“Your Majesty, my ginseng has arrived.”

Just as Huo Yan and his grandson were carefully discussing whether rashly establishing an empress would infuriate Shentu Yang and bring a fatal disaster upon the Huo family, the very subject of their discussion, Shentu Yang, was currently ordering people to carry in a large chest of ginseng, showing off his treasure in front of the Emperor.

The expressions of Gao Jingde and Zhou Tai, who were responsible for carrying the ginseng, were very intriguing.

Years ago, in order to obtain the title of the Duke of Yan, Shentu Yang did not hesitate to squander fifty million coins to bribe His Majesty. At that time, the brothers were still shouting that they would march into Luoyang sooner or later to make the dog emperor spit out everything he had consumed.

Now, because the big brother felt sorry that His Majesty was physically weak and easily affected by the cold, he had the State of Yan send this large chest of ginseng to the capital via express courier. Furthermore, every single root was of superior quality, aged over two hundred years. Among them was even a thousand year old wild ginseng, which possessed the effect of restoring collapsed yang and rescuing the dying. If calculated seriously, how could its value be measured by a mere tens of millions of coins?

Placing the sandalwood chest containing the ginseng gently on the ground, Gao Jingde and Zhou Tai winked at Shentu Yang as he eagerly curried favor before His Majesty, unable to keep from sighing and lamenting.

As expected, a man in love always looks outward, favoring his beloved over his own people!

Yin Shuhuai, who was also feeling somewhat moved, looked at the radiant Shentu Yang and dazed for a moment. It was merely a few words spoken during a casual chat that day, and it was under such a frivolous and ambiguous circumstance that even Yin Shuhuai himself had deliberately forgotten it, yet he never expected Shentu Yang would actually take it seriously.

What was even more unbelievable was that not many days had passed since that event, yet such a large chest of ginseng had been delivered into Luoyang by the people of Yan via express courier. This level of efficiency was so high that who knew how many horses were run to death along the way.

Yin Shuhuai felt a bit lost in thought for a moment, letting out a soft sigh, “Why make such a huge fuss?”

The reason why his body appeared to have a low temperature and feel cold was merely a setting of the game data; it had nothing to do with whether his physical constitution was healthy or not. In fact, Yin Shuhuai’s body probably would not fall sick. Naturally, it did not need heavy tonics either.

However, Shentu Yang did not know this point.

This was the first time he had met someone as beautiful yet fragile as Yin Shuhuai. His skin was as pale as ice and snow, and his body temperature was also as cold as a block of ice. Every night when Shentu Yang held Yin Shuhuai to sleep, he always felt a continuous stream of chilliness emanating from inside Yin Shuhuai’s body, to the extent that he always wanted to tuck Yin Shuhuai’s hands and feet into his own chest to warm them up, yet no matter what he did, he could never warm them up.

Shentu Yang subconsciously looked toward Yin Shuhuai’s lower abdomen, saying in a serious tone, “I have asked the Director of Imperial Physicians, and the medical official said a cold body is caused by a deficiency in yang. When kidney yang is insufficient, a person easily develops symptoms of physical weakness and fear of cold. Taking ginseng is exactly the right treatment.”

Gao Jingde and Zhou Tai, who were also staying in the hall, could not help but widen their eyes. Due to the strict palace rules, although both of their heads were lowered deeply, their two pairs of ears were pricked up completely straight, deeply terrified of missing a single word.

Yin Shuhuai flew into a furious rage, “You are the one with a kidney deficiency, your entire family has a kidney deficiency!”

Yin Shuhuai smoothly picked up an earthenware jar used to store ginseng and threw it toward Shentu Yang’s face. Shentu Yang steadily caught the earthenware jar, suppressing a laugh as he advised, “Your Majesty must absolutely not conceal an illness and avoid treatment.”

Yin Shuhuai was at the end of his patience, pointing at the doorway as he barked, “Get the hell out of here!”

Seeing that Yin Shuhuai was truly enraged, Shentu Yang immediately said, “I still have one matter to request of Your Majesty.”

Yin Shuhuai said in an ill-tempered tone, “Speak!”

Shentu Yang said, “When Your Majesty holds the capping ceremony, please allow me to serve as the assistant.”

The so-called assistant was the person who assisted the principal guest during the capping ceremony to place the cap on the person coming of age, primarily responsible for combing the hair and changing the clothes of the person coming of age. Usually, this role was filled by the teacher, elder brother, elder sister, or a good friend of the person coming of age.

Ever since Yin Shuhuai traveled through time, he had been imprisoned deep within the palace. Whether it was him or the original owner, they naturally had no close friends whatsoever. Huo Yan had urgently summoned Huo Hong back to the capital, originally intending to let Huo Hong serve as the assistant. Now that Shentu Yang volunteered himself, Yin Shuhuai estimated the grandfather and grandson of the Huo family would probably not be able to outcompete Shentu Yang anyway, so he granted a smooth favor, “Since the Grand Marshal wishes to be the assistant, how about gifting this thousand year old wild ginseng to the Prime Minister?”

Shentu Yang’s expression changed slightly, “You want to take the thing I gave to you and gift it to another old man?”

Yin Shuhuai was speechless.

Yin Shuhuai sometimes truly wished he could pry open Shentu Yang’s brain to see exactly what he was thinking inside!

“I harbor total loyalty toward Your Majesty!” Shentu Yang was also deeply resentful, laying his heart bare with a mix of bitterness and jealousy, “Yet Your Majesty treats that old scoundrel better than me. He is already a person who is about to die, yet Your Majesty is still constantly thinking about him, never forgetting to reward him whenever there are good things. I have heard that this thousand year old wild ginseng can have the effect of restoring collapsed yang and rescuing the dying. If Your Majesty insists on rewarding him with it, and he happens to take the wild ginseng and turn his crisis into safety, will he still willingly hand over the Huo family faction?”

Gao Jingde and Zhou Tai thoroughly agreed, and the eunuchs and palace maids standing quietly within the Chongde Hall likewise looked over sideways.

Only Yin Shuhuai, after hearing these hurtful words, still smiled with complete disregard, “Since the Grand Marshal puts it that way, I must give this wild ginseng to the Prime Minister even more. If the Prime Minister turns his crisis into safety, the Grand Marshal will have saved a life, and everyone in the Huo family will feel grateful for the Grand Marshal’s kindness.”

Shentu Yang gave a cold snort, “Do I need them to thank me?” He wished with all his heart that he could execute the entire Huo family!

Shentu Yang said sourly, “Your Majesty racks your brains for the old scoundrel Huo Yan today, but how do you know that if the old scoundrel recovers in the future, he won’t feel regret? At that time, he will hold the twenty thousand troops of the Southern and Northern Armies, and the safety of the capital region will entirely depend on him. If he wishes to reduce Your Majesty to a figurehead and reclaim control of the court, it would merely be a change of thought away.”

Yin Shuhuai smiled with a gentle expression, “The Grand Marshal worries too much.”

Setting aside the fact that Huo Yan was already close to sixty years old and had suffered a massive blow to his vital energy from being shot in the back with an arrow, even if he had ginseng to prolong his life, it was unknown how long he could live. Even if Huo Yan were completely safe and sound, he would still not be Shentu Yang’s opponent.

One must know that Shentu Yang was a fierce general who had cut through the Xiongnu with a mere eight hundred men, and now he even commanded three hundred thousand troops to dominate Luoyang, entering and leaving with a retinue of three thousand elite cavalry. Unless the Prime Minister became thirty years younger overnight, perhaps it might still be possible to compete against Shentu Yang for a bit.

Hearing Yin Shuhuai’s completely unvarnished compliment, Shentu Yang’s heart trembled, the corners of his mouth unable to stop turning upward, “Does Your Majesty truly think so highly of me?”

“The hero of the world is none other than the Grand Marshal,” Yin Shuhuai spoke with complete sincerity.

Gao Jingde and Zhou Tai watched with their own eyes as their furious big brother was coaxed into smiles within the blink of an eye by the Emperor, unable to keep from shaking their heads and lamenting.

Having only this much resolve, he truly was unmatched!

However, after the thousand year old wild ginseng rewarded by His Majesty was delivered to the Prime Minister’s mansion, the Director of Imperial Physicians responsible for treating the Prime Minister dealt a head-on blow amidst the hopeful eyes of everyone in the Huo family.

“If the Prime Minister could have taken this thousand year old wild ginseng boiled together with the medicinal monkshood that restores collapsed yang right at the moment he was injured, it would indeed have had the miraculous effect of bringing the dead back to life. But now the Prime Minister is already at the end of his rope, so even if he obtains the thousand year old wild ginseng, his body is too weak to absorb the tonic. Taking it rashly will instead be harmful to his body.”

Huo Yan fell silent for a short moment, then instantly laughed out loud, “Heaven’s will is so, why must this old man accept the kindness of an enemy and receive this food handed out in contempt just to scrape by for a mere hour or moment.”

Huo Quan’s expression changed drastically, “Father!”

Huo Yan waved his hand, “Say no more. My mind is made up, return this ginseng to His Majesty.”

As for the matter of Shentu Yang requesting to serve as the assistant, Huo Yan looked at his eldest grandson Huo Hong, “I originally wanted you to serve as the assistant, since Shentu Yang volunteered himself, then you go and serve as the master of ceremonies.”

According to the established precedents of the Yin dynasty, a man needed to have a capping ceremony performed upon reaching twenty years of age.

Those participating in the capping ceremony required the person coming of age himself and the host who held the capping ceremony, which was the father of the person coming of age. However, since Yin Shuhuai’s imperial father was dead, Huo Yan let the Minister of the Imperial Clan, Yin Piqiang, serve as the host of the capping ceremony. He was the biological younger brother of Emperor Li of Yin, Yin Shuhuai’s biological uncle, and the head of all imperial clansmen.

Aside from this, one principal guest was required to be responsible for placing the cap on the person coming of age, and this person needed to be someone of high standing and great reputation, so Huo Yan naturally took the role without hesitation. One assistant was required to be responsible for combing the hair and changing the clothes of the person coming of age. Huo Yan had originally intended for his own grandson Huo Hong to take up this important post, but since Shentu Yang stepped forward to volunteer himself, Huo Yan did not want to cause complications, so he let him have his way.

In addition, five masters of ceremonies were required to be responsible for managing the black linen cap, the leather cap, the dark red cap, the regional lords’ black cap, and the Emperor’s ceremonial crown that would be used during the Emperor’s capping ceremony.

“Go order someone to ask the Minister of Ceremonies whether the Emperor’s grand capping ceremony is fully prepared. This is the last major event this old man will handle before my death, and I absolutely will not allow the slightest blunder!”

The day of Yi Hai in the tenth month of the second year of Jianyuan was the auspicious date selected by the divination officials.

Early that morning, the civil and military officials lined up before the ancestral temple to congratulate His Majesty on his coming of age.

After fasting and bathing, the Emperor of Yin wore simple colorful clothing and cloth shoes, standing before the ancestral temple. This kind of colorful clothing was made of black linen as the garment, decorated with bright red brocade borders, which was the childhood clothing worn by a man before his capping ceremony, simple and natural. However, even if it was the most ordinary black linen garment, when worn on Yin Shuhuai’s body, it still set off the Emperor’s exceptionally beautiful jade-like face and extraordinary, majestic bearing.

Shentu Yang, who had forcibly snatched the post of assistant, stood by the Emperor’s side, staring at Yin Shuhuai without blinking his eyes even once, his eyes filled with absolute admiration.

The Prime Minister Huo Yan, who was forcing his sick body to hold up, glanced at his cheap political rival and raised his voice to say, “Today is an auspicious date, we perform the Emperor’s capping ceremony here, officials please offer your congratulations!”

The civil and military officials lined up on both sides immediately knelt down to worship on the ground, shouting long live the Emperor.

“On this auspicious day of an auspicious month, we begin to place the primary garments. In this solemn ancestral temple, we reverently and solemnly assist the bright spirit. A multitude of outstanding officials uphold the virtue of culture. May your long life bring prosperity and grant you great and bright blessings. First, the black linen cap is added!”

Shentu Yang immediately stepped forward to remove the colorful clothing from Yin Shuhuai and replace it with a straight-lapel deep robe. When tying the waistband for the Emperor, Shentu Yang actually gently hugged Yin Shuhuai’s waist during this grand and solemn capping ceremony. Yin Shuhuai slightly lowered his head, looking expressionlessly at Shentu Yang who bent down to serve the Emperor to change his clothes; this person appeared submissive on the outside, but was actually bold enough to push the boundaries of heaven.

Shentu Yang actually even winked at Yin Shuhuai, and then carefully removed the jade hairpin pinned in the Emperor’s hair. Huo Hong, who served as a master of ceremonies, stepped forward holding the black linen cap, using the action of presenting the black linen cap to glare viciously at Shentu Yang. Shentu Yang acted as if he saw nothing.

Huo Yan ignored the undercurrents among the younger generation, walking forward steadily to place the black linen cap on the Emperor. Wearing this cap symbolized that the Emperor was already an adult and possessed the qualification to participate in governing the state and discussing politics.

“Second, the leather cap is added!”

This meant that from this point forward, the Emperor was to manage military affairs, guard the territory, stabilize the state, and maintain the peace of the world.

“Third, the dark red cap is added!”

This proclaimed that from this point forward, the Emperor could participate in grand sacrificial ceremonies to comfort the gods of heaven and earth, praying for the country to have favorable weather and for the state to be prosperous and the people at peace.

“Fourth, the black cap is added!”

This was the regional lords’ capping ceremony, meaning that the regional lords could from this point forward divide territory and establish borders.

“Fifth, the Emperor’s ceremonial crown is added!”

Shentu Yang stepped forward solemnly to change Yin Shuhuai into the Emperor’s ceremonial robes, hanging the Emperor’s sword at his waist. Huo Yan placed the twelve-tassel crown on him, symbolizing that from this point forward, the Emperor possessed supreme power and status.

“The capping ceremony is concluded! Your Majesty is an adult!” Huo Yan looked at His Majesty who was wearing the ceremonial robes, wearing the tasseled crown, and wearing the Emperor’s sword at his waist, feeling deeply gratified in his old heart. The young emperor he had personally taught had finally grown up. He no longer willingly acted as a puppet, nor did he need to act as a puppet anymore.

It was just that wanting to be a good emperor was also not an easy matter. His Majesty had to learn by himself how to distinguish between the loyal and the treacherous, how to employ people, and how to balance the court officials. This old minister once taught you, but you learned very poorly. Unfortunately, this old minister could no longer accompany Your Majesty; His Majesty only had himself to walk forward on the path ahead.

This old minister’s spirit will be in the underworld, and I will be watching you continuously.

Our Yin dynasty’s puppet emperor is not easy to be, and a practical power emperor is even harder to be. But this old minister believes His Majesty will be a wise ruler. This old minister has also prepared a surprise for you, I wonder if His Majesty will like it.

Huo Yan held onto his very last breath, speaking loudly, “Respectfully request His Majesty to personally take control of the state!”

In an instant, the civil and military officials all knelt down to worship on the ground, speaking in unison, “Respectfully request His Majesty to personally take control of the state!”

On this day, the Emperor personally took control of the state, declaring a general amnesty for the entire land.

That night, Prime Minister Huo Yan vomited blood continuously in his mansion and passed away quietly. He died at fifty-nine years of age!

“Your Majesty, you should still eat something?”

Within the Chongde Hall, Zhuang Wuwei held the food and carefully advised.

It had already been a day and a night since the Prime Minister passed away from illness. Since His Majesty returned from the Prime Minister’s funeral, he had shut himself inside the Chongde Hall, paying attention to no one. Even the always overbearing and arrogant Grand Marshal was not permitted to step a single half-step into the imperial bedchamber. Shentu Yang was spinning around in circles outside from anxiety, yet he did not dare to provoke Yin Shuhuai’s anger. He could only repeatedly urge the Court of Imperial Entertainments to cook His Majesty’s favorite delicacies, trying at all costs to coax His Majesty to eat something.

“It has already been a day and a night without a single drop of water entering his mouth. Does he want to starve himself to death to follow the old scoundrel into the grave?” Shentu Yang paced outside the Chongde Hall, speaking completely without filter.

He truly could not understand how a puppet emperor like Yin Shuhuai could have such a deep and profound relationship with a dictatorial, power-usurping minister like Huo Yan!

Throughout history, between powerful ministers and young lords, not to mention viewing each other as mortal enemies, they must at least harbor mutual suspicion and mutual restraint. Now that Huo Yan was dead, the young emperor, to demonstrate respect, did not hesitate to treat a subordinate with the highest honor, personally going to participate in Huo Yan’s funeral, which was already an immense favor from heaven. Everyone in the Huo family was also filled with gratitude, wishing they could pledge their lives in loyalty. Huo Quan had even cried to the point where snot and tears came out together, a grown man kneeling before the Emperor, hugging the Emperor’s legs and wailing loudly, until Shentu Yang could no longer stand to watch and pulled him away.

The matter had reached this point, so it should be about enough, right?

Who wouldn’t say His Majesty was benevolent, kind, heavily valued relationships, and possessed deep righteousness? Even if he wanted to win over people’s hearts and demonstrate kindness to his subordinates, this variety of actions was already sufficiently in place, wasn’t it?

But what was the meaning of the Emperor returning to the palace to shut his doors, stay inside, and starve himself in deep mourning?

Those who knew thought their Great Yin had lost a powerful minister, while those who didn’t know would think His Majesty had lost his own biological father!

He probably wasn’t even this sad when His Majesty’s biological father died, after all, the Yin Shuhuai of that time was still a fool! As everyone knew, a fool does not know how to be sad.

“No, I am the one who is a fool. The biggest fool under heaven!” Shentu Yang suddenly stood up, rolling up his sleeves and rushing straight inside, “Why the hell should I listen to him? If he doesn’t let me inside, I won’t go inside? I absolutely must go inside!”

Gao Jingde and Zhou Tai looked at each other, watching their master’s figure that was as swift as the wind, once again shaking their heads and lamenting, “Love is truly too terrifying, I will never want to get married in my life.”

“Me too!” Zhou Tai echoed, thoroughly agreeing.

Within the Chongde Hall, Shentu Yang, who had rushed into the imperial bedchamber like a gust of fierce wind, slowed down his footsteps before the dragon bed covered by soft curtains. He completely ignored the eunuchs and palace maids kneeling in the hall praying for His Majesty to eat, carefully lifting the soft curtains to look at the Yin Emperor who had wrapped himself tightly inside the quilt, “If Your Majesty does not want to see people, just drive them all out. Don’t smother yourself like this, you will smother yourself sick.”

While speaking, Shentu Yang gently peeled open the brocade quilt, looking at Yin Shuhuai who was buried inside the quilt with tears streaming down like rain, and was instantly stunned, “You, why are you crying?”

“I am fine!” Yin Shuhuai gloomily pulled back the quilt, turning over with a forceful twist. The scene when he went to participate in the Prime Minister’s funeral suddenly flashed through his mind, when Fan Juan dismissed the attendants left and right, kneeling before him to say that sentence.

“Commander of the Night Owls Di Hai branch, Fan Juan, pays respects to Your Majesty.”

It was very difficult to describe exactly what reaction Yin Shuhuai had when he heard this sentence. His pupils suddenly shrank, his face filled with shock as he looked at Fan Juan, asking back in disbelief, “What did you say?”

Fan Juan knocked his head heavily against the ground, saying once more, “Commander of the Night Owls Di Hai branch, Fan Juan, pays respects to Your Majesty.”

“You…” In an instant, Yin Shuhuai was completely speechless. The images that flashed before his eyes were actually entirely composed of Prime Minister Huo Yan during his life closely questioning him whether he had colluded with the remnants of the Night Owls.

“How could you be a remnant of the Night Owls? You are actually a remnant of the Night Owls?” Yin Shuhuai could not process it for a very long time. He merely felt as if several wires in his brain had short-circuited. “Did the Prime Minister know?”

Fan Juan touched his head to the ground, saying in a low voice, “My master was the Grand Commander of the Night Owls Earthly Branches Zi branch.”

“Huh?” Yin Shuhuai was thoroughly dumbfounded.

So for all these years, Huo Yan had actually been playing the thief shouting to catch the thief right in front of him.

“How did you guys…” Yin Shuhuai thought back and forth, suddenly asking about one matter, “Then what about Zhuang Wuwei?”

Yin Shuhuai had always been very curious about why Zhuang Wuwei’s information was so incredibly well-informed. Before, he had always thought Zhuang Wuwei’s information was told to him by the Prime Minister, but thinking about it now…

Fan Juan said in a deep voice, “He is the Commander of the Night Owls Earthly Branches Chou branch.”

Within Fan Juan’s extremely low narrative voice, Yin Shuhuai finally learned that the Night Owl Guards created by Emperor Li back then were originally divided into twenty-two branches of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. Among them, the ten branches of Heavenly Stems, because they accompanied and served by the Emperor’s side all year round, did work that exposed their faces. After Emperor Li passed away, they were feared by the entire court of civil and military officials, and were forced to their deaths under the name of sacrificial burial.

As for the twelve branches of Earthly Branches, because they were hidden in the dark to take action all year round, although the civil and military officials knew there was such a group of people, they did not know specifically who they were. Although they executed quite a few people by following clues, there were ultimately fish that broke through the net.

The remnants of the twelve branches of Earthly Branches who luckily escaped with their lives were like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow string, hiding their tracks with even greater caution. Furthermore, because the commanders did not know the soldiers and the soldiers did not know the commanders across different branches, no one knew exactly how many people from the twelve branches of Earthly Branches had survived. Over many years, the Prime Minister, relying on his own strength, secretly connected the various places, and with great difficulty found back the majority of the personnel.

It wasn’t until Yin Shuhuai burst onto the scene that everyone thought Emperor Li still had a layout before his death, leaving behind a hidden hand for Yin Shuhuai, this legitimate son who had been driven out of the palace since childhood. This was to prevent him from suffering control by maternal relatives.

This was also an important reason why Huo Yan made up his mind to support Yin Shuhuai as Emperor.

Who could have expected that the Prime Minister would investigate around Yin Shuhuai from top to bottom and front to back for over a year, yet fail to find even a single shred of a clue. In the end, Huo Yan concluded that there was absolutely no one from the Night Owls around Yin Shuhuai. As for why Yin Shuhuai could completely bypass everyone’s awareness to deliver information directly into Huo Yan’s arms, that must have been because Yin Shuhuai employed some trickery.

“So you guys are the real remnants of the Night Owls…”

Aside from his shock, Yin Shuhuai had turned into a broken record. Pitifully, in order not to be deposed, he had used the name of the Night Owls to bounce around right in front of Huo Yan for so long; had Huo Yan looked at him any differently than looking at a monkey performing a monkey show?

“Now we are yours,” Fan Juan looked at the Emperor with a face full of sincerity, saying in a low voice, “Before the Prime Minister died, he decided to hand over all twelve branches of Earthly Branches into Your Majesty’s hands. This is the roster and the assets of the twelve branches of Earthly Branches, please look over it, Your Majesty.”

Yin Shuhuai took the roster handed to him by Fan Juan with a wooden expression. Fan Juan reminded him with concern, “After Your Majesty has looked over it, please burn the roster.”

Although the Night Owl Guards on the surface had already been dead for thirteen years, their residual terror still remained. It was hard to guarantee that the civil and military officials of the court and the regional lords of various places wouldn’t see shadows in every bush if they heard any rumors about the remnants of the Night Owls.

Their Night Owl Guards could not withstand a second encirclement and suppression campaign.

Yin Shuhuai lowered his head to read through the roster once, then simply threw the silk cloth into the brazier to burn it completely clean.

“Does the Huo family know about this matter?”

Fan Juan said in a low voice, “Except for Your Majesty, outsiders know nothing of the Night Owls’ identity.”

Yin Shuhuai fell silent for a long time, then suddenly asked, “Why did the Prime Minister want to hand the Night Owl Guards over to me?”

When the Night Owl Guards were at their peak, they once caused the world to tremble with fear. The court civil and military officials, the noble merit-holders, the maternal relatives, and the regional lords from various routes did not hesitate to join hands to execute everyone in the Night Owl Guards after Emperor Li died; from this, one could see everyone’s extreme dread of the Night Owl Guards.

For such a terrifying hidden force in the dark, why didn’t the Prime Minister leave it to the Huo family as a hidden hand? Instead, he wanted to hand it over to him?

“Because Your Majesty is the legitimate son of the late Emperor,” Fan Juan knelt on the ground, quietly looking at the jumping flames inside the bronze basin, “My master said Your Majesty will become a wise ruler.”

And for a wise ruler to govern the world, he certainly required hidden pieces.

Moreover, the remnants of the Night Owls were ultimately ominous. If left in the hands of the Huo family, given the mediocrity, superficiality, great ambitions, and shallow talents of the Huo family’s younger generations, it would instead likely bring about the disaster of family extermination.

Yin Shuhuai smiled with understanding.

The late Emperor in Fan Juan’s mouth naturally referred to Emperor Li of Yin, who was dreaded and feared by the entire court of civil and military officials. An emperor whose posthumous title carried such a violent and fierce connotation.

At this very moment, Yin Shuhuai once again gave rise to the thought of wanting to look over the late Emperor’s imperial diaries. He was truly very curious about what kind of person Emperor Li exactly was, to the extent that fifteen years after he passed away, there were still people who held absolute loyalty toward him. And this person was the Prime Minister who once held supreme sway over the court and absolute power in his hands.

Fan Juan did not say a word. He merely waited until after Yin Shuhuai let out his sigh, then said in a small voice, “My master said after Your Majesty takes over the twelve branches of Earthly Branches, you will be responsible for the money, grain, and operational expenses of the twelve branches of Earthly Branches.”

Yin Shuhuai was speechless.

Yin Shuhuai laughed from anger; he finally understood why the Prime Minister, right before he died, would in a massive rush return the iron officials and the weaving workshops to the Imperial Household Department, stating directly that from then on, the Emperor could master a portion of the financial authority—he was entirely terrified that Yin Shuhuai would have no money to support the twelve branches of Earthly Branches!

Yin Shuhuai reached out his hand to pat the Prime Minister’s coffin; this person did not forget to exhaust every calculation even right up until the point he drew his last breath. He had calculated Yin Shuhuai down to his very bones, yet it was very difficult for Yin Shuhuai to give rise to a heart of resentment toward him.

Because Huo Yan had indeed delivered all the very best things right before Yin Shuhuai’s face.

He said he would not let Yin Shuhuai act as a puppet on the incense altar anymore. He had done it.

Yin Shuhuai closed both of his eyes, two lines of clear tears rolling down forcefully.

“Prime Minister…”

A gust of cold wind brushed past, the candlelight upon the incense altar of the funeral hall swaying along with the wind, appearing as if it were responding to His Majesty’s call.