Never mind Xin Wudao—even Tian Shao hadn't expected Jiang Chen to be so decisive. After all, Xin Wudao's presence here was a clear representation of Yang Zhao's will.
And Yang Zhao was the Deputy Steward of the Dragon Tooth Guard, a figure whose influence in the Royal Capital was nothing short of staggering.
Yet Jiang Chen had executed him without batting an eye, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.
In that moment, tens of thousands of Dragon Tooth Guards—tens of thousands of pairs of eyes—were locked on Lü Wuji's headless corpse, each one rooted to the spot as though turned to stone, unable to utter a word.
Thud!
Only when Lü Wuji's severed head finally crashed into the dust did Xin Wudao snap back to his senses. Staring at Lü Wuji's lifeless face, frozen in an expression of disbelief, a wave of scalp-tingling horror washed over him.
In an instant, it felt as though the sky itself was collapsing.
Xin Wudao knew all too well what kind of standing Lü Wuji held in Deputy Steward Yang Zhao's heart.
Lü Wuji's death was like tearing out Yang Zhao's very liver and heart. Xin Wudao barely needed to think to know what kind of volcanic rage Yang Zhao would unleash.
"Jiang Chen, you—you actually dared to kill Lü Wuji!?" Xin Wudao jabbed a trembling finger at Jiang Chen, his voice wavering, his arm shaking uncontrollably.
Jiang Chen's expression was utterly flat. "Xin Wudao, go back and tell Yang Zhao this: killing Lü Wuji is only the beginning. Tell him—court death, and death comes. He brought this on himself, and this matter is far from over!"
Xin Wudao's entire body jolted. From the sound of it, Jiang Chen wasn't satisfied with just killing Lü Wuji—did he actually have designs on Deputy Steward Yang Zhao himself?
Xin Wudao let out a bitter, hollow laugh. "Good, good! Jiang Chen, I don't know where you find the audacity. All I'll tell you is this: you're dead! With Lü Wuji dead, nobody in the entire Tiangui Kingdom can save you!"
Tian Shao frowned. "Xin Wudao, I'm warning you once more—I am carrying out the law under orders. If you interfere again, I will personally report your conduct to the Grand Steward!"
Xin Wudao erupted in curses. "Tian Shao, don't you dare posture in front of me! Lü Wuji's death is partly your responsibility too. Go ahead and gloat now—when Deputy Steward Yang's fury comes crashing down, we'll see how long your arrogance lasts!"
Xin Wudao knew perfectly well that today's game was lost. His momentum was gone. Besides, with Lü Wuji executed, there was no point lingering—there was nothing more he could accomplish here.
After hurling a few more threats and glowering daggers at Jiang Chen, he stormed off with his men in a fury.
Tian Shao watched Xin Wudao's retreating figure, then walked over to Jiang Chen and murmured, "Chen Shao, with Lü Wuji dead, Deputy Steward Yang will be absolutely furious. You need to brace yourself. You'd best leave the Jiang residence and lie low for a while."
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Lie low? Why on earth would I lie low? Brother Tian, stick to the plan. Lü Wuji colluded with foreign assassins, and Yang Zhao can't wash his hands of it. If even that isn't enough to bring Yang Zhao down, then I can only say—the Tiangui Kingdom is more disappointing than I imagined."
Tian Shao was rendered speechless. He knew that by any conventional standard, the evidence was airtight: Lü Wuji was Yang Zhao's nephew and must have acted on his orders, and with the Crown Prince's support, toppling Yang Zhao should have been entirely feasible.
But Tian Shao had heard certain rumors—that Yang Zhao's lofty position came not merely from his role as Deputy Steward of the Dragon Tooth Guard, but also from a powerful patron within the Treasure Tree Sect. Otherwise, how could a mere Deputy Steward—answerable to the Grand Steward, the King himself, and countless other nobles and ministers—get away with running roughshod over everyone the way Yang Zhao did?
"Chen Shao, the Crown Prince's side will do everything it can. At this point, there's no turning back. But Deputy Steward Yang has always operated outside normal rules—you need to watch out for whatever tricks he might pull!"
Jiang Chen knew Tian Shao meant well and gave a faint smile, but asked instead: "What about the assassins from the Assassination Sect?"
Tian Shao grinned. "Following your orders, we caught all of them—except one, which we let go."
Jiang Chen nodded. "Good. Brother Tian, this has been a lot of trouble for you."
He knew Tian Shao had taken considerable risks to pull this off. Earning Yang Zhao's enmity was a foregone conclusion. From Tian Shao's perspective, if they failed to bring Yang Zhao down this time, the retaliation that followed would be merciless and relentless.
Of course, Jiang Chen had no intention of letting that happen.
Uproot the weeds entirely—this time, Jiang Chen was absolutely not going to let Yang Zhao escape justice, much less give him the chance to bite back.
If the Tiangui Kingdom's royal house couldn't bring Yang Zhao to account, Jiang Chen wouldn't hesitate to do it himself.
…
The death of Lü Wuji and the capture of the Assassination Sect killers sent shockwaves crashing through the Royal Capital.
All those who were opposed to Yang Zhao seized the opportunity. Memorials demanding Yang Zhao's punishment flooded in to the King one after another. The grounds were compelling: colluding with foreign assassins, sowing chaos in the capital, and endangering the security of the Tiangui Kingdom.
Meanwhile, those who were on good terms with Yang Zhao rushed to his defense, arguing that with Lü Wuji dead, there was no testimony to confront, and therefore no way to determine whether Yang Zhao had any connection to the affair.
Before long, the stack of memorials on the King's desk had grown a full three feet high.
The King had a splitting headache. By all the evidence, Yang Zhao's collusion with the Assassination Sect was blatantly obvious. But evidence was one thing—actually punishing Yang Zhao was a move that would send ripples through the entire power structure. Even the King himself needed to think long and hard before acting.
"Shangguan, tell me—how should I handle this matter with Yang Zhao?"
The King had summoned Grand Steward Shangguan Yi of the Dragon Tooth Guard in the middle of the night. Yang Zhao was one of the Guard's own; whether or not they moved against him, they needed to hear Shangguan Yi's position first.
Shangguan Yi was also at his wit's end. Truth be told, he was deeply unhappy about Yang Zhao's collusion with foreign enemies, and in his heart, he had never doubted the authenticity of the evidence.