Chapter 38 The Emperor's Heart is Unfathomable, Shadow Guards Enter the Mansion

Inside the grand hall, there was dead silence.

The four words Chen Lie had spoken with resounding force—"Bring me your head"—were like a massive boulder thrown into a deep pool; it did not stir ripples, but rather a bone-chilling cold.

Everyone's gaze was focused on the man behind the dragon desk, who was dressed in the royal robes of the Black Bird.

King Wendin's knuckles tapped lightly against the armrest of his dragon throne; not too fast, not too slow, each tap sounding as if it were striking the hearts of the officials.

He did not look at Chen Lie, who was kneeling on the ground, but instead swept his gaze over the civil officials with their varied expressions.

Especially Vice-Chancellor Fei Lian, the old official who had loudly called for sacrificing to the River God yesterday.

Feeling the King's gaze, Fei Lian felt a chill in his heart and steeled himself to step forward.

"Your Majesty, this must absolutely not be done! Diverting the Yellow River is unprecedented. This endeavor is no child's play; if it fails, not only will the flooding remain unresolved, but we will also pointlessly lose thirty thousand laborers and shake the very foundations of the state!"

"That's right! General Chen is merely a martial man; how could he understand the complexities of water conservancy? This is nothing but mad talk that treats the nation's fate as a gamble!"

"Vice-Chancellor Fei is right!" another official immediately echoed.

"General Chen's loyalty and courage are commendable, but water control is not the same as warfare. Your subject believes we should deliberate further; we must not be so rash!"

"We implore Your Majesty to think thrice!"

For a time, voices of opposition rose throughout the hall.

Chen Lie knelt on the ground, his back straight, saying nothing.

He knew that saying more at this moment would be futile; the power of decision lay solely in the hands of one person.

"Enough."

King Wending of Shang finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it instantly suppressed all the clamor.

He stood up, slowly walked down the King Rank, and came before the massive map.

His finger traced slowly along the arc that Chen Yuan had drawn.

"Deliberate further? Are we to wait until the floods drown Chaoge before we discuss it?"

King Wending of Shang's tone was very calm, yet it caused cold sweat to seep from the foreheads of the officials led by Fei Lian.

"Sacrifice to the River God? I asked the priest yesterday; the celestial signs indicate this rain will continue for another half-month."

"Do you intend to throw all of my subjects into the river to feed a River God that may not even exist?"

Fei Lian and the others were silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to respond.

King Wending of Shang's gaze finally landed on Chen Lie.

"General Chen, I ask you one more time: what is your level of certainty for this plan?"

Chen Lie looked up sharply, his eyes devoid of any hesitation: "Your Majesty, ten parts!"

These two words were his confidence in his son, and also his own high-stakes gamble.

"What a 'ten parts'!" A burst of sharp light exploded in King Wending of Shang's eyes.

He turned abruptly, returned to the throne, picked up a tiger-headed military tally from the desk, and held it high.

"Hear my decree! I appoint Chen Lie as the Governor of Water Control and bestow upon him the tiger tally. From this moment on, he is authorized to conscript thirty thousand laborers. Officials of the counties and prefectures along the route must all obey his commands and cooperate fully! Funds, grain, and armaments shall be fully supported by the national treasury!"

He paused, his gaze like a knife, sweeping across the court of civil and military officials.

"If there is anyone who feigns compliance while acting in opposition, or who obstructs and delays, Chen Lie may use this tally to execute them first and report later!"

Boom!

As soon as the four words "execute first and report later" were spoken, the air in the entire hall seemed to freeze.

The faces of Fei Lian and the others instantly turned deathly pale. They understood that the King was not negotiating; he had made an unalterable decision.

Chen Lie was also deeply shaken. With trembling hands, he raised them high, received the tiger tally handed over by the attendant, and kowtowed heavily: "Your subject accepts the decree! I will certainly not fail the trust placed in me by Your Majesty!"

"Dismissed!"

King Wending of Shang waved his hand, turned, and walked into the rear hall without looking at anyone else again.

...

Holding the tiger tally, Chen Lie strode out of the royal palace, feeling filled with unprecedented strength. The torrential rain in the sky seemed to have lessened, and the road ahead was bright.

What he did not know was that after he left, inside the rear hall, King Wendin was violently splashing a cup of warm tea onto the ground.

"A martial man who knows water conservancy? It is simply a huge joke!"

On King Wending of Shang's face, where was there any trace of the decisiveness and trust from just moments ago? Nothing remained but thick gloom and suspicion.

A close, elderly eunuch hurriedly knelt and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Perhaps General Chen... has received guidance from an expert?"

"An expert?" King Wending of Shang sneered. "An expert capable of producing such a detailed diversion plan, calculating the terrain, soil quality, and hydrology along the route without the slightest error—why would they not step forward themselves to gain fame throughout the world, instead of using a martial man's hand?"

"Unless..." King Wending of Shang's eyes narrowed. "This person's motives are immense, so immense that they dare not be exposed to the sunlight!"

A military general suddenly possessing world-shaping talent—in the eyes of a monarch, this was never a pleasant surprise, but a warning sign!

The old eunuch dared not speak. The monarch's heart is hard to fathom; having served for many years, he knew deeply that what this King feared most was power that exceeded his control.

Just then, a report came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, Vice-Chancellor Fei Lian requests an audience."

"Let him in." King Wending of Shang sat back down, his face returning to calmness.

Fei Lian walked in quickly and bowed to salute: "Your Majesty, this old subject has an urgent matter to report in secret."

"Speak."

"This old subject believes that General Chen's actions this time are quite suspicious." Fei Lian carefully observed King Wending of Shang's expression. "He is a martial man who has been stationed at the border for years, yet he is so familiar with the water conservancy of the Central Plains' rivers, and even dared to sign a military pledge... If there is no backing behind this, it is absolutely impossible."

These words almost spoke directly to the depths of King Wending of Shang's heart.

"What is your opinion?" King Wending of Shang asked calmly.

"This subject dare not speak rashly." Fei Lian bowed and said, "It is just that... General Chen is the husband of the King's sister, Princess Princess Yin Rong, and is related by marriage to the royal family. Now he holds the power of water control, can execute first and report later, and commands a region. If there really is an expert assisting him behind the scenes, in the long run, I fear it will become a force that cannot be easily controlled, Your Majesty!"

He did not explicitly say that Chen Lie would rebel, but every word was pushing Chen Lie into the abyss of "merit so great it overshadows the master, harboring ulterior motives."

King Wending of Shang was silent.

He certainly knew that Fei Lian was taking this opportunity to suppress a political rival, but Fei Lian's words were indeed his deepest worry.

He needed Chen Lie's "talent" to solve the flooding, but he would absolutely not allow the source of this "talent" to become a hidden danger threatening the royal power.

After a long while, he waved his hand: "I have my own plans for this matter; you may withdraw."

"Yes." Having achieved his goal, Fei Lian bowed respectfully and withdrew.

In the empty rear hall, only King Wending of Shang remained.

He walked to the window, looking at the palace walls being washed by the rain outside, his gaze becoming incomparably deep.

"Investigate." He softly spat out one word toward the empty corner.

A figure that had almost merged with the shadows appeared silently behind him, kneeling on one knee.

"Go to the Chen mansion." King Wending of Shang's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.

"I do not want you to watch Chen Lie; he is just a piece placed on the table. I want you to find out clearly who has been in contact with his mansion recently, what has happened, every word he has said, and every person he has met—all of it must be reported back to me exactly as it is."

"Especially... who exactly drew that diversion map!"

"Remember, do not alert anyone. What I want is the truth."

"As you command."

The shadow's voice was hoarse, as if it hadn't spoken in a long time. As the words fell, he merged back into the shadows and disappeared without a trace, as if he had never appeared.

This secret force that listened only to the King of Shang was called the "Shadow Guard," the sharpest and most hidden fangs of the royal power of Great Shang.

...

Meanwhile, at the Chen mansion.

Beside the stone table in the courtyard, five-year-old Chen Yuan was seriously carving something into a piece of wood with a small knife.

He was focused, completely unaware of everything outside.

Before him lay a newly finished game of Go. On the board, the black and white pieces had fought a fierce battle, but in the end, the great Dragon representing the "white pieces," after sacrificing several pieces in the corner, successfully broke through the encirclement and brought the whole game to life.

He seemed very satisfied with this result, a faint, almost imperceptible smile hanging on the corners of his mouth.

Suddenly, his carving motion stopped.

He raised his head, his pure eyes looking toward the tall locust tree at the courtyard entrance.

The tree shadows swayed, and there was no one there. But Chen Yuan's gaze seemed to pierce through space, landing in the depths of that dense canopy, in a certain corner that had merged with the darkness.

He tilted his head, a childish, innocent smile appearing on his face.

"A new player... has entered the game?"

He murmured softly, his voice so small that only he could hear it.

"But, do you really understand this game?"

Having said this, he lowered his head and continued carving the wood in his hands. The ordinary small knife in his hand seemed to have life; where the blade passed, the prototype of a lifelike Black Bird gradually appeared.

Above the clouds, Daoist Qingping took in everything, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"The suspicion of Mortal royal power actually comes faster than the killing tribulation of the Heavenly Dao."

He sighed softly, his gaze landing on Chen Yuan; that composure and calmness made him both gratified and somewhat worried.

"Zi Yuan, this Mortal World game of yours has just begun, and it has already attracted prowling hungry wolves."

"Very well, this is also your tribulation, your Dao."

Daoist Qingping's figure faded away, but those eyes that could perceive through eternity remained locked onto the Luck above the Chen mansion.