SBCEJM -Chapter 37 Big Brother Starts “Attending Court from the Cloud”

Today, the Imperial Study was about to change completely.

One order after another was issued without the slightest hesitation, every word carrying killing intent and absolute authority.

Wang Xianzhi was stunned on the spot.

All his scheming and eloquence meant less than nothing before overwhelming imperial power.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This old minister has been wronged!”

“My loyalty to Great Xia can be proven by the heavens!”

He howled desperately, no longer possessing even a trace of his usual immortal-like composure.

The armored Imperial Guards clamped onto his arms like iron pincers and dragged him out by force.

His shrill screams echoed through the hall for a long time before finally fading.

Inside the Imperial Study, silence fell so heavily that even a pin drop could be heard.

Every official was scared out of their wits, standing rigidly like wooden stakes.

Xiao Juechen rose to his feet and declared solemnly:

“Tomorrow’s court session… I want a clean court.”

Only one thought remained in everyone’s mind:

The capital was about to undergo a massive purge.

…

The next morning, before dawn had fully broken, all civil and military officials had already gathered outside Chengtian Gate.

The usual whispers and fake pleasantries had vanished completely.

The air itself seemed to carry a lingering scent of blood that could not be washed away.

The storm that erupted in the Imperial Study had spread faster than a plague, sweeping through the entire capital overnight.

Li Wenyuan, the Imperial Tutor who had served three generations of emperors, and Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor Wang Xianzhi had suddenly become prisoners awaiting judgment.

Inside the Golden Throne Hall, Xiao Juechen could not be bothered with unnecessary words.

He directly announced the fates of the Northern Di spy Tuoba Hong, along with Li Wenyuan, Wang Xianzhi, and the rest of their faction.

Death by slow slicing, confiscation of property, exile, collective punishment…

After dealing with the traitors, Xiao Juechen’s sharp gaze landed on the mighty General Chu Tiankuo standing at the front of the ranks.

“Beloved Minister Chu, step forward to receive your reward.”

Chu Tiankuo stepped out and dropped to one knee, his voice as steady as a mountain.

“This minister obeys.”

“In suppressing the remnants of Northern Di’s forces, you protected the throne with loyalty and bravery worthy of praise.”

Approval flickered in Xiao Juechen’s eyes.

“I reward you with one thousand taels of gold, one hundred bolts of brocade, and three hundred households as your fief.”

“This minister thanks Your Majesty for your boundless grace!”

Only then did the tension in Chu Tiankuo’s back loosen slightly.

However, Xiao Juechen suddenly changed his tone.

“However…”

He deliberately dragged out the word.

“As commander of the three armies, you allowed your deputy general to deceive you for years. Your failure to judge character nearly caused a catastrophic disaster. This is a grave offense.”

Chu Tiankuo lowered his head and accepted the accusation.

“This minister… is guilty.”

“Merit is merit. Fault is fault. I reward and punish fairly.”

Xiao Juechen stared at him and said slowly, “I dock your salary for one year. Do you accept?”

“This minister accepts wholeheartedly!”

“Rise.”

Xiao Juechen’s tone softened once more, almost like an elder teaching a favored junior member of the family.

“You are my right-hand man. I hope this incident will smooth away your rough edges so that you may serve the nation even better in the future. Do not disappoint me again.”

These words both praised and criticized him, rewarding and punishing him at the same time.

It was both a warning and reassurance.

Chu Tiankuo rose to his feet. This hardened man, who had shed blood on battlefields without ever shedding tears, actually felt his eyes redden slightly.

His emotions were complicated—filled with both reverence and fear.

“This minister will certainly not fail Your Majesty’s expectations!”

Feng Zexuan hid among the ranks and watched the entire emperor-level PUA masterclass unfold.

【Expert. This guy is the real PUA grandmaster!】

【First, give him a huge sweet date and praise him to the heavens. Then slap him across the face and call him blind for misjudging people. Finally, paint him a giant dream about how much you value his future.】

【After a silky smooth combo attack like that, a pure-hearted battle maniac like General Chu gets completely wrapped around his finger. He’s probably feeling so moved right now that he’s already thinking about how to dedicate his life to the emperor.】

【Imperial mind games are freaking terrifying!】

Listening to the inner voice, Chu Tiankuo tugged the corner of his lips into a helpless smile.

He was not stupid!

He simply understood things without exposing them!

On the dragon throne, Xiao Juechen’s mouth twitched.

This brat really could see through everything clearly—it was just that his mouth was too loose, always exposing him in public…

Court finally adjourned amid the suffocating atmosphere.

Only after returning to her tiny office in the Hanlin Academy did Feng Zexuan finally feel alive again and start enjoying today’s “after-meal dessert gossip.”

【System, what happened afterward with Wen Jingming yesterday? Did he really abandon his wife and children?】

System: 【Yesterday, after Wen Jingming was released from the imperial prison, he returned home utterly distraught. Madam Du did not cry or make a scene. She simply prepared a meal for him calmly.】

The system continued:

【Madam Du said: “Things have already come to this. If you hate me, I accept it. But the children are innocent. Since birth, they have only known you as their father. If you reveal the truth, you will destroy not only them, but also your own career and reputation.”】

【“There are many in this world who have no biological children and still raise adopted children by their side. The grace of raising a child outweighs the grace of giving birth. You personally raised these nine children. Their filial devotion toward you is genuine.”】

【Wen Jingming stayed awake the entire night. At dawn, he handed Madam Du a divorce letter, but allowed her to remain in the residence under the identity of ‘housekeeper’ to continue caring for the children. The condition was that she would never step outside the Wen residence for the rest of her life.】

【As for the three concubines who cuckolded him, all of them were sold out of the household.】

After hearing everything, Feng Zexuan raised her brows.

【Yo, this Wen Jingming… he actually kept his head clear? He even knows how to weigh pros and cons to preserve both the children and his own reputation.】

【Looks like domestic abusers don’t have nothing but muscles in their heads after all. This move at least has a bit of humanity in it. Seems like… he’s not rotten to the core yet.】

After finishing her gossip session, Feng Zexuan stretched lazily, feeling completely satisfied with life.

Meanwhile, inside the portable space, her older brother Feng Zekai had also just finished watching today’s “live broadcast” of court proceedings.

Last night, Feng Zexuan discovered that the 55-inch color television in the apartment had unlocked a new feature.

As long as she silently recited “Golden Throne Hall” while facing the screen, a real-time image of the imperial court would immediately appear in crystal clarity!

It was basically a super surveillance system with zero blind spots!

Through the system, Feng Zexuan granted her brother permission to use the space. Even without following her around physically, he could freely enter and leave the space anytime and anywhere.

The two could even communicate remotely.

And so, on the second day, Feng Zekai simply sat on the soft sofa and attended court remotely through the television!

His injuries were steadily recovering, and his mind was becoming clearer and sharper by the day.

Over the past few days, aside from handling official matters, he spent most of his time buried in the “strange books” on Feng Zexuan’s apartment bookshelf.

Global History, Basic Principles of Economics, Introduction to Modern National Governance Systems…

The knowledge from another world struck his mind like thunder, blasting open a grand and magnificent door he had never imagined before.

Feng Zekai’s voice echoed through their mental connection, unable to hide his excitement and joy.

“Xuan’er, thank you! These books… they are truly priceless treasures! They’ve allowed me to reexamine the world beneath our feet from an entirely unimaginable perspective!”

He picked up a booklet discussing “Jiangnan Salt Tax Reform,” his fingers sliding across the pages as his tone grew increasingly animated.

“Take the salt tax, for example. All previous methods focused on squeezing more oil from between the common people’s teeth. And what happened in the end? Oppression drove the people to rebellion, and tax revenue actually decreased instead of increasing!”

“But the book says that lowering tax rates, stimulating the market, and giving benefits back to the people can actually cause total tax revenue to multiply several times over!”

“This method… this method is truly a grand strategy for governing the world and benefiting the people! Perhaps… perhaps it really could work!”

Hearing her brother’s passionate voice echoing in her mind, Feng Zexuan sat there completely dumbfounded.

She suddenly realized that somehow…

She had passively gained new knowledge too!