Chapter 1190: Ivory Cannot Come From a Dog's Mouth

There was no way forward, and no way back.

Faced with his current predicament, Chen Changsheng could only wait.

Until the opportunity presented itself, he could only continue his Cultivation, preparing to seize that fleeting chance when the critical moment arrived.

As the scapegoat long planned by the Demon-Summoning Divine Lord, he had been handed only two possible endings in this chess game: die beneath the Heavenly Tribulation, or hide here, eking out a meager existence without ever being allowed to step outside for all eternity.

But as the saying went, the Great Dao numbers fifty, heaven evolves forty-nine, and one escapes for humanity.

This final sliver of opportunity lay behind the door at his back.

Within that Reincarnation.

The Demon Sovereign had usurped his identity, but by the same token, he would also suffer the karma tied to that physical body. Just as before, he would have to endure the cycles of time and Reincarnation—dying and reviving, reviving and dying, over and over again.

That escaped "one" lay just behind this door.

But now was not the right time. Everything had to be taken slowly.

...

Late summer, the Ninth Year of Shunzhi.

Borrowing Chen Changsheng's identity, the demon walking the mortal realm had finally found a good place to settle.

A deceased cultivator had left behind a Cave Abode here, sealing his own soul within it. On the surface, it claimed to offer an inheritance, but in reality, he sought an opportunity for a body seizure.

Unfortunately for him, he had not picked a soft target.

Under the oppressive weight of the demon's divine sense, the cultivator's soul instantly crumbled. Under his gaze, it scattered into nothingness—all in the span of a single thought.

The Demon Sovereign paid it no mind. With a wave of his hand, he blew away all the accumulated dust within the Cave Abode.

With another casual motion, he laid down Formations, claiming this place as his own.

Yet before he could even sit down to rest, he felt his Soul Fire flicker.

A moment later, his figure gradually broke apart, turning into grains of sand that threatened to scatter in accordance with the rules of heaven and earth.

The Demon Sovereign let out a soft sigh as the light before his eyes faded away.

In the blink of an eye, he plunged into Reincarnation.

...

The Tenth Year of Shunzhi.

His Majesty purged the Ministry of Works. After several twists and turns, the sheer scale of the ministry's corruption was brought to light, and the massive sums involved left people dumbfounded.

His Majesty was furious. Nearly half of the officials in the Ministry of Works, great and small, were thrown into the heavenly prison. The Minister of Works bore the brunt of the punishment; his home was raided, and he was exiled to the frontier to serve as a slave to the armored soldiers.

Overnight, a storm swept through the city.

Some tried to take the opportunity to flee, but an inescapable net had already been cast outside the city gates.

Nearly half of the Ministry of Works' officials were captured.

The decree carried only one word.

Kill!

Ever since the empress passed away, His Majesty was no longer as merciful as he had once been. He had become decisive in his executions, showing no more leniency.

Even though half the personnel in the Ministry of Works had been ousted, His Majesty promoted a new batch of officials with incredible speed. Within just a few days, the ministry resumed its operations.

And when the morning court assembly convened...

His Majesty spoke directly: "If the Ministry of Works is like this, what about the rest of my beloved subjects?"

"Investigate!"

With a single word.

The officials were terrified. Yet they also understood that corruption had never truly ceased since ancient times. There was no official who did not line their pockets; it was merely a question of how much. Usually, such purges were just meant to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys.

But this time, they had guessed wrong. His Majesty's methods were far more ruthless than they had imagined.

First, the home of Cabinet Elder Scholar Yang was raided and his clan exterminated. Then, the chief eunuch of the inner court's internal affairs was publicly beheaded. Later, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was also executed in public.

Not only that, but military commanders were swept up in it as well.

General He of the Weiwei Garrison, a veteran commander who held merit for supporting the emperor's rise to the throne, was thrown into the heavenly prison. Just two days later, he was executed.

"He still hasn't stopped! He still hasn't stopped!"

"Just how many people does His Majesty plan to kill?"

The officials all felt that His Majesty had gone mad. If he continued killing like this, what kind of chaos would the Imperial Court fall into?

July of that same year.

The storm of anti-corruption purges, which had raged continuously for half a year, finally came to a halt.

The remaining officials collectively breathed a long sigh of relief.

This time, nearly half of the Imperial Court's officials had been implicated and met tragic ends. The court had undergone a massive change of blood, and looking around at all the unfamiliar faces left the veterans in a daze.

As a key figure in handling this corruption case, Scholar Xie was considered to have established great merit for His Majesty.

It was worth mentioning that during this period, he had suffered four assassination attempts. He narrowly escaped three times, and on the fourth, he nearly lost his life, lying in bed for over a month before managing to snatch it back from death's door.

"Lord Xie's contributions this time cannot go unrewarded. The position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works is currently vacant, so Lord Xie shall temporarily assume this role."

"This humble subject kowtows in gratitude to Your Majesty."

Having endured four assassinations and hovered between life and death several times, Xie Huan vaulted right into the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. Such a rapid promotion was astonishing, yet not a single person stood up to oppose it.

After all, they couldn't guarantee that they would have survived four assassinations themselves.

Though, speaking of which, His Majesty seemed to have a hidden meaning in his words.

Temporarily assume?

It was likely that there were other arrangements in store for Xie Huan.

Meanwhile, Tong Nianyi had spent the entire year serving in the position of Diarist of Daily Life.

The days were somewhat tedious, but to her, it was nothing. Occasionally, His Majesty would ask her about certain matters, and she would answer truthfully, not daring to overstep her bounds. Even Yan Nantian could not pick out a single fault in her performance.

But precisely because of this, her tenure as the Diarist of Daily Life remained lukewarm.

At least in Tong Nianyi's view, there was no possibility of a promotion for the time being.

The current emperor needed someone who dared to speak up and voice their opinions. Xie Huan was the ideal candidate for that, whereas Tong Nianyi guarded her reputation too carefully, strictly adhering to the rules with every word she spoke.

The winter of the Tenth Year of Shunzhi.

Heavy snow fell from the sky.

Ruyi returned to Shangjing City, bringing Dong Chiyu along with her.

A few more years had passed, and her appearance had grown even more aged. Her hair was completely white, and the wrinkles on her face were increasingly pronounced.

When Yan Nantian saw her again, he was taken aback. For a moment, he did not even recognize her.

"How did you age so quickly...?"

Ruyi rubbed her hands together and calmly replied, "You'll understand in a few years. Once you cross the hurdle of fifty, your appearance changes with every passing year."

Yan Nantian felt somewhat bewildered upon hearing this. He asked, "Isn't your uncle an Immortal? Why don't you seek out those Immortal Arts for longevity?"

Ruyi shook her head, responding, "Does Your Majesty believe that living forever is necessarily a good thing?"

Yan Nantian pondered for a moment, but he couldn't come up with an answer.

Ruyi said, "I have lived long enough in this life. I've seen everything and experienced everything. What meaning is there in continuing to live? Being able to meet a peaceful end is already quite good enough for me."

Yan Nantian raised an eyebrow and said, "You should speak less of such things. For you, living another twenty-some years shouldn't be an issue."

Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps."

She even felt that another twenty-some years was inevitably a bit too long.

But she also knew that she would indeed live a bit longer than ordinary people.

"Never mind me, you look much older than I do."

Yan Nantian said, "Taxing my mind and spirit every single day, naturally I age faster."

Ruyi thought about it, then said, "That's good. When the time comes, perhaps I can even send you off."

"Ivory cannot come from a dog's mouth."