Protect Our Chief

Chapter 1036 - 63: Autumn Winds Rise! The Great Emperor Misses Wang Shouzhe

In just a few steps, Meng Yuanbai had already reached the entrance of Zhenghe Hall.He straightened his robes and attire, adjusted his facial expression, then walked in, coming to a stop before a door in the deepest part of the hall. He knocked solemnly and respectfully: "Your subordinate Meng Yuanbai, here by order. I wonder if Elder has time to spare me a brief audience?"

The Elders naturally did not all crowd into a single room to work, but each had their own dedicated office. Normally, there were specialized officials responsible for running errands back and forth, passing on memorials and documents. Only when particularly major matters arose would several Elders gather to discuss them face to face.

This room deep within Zhenghe Hall belonged to the current Chief Minister, Zhao Hongbo.

As Meng Yuanbai’s voice passed through the door, a low, elderly voice soon came from within: "Enter."

"Yes."

Meng Yuanbai raised his hand in salute toward the door panel, then gently pushed the door open and walked in.

Inside the door was a spacious large room.

In the room, aside from rows upon rows of bookshelves, there was also a huge desk, upon which lay piles and piles of neatly arranged memorials.

Behind the desk sat a thin, elderly man.

The old man wore a purple official robe, with deep brows and high nose, his bearing profound and restrained, with almost no aura leaking out. He held a brush in his hand, and before him lay an opened memorial, upon which he was bent over, writing something swiftly.

One must know that in the Daqian Kingdom, only powerhouses of the Divine Power Realm had any chance of being appointed as Elders. For a Purple Mansion Realm powerhouse like Meng Yuanbai, the position of Third-Grade Director was already the limit.

The person before him, though his presence was restrained to the extreme and he appeared no different from an ordinary person, still did not allow Meng Yuanbai the slightest thought of slighting him. In fact, just standing before him like this, Meng Yuanbai already felt tremendous pressure.

For the person before him was the current Chief Minister, the most powerful Elder in the Daqian Kingdom. At the same time, he was also the Second Ancestor of the Second-Grade Zhao Family, Ancestor Hongbo.

In the Daqian Kingdom, this man could, in a sense, be called "second only to one, above ten thousand," one of the figures truly standing at the Peak of power.

Even those few princes who held military power in their hands were generally unwilling to come into conflict with him.

Beside the old man, a young scholar in a red Fourth-Grade official robe was bowing his head, patiently and attentively grinding ink. Noticing Meng Yuanbai’s gaze, the young scholar nodded to him.

Meng Yuanbai was slightly taken aback, then immediately reacted and returned the nod in salute.

This young scholar was, of course, someone he recognized.

Though this person was currently only a Fourth-Grade Official, a rank lower than his own, his identity and background were anything but simple.

His name was "Zhao Zhikun," and he was currently the most highly valued among the three Divine Power Species of the Second-Grade Zhao Family, spending most of his time at Elder Zhao’s side. It was rumored that Elder Zhao seemed intent on grooming him as his successor.

It was entirely possible that a few hundred years from now, one of the four Elder seats of Daqian would belong to him.

With such a status, Meng Yuanbai naturally dared not slight him.

"Your subordinate Meng Yuanbai, pays respects to Elder Zhao."

After quietly exchanging courtesies with the young man, Meng Yuanbai followed protocol and bowed respectfully to the old man behind the desk. Then he stood with hands clasped, waiting for instructions.

"Director Meng... As I recall, you were promoted to Director of the Three Talents Department fifty years ago, correct?" Zhao Hongbo did not look up, speaking as if casually.

"Yes, Elder." Meng Yuanbai replied respectfully.

"Unknowingly, fifty years have already passed~" Zhao Hongbo seemed a bit wistful. "I still remember what you were like when you first entered officialdom. Back then, you were only a bit over one hundred years old, weren’t you? Just a rash youngster who knew nothing but cultivation."

"Yes." Meng Yuanbai bowed his head respectfully, his tone sincere as he echoed, "Back then, Yuanbai acted recklessly and offended Senior Chen Boyong of the Chen Family, and nearly lost his post. It was only because Jianming couldn’t bear to see it that he brought this subordinate before Elder and persuaded you to lend me a hand, thus giving this subordinate a chance to make a comeback. All these years, it has also been thanks to Elder’s support that Yuanbai could have what he has today. Elder’s kindness in recognizing and employing me is something this subordinate will never forget for the rest of his life. If I ever have the chance to repay even a fraction of it, Yuanbai will certainly spare no effort."

This was him expressing loyalty.

"There’s no need for polite words. So long as you do your Task well, that will be help enough to me." Zhao Hongbo said faintly. "The reason I called you here today is not for any great matter. There is merely one affair which, if directly assigned below, I fear the youngsters under your command might not withstand the pressure, so I called you over to give you a word or two of instruction. Zhikun."

"Yes, Ancestor."

Zhao Zhikun, who had been grinding ink at the side, responded at once and put down the inkstick. Then, from a stack of memorials before him, he selected one and held it in both hands, presenting it to Meng Yuanbai.

At first Meng Yuanbai was still a bit puzzled. Only when he received it and looked did he discover that it was an encrypted denunciation memorial. The space for the informant’s name had already been sealed over with lacquer. The content of the denunciation was tax evasion, and the target being denounced was...

"The Changning Wang Family?"

Meng Yuanbai was stunned.

Wasn’t this the Noble Family that had been riding such a strong wave of momentum recently?

As Director of the Three Talents Department, by professional instinct he naturally had a fairly clear grasp of the various currents within the Upper Capital City.

Starting the year before last, first Great Celestial Pride Liyao entered the Capital to test her edge and made a name for herself in a single battle. The following year, another Great Celestial Pride, Zong’an, entered the Capital, set up some kind of United Department for desert development, and stirred up a rush among a great many Noble Families in the Capital to buy in—all of it was connected to this Changning Wang Family.