"Who do you think you are? Do you know where you are? This isn't a place for lackeys like you!"
As expected of Gao Qiu's estate, even a mere gatekeeper dared to talk down to the Imperial Guards. This alone spoke volumes about how arrogant Gao Qiu was in his daily life, and also highlighted how little respect soldiers commanded in this era. The guards weren't just any troops—they were the elite Imperial Guard.
In the Song Dynasty, military treatment was among the worst Daniel Davis had ever seen. Despite the dynasty's immense wealth and willingness to send massive annual tributes to foreign powers, it refused to improve conditions for its own soldiers.
Some troops even had their faces tattooed like prisoners and were treated similarly. With years of natural disasters, the court implemented a "famine-time army" policy—aiming to raise the most soldiers with the least cost.
"Kill."
As the word fell, cold light flashed. Several heads flew into the air. Those arrogant gatekeepers who had relied on Gao Qiu's power were too stunned to react—none of them had imagined their patron would fall.
"Who dares?!"
After the screams subsided, everyone in the household collapsed to their knees, trembling. Not even Gao Yanei, the notorious son, was spared—his mouth was smashed to pulp, and he lay on the ground groaning in agony.
"Take him away. Castrate him."
Daniel glanced coldly at the pathetic Gao Yanei and waved his hand. The guards dragged him away. The sentence sent a new wave of fear through everyone who heard it.
"Justice at last! They finally got what they deserved! Daughter, now you can rest in peace..."
As Gao Qiu's mansion was seized and many corpses were carried out, the onlookers burst into tears. Some people rushed at the imprisoned Gao Yanei, beating him with fists and feet. One even bit him.
"Guy's getting treatment on par with imperial officials."
It was satisfying to witness, but to avoid chaos, Daniel ordered the guards to restore order—and to keep Gao Yanei alive. He wasn't done with him yet.
"So much gold and silver!"
After Gao Qiu's family was arrested, guards began openly transporting his confiscated wealth. The sight sparked greed in many, but the armed escort quickly made them reconsider. No one dared make a move.
Life, after all, was more precious than money.
"That must be Emotionless. Mind reading—a useful power indeed."
Exiting Gao Qiu's residence, Daniel spotted a striking beauty with long black hair seated in a wheelchair at the front of the crowd. Her appearance and the people beside her made it clear—this was Emotionless of the Divine Constabulary.
Mind reading was a powerful asset for investigations. Daniel smiled at her politely and left with his troops. Emotionless's powers were useful, but it wasn't time to interact with her just yet.
"Miss?"
The maid pushing Emotionless's wheelchair noticed her staring in a daze at Daniel's retreating figure and gently reminded her.
"Let's go."
Emotionless snapped out of it. Her daze hadn't been due to Daniel's looks, but rather her powers being completely ineffective on him.
"Today was truly satisfying! Who'd have thought they'd finally meet such an end?"
Back at the Divine Constabulary, one of the young men excitedly exclaimed. Most in the capital knew the infamy of Gao Qiu and his son, but few dared to speak out. Those who did were often silenced—permanently.
"Master."
But his joy died quickly when he saw someone sitting in the hall—Zhuge Zhengwo.
"Master," the others greeted respectfully.
"What did you find?" Zhuge asked, looking at Emotionless.
"Nothing. I couldn't sense a thing." She shook her head. This was a first—even Zhuge himself wasn't completely immune to her abilities.
Emotionless's power wasn't just mind reading—she could sense a person's strength and even had some telekinetic abilities. But against Daniel, none of it worked.
"I see..." Zhuge frowned.
"Do you want us to investigate him? He seems like a good person. I heard he's planning to compensate those wronged by Gao Qiu's crimes."
"You don't understand." Zhuge sighed and said no more.
Gao Qiu's downfall was good news. But Daniel's sudden rise—gaining the emperor's trust in just a few days—was too strange. Based on what Zhuge knew, the emperor would never act against Gao Qiu so abruptly.
That's why he had sent Emotionless to test Daniel. But Daniel's origins were a mystery. His first appearance was when he saved a village. A few days later, he already wielded immense power. Very suspicious.
"You two, come with me." Zhuge led Emotionless and Iron Hands to the study and shared his suspicions.
"You think he's brainwashed the emperor?" Emotionless asked after a pause. She initially considered saying "controlled," but changed it out of respect for the emperor.
"And what about the serial murders and counterfeit case?" Iron Hands chimed in. He had a good impression of Daniel, but didn't dare say so to Zhuge's face.
"Continue the investigations. But it'll be tough—we're short-staffed."
"An Shigeng and An Yunshan, huh? Filthy rich. The Shen Wansan of this era? No wonder they dream of becoming emperors. Noblemen and generals, are they born that way? Good ambition—shame about the brains. Do they think ruling is just sitting on a throne?"
"But this guy... he's even dumber."
Daniel set aside the files on the father-son duo An Yunshan and An Shigeng and picked up a memorial. Compared to its contents, the An family's plots were trivial. If An Yunshan were still in the capital, Daniel would've already dealt with them.
The memorial proposed an alliance with the Jin to attack the Liao. Daniel could hardly believe someone this stupid existed. The Song, Jin, and Liao situation was like the Three Kingdoms—Song and Liao were weak, Jin was strong.
Instead of teaming up against the powerful Jin, the Song wanted to join them to destroy the equally weak Liao. It was as if Shu allied with Wei to destroy Wu.
And the Song was expected to cover most of the military expenses and supplies.
"This is the place? Surround it. Kill any resistance."
After reading the memorial, Daniel led his guards to surround the Jin embassy. The excuse was simple—their people had committed crimes in the capital, injuring civilians and abducting women. But since they were Jin envoys, no one dared to act—not even Zhuge Zhengwo or the Six Doors.
"How dare you! Do you know where you are? If you alarm the lord inside, you won't survive—"
The envoy didn't even finish his sentence before a steel blade pierced his chest. Daniel had no tolerance for fools hiding behind borrowed power.
"Ready—fire!"
Daniel had no interest in talking. One hundred Imperial Guards, each armed with a Tiangang Five Thunder weapon, opened fire simultaneously.
These weapons hadn't been made by the Imperial Armory—they weren't that fast. Instead, two of Daniel's shadow clones had crafted them using his power and the Op-Op Fruit. In this time, they had produced a thousand Tiangang Five Thunder guns.
He planned to form an entire army with these weapons. With them, even the mighty Jin, Liao, or future Mongol empires would have to kneel.
In addition to the handheld weapons, they had also built several larger versions, modeled like artillery. The wheelchair used by Emotionless served as the prototype—it was a mechanical device powered by inner force or mental energy.
"Does your emperor want war? Is he not afraid our great army will march on him one day?"
The Jin envoy shouted, defiant to the end. There were over fifty of them, all martial experts. The leader—a man surnamed Wanyan—had skills on par with the Six Doors' chief constable, and his status was high. Wanyan was a royal surname, after all.
But even he was helpless against one hundred Tiangang Five Thunders. Not even Zhuge Zhengwo or An Yunshan could face that much firepower head-on.
"I hope they do come. And here's a message for them: I've got thousands of these weapons. Let's see who destroys who."
Daniel personally fired the first shot, his gun clicking into place before unleashing destruction. The rest followed, reducing the entire estate to rubble.
"Not bad. Just wish the rate of fire was closer to a Gatling gun."
Satisfied with the firepower, Daniel disassembled the weapon and packed it into its rectangular case.
"Your Majesty! This is terrible!"
The next day in court, officials knelt in grief. No one had expected the newly appointed Commander of the Imperial Guard to wipe out the Jin envoys and raze their compound. This went completely against previous diplomatic promises.
"Quite the commotion. Your Majesty, here's the evidence—Ministers Dong, Liu, and Zhang have been colluding with the Jin to attack our borders. Guards, arrest them!"
Before the emperor could speak, Daniel acted. When someone tried to block the guards, they received a sheathed blade to the face—teeth and blood flying. No one dared stop them after that.
"Useless worms."
Daniel sneered at the cowed officials. None dared speak, not even as he insulted them.
His actions made it clear: he was in control. The emperor didn't react, and anyone who did would end up dead.
Daniel understood these officials well. If you reasoned with them, they'd bury you in rhetoric and double standards. But show strength, and they'd immediately cave.
Just like in the original Four Constables story—when An Yunshan tried to become emperor, a few officials opposed him. When Jin invaded, some objected too. In the Song Dynasty, officials often spoke boldly even before emperors because they believed themselves untouchable—"no punishment above the scholar-officials."
They weren't afraid of being killed—some even used it to bolster their image.
But Daniel's arrests weren't baseless. The Jin invasion may have been false, but the officials' collusion was real. They'd been bribed and conspired to aid the Jin in attacking the Liao.
Ironically, these same men were known publicly as "great scholars"—famous for their supposed integrity.
"Tch."
Daniel gave a final sneer and walked out. In another time, maybe he'd have played the part. But in this world and era? He had no interest in pretending.
Cai Jing once held power beyond the emperor's, and no one dared object. Daniel wasn't afraid to let people know he was controlling the court. After all, there's an old saying: He who holds the emperor, commands the lords.
By arresting three top scholars, he had stirred a hornet's nest. Confucianism was powerful in this era—just look at how much the military had been suppressed.
In this time, even victorious generals were punished rather than rewarded. Scholars feared that a powerful army would rebel and usurp the throne—hence the disarmament policies and deep mistrust of generals.
"No wonder they're called great scholars—look at all the students from the Imperial Academy protesting."
Outside the prison, hundreds of students and scholars had gathered. Instantly, hundreds of guards appeared, surrounding them with shields and drawn bows.
"This is a high-security zone. Trespassers will be killed. You have one incense stick's time to disperse—or face the consequences."
A guard commander lit the incense.
"How dare you?! Do you know who I am?!"
"Release Lord Dong at once!"
After a moment of panic, the protesters regained their arrogance. Only a few left—mocked by their peers. The rest were confident the guards wouldn't dare act.
"Such loyal men. They're lucky—few have so many willing to die with them."
On the prison wall, Daniel stood with the three arrested ministers, gazing at the crowd below. His eyes were cold and empty.
"You don't dare!"
The three men stared at him righteously, like martyrs. In this moment, Daniel almost looked like the villain.
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