76: Chapter 76: The Great Morning Assembly

"By the way, my lady, there is one more thing," Archer Cheng Yu asked while washing Cassandra's feet. "Tomorrow is the day of the Great Court Assembly again. What do you reckon... His Majesty will have any new instructions?"

Cassandra reclined on the bed, leisurely enjoying the service from her man.

"I reckon it's nothing more than two things. The first is which direction to deploy troops next. Although this is a major matter, it won't be wrong no matter what you say; just submit your memorial according to your own ideas."

"The other thing is most likely the handling of Cabinet Grand Secretary Cassius. I suspect that no matter what opinion you express on this matter, His Majesty will be displeased... You should just take leave tomorrow; sick, injured, any excuse will do."

"But my body... will anyone believe it if I say I'm sick?" Archer Cheng Yu rolled up his sleeves to show off his muscular build.

Cassandra gently stroked Archer Cheng Yu's muscles, then suddenly bit down on him with all her might.

"My lady, why go this far? My lady, why go this far?!"

Archer Cheng Yu could have sent Cassandra flying with a single forceful shake, but he cherished her like a Yuan blue-and-white porcelain vase; he would rather bleed from being bitten than hurt her in the slightest.

"There, now you are injured." Cassandra had blood on the corner of her mouth and smiled with a very sinister look.

"Was that necessary? Was that necessary?!"

Archer Cheng Yu pressed on his blood vessel while shouting for someone to bring in disinfectant and bandages.

Early morning, Great Court Assembly.

Attendant Cheng Yu's attendants cracked their long whips, and the civil and military officials filed in according to their ranks.

"Where's Old Lie? Why didn't he come?" Iron Fist Cheng Yu whispered to Ivankov.

"He took leave. I heard he got into a brawl with his wife and got bitten in a vital spot," Ivankov replied, suppressing a laugh.

"Was it a one-on-one or a gang fight?" Iron Fist Cheng Yu also suppressed his laughter. "Serves him right. Who told him to hog so many women? It would be better if she bit him to death!"

"Silence, ministers!" Attendant Cheng Yu cracked a whip in the air toward the two of them as a warning.

Cheng Yu sat down on the Throne of Thorns while yawning, clearly having not rested well last night either.

"Submit memorials if you have matters to discuss; otherwise, court is dismissed!"

Middle Attendant Cheng Yu had already returned to the palace. The pressure he exerted on the officials was clearly much greater than that of the other Chamberlains. Without even needing to crack a whip, the officials quieted down; not a single one dared to whisper to another.

After a brief, awkward silence, Main Body patted the back of his head and said, "Hmm... you all are becoming increasingly clever. Knowing that I have something to say today, you are all waiting for me to speak first."

"Fine, I shouldn't dampen your spirits."

Main Body beckoned, and Middle Attendant Cheng Yu opened the holographic projection map on the ceiling of Xuanzheng Hall.

On this vast star map, the Cheng Yu Empire already had actual control over more than a dozen surrounding star systems, having occupied basically all the better planets.

As for the territories ruled through loose control by establishing small proxy powers, they were so vast that the scale couldn't even be adjusted.

"If we are to fight next, we will be facing the regular armies of the Corpse Emperor or the Warlord... This is no small skirmish. Do you esteemed gentlemen have any thoughts you can offer me?"

Representative figures among the civil and military officials came out one by one to speak. Some suggested using troops against the Corpse Emperor Empire first, as the imperial court was currently in the "Imperial Dark Side" of the Tempestus Sector, where the Corpse Emperor Empire's control was relatively weak.

Another faction believed that the Chaos Warlord Abaddon was acting perversely and had lost the hearts of the people, and that our dignified Celestial Empire must first crusade against Abaddon to save the myriad living beings from dire straits; how could we engage in bullying the weak and assisting the tyrant?

The two factions argued endlessly, each presenting their own arguments and analyzing them in detail. From starting with debating specific issues, it developed into personal attacks, listing each other's faults, filing secret complaints, and exposing each other's hidden cards.

"Whoosh... Crack!" The Chamberlain outside the hall cracked a long whip, and the ministers, who had been arguing until they were red in the face, gradually quieted down.

"Hmm... arguing," Cheng Yu chuckled. "Arguing is good. Truth only becomes clearer through debate."

Cheng Yu stood up, his Yin-Yang Daoist robe fluttering without any wind. "I have decided... regarding Chaos and the Corpse Emperor... not to distinguish between them; we will fight them both!"

"Fight them both?!" Even those ministers who usually sucked up the most were too astonished to speak.

"I know what you are worried about; it is nothing more than the fear of our dynasty being attacked from both sides."

Cheng Yu let out a long sigh. "Chaos is stupid and greedy, like cancer cells in the galaxy; the Corpse Emperor is fierce and pedantic, like rampaging white blood cells. And us... what are we, Iron Fist?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we are foreign bodies," Iron Fist Cheng Yu replied.

"Well said. We are foreign bodies, just like incompatible bone marrow. The white blood cells want to kill us, and the cancer cells do not tolerate us either. It is not that I want you to be unable to attend to both ends, but rather that we have always been in a state of being attacked from both sides."

"Pass down my imperial decree: from this day forward, all territory on the dark side of the Tempestus Sector belongs to me. Those who refuse to submit, attack directly without needing to report to me. Those who are willing to defect may be spared for a while longer, but they must send hostages and pay three years of tithes in arrears."

"We receive the decree. His Majesty is wise!"

"By the way... there is one more thing." With a look from Main Body, Middle Attendant Cheng Yu began arranging for subordinates to distribute one red and one blue piece of paper to every official.

"There is a matter I have been keeping to myself and have not told you all, thinking that these words... must have a starting point."

"There are quite a few people in our dynasty who are colluding with the outside. It's not just the Hive Cities; in this Xuanzheng Hall alone, I fear there are not a few of you who are collecting two salaries."

Main Body slowly walked down the steps, with two Chamberlains behind him bowing and trailing his robe.

"I..." Main Body's gaze swept over the lowered faces of these ministers one by one. He looked at Ivankov's face for a moment, then turned his head and looked at Freya's face for a few seconds. "I do not blame you."

"This damned rotting galaxy has driven people to madness."

Main Body paced back to the imperial throne. "If I were in your shoes, I might not have done any better than you."

"However, you have your own lives and livelihoods, and I have my family and friends."

Main Body cupped his hands and sat back on the Throne of Thorns. "I have distributed two pieces of paper to you. Those who only collect one salary, submit the blue paper; those who collect more than one salary, submit the red paper. Just enclose it in your next memorial. I guarantee... I will let bygones be bygones."

The imperial court fell into a long silence, so quiet that the sound of a drop of sweat hitting the floor could be clearly heard.