumped together; I’ve made you a fresh bowl!” Bao Qin grumbled disapprovingly, standing on the side with the bowl of noodles, stamping her foot: “You just recovered from tuberculosis not long ago, and now you’ll end up with stomach problems again!”

Tang Wanju chuckled, “Alright, alright, leave it there. I really will eat, ah.”

Bao Qin could no longer hold back, “I think you’re deliberately trying to look frail and sickly to lure men!”

Tang Wanju: “?”

The little maid was twisted into a bundle and thrown out of the door with a swoosh, still holding the noodles.

The maid didn’t hit the ground when a robust figure appeared in front of her, a large hand reaching out to lift her into the air.

Bao Qin floated, seated mid-air, glaring furiously at him.

Zhao Changhe found it cute and rubbed her head before putting her down on the ground, taking the noodles, “I’ll do it, you go rest.”

Bao Qin fumed: “She’s even busier now with your rotten new dynasty. It’s great for you, isn’t it, you showed up last night, just to defile the…mmph mmph mmph…”

Zhao Changhe swiftly covered her mouth, sweating profusely as he looked around.

Nearby officials from the Demon Suppression Department walked briskly past, their heads down, pretending not to hear.

Zhao Changhe regretted not keeping her flying towards the Stars and Sea. It seemed that Vermilion Bird’s technique on handling Bao Qin was the best, silencing the main character first to make others fall without a fight.

Now realizing that there were more people around, Bao Qin pouted and dared not continue. Zhao Changhe, too embarrassed to carry on the banter, took the hot bowl of noodles straight into the main hall of the Demon Suppression Department.

Tang Wanju looked up from her paperwork, a smile that was not quite a smile on her face, clearly having heard the noise outside.

Zhao Changhe stiffened his old face, barely managing to muster a gentle demeanor, and put a bowl of noodles in front of her, “Losing Bao Qin is one thing, but how could you lose your meal as well… These days, everyone is short on food.”

What kind of talk was that? Tang Wanju was immediately amused, “If Bao Qin heard that, she would come in and bite you to death.”

Zhao Changhe sighed, “I didn’t expect that you’d be even busier with the change of the dynasty.”

Tang Wanju replied, “There weren’t as many matters before… but now, there are too few people to work well with. It feels tiring and helpless to shoulder everything alone, and you can only watch many things happen without being able to intervene. Now, Your Majesty is also very dedicated, which actually gives people more motivation and drive… In fact, the increased workload is only short-term. If we can endure it, life will be much more comfortable afterward.”

Zhao Changhe asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”

“If the sweet potatoes you proposed to His Majesty really work out, that would be a huge help… And your proposal for Sanjin is indeed a good idea for saving troops and food, although I doubt whether that woman can do a good job…”

“…Even doubting the Worldly Society techniques of the Vermilion Bird?”

“It should be said that under my suppression, the Four Symbols Sect hasn’t achieved much publicly over the years and has only been able to grow underground… Especially the so-called Vermilion Bird Venerable, who hasn’t accomplished much. The occasional success was only because you were involved, and your memory has romanticized it.”

Zhao Changhe suddenly wanted to laugh upon hearing this; these two women were really amusing…

He didn’t continue on this subject and picked up some noodles with his chopsticks, blew on them, and held them to Tang Wanju’s mouth, “Ahh~”

Tang Wanju quickly glanced towards the door. The area, which was usually bustling with people, was now as quiet as a haunted house, with everyone sensibly vanishing.

In fact, the emptiness of the scene itself was quite embarrassing, and who knows how much the others had imagined… A blush crept onto Tang Wanju’s face, but she quickly leaned in and slurped up the noodles from the chopsticks.

The noodles fed by her husband…

Zhao Changhe didn’t say much else, simply feeding her bite by bite. Tang Wanju gave up on feeding herself and just let him continue, eating the noodles in small bites until they were gone.

Bao Qin quietly poked her head out, feeling as if the noodles she cooked were mysteriously exuding an extremely foul smell. I didn’t add stinky tofu…

Regardless, it was good that the young mistress was eating obediently. It seems the young mistress hasn’t grown up and needs to be fed; next time, Bao Qin will also try to feed her.

Finally finishing the noodles, which would have normally been eaten in an instant, but took an entire hour today, Tang Wanju contentedly leaned into the man’s embrace and whispered, “This is nice.”

Bao Qin felt her life was shrouded in darkness. This man had just returned, disrupting the palace, not visiting you until late afternoon, yet after feeding you a few bites of noodles, you’re saying “this is nice,” even though I was the one who cooked them, and you never complimented me.

What a foolish woman, yet she claims to be the head of wisdom.

“Bang!” Tang Wanju suddenly flicked her hand, and the door closed by itself without any wind. Bao Qin’s head hit the door, and she teared up, hugging her head as she squatted down.

Zhao Changhe couldn’t help but laugh, “Bullying Bao Qin again?”

“How is it, feeling sorry because you didn’t get a taste?”

“…Nonsense, I only feel sorry for you.”

Bao Qin felt life was utterly bleak.

Tang Wanju laughed as well, “You… Nowadays, your words can’t be trusted. Tell me, what did you come here for?”

Zhao Changhe responded, “Can’t it be just to keep you company?”

“That’s why I say your words can’t be trusted now,” Tang Wanju leisurely said. “You don’t have the time or the inclination to seek anyone out just for love talk, whether it’s me or His Majesty and the Empress Dowager.”

Zhao Changhe fell silent.

Tang Wanju continued, “But this is a good thing. I also don’t want you to come running back just to ask when I will fulfill the promise I made before I left the Capital.”

Zhao Changhe was taken aback, his expression turning odd.

He had forgotten what promise Tang Wanju had made before he left the Capital, and it was only upon her mention that he remembered; Tang Wanju had said that if he returned safely, she would showdown with Huangfu Qing on the bed for him to see… How could he have forgotten that!

Even more tragically, given the current situation and Tang Wanju’s boast that “this is a good thing,” he was now too embarrassed to ask her to fulfill it…

Seeing Zhao Changhe’s face filled with regret, Tang Wanju chuckled, “All right, all right, there will be chances for you in the future. Right now, I’m too busy to care about those things. If you really want to help, I do have something for you to do.”

Zhao Changhe grimly said, “Just tell me, who should I behead?”

“It’s because there have been too many beheadings that under a millennium of Aristocratic Family politics, we are sorely lacking in reserves of talent outside of their circles. We had discussed holding civil examinations, but haven’t had the chance to implement them… And even once we do, it will take time to cultivate the candidates,” Tang Wanju said seriously. “We can’t deal with so many people; some of them must be reinstated. And you’re going to be the good guy who does that.”