The Cannon Fodder Character Attacked The Arrogant Male Protagonist. - Chapter 3

Jiang Jindeng still remembered the moment he was ascending to the Demon Lord’s throne. A layer of light had enveloped him, as if he had pierced through the mysteries of the Great Dao. Yet, when he opened his eyes, the scenery around him had changed entirely, and Yu Zhao was standing right before him.

Someone had schemed against him, and he had been reborn back to the year he was nineteen. This was the year he had just emerged from the Demon Realm. He had always been extremely cautious, but that one time, he had inexplicably let his guard down and been tricked by a sorcerer serving the human Emperor, who had sealed his cultivation.

He had achieved success at a young age, attaining the Great Dao and becoming the master of the three realms. Looking back on his past, that was the only incident that filled him with instinctual disgust and aversion.

Regardless of how he had returned to this point, the Emperor in his memory had changed. Jiang Jindeng remembered that all the eunuchs and palace maids addressed Yu Zhao as “Your Majesty,” and no one seemed to perceive anything unusual. His first thought was that this was the work of an immortal art. But if this person had the ability to deceive an entire nation, they were extremely troublesome. If he had not truly been reborn, he would likely still be kept in the dark.

Inside the Imperial Study, there was total silence. In the western corner stood a sky-red glazed plum vase, into which palace maids were slowly arranging several lotus flowers that never faded. Fresh floral scents drifted through the air.

Desks were set up on both sides, and bright lamps illuminated the entire study. Under the light, the officials on both sides were scribbling away, sweat beading on their foreheads. These were officials ranging from the third to the fourth rank, including Deputy Censors-in-Chief of the Censorate, Assistant Ministers of the Imperial Clan Court, Ministers of the Court of Transmission, the Chief Justice of the Grand Court of Justice, the Supervisor of the Household, and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

They had been suddenly summoned by the Emperor that morning. Meeting the Emperor was a great honor, but upon arrival, they realized the Emperor actually intended to question them on state affairs.

Yu Zhao sat on the dais, slowly flipping through the annual archives. The room was quiet, and each official, having prepared their department’s report, would rise to stand before Yu Zhao to report the situation. Those waiting for their turn were already nervous, and several of the older officials were dizzy and exhausted.

Eunuch Wang stood beside the Emperor, grinding ink while keeping his eyes lowered.

Who could understand this? Ever since I became an official, my supreme boss has suddenly started managing things. The palace is as deep as the sea.

Yu Zhao would occasionally drink tea, and at such moments, everyone became incredibly tense. It meant Yu Zhao had noticed something and was about to speak. Yu Zhao’s attitude remained gentle from start to finish, but it was enough to make everyone’s legs tremble.

“Your Majesty, since the beginning of last year, our Grand Court of Justice has tried and judged 12,406 cases, including 5,745 local prison cases, and has retried 1,237 criminal cases, redressing many unjust verdicts.”

Yu Zhao set down his teacup. “How many judicial documents have been drafted?”

The Chief Justice, Zheng Yuan, was a stern-looking man of thirty with a rigid personality. His report was meticulous and rigorous. He had nothing to hide in his thoughts, which earned Yu Zhao’s appreciation. Hearing the question, he replied, “Reporting to Your Majesty, although it is written in the report, since you did not issue any summons last year, the documents were reviewed by Prime Minister Gu. Eleven new regulations have been promulgated, respectively…”

The Emperor used to be absurd, but today he has changed his disposition. He is, after all, of royal blood, clear-eyed and sharp-sighted.

Is His Majesty doing this for that man who recently entered the palace?

How absurd, Your Majesty! You want to make a man your Empress, and that man has an unknown background. If this is true, I will crash my head against the Taihe Palace hall!

His Majesty is truly not easy to fool. I must report this to the Marquis of Zhongyong quickly. The Marquis’s daughter is set on becoming the Empress.

After the morning court, I must quickly send a carrier pigeon to the Marquis of Zhongyong regarding the urgent Cizhou case.

Inside his mind, 007 was excitedly eating the gossip of the officials while shaking its head, asking its wise and heroic host, “Are you not going to care about the Long Aotian protagonist?” 007 was becoming increasingly satisfied with Yu Zhao.

Yu Zhao’s expression remained unchanged, as if he had not heard those thoughts. He replied internally, “No need to care. To be good to him, the priority is to stabilize the government.”

“But by doing this, will you not cause the noble families to be wary of you and take action?”

“Is it bad to be feared?” Yu Zhao flipped the page of the document. “At the very least, that Prime Minister Gu now dares not do anything to the protagonist, but will instead use him to spy on me.”

After leaving the Imperial Study, the officials began to leave in separate groups, revealing their different factions.

“His Majesty is diligent in governance, which is a blessing for the world,” one official laughed.

“Lord Zheng, His Majesty seemed to have high regard for you just now,” the Minister of the Court of Transmission, Zhao Tingshun, waved at Zheng Yuan and smiled. “It seems your report was better than ours. I wonder if Lord Zheng has any advice?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of everyone else turned to Zheng Yuan. They were all officials of the third or fourth rank and had their own factions, but fundamentally, they were just pawns.

Zheng Yuan remained unmoved. “Thank you, Lord Zhao. As long as one focuses on one’s work, one will inevitably be seen by His Majesty. However, Lord Zhao, as a minister, discussing His Majesty is a great sign of disrespect.”

“You!” Zhao Tingshun’s expression shifted violently. Others stepped in to mediate.

“The Grand Court of Justice is busy; please allow me to take my leave,” Zheng Yuan said, stepping forward.

Zhao Tingshun’s face darkened, and the slight smile he had faded instantly. This change happened in an instant, but soon, joy and excitement flooded back onto his face. “Why bother arguing with him?” his companion looked at Zheng Yuan’s retreating back and laughed disdainfully. “He is just a blockhead. With His Majesty summoning us to the palace to review governance with such fanfare, it will not be long before the various lords and marquises come to the palace to pay their respects.”

Jinyue Palace.

The moon in the sky could not be reached, but it could be imprisoned in the water through such an alternative method. It was said that after the Emperor saw Jiang Jindeng, he was struck by his beauty and specifically had him move into Jinyue Palace. This vast harem actually held only Jiang Jindeng. The Emperor was twenty-two this year and had previously been obsessed with Buddhism, insisting on becoming a monk and refusing to take any concubines. Upon seeing this Honorable Jiang, it was said to be love at first sight. After bringing him back to the palace, he immediately began preparations to make him the Empress, though he had not seen him again since that first time.

In the eyes of the palace servants serving Jiang Jindeng, the youth had an eccentric personality. He never communicated with anyone, showing neither great joy nor great anger, always sitting alone in the courtyard, ignoring people. However, they knew that as long as they did not touch him, he would not hold it against them.

A man had been brought back to the harem by the Emperor. But they had truly never seen anyone so good-looking; it was no wonder he had been chosen by the Emperor. Jiang Jindeng did not look like someone from the mortal world, but rather like an immortal from the heavens. The youth wore a high ponytail, looking coldly and quietly at the palace maids cleaning the courtyard. The maids were already used to his personality and did not avoid him when they spoke.

“How much longer do we have to serve him?”

“That is hard to say. I heard that a few days ago, after the Emperor saw him, his temperament changed drastically. He began reviewing government affairs and is determined to make him Empress.”

The fact that the Emperor had recently begun participating in state affairs had spread throughout the palace. Everyone said it was because of Honorable Jiang. A few days ago, this Honorable Jiang had inexplicably appeared in the Imperial Garden and was happened upon by the Emperor. Eunuch Wang had punished them severely for it.

The following words were whispered very quietly. “You say, we fed him muscle-relaxing powder and brought him to the Imperial Garden to freeze him to death a few days ago; do you think he will take revenge on us?”

“Does he even have the chance to take revenge? Who knows how much longer he will live!”

Jiang Jindeng looked at his hands, motionless. His fair neck was lowered, and his black hair hung down, giving him a very fragile appearance. His hands were clearly defined with long, slender fingers and a texture as fine as jade, yet the owner did not seem to cherish them. They looked smooth, but upon touching them, one would find many calluses and scars.

In the Daming Palace, there existed a “Pure Flame.” Not long after this time in his past life, he would obtain it, and it would appear in his hands.

Jiang Jindeng spent his entire previous life wishing to obtain the Pure Flame, which allowed his cultivation to grow rapidly. He should almost be grateful for this accidental turn of events. These palace servants surely did not know what kind of existence stood before them. They treated him as an ordinary youth from Jiangnan, or worse, as an immortal. They did not know that the muscle-relaxing powder they spoke of had no effect on him at all; instead, it allowed a Demon Lord from a past life to be reborn into his youth. They also did not know that their words had already reached someone’s ears.

“If the Emperor can remain in this position for much longer… In the past, the Emperor was stupid, but after behaving so recklessly these days, our master will definitely not let him live.”

“At noon today, several marquises from the outer court already brought people into the palace to pay their respects…”

Asking for “respects” in name, but forcing the palace in reality.

Jiang Jindeng’s hands paused. He frowned. This impostor seemed quite clever, so why had trouble arisen so early? Jiang Jindeng felt a bit strange. For a variable that had not existed in his past life, even if he were plotting for the country, how could he be so reckless in this kind of human political struggle?

No. Jiang Jindeng’s heart skipped a beat. He had to go see him. If the fake Emperor died, he could take advantage of the chaos to obtain the Pure Flame and unseal his cultivation in one fell swoop.

When Jiang Jindeng arrived, Eunuch Wang was surprised, finding it inconceivable, because he had met Jiang Jindeng while accompanying the Emperor south. He understood that he was not an ordinary person, but imperial grace was vast, and immortals were difficult to appease.

The Imperial chariot palace was naturally heavily guarded. As soon as Eunuch Wang left the Baohe Hall, he saw Jiang Jindeng standing outside the door. He was dressed in white, just like the first time the Emperor had seen him.

A smile hung on Eunuch Wang’s chubby face, while he muttered to himself, Has this cold beauty finally figured things out?

Eunuch Wang brought him inside, smiling happily. “Your Majesty is currently hosting four marquises, so the honorable guest will surely make the Emperor very happy. However, I am afraid you can only pay your respects to His Majesty briefly; please wait for a moment in the side hall.”

Jiang Jindeng cursed him for a fool in his heart. Your fake master is dead, and you do not even know it.

Jiang Jindeng kept a cold face, thinking that this would also work. Among those forcing the palace, only one would be able to walk out. Once the Emperor was dead, he could seize that person and order the treasury to be opened to find the Pure Flame.

Jiang Jindeng followed Eunuch Wang inside. There were palace servants every few steps. First, he heard a burst of string and wind music. Eunuch Wang did not take him into the Baohe Hall but stood far away at the entrance, reporting to the room, “Your Majesty, Honorable Jiang has arrived.”

To everyone’s surprise, the music stopped abruptly.

The window of the Baohe Hall was slowly opened by someone. The Emperor was sitting by the window.

It was not the scene Jiang Jindeng had imagined.

What met his eyes was a face as bright as the moon and as graceful as the wind, and further down, a jade belt cinched his slender waist, accentuating his broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted physique.

Yu Zhao smiled half-heartedly. “You have arrived.”

It was as if he had been waiting for him for a long time.