Her Majesty Chose Violence, They Chose Her

Golden Thread Pavilion, the Capital City’s largest den of indulgence.

From the outside, it was a small residence without so much as a plaque on the door. But after winding down a path and pushing open another set of gates, one was greeted by a world of carved beams, painted rafters, and dazzling splendor.

Handsome men and beautiful women sang and danced amidst a stunning array of fine wines and delicacies.

It was bustling during the day, and even more brilliantly lit at night.

To enter this place was to seemingly shut out the entire Capital City, to live in a drunken dream, to lose oneself in ecstatic pleasure.

But this was more than just a place for entertainment and leisure. Its true business was selling information. It was said that as long as you had the chips to pay, you could obtain any piece of intelligence you desired.

Rong Yin, dressed in simple, understated clothes, walked side by side with Meng Xuechen.

He held a Token in his hand, one that had been dropped by the assassin who had tried to kill him. He wanted to find out the origins of this group.

Meng Xuechen was acquainted with the proprietor here, and some information could only be bought directly from the proprietor himself.

Meng Xuechen said, "We’re up to ten different groups of people trying to kill you now. How many more days are you planning to stay in the Heavenly Prison?"

Rong Yin replied, "Not much longer."

’Just a few more books to finish copying.’

As they spoke, his gaze swept casually over the floor below, just in time to see a figure quickly disappear.

Rong Yin’s expression changed in an instant. ’Did I just see the Little Emperor?’

’What would the Little Emperor be doing here?’

Meng Xuechen asked, "What’s wrong?"

Rong Yin thought he must have been mistaken, but his intuition told him that it might have been the Little Emperor.

"You go on ahead. I have something to take care of."

Before the words were even out of his mouth, he strode quickly toward the stairs, heading in the direction where the figure had vanished.

After Rong Yin left, a person appeared. "Proprietor, should we follow him?"

Meng Xuechen shook his head. "No need."

’The people around Rong Yin are no ordinary individuals. For now, I have no desire to lose his trust.’

「Meanwhile」

Xiao Lv led Xiao Yang to a private room, where they met his maternal uncle and eldest cousin.

"Your Majesty, this is my eldest maternal uncle, He Wenhao, and my eldest cousin, He Xiangyu. When my father was planning his rebellion, they were the ones giving him ideas."

The He Family father and son were instantly paralyzed with fear.

’Xiao Lv said he’d find us a chance to become court officials, not offer us up as a sacrifice!’

The two of them dropped to their knees with a THUD. "Your Majesty, please forgive us! We harbor no treacherous intentions!"

But to their surprise, Xiao Yang showed no anger at all. Instead, she seemed rather disdainful. "They spent all that time advising him, and that’s how your father turned out?"

She couldn’t even be bothered to comment on Prince Jing’s performance. ’If he was that bad, how good could these two advisors be?’

Xiao Lv gave an awkward cough. "My father... does lack a certain amount of daring... but they are quite capable."

The two men nodded like chickens pecking at grain. "To pledge our loyalty to Your Majesty is our greatest fortune! Your Majesty, please command us as you see fit."

They were the outside help Xiao Lv had found to gather evidence on corrupt officials.

He Wenhao took out two ledgers and handed over the thinner one first. "This contains information about some of the officials at court. Everything written in here has been verified."

Xiao Yang took it and glanced through. Seeing his chance, He Wenhao then presented the other book. "This is a roster of all the noble families in the Capital, with rough notes on their members’ personalities and abilities, as well as most of each family’s assets. I hope it will be of use to Your Majesty."

Xiao Yang stared at the ledger, then finally gave He Wenhao a proper look.

"Did you compile this?"

He Wenhao answered honestly, "Every major family has a roster like this to help identify people. But this humble servant’s copy has been researched and supplemented to be far more detailed."

Xiao Yang flipped through it and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. ’This man... is a real talent!’

As she held the ledger, only one person came to Xiao Yang’s mind: Huang Chao.

"When autumn comes on the ninth month’s eighth day, / My flower’s bloom will all others slay."

In this era, there was no imperial examination system. The selection of officials still relied on the recommendation system, where individuals had to be nominated. They were then assessed by the Ministry of Personnel based on their character, family background, and scholarship before finally being appointed.

The students of the Imperial College had something that resembled an examination system; the top ten performers in the annual comprehensive exams would be recommended for court positions.

Unfortunately, with the great noble families so dominant, entering the officialdom was heavily dependent on one’s family connections. Thus, the real contest for the top ten spots wasn’t about academic scores, but about the backing and social maneuvering behind the scenes.

History had proven that the imperial examination system was an indispensable reform for a nation’s development.

Xiao Yang wanted to have the Ministry of Revenue establish an imperial examination system, but the current court officials all came from the great noble families.

Xiao Yang had killed quite a few people recently, but they amounted to less than one percent of the members of these massive noble houses.

Because the evidence was irrefutable and the accused were indeed corrupt, and because Xiao Yang wielded Li Wei as a living weapon, she had moved so swiftly that they were caught off guard. That was the only reason she had succeeded.

But instituting an examination system was different from punishing corruption. With corruption, people were investigated and executed for their crimes; ultimately, they got what they deserved. The examination system, however, would shake the very foundation of the noble families’ status. It would pull the lofty great clans down to the same level as those from poor families, forcing them to share their interests and power with people they looked down upon.

If the Emperor dared to even suggest it, every noble family in the realm would likely unite to rebel against her.

In the end, it was because her power as Emperor was still too shallow.

There were two solutions. First, she could be a proper Emperor, wait until she had enough power and her edicts were followed without question, and then implement reforms. Second, she could become a modern-day Huang Chao, kill all the noble families, and with them all dead, there would naturally be no one left to oppose her policies.

The second option was incredibly tempting. No one could refuse such a simple, permanent solution.

The He Family father and son were completely unaware that the roster they had just presented had caused the name of every noble family to flash before the gates of Yama Hall.

He Wenhao said, "The Golden Thread Pavilion is backed by a vast intelligence network. They claim there’s no information that can’t be bought. I’ve heard their proprietor is also here recently. If Your Majesty needs to find anything out, this servant is willing to be the one to test the waters."

Xiao Yang didn’t know how capable the proprietor of the Golden Thread Pavilion was, but Xiao Lv’s uncle certainly looked like an expert at gathering intelligence. And compared to Prince Jing, who seemed to be slacking off even while plotting a rebellion, this man was far more eager to advance.

Xiao Yang liked that about him.

Ambitious, driven subordinates were so much more appealing than lazy ones.

"At court the day after tomorrow, you are to report to the Ministry of Personnel."

He Wenhao was overjoyed. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Xiao Yang had Xiao Lv put away the two ledgers and returned to her own private room.

He Wenhao stopped his nephew. "Xiao Lv, you really gave me a scare. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest just now."

Xiao Lv pushed him away irritably. "It’s good that you know, Uncle. Stop spending all your time trying to incite my father to rebel."

He Wenhao looked embarrassed. "Well, weren’t we just trying to get ahead? But this is good too. Serving as officials alongside your father, we can all help each other out."

Xiao Lv didn’t even want to respond to him. He turned to his eldest cousin. "Cousin, you’ve met His Majesty. Don’t you have anything to say?"

He Xiangyu glanced at his father. "He took all the credit for himself, what am I supposed to say? Besides, His Majesty probably wouldn’t let a father and son both enter the court at the same time."

’Fighting between a father and son in front of the Emperor would only cause displeasure. He knew better than that.’

Xiao Lv was well aware of his eldest cousin’s abilities. "His Majesty intends to transfer my father to the Ministry of Industry. Why don’t you follow my father for the time being, Cousin?"

He Xiangyu nodded. "Alright."