Chapter 482 483: Is the Imperial City Bureau Actually the Demon Sect's Headquarters?
Chapter 483: Is the Imperial City Bureau the Demon Sect's Headquarters?
Tianwu City, Imperial City Bureau office.
Knock knock knock.
Xiao Shan cautiously rapped on the door. Only after hearing a calm summons from within did he gather his courage, push open the door, and stride into the room.
Before him lay an elegantly simple study. At first glance, it appeared modest, yet every item—from the scholar's four treasures on the desk to the chairs themselves—was crafted from the highest-grade spiritual materials. Even an ordinary cultivator sitting there would find their cultivation speed enhanced.
On the wall behind the desk hung a calligraphy scroll bearing four bold characters:
[Clear Governance and Harmonious People]
At the sight of these words, Xiao Shan immediately stiffened his expression before turning with utmost reverence toward the figure seated at the desk.
"Lord Du Huan... the matter has been handled."
Lü Yang snapped out of his thoughts to see Xiao Shan place a storage pouch gently on his desk alongside a thick ledger.
Xiao Shan instinctively lowered his voice, tense as he reported, "Lord Du Huan, these are the proceeds from the recent investigation and their corresponding accounts. I've gathered them all for your review. Once you've verified them, we'll deliver them to the palace—"
Lü Yang chuckled instead of responding immediately. "Xiao Shan... I heard you clashed with Commander Ning of the Dutian Department recently? And even publicly extinguished one of his innate divine abilities?"
Xiao Shan immediately bowed his head in contrition. "My deepest apologies, my lord. That Ning fellow obstructed our investigation. I had no choice—"
"That's no excuse!" Lü Yang shook his head. "If this continues, who would dare approach the Imperial City Bureau? Show some restraint! Do you want people to think this is the Demon Sect's headquarters north of the river?"
"...My sincerest apologies."
Seeing Xiao Shan bow deeply in submission, Lü Yang finally nodded. "That said... I do understand your position."
"But remember—you're merely an official of the Imperial City Bureau without an official rank. How could you openly confront a third-grade Commander of the Dutian Department?"
"Be more careful next time."
With that, Lü Yang patted Xiao Shan's shoulder before retrieving a bulging storage pouch from his robes and pressing it into Xiao Shan's hands.
"Take this as a personal reward for your excellent work during the investigation."
Hiss— Xiao Shan drew a sharp breath.
Another stipend so soon? And judging by its thickness, it looked larger than his pillow!
Without Lü Yang even needing to activate [Puppet on Strings], the bribe-filled Xiao Shan was already burning with fervor. He stamped his foot and saluted with a clenched fist.
"Loyalty! Devotion!"
Satisfied, Lü Yang picked up the investigation ledger Xiao Shan had brought while scanning the storage pouch with his divine sense.
Then he froze.
Truthfully, he'd assumed that with the [Immortal Nation's Dao Statutes] overseeing everything, corruption couldn't be too severe.
He was wrong.
As the saying went: For every policy above, there's a countermeasure below. Where there were people, no system could be perfect.
Though the Dao Court's bureaucratic structure appeared flawless—with upright officials everywhere under the [Immortal Nation's Dao Statutes]—the reality was far more colorful.
Take these illicit gains. While the Dao Court only distributed salaries once a century, they provided an initial payment upon appointment. Some officers exploited this loophole by constantly replacing their underlings to pocket the blood money—or worse, having one person collect a dozen salaries.
The sheer variety of schemes left Lü Yang awestruck.
'At least the Saint Sect doesn't bother with such elaborate tricks—we just take what we want directly. The Sword Pavilion too, though they're more polite about it.'
By comparison, the Dao Court was far more "civilized."
'Spiritual materials and techniques are one thing... but even [Immortal Nation's Dao Statutes] authorization privileges?!'
Surveying the ledger and confiscated bribes from the Dutian Department corruption investigation, Lü Yang couldn't help but sigh dramatically:
"My heart grieves~ for the nation's suffering~~!"
Xiao Shan fidgeted nervously. "My lord... this is cause for celebration. Why the tears?"
"Outrageous!" Lü Yang slammed the desk. "To think these parasites of the Dutian Department have squeezed so much wealth from the people! I weep for our nation and its citizens!"
Wiping away his crocodile tears, Lü Yang clenched his fists. "Damn it all! How has the Dao Court come to this?"
"I'll report this to His Majesty at once!"
With that, he collected the ledger and storage pouch—though not before discreetly pocketing three [Immortal Nation's Dao Statutes] authorization tokens.
Tianwu Palace
Emperor Jiayou's expression darkened as he examined the ledger and the storage pouch Lü Yang presented—so full that spiritual energy wafted out when opened.
This is heaven-defying!
As the Dao Court's Son of Heaven and a Golden Core True Lord, he hardly lacked for spiritual materials. But these had been embezzled by his own Dutian Department—right under the imperial nose!
If corruption ran this deep in the capital, what of other regions? The Six Ministries? If the Dutian Department was already half-rotten, the rest of the Dao Court must be worse—with tenfold, hundredfold, even thousandfold more siphoned away before reaching him!
His gaze shifted to Lü Yang.
He already possessed another ledger compiled by the inner court, which matched Lü Yang's version closely. The spiritual materials and techniques were all accounted for.
Only three [Immortal Nation's Dao Statutes] authorizations were missing—a trivial matter for an emperor who could summon the statutes at will.
This left Jiayou deeply satisfied.
'This little dragon may be greedy, but he knows the rules—understanding what can and cannot be taken. Far more useful than those without discretion!'
Yet this only fueled his fury.
Even an overseas demon cultivator understands propriety, while these corrupt officials pretend to loyalty while stealing from me!
Taking my money and expecting my gratitude?!
"...What do you propose we do about this?" Jiayou finally spoke. Though rage simmered beneath, his tone remained perfectly calm.
Lü Yang burst into tears.
"Your Majesty... these Dutian officials are Your Majesty's direct subordinates, paid from the imperial coffers, yet they bite the hand that feeds them! This is an insult to Your Majesty!"
"This cannot be tolerated! A full investigation is imperative!"
Clenching his teeth, Lü Yang rasped, "Give the order, Your Majesty! This servant guarantees a purified Dutian Department!"
Jiayou: "..."
For a fleeting moment, the emperor was tempted. But reason soon prevailed—Lü Yang's approach was too extreme.
A full purge would shatter his tacit understanding with the Three Dukes. And advancing to late-stage Golden Core required their cooperation—he couldn't afford an outright confrontation. This was precisely why he'd tasked Lü Yang with investigating corruption.
Success with the Three Dukes' acquiescence would be ideal.
Failure would mean sacrificing Lü Yang and the Imperial City Bureau to appease the officials—a discardable piece, however loyal. After all, loyalty couldn't fill stomachs, and if one was truly loyal, shouldn't they gladly shoulder blame for their lord? True dragons were plentiful—as long as ambition existed, loyal servants would never be lacking.
'Still... this little dragon means well.'
Jiayou cared little whether Lü Yang's performance was genuine. What mattered was his willingness to act—to thoroughly investigate the Dutian Department on his behalf.
Action defines loyalty. Empty words were worthless—better to raise pigs, at least they'd provide meat when fattened.
Meanwhile, Lü Yang monitored the progress of [Unbending]—the golden-tier talent's enhancement had reached eighty percent. Just a bit more for full potency.
Then—
Hmm?
Suddenly, Lü Yang looked up, sensing a massive karmic disturbance. Emperor Jiayou's brow also twitched as he began calculating with his fingers.
Soon, Lü Yang identified the source:
'Uncle Chongguang... has begun seeking gold!'