"A banquet, huh? Seems like An Shigeng really knows how to enjoy himself."
Daniel Davis chuckled as he looked at the invitation in his hand. From what he'd learned through An Yunshan, he now had a good grasp of An Shigeng's background. This guy was the epitome of a spoiled rich kid, and his father indulged his every whim. Even in the movie, An Yunshan had used arcane techniques to resurrect him posthumously—though he'd come back as a tree-man.
With the An family's wealth and military power, An Shigeng could afford to be dismissive toward most people in the capital—though Daniel was no ordinary person.
Daniel had his sights firmly set on the An family. The money was one thing, but more importantly, they controlled half the grain supply in the capital. Such a situation, ridiculous as it seemed, was sadly true. After a conveniently timed grain depot fire, the An family took over all state-owned grain, and thanks to the principle that high officials were above the law, only a few petty clerks got punished.
In this era, there was a fascinating pattern: whenever an audit was about to take place, a fire would mysteriously break out. Grain destroyed, books burned—problem solved.
At most, someone might be charged with negligence.
At the An estate, the buzzing social scene instantly fell silent the moment Daniel arrived with a troop of Imperial Guards. Many guests quickly slipped away, avoiding the guards' line of sight. The previously underestimated Imperial Guard had become a force to be feared: Gao Qiu, Grand Scholar Dong, the Imperial Academy—all had fallen. Yes, Daniel had even shut down the prestigious Imperial Academy.
That place had consumed an enormous budget annually, only to churn out a bunch of self-styled "refined scholars" who spent more time in brothels than at their desks. Better to use that money for orphanages.
Frankly, when Daniel learned about the Imperial Guard's low status in the Song Dynasty, he was speechless. The guards were supposed to be a fearsome presence—just look at the Qin Dynasty, or even the Tang Empire from his own world. And in Terra, the Internal Guard and Shadow Guard were no joke.
But here? Pathetic. Perhaps it was because the Song court feared another military coup like the Yellow Robe Incident. So instead of quality, they focused on quantity. Eight hundred thousand troops, supposedly—but most were ghosts on paper.
Ghost payrolling was normal in most armies. A soldier might die, yet remain on the books. But an entire force made up of nothing but ghosts? That was peak Song Dynasty.
Of the so-called 800,000 soldiers, fewer than 40,000 were real. The remaining 760,000 were entirely fake. Daniel wouldn't have believed it had he not seen it himself. Reality truly was stranger than fiction.
"Quite the crowd today. How rare."
"To be honored with a visit from Lord Commander Daniel—our humble abode is truly blessed."
Clad in red, An Shigeng walked directly up to greet Daniel. He might have ignored most people, but Daniel Davis was not one of them.
"If this is a humble abode, then the imperial palace must be a straw hut by comparison."
From the moment he arrived, Daniel could see the outrageous extravagance: four massive stone lions at the gate, opulent pavilions, artificial mountains, fountains, rare stones... In many ways, it was more luxurious than the palace itself.
Thanks to the influence of Confucianism, the royal family hadn't renovated the palace in years—for the sake of humility and frugality. But these scholars? Lavish to the extreme. Just look at the Saint Academy. And that was before it got corrupted. Once it decayed? Unimaginable.
"Enough with the pleasantries, An Shigeng. Your crimes have been exposed. Counterfeiting currency, disrupting the economy, plotting treason—the evidence is irrefutable. By imperial decree, you are under arrest. Any resistance will be met with lethal force."
Daniel produced a golden token—an imperial warrant. Zhuge Zhengwo had one too.
"If someone wants to frame you, any excuse will do. Lord Daniel, you're using the emperor as a puppet to command the court."
"Whether it's a frame job or not—you know the truth. Six Doors, Divine Constabulary—what are you waiting for? Are you going to defy the emperor's orders?"
"You want to arrest me? Let's see if you're strong enough."
An Shigeng's body vanished and reappeared a meter in front of Daniel, engulfed in roaring flame—an arcane technique from the Western Regions. But before it could reach Daniel, four blades of energy tore through it. Just as he was about to strike again, the swords forced him to retreat. The surrounding air grew frigid, blue frost spreading rapidly across the floor.
Trained from childhood by his father, An Shigeng was highly proficient in Western magic. This art, once a legitimate discipline, had been condemned as "witchcraft" by Confucians and driven out of the Central Plains.
"Attack!"
Six Doors hesitated briefly but quickly joined the fray. Chief Catcher and Coldblood led the charge. Seeing their leader act, the rest—including Ji Yaohua—immediately followed.
"Sir..."
At the Divine Constabulary, Zhuge Zhengwo held back. Since Six Doors had already acted, his own involvement might be seen as poaching credit. The two agencies had overlapping duties and a strained relationship.
"So it's falling petals, but no stream to carry them?"
As Ji Yaohua ultimately wounded An Shigeng, who then self-destructed—just like in the film—Daniel gently shook his head. Coldblood's charm was still as potent as ever.
"Six Doors performed admirably. I'll report to His Majesty and ensure proper rewards."
"Thank you, my lord."
"Senior sister, why did you call me here?"
"Found a new lover and forgot your own sister? I called you here for one reason—meet your new master."
"New... master?"
Ignoring Ji Yaohua's confusion, Ruyan led her deep underground into a vast chamber—the An family's secret base. It was both a forge for Western weapons and a pharmaceutical lab.
"My lord, Ji Yaohua is here."
"Lord Daniel?"
"Surprised to see me? Unbelievable?"
"Not at all, my lord."
"No need to be nervous. I just wanted you to know—An Yunshan and An Shigeng are both dead." Daniel tossed her a porcelain vial. "This is your antidote. From today on, you are free."
An Yunshan had used poison to control his subordinates. Daniel found that beneath him. He had far superior methods—like the Op-Op Fruit and the Twin Soul technique.
"My lord, do you mean...?"
"My dear junior, let your senior spell it out. From now on, you live in the sunlight. This place and its shadows are no longer your concern."
"You mean I'll take over Six Doors?"
"Don't flatter yourself. If I wanted Six Doors, I wouldn't need you. What I mean is: you're completely free now. No one will control you anymore. You can be with that Cold Linqi fellow if you want."
"Of course, my advice would be: be a good constable. You've seen my methods. I put the people first."
Ji Yaohua was stunned. She had long dreamed of breaking free and living her own life—hence killing An Shigeng for Coldblood. But she hadn't expected freedom to come so quickly.
"My lord, Catcher is investigating you. He suspects—"
"That I control the emperor? He's right. So what? What can he do about it? One order and I can transfer him out of Six Doors."
So what if people knew Daniel wielded power through the throne? Look at Cao Cao—everyone knew, yet they couldn't stop him. Or Cai Jing, the treacherous chancellor. Everyone knew his crimes, but Catcher and Zhuge still had to bow.
If not for An Yunshan finally eliminating Cai Jing, even the emperor couldn't touch him.
"One more thing—if you want to stay with Cold Linqi, stop meddling. Just focus on your job."
With that, Daniel signaled Ruyan to escort her out.
"Congratulations, junior. You got what you wanted."
Ji Yaohua still had many questions, but Ruyan had no intention of answering them.
"Ruyan, I leave this place to you. Don't let me down."
"You have my word, my lord."
Daniel didn't object to Ji Yaohua defecting. He already had someone else in mind to manage An's underground forces—her senior, Ruyan, a master of disguise and poison.
The organization was renamed: Luowang. The Heaven-Net.
"Never imagined the An family had such ambition."
News of the capital's beloved philanthropist's arrest caused quite a stir. But once the evidence was revealed, and food prices dropped, few still cared.
"This guy really is something." Iron Hands looked at the newspaper, genuinely impressed.
"Yes. Life in the capital is way better now." At Drunken Moon Pavilion, Lady Jiao met Zhuge Zhengwo's gaze.
"You all understand this?"
Zhuge furrowed his brow. The whole Constabulary seemed to share the same sentiment.
"Sir, we may not understand everything, but we do know that order and quality of life have improved. Merchants no longer dare to gouge prices."
"Sigh..."
Zhuge sighed. He knew all too well how much the capital had changed. It was good—for the people. But for imperial authority? Not so much. Even during Cai Jing's tyranny, this level of reform never occurred.
But there was nothing to be done. Prince Eight had discussed it with him before—and even sought an audience with the emperor. But how do you prove the emperor has been manipulated?
"Is Miss Emotionless of the Divine Constabulary here? My lord requests her presence."
Two guards appeared at the Constabulary.
"Looking for me?" Emotionless wheeled herself out.
"Indeed. He's awaiting you."
"Very well."
"I'll go with you." Iron Hands stood and moved behind her, pushing the chair. The guards didn't stop him.
"What business does the lord have with Emotionless?"
In Daniel's study, Emotionless got straight to the point. Behind her, Iron Hands remained alert. Though he admired Daniel's work, he also saw him as a potential enemy—depending on sides. At least, in his own mind.
"I've long wanted to meet the famed Emotionless. Only now do I finally have time."
"You're too kind. I'm just a humble woman, hardly comparable."
"You're no mere woman. I called you here for an important reason—confidential. Mister Iron Hands, would you mind returning to the Constabulary? I'll ensure Emotionless returns safely afterward."
"Iron Hands, it's fine. I'll be safe here."
"Alright. Be careful." He left, but didn't go far. He waited outside.
"What is it you wish to discuss?"
"Follow me."
Daniel stepped forward, intending to push her wheelchair.
"No need to trouble you, my lord." She activated the chair with telekinesis and followed him.
They entered a partitioned section of the study. Though technically still part of the same room, it was separated by a circular doorway.
The space was empty, save for a peculiar rectangular table in the center—like nothing Emotionless had ever seen.
"What you're about to see may shock you."
Daniel snapped his fingers. The table lit up. Holographic cities rose above it, each marked by faction flags.
"Common Era ****. Song Dynasty, Year ****."
A sweet female voice filled the room—Red Queen's voice. Daniel had no intention of deceiving Emotionless like he had others. He would tell her the truth: the future of the Song Dynasty.
"The Fall of Song."
With those words, Red Queen went silent. The room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Emotionless stared, overwhelmed. She had never imagined witnessing something like this.
"What... is this?"
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
"What you just saw—your world's history. Everything up until I appeared."
Her shock was expected. In a feudal world, witnessing AI and holograms was enough to create a god. Daniel could easily orchestrate a divine ascension if he wanted.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
• Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.• Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.