You and Li Liushui, united by that innate masculine understanding, stood to one side and silently watched for a while.

The emperor was in high spirits; interrupting him would be most inappropriate.

You watched until your eyes ached, finally unable to hold back. "Our emperor is like this, and your Li family doesn't do anything about it?"

Li Liushui, cradling his treasured sword, replied with a faint smile. "My duty is only to ensure the emperor's personal safety. What the emperor does each day is not for me to criticize."

"Can't the Li family see that state affairs are controlled by powerful ministers, and the emperor has no real say?"

"Brother Chen, watch your words. If not for Li Lingyue's sake, what you just said would already be the crime of insulting the sovereign. I could cut you down right here."

It seems Elder Brother was right. The Li family is letting the emperor run wild. They only care about putting someone on the throne, not whether the emperor rules well or poorly, as long as the imperial clan's interests aren't harmed.

Just as both of you were getting bored and Li Liushui cleared his throat, preparing to request an audience...

The consort whom Longzhi had pulled into his embrace suddenly pulled a hairpin from her head and stabbed towards Longzhi's neck!

"Assassin!"

You were a step too slow. Li Liushui, after all, was in the Martial Saint Realm, and faster than you.

Damn! Such a perfect chance for the merit of saving the emperor!

Still reacted too slowly. Should have tripped Li Liushui first!

"Don't kill her!"

Longzhi's shout was timely.

Li Liushui used his sword sheath to press the consort to the ground.

"Speak! Who sent you!"

The commotion inside couldn't be hidden from the group of martial arts experts outside. Even without using divine sense, they could hear it.

"Protect His Majesty! Protect His Majesty!!"

A crowd surged in, even forgetting about the Southern Borderlands Female Emperor outside, all rushing in to claim merit.

Seeing only one assassin, already subdued by Li Liushui, they were greatly disappointed.

Not enough to go around!

Qin Rong was furious.

"Guards! Take this assassin out and slice her into a thousand pieces!!"

Longzhi straightened his clothes, tidying his messy hair and beard.

"Minister Qin, wait. Let Zhen first understand why she tried to assassinate Zhen."

Qin Rong was very obedient.

"As Your Majesty decrees!"

Longzhi walked over to the beautiful consort, looking down at her with disdain.

"We were having such fun, why try to assassinate Zhen? Zhen hasn't left the palace in decades, so presumably haven't offended you or your family, right? Could it be you're here to plead for the people or something?"

The consort spat at him.

"Pah! Pleading for the people would be justified! You fatuous ruler! Neglecting state affairs, abandoning the nation's welfare, lustful and frivolous! You have not a shred of an emperor's bearing! If not for the Dragon Protector's swift skill today, I would have succeeded!"

Li Liushui scratched his cheek somewhat sheepishly. Why was she praising him now?

Li Lingyue, standing outside the courtyard, gave a cold laugh.

"Well said! This woman is not to be killed. Zhen wants her alive!"

Longzhi glanced outside.

"How is it that in Zhen's own home, another 'Zhen' pops up? Can you give Zhen a little face?"

Li Lingyue rolled her eyes at him dramatically.

Longzhi was speechless. He lowered his head to continue questioning the consort.

"So, you're not here to plead for the people or such. You simply wanted to kill Zhen. Zhen wishes to know the reason."

"My brother was a battalion commander in the Northern Border Sixth Army. He came to the capital to demand military pay for the brothers in his battalion. The result was entering alive and leaving dead! I, inside the palace, don't know the details. I only know that in February, I received a letter from my brother saying he was coming to the capital on business. In March, I received a letter written on behalf of my parents saying he was dead! You high officials! Emperor! So wealthy, so rich! Why won't you even give soldiers their pay! And you killed him for demanding it!"

The consorts in the garden knelt on the ground. The officials stood.

Complete silence.

The air grew cold enough to freeze.

You stood to the side watching the spectacle, even wishing for a bucket of popcorn.

Longzhi clasped his hands behind his back.

"How much military pay does the court owe your brother and his comrades?"

"Two hundred!"

"Two million taels. Zhen will give you four million, pardon your crime, you may return..."

"It's two hundred! No 'million'! Although we are children of poor families, we have our pride! We won't take advantage of you!"

Longzhi was so angry he laughed. He looked up at Qin Rong.

"Minister Qin, how is it that I recall you reporting to me months ago that the military pay for the Northern Border Sixth Army, ten million taels, had already been allocated from the national treasury? Why is there a battalion of soldiers who haven't even received two hundred taels of pay?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Rong immediately knelt, arms hanging at his sides, and looked behind him.

"Minister of War! What is the meaning of this! Did your Ministry of War not deliver the silver?!"

The Minister of War, hearing this, immediately knelt, knocking his head against the ground, and looked behind him.

"Vice Minister Zhang! You were in charge of the escort! Where is the military pay?!"

The Vice Minister of War, hearing this, immediately knelt, prostrating his entire body on the ground.

He looked back.

Damn it, no one left!

Those with lower ranks than him weren't qualified to enter the palace for an imperial audience, so they weren't here. The buck stopped with him; he couldn't pass it on!

"Reporting to Your Majesty! Prime Minister! Minister! When we escorted it, there was only one million taels! We heard the national tax revenue was difficult this year, so we even paid out of our own pockets to add to the military pay, but... it truly wasn't enough..."

Minister of War: "Preposterous! Why didn't you report such a matter earlier!"

Qin Rong: "Incompetent! You didn't even know your subordinates failed in their duty! And you deceived me into thinking the military pay was all delivered! It seems you need not continue as Minister!"

You watched a grand game of football from the sidelines.

How it was finally resolved wasn't important.

Whoever wasn't present took the blame.

Where did the money go? It's being investigated, supposedly.

Even in the mortal world, the interests of the common people aren't guaranteed, let alone in the martial world.

The consort who attempted the assassination wasn't executed. Longzhi pardoned her and gave her to Li Lingyue.

After handling this interlude, Longzhi walked up to you, clasped his fists, bowed, and saluted.

"Benefactor! Many years unseen. I have grown old and frail, yet Benefactor remains as youthful as ever..."

Longzhi dismissed Qin Rong and the others, and had Li Liushui activate the restrictive formation within the Beauty Courtyard, forbidding any outside detection.

"Minister Li, you may leave as well."

Li Liushui was uneasy.

"Your Majesty, this person is closely connected to the Female Emperor. I cannot allow you to be alone with him."

"Rest assured. I knew Benefactor before the Female Emperor had even lost her baby teeth."

Though reluctant, Li Liushui had no choice as Longzhi insisted. He could only obey the order.

When only the two of you remained, Li Chengqian removed his "Longzhi" mask.

"Benefactor must find this laughable. I imagine these tricks of mine couldn't fool Benefactor's discerning eyes."

"That assassination attempt, so perfectly timed, was your arrangement, wasn't it?"

"It was... Without staging a play, and having the historians record it, it's very difficult for the soldiers to get their pay. They say all land under heaven belongs to the king. Clearly, it's all Zhen's money. Yet when Zhen wants to give it to someone, these 'patriotic and concerned for the people' ministers strangle the process. Isn't that absurd?"