Chapter 24: A Gift for the Imperial Court

The Emperor looked at Xiao Zhan, then at the frantic Empress Dowager, and finally spoke: "Enough! Mother, I will not believe another word you say. Xiao Zhan, I ask you, are you willing to offer the manufacturing methods for these weapons to the imperial court?"

Xiao Zhan kowtowed without a moment's hesitation: "I am willing! I am willing to offer all my techniques to Your Majesty! I only ask that Your Majesty clear my father's name!"

"Good!" The Emperor nodded with satisfaction. "Xiao Zhan, I trust you!"

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager fell into complete despair. She knew she had lost, and lost utterly.

"My son... you will regret this..." the Empress Dowager muttered even as she was dragged away by the Imperial Guard.

Mo Di was also led away, while Qin Cang knelt on the ground, trembling, waiting for the Emperor's judgment.

"Qin Cang, although you were used by others, your actions were reckless. You are fined three years' salary; you shall redeem yourself through meritorious service!" In the end, the Emperor dealt with Qin Cang leniently.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life!" Qin Cang felt as if he had received a stay of execution.

The Emperor turned to Xiao Zhan: "Xiao Zhan, your father's innocence has been revealed to the world. I shall issue an imperial decree to clear his name immediately! The House of Prince Yan has been loyal for generations; I will never treat you unfairly!"

Xiao Zhan was moved to tears: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

"Furthermore," the Emperor continued, "since you have mastered the manufacturing techniques for these weapons, I appoint you as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, specifically in charge of ordnance research and development!"

This appointment shocked everyone present. Xiao Zhan was so young, yet he had been directly appointed to a high-ranking position of the third grade!

Xiao Zhan felt a surge of wild joy, but he feigned a look of overwhelmed humility: "Your subject... how could I possibly be worthy..."

The Emperor waved his sleeve, signaling the Imperial Guard to haul away the limp Empress Dowager and the ashen-faced Mo Di. The main hall suddenly felt much emptier, leaving behind only the lingering scent of blood and an electrifying aftermath.

"Qin Cang, you may withdraw. As for today's events, bury them in your heart! If a single word leaks out, I will have your entire clan executed!" The Emperor's voice was weary but carried an indisputable majesty.

"Your subject... obeys!" Qin Cang felt as if he had been granted a pardon. His inner garments were already soaked with cold sweat. He stood up unsteadily, casting a deep, complex look at Xiao Zhan—a look filled with the relief of having survived, the irritation of being used, but above all, a profound sense of powerlessness and apprehension. He bowed and backed out of the hall, his silhouette desolate.

"Xiao Zhan, stay," the Emperor’s voice echoed again.

Xiao Zhan's heart tightened; he knew the real test was only just beginning.

"I am here, Your Majesty."

The Emperor stepped down from the dragon throne and walked slowly toward Xiao Zhan, his eyes, which saw through everything in the world, staring intently at him as if to lay him bare.

"Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, third grade, specifically in charge of ordnance R&D. Are you satisfied with this position?"

"Your Majesty's boundless grace leaves me deeply moved and trembling with awe." Xiao Zhan bowed his head, keeping his posture extremely low.

"Trembling with awe?" The Emperor let out a cold laugh and reached out to pat Xiao Zhan on the shoulder. The touch was light, yet it sent a chill straight down Xiao Zhan's spine. "I see no trace of awe in you. From start to finish, you have played everyone in the palm of your hand. Qin Cang was a pawn, Mo Di was a pawn, and even my own mother... has become a stepping stone for your rise!"

Xiao Zhan's heart shook violently, but he did not let it show on his face: "Your Majesty, please discern the truth! If I had even a shred of selfish intent, may heaven strike me down! Everything I did was for self-preservation and to restore my father's honor!"

"A fine excuse, 'self-preservation'!" The Emperor’s eyes turned suddenly as sharp as a hawk’s. "I ask you once more: these 'Thunder God Cannons' of yours—is it truly only you who knows how to build them?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, this is the fruit of my many years of hard work. The critical technical secrets are indeed known only to me." Xiao Zhan knew this was his greatest leverage; he could not show weakness.

"Good! Very good!" The Emperor nodded. Far from being angry, his eyes ignited with an unprecedented, burning intensity. "Xiao Zhan, what I want is not just the manufacturing method. I want an invincible divine army that can allow the Great Ming to sweep across the world and pacify all lands! Can you give me that?!"

This exchange was no longer a conversation between monarch and subject; it was a trade of ambitions!

Xiao Zhan looked up sharply, meeting the Emperor's scorching gaze. He knew he had won his gamble!

"As long as Your Majesty trusts me, I will never fail your expectations!" Xiao Zhan spoke each word with ironclad certainty.

"Hahahaha!" The Emperor laughed, his voice filled with long-suppressed release and grand ambition. "Good! I will trust you this once! Here is the token of the Ministry of War; go and take up your post! I grant you the power to act as you see fit. If anyone in the Ministry of War refuses to obey or engages in duplicity..."

The Emperor paused, his voice turning icy: "You may execute them first and report later! I will stand behind you!"

"Your subject obeys!" Xiao Zhan took the cold, heavy brass token, his blood boiling.

Execute first, report later!

These four words carried more weight than any title or reward.

***

When Xiao Zhan stepped out of the Qianqing Palace holding the token, the blinding sunlight made him squint. He saw Qin Cang had not gone far, standing below the white jade steps outside the hall, as if waiting for him.

"Vice Minister Xiao, what a brilliant maneuver. Congratulations on your promotion." Qin Cang’s tone was laced with undisguised sarcasm.

Xiao Zhan walked up to him and smiled faintly: "General Qin, you are too kind. Come to think of it, I owe my current position to you, General, for surrounding my residence with troops back then and giving me this opportunity to prove myself."

"You!" Qin Cang’s cheek muscles twitched with rage, his fists clenching until they creaked. He wanted nothing more than to smash that detestable smiling face, but reason told him he couldn't. This young man was no longer just the Prince Yan’s son he could manipulate at will.

"Xiao Zhan, don't be triumphant too soon." Qin Cang lowered his voice, squeezing the words through his teeth. "Those old fossils in the Ministry of War are not house guards of the Yan mansion, nor are they a rootless eunuch faction like Mo Di. They have deep-rooted connections in the military, and every one of them is backed by noble families. Standing your ground there will be harder than reaching the heavens!"

"Thank you for the warning, General Qin." Xiao Zhan’s smile remained unchanged, but his words sent a chill through Qin Cang.

"However, dogs—whether old or young—if they dare to bark at me recklessly, I generally don't reason with them." Xiao Zhan turned his head and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Break their legs, and they will naturally become obedient."

With that, he ignored the livid Qin Cang and walked directly toward the palace gate.

The Ministry of War was located in the south of the Imperial City, with vermilion walls and dark tiles. Two massive stone lions stood before the gate, solemn and imposing. Unlike other government offices in the capital, this place was perpetually filled with a grim, murderous aura of iron and blood.

When Xiao Zhan appeared at the Ministry of War gate in casual clothes, holding the token, he was immediately intercepted by the guards.

"Who goes there? This is a restricted area of the Ministry of War; no idlers allowed!"

Xiao Zhan didn't waste words. He threw the token, which bore the characters "Ministry of War" on the front and the Emperor’s private seal on the back.

The guard caught it, and his hand shook so violently he nearly dropped it.

"Greetings... greetings, Lord Vice Minister!" The guard knelt in terror.

Xiao Zhan ignored them and strode into the Ministry. He knew the Emperor’s edict must have arrived before him. He was well aware that a warm welcome was not what awaited him.

As expected, the moment he stepped into the main hall, he saw over a dozen officials in various robes sitting stiffly, as if holding a trial.

At the head sat an old man over fifty, with a thin face and a goatee. He wore the robes of a Vice Minister, clearly the other powerhouse of the Ministry, Left Vice Minister Liu Yong.

Coming from a military lineage, his grandfather had been a founding hero of the Great Ming. He held great prestige in the military, and his students and proteges were everywhere. He was the man who truly held the power in the Ministry of War.

Seeing Xiao Zhan enter, Liu Yong didn't even shift in his seat. He simply picked up his teacup, blew slowly at the froth, and didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

The other officials followed suit, either looking down at documents or whispering to one another. Not one person stood up to greet him, as if Xiao Zhan were merely air.

It was a show of force. A blatant, undisguised display of intimidation!

Xiao Zhan sneered internally, but his face remained impassive as he walked to the center of the hall.

"I trust you all have seen the imperial edict. From today on, I, Xiao Zhan, hold the post of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, responsible for ordnance research and innovation. I look forward to your cooperation."

His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone clearly.

After a long silence, Liu Yong slowly set down his teacup, raised his sharp, triangular eyes, and said with a mocking smile: "Oh? So Vice Minister Xiao has arrived. My apologies, my apologies. Vice Minister Xiao is young and promising, rising to the top in one leap. It truly makes us old bones who have toiled in the Ministry of War our whole lives envious."

His words were dripping with sarcasm, drawing suppressed laughter from the hall.

Another official, a military man, spoke up, his voice booming with provocation: "Vice Minister Xiao looks quite unfamiliar. May I ask which year you passed the military examinations? In which army did you serve? What battle merits have you earned to be so favored by His Majesty that you directly sit in a position we spent our entire lives trying to reach?"

This was effectively pointing at his nose and calling him a greenhorn who relied on connections, unfit to lead them, the veterans of the battlefield.

All eyes focused on Xiao Zhan, waiting to see how he would respond to this insulting interrogation.

Xiao Zhan did not answer. Instead, he walked straight to Liu Yong’s desk and picked up a spread-out military report.

"Presumptuous! Who allowed you to touch this Minister’s documents!" Liu Yong erupted in rage, slamming the table and standing up.

Xiao Zhan acted as if he hadn't heard, reading it to himself, muttering: "Hmm, thirty thousand barbarian cavalry from the North have raided the border, destroyed three of our outposts, and are pointing their blades directly at Yunzhou City. The Ministry of War's proposed plan is to mobilize fifty thousand troops from the Capital Garrison and thirty thousand from the Northern Defense Army, totaling eighty thousand, at a cost of 1.7 million taels of silver, with an estimated casualty rate of thirty thousand to drive them back. Is that correct, Minister?"

Liu Yong and the officials were stunned. They didn't expect Xiao Zhan to grasp the contents of the top-secret report with just a glance.

"So what if it is? These are matters of state; is this something you can casually comment on?" Liu Yong said forcefully.

Xiao Zhan gently set down the military report, looked around at the arrogant, disdainful faces in the hall, and then he smiled.

It was a cold smile, filled with bone-deep contempt and mockery.

His thin lips parted, and he slowly spat out four words.

"A bunch of losers."

As the words fell, the hall was plunged into a deathly silence!

Every official stood as if frozen, their expressions solidified, only to turn into boundless fury!

"You brat! How dare you insult us!" Liu Yong was trembling with rage, his finger shaking as he pointed at Xiao Zhan.

"Did I say something wrong?" Xiao Zhan’s voice suddenly rose like a sword unsheathed, sharp and piercing! "A mere thirty thousand barbarian cavalry, and you need to mobilize eighty thousand elite troops, burn through a million taels of military funds, and expect to pay the price of thirty thousand lives just to 'drive them back'? You lot, who occupy positions without doing any real work, who only know how to talk on paper—if you aren't losers, what are you?!"

"You! You, you..." Liu Yong was so angry he nearly choked.

Xiao Zhan gave him no chance to breathe, slamming his fist onto the desk—the thick rosewood desk actually cracked under his blow!

"Listen well!" Xiao Zhan’s gaze was like a blade, sweeping across every face. "I don't care what your status or background was before! From today on, I am the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War! My words are military orders!"

He pointed sharply at the military report, his voice arrogantly peerless:

"Give me three thousand troops and three months! I will not only annihilate those thirty thousand barbarian cavalry beneath the walls of Yunzhou, but I will also bring back their Khan’s head to report to His Majesty!"

"You bunch of losers, do you dare to bet with me?"

"Let's bet your official caps on it!"

The hall was deathly silent!

Xiao Zhan’s label of "a bunch of losers" and the shocking wager that followed were like two bolts of divine lightning, striking these pampered officials until they were scorched and terrified!

After the brief silence, the anger erupted like a volcano!

"You brat! Arrogant! Simply arrogant to the point of madness!"

"Ignorant child! What do you know about war? Annihilate thirty thousand barbarian cavalry with three thousand men? Do you think you're a god descending from heaven?"

"Minister Liu! This boy is spreading heresy and disrupting military morale! According to the laws of the Great Ming, he should be arrested on the spot and thrown into the dungeon!"

"He's crazy! He must be crazy! How could His Majesty send such a madman to our Ministry of War!"

For a moment, the crowd was agitated, spittle flying. Those who had been watching from the sidelines now turned into fighting cocks defending their dignity, wanting nothing more than to drown Xiao Zhan in their vitriol.

Liu Yong’s face had turned from livid to liver-colored. He pointed at Xiao Zhan, his beard trembling: "Xiao Zhan! You... you are insulting the military might of the Great Ming! Insulting the century-long foundation of the Ministry of War! Guards! Throw this raving madman out!"

The guards behind him gripped their sword hilts, ready to advance.

"Let's see who dares to move!"

Xiao Zhan’s voice was not loud, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness. His cold, piercing eyes swept across the guards, who felt their hearts tremble and their feet stop instinctively.

"What? Did I strike a nerve, and now you're angry from embarrassment?" Xiao Zhan surveyed the enraged officials, the mockery on his face deepening. "What is the use of just shouting here? Will your spittle drown those thirty thousand barbarian cavalry in the North?"

He reached out and pointed again at the military report.

"The barbarians are raiding the border, and the military situation is urgent! You so-called pillars of the nation aren't thinking about how to defend against the enemy with minimal cost, but are instead bickering with me over your own vanity! In my eyes, the word 'loser' is too generous for you!"

"You!" Liu Yong was so choked he nearly spat blood.

"Enough!" Xiao Zhan waved his hand, cutting off the cursing. "Reasoning with a bunch of frogs in a well is a waste of time! Since your brains can't comprehend it, I shall let your eyes see the truth!"