Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector
Chapter 40 - 38: Since You Won’t Concede, Then Nobody Eats

Chapter 40: Chapter 38: Since You Won’t Concede, Then Nobody Eats

"I’m terribly sorry, Lord Wang, but His Majesty is indisposed today and will not see anyone," said the eunuch guarding Yangxin Hall.

’Indisposed?’

Wang Yuanzhi frowned. But since that was the official word, he couldn’t force his way in. He gave Yangxin Hall a long, hard look before turning to find Master Xuanji.

But there, too, he was met with a closed door.

A Little Eunuch told him the Immortal Master had left the Imperial Palace on a secret decree, with no scheduled date of return.

’Something’s wrong!’

’Very wrong!’

’The Emperor could have fallen ill at any time. Why now, of all times?’

’And Master Xuanji could have left at any time, but he just had to be sent away now.’

All of this filled Wang Yuanzhi with a deep sense of unease.

After a moment of thought, he immediately left the Imperial Palace and headed straight for the Cui Family estate.

Upon meeting the Cui Family Patriarch, Cui Lang, Wang Yuanzhi recounted the day’s events.

After listening to Wang Yuanzhi’s story, Cui Lang’s brow furrowed as well.

"This is indeed strange. Why would that fool of an emperor, Yang Zhao, suddenly fall ill? And why would Master Xuanji happen to leave the palace on a secret decree at this exact moment?"

Wang Yuanzhi said anxiously, "Brother Cui, that’s exactly what I’m worried about. Our plan is at its most critical stage; we can’t afford a single misstep. Do you think Yang Zhao has figured something out?"

"That seems unlikely." Cui Lang set down his teacup, a shrewd, calculating glint in his eyes. "If he truly possessed that kind of cunning, Great Zhao wouldn’t have fallen into such a sorry state. However, to be safe, we should still investigate."

With that, he summoned a trusted subordinate and gave a few quiet instructions.

In less than an hour, the subordinate hurried back with news from the palace.

"Reporting to the Patriarch, our sources in the palace say that His Majesty did indeed summon Immortal Master Xuanji last night. The two of them spoke privately in Yangxin Hall for a long time, and no one was allowed near. As for when the Immortal Master left, no one knows. This morning, it was indeed the Emperor who announced he was unwell and needed to rest for the day, refusing all visitors."

Hearing this, the tension in Wang Yuanzhi’s brow eased slightly.

"In that case, everything seems to line up."

Cui Lang nodded. "It seems we were overthinking things. Yang Zhao was probably so excited by Master Xuanji’s flattery that he overindulged himself and wore out his body, which is why he’s fallen ill."

At this, the two men shared a smile, as if they could already see the unimaginable wealth and power of the future beckoning to them.

「Night fell once more.」

Chen Ye returned to the Imperial Palace in the guise of the old eunuch. Once he slipped into Yangxin Hall, he transformed from the old eunuch back into the supreme Emperor of Great Zhao.

"Someone, attend me."

"This servant is here!" A Little Eunuch came scrambling over.

"Relay my decree." Chen Ye’s voice took on Yang Zhao’s authoritative rasp. "The women conscripted for my Alchemy are to be well looked after. Ensure they are properly fed and that no one harms them. Any failure in this will be met with execution, without exception!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After dealing with the matter, Chen Ye slowly let out a long breath. He sat on the Throne, his fingers tapping gently on the armrest, his gaze profound.

He knew very well that while his current Identity was noble, it was just an empty shell.

The civil and military officials of the court, all the Noble Families—not a single one of them was truly loyal to him as the Emperor. To survive in these chaotic times, let alone turn the tide, he needed his own power.

And within the Imperial City, the only force he could truly control was the Imperial Guard, known as the Emperor’s Personal Guard.

"Summon the Commander of the Imperial Guard for an audience."

A moment later, a burly, middle-aged general with a resolute face strode into the hall. He knelt on one knee, his voice booming like a great bell.

"This general, Tong Lei, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

This was Tong Lei, the Commander of the Imperial Guard.

A general personally promoted from the lowest ranks by Yang Zhao, he was exceptionally capable. More importantly, he came from a humble background and had no connections to any of the Noble Families in the Capital City, making him a truly isolated courtier.

"You may rise." Chen Ye’s voice betrayed no emotion.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Tong Lei rose to his feet and stood with his hands at his sides, but his eyes couldn’t help but study the Emperor on the Throne.

For some reason, he felt that today’s Emperor was different from before. His eyes were no longer murky and crazed; instead, they were terrifyingly clear, as if they could see right through a person’s heart.

"Tong Lei, I ask you: how goes the training of the Imperial Guard?"

"Your Majesty, the Soldiers of the Imperial Guard train day and night without the slightest bit of negligence!" Tong Lei answered fluently.

"Mm," Chen Ye nodded, a sudden hint of interest in his tone. "Words alone are no proof. Relay my decree: assemble the Imperial Guard. I will inspect them myself!"

At these words, Tong Lei was stunned.

’Inspect the Imperial Guard?’

He knew that while this Emperor valued the Imperial Guard, he had only ever cared about whether the force could protect him. He had never truly paid attention to specifics like the army’s training or combat strength, let alone personally inspecting them.

’Has the sun risen in the west today?’

Though his heart was filled with shock and doubt, Tong Lei did not dare defy a royal command. He immediately bowed to accept the order. "This general obeys!"

On the vast training grounds west of the Imperial Palace, torches burned so brightly it was like day.

Several thousand Soldiers of the Imperial Guard, clad in armor and holding Long Halberds, stood in neat square formations in the cold wind.

When Chen Ye’s figure appeared on the high platform of the training grounds, a deafening roar erupted from below.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live, long live the Emperor!"

Most of these Imperial Guard Soldiers were sons from respectable families with clean backgrounds. They naturally held a sense of reverence and loyalty for the Emperor in their hearts.

To see the Emperor with their own eyes was a tremendous honor for them, and so every one of them was flushed with excitement.

Of course, there were some different gazes mixed in with the crowd.

Some Soldiers looked at the figure on the high platform with complicated expressions in their eyes.

Clearly, the Emperor’s absurd actions of gathering a thousand young women for Alchemy a while back had already shaken their loyalty.

Chen Ye took it all in.

He looked at the army below, which appeared strong and formidable, but he was secretly shaking his head.

’All for show!’

’The formations look orderly, but they’re loose. The morale seems high, but it’s hollow.’

’An army like this might be fine for swaggering around the Capital City and suppressing unarmed commoners, but if they were really sent to the battlefield against the wolf-like cavalry from the Grassland, they’d probably collapse after a single charge.’

However, Chen Ye never expected to rely on this army to go head-to-head with the barbarians on the grassland.

His goal had been clear from the very beginning.

There was only so much food to go around. The Noble Families were gorging themselves, not even willing to leave behind the scraps. Forget the common people; even his bowl, the Emperor’s bowl, was nearly empty.

That being the case, he might as well just flip the table and let no one eat!

And this Imperial Guard was the hand he would use to flip it!