Chapter 18: Officials Are the Most Abundant Commodity Under Heaven

On the west side of the Imperial Study, a corridor connects to the main administrative building of the Cabinet.

Upon receiving the Saint’s summons, the Prime Minister immediately abandoned his half-eaten lunch. He hurried down the corridor, his gait rapid yet carefully composed to maintain his official dignity. Thanks to years of consistent training, the muscles beneath his clothes were leaner and firmer than those of many fragile young college students of the current era.

He disciplined his body this way for only one reason: to secure his qualification for reappointment. How could the Saint ever entrust the stewardship of the Empire to a Prime Minister who, having passed the age of fifty, was already dim-sighted and frail?

He arrived breathlessly at the office suite outside the Imperial Study. Behind the desk, Gao Jinzhong rose at the sound and hurried to the door, a perfectly calibrated smile of deference on his face. "Prime Minister, you have arrived."

"Chief Steward, the Saint has summoned me—is there an urgent matter?" The Prime Minister lowered his voice, speaking with rapid, clipped precision.

Gao Jinzhong’s smile did not waver; he merely bowed slightly. "The thoughts of the Saint are not for me to speculate upon." As he spoke, he reached out to press an inconspicuous button beside the door, then bowed and announced, "Reporting to the Saint: the Prime Minister requests an audience."

The heavy wooden doors slid open silently.

The Prime Minister’s gaze swept the room in an instant. In front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window, Bai Yujing sat bolt upright in his chair, his posture as straight as a pine. To his left, Lucia, Commander of the Imperial Guard, stood as still and sharp as a drawn blade. On the sofa to his right, Nangong Lin was engrossed in a book, seemingly existing in a world of his own.

The Prime Minister’s focus snapped to the central desk. He stepped forward, bowed, and offered his salutations: "Your subject pays respects to the Saint."

"Rise."

Bai Yujing’s voice was calm as he went straight to the point: "The proposal submitted by the Governor of the Second District—what is your opinion on it?"

The Prime Minister pondered for a moment before answering cautiously: "Reporting to the Saint, I believe this proposal is perhaps inappropriate."

"Your reasons?"

"I have heard that procedures such as gender reassignment, once performed, require lifelong reliance on medication. It is highly likely that pharmaceutical companies, seeking exorbitant profits, are secretly inducing or even manipulating those with weak wills into following this path."

"Not 'likely'—it is an absolute certainty."

Bai Yujing’s voice turned suddenly cold. He had ruled the Great Han for five thousand years, witnessing the transition from feudalism to the modern age. The faces of the powerful beneath his throne had changed countless times, but their greedy, profit-seeking nature had never changed.

"Their appetites can never be sated. Once they earn a hundred million, they covet two hundred, three hundred million, and eventually, they dare to lay hands upon my authority." He rose abruptly, his gaze as sharp as a knife. "Transmit my imperial decree: the Governor of the Second District, along with the District Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the Governors, Deputy Governors, Speakers, and Deputy Speakers of all fifty-one states—along with the top fifty business owners of the district and their core management teams—are all to be dismissed and investigated. The Cabinet is to immediately select capable officials from other administrative districts to fill every vacancy in the Second District!"

*Hiss!*

The Prime Minister gasped, stunned. "Saint, such a vast group of officials, to be replaced all at once..."

His words cut off abruptly as he met Bai Yujing’s icy, dagger-like stare. He immediately corrected himself, his voice betraying a faint, uncontrollable tremor. "The Saint is wise."

"If any who lack sense dare to incite unrest, have the Twelfth Legion stationed in Chicago City suppress them." Bai Yujing issued the order with detached indifference, signaling the end of the conversation.

***

The Prime Minister bowed and retreated from the suffocating atmosphere of the Imperial Study, almost fleeing as he hurried back to the Cabinet building. He had no time to acknowledge the inquisitive gazes of his colleagues. He charged straight into his office and commanded his executive secretary, "Have Director Colton of the National Bureau of Discipline come to see me immediately!"

Before long, the dark-skinned Colton pushed open the door and entered, speaking in fluent Mandarin. "Prime Minister, you summoned me urgently—what are your instructions?"

"The Saint’s decree..." The Prime Minister lowered his voice, relaying Bai Yujing’s orders with rapid, crystal-clear precision.

The color drained from Colton’s face. His eyes went wide. "Just—just because of that proposal, the Saint wants to uproot the entire leadership of the Second District? That includes the governors of fifty-one states?" His voice trailed off in shock.

The Prime Minister, conversely, seemed unusually calm. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said flatly, "And what of it?"

Colton felt as if he had been throttled; he was rendered speechless.

"The grace and the wrath of the monarch—both are imperial gifts." The Prime Minister set down his cup and looked at him meaningfully. "Do not forget: the land we stand on, the air we breathe, the rain that falls from above, and even the houses we dwell in—all belong to the Saint. We possess only the right of use. Beneath the Saint, all beings are equal. Never mind the governors of fifty-one states; even if he were to imprison every official in the Second District in a single stroke, it would be nothing more than a word from the Saint."

Colton swallowed with difficulty, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Even though he had no personal connection to those officials in the Second District, they were, after all, figures of significant weight within the Great Han system. Governors, administrators... to be wiped away like ants simply because the Saint was displeased?

"Do you wish to defy the imperial decree?" The Prime Minister’s voice went cold.

Colton shuddered, straightening his spine instantly. "Since it is the Saint’s decree, I shall immediately order the Second District’s Bureau of Discipline branch to carry out the arrests at once, with no delay!"

"Remember!" The Prime Minister leaned forward slightly, his eyes as sharp as a hawk’s. "The action must be swift, like lightning. Do not give them any chance to collude or react. If a disturbance arises, the Saint has his own iron-fisted ways to quell it, but the official caps on our heads may not be so easily preserved!"

He enunciated the last few words with heavy emphasis.

Colton nodded like a chick pecking at grain. "Please rest assured, Prime Minister."

According to the iron laws of Great Han, an official could only enjoy a generous retirement if they stepped down peacefully. Once dismissed for misconduct while in office, one was left with nothing. The Saint might be considered lenient toward the common people, but his methods toward the ruling officials were severe, sometimes bordering on harsh. Of course, Colton only dared to let such thoughts flash through the deepest recesses of his mind.

As the Prime Minister had said, the grace and the wrath of the monarch—both are imperial gifts. As subjects, what else could they do but accept them?

***

The Second District is located on the North American continent. When Bai Yujing divided the administrative districts, the numerical values were not based on geographical distance, but on the strength of the conquered nations.

At this moment, in a brightly lit manor on the outskirts of Washington, the capital of the Second District, a decadent banquet was underway. Seductive dancers twisted their waists on a stage bathed in flowing light. The air was thick with the heavy scent of premium cigars, the mellow fragrance of aged wine, and the greasy aroma of roasted meats, blending into a intoxicating scent of depravity.

Donna, the Governor of the Second District, sat in the seat of honor. A well-groomed hand was unceremoniously exploring the waist of the glamorous woman beside him, drawing out a chorus of coy, feigned resistance.

Connie, a tycoon of the Roman Pharmaceutical Group, sat below him with a flushed face. Raising a crystal-clear goblet, he flattered, "Governor Donna, I toast you once more. May our enterprise continue to sail smoothly."

"Easily said!" Donna laughed, satisfied with his success, and raised his glass to clink.

*Bang!*

With a thunderous crash, the heavy oak double doors of the banquet hall were kicked open violently. The doors slammed against the walls, creating a massive echo. A group of men in light-red uniforms surged in like a cold tide, instantly freezing the clamor in the hall. On their chests, the emblem of two crossed swords reflected a cold, hard luster under the lights.

The Great Han Bureau of Discipline!

The music and dancing stopped abruptly; the dancers froze in place, panicked. The laughter on the faces of the guests solidified into a deathly silence of astonishment.

Donna’s brow knotted, a flash of anger in his eyes. "Director Aen, what is the meaning of this?"

Aen, the leader, remained expressionless. His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Donna and Connie.

"Donna Wilson, by the Saint’s decree, your position as Governor is revoked. From this moment on, you are to submit to an investigation by the Bureau of Discipline!"

He turned his gaze to the deathly pale Connie. "Connie Roman, by the Saint’s decree, the Roman Pharmaceutical Company no longer belongs to your family as of this moment. The Cabinet will appoint someone to take control. You are to submit to an investigation. If found guilty, you shall spend the rest of your life in prison!"

As he finished, his cold gaze swept over the guests around Donna and Connie, calling out one name after another—all of them were high-level executives of Roman Pharmaceutical. Each person named seemed to have had their bones removed, collapsing into their seats without the strength even to stand. They could only be dragged up roughly by the wolf-like agents of the Bureau of Discipline and hauled away.

"No! I must see the Saint! The Saint cannot..." Donna finally reacted from his profound shock. He let out a low growl like a cornered beast, struggling to resist.

A smirk of near-mockery crossed Aen’s lips. He didn’t bother to respond, merely waving his hand impatiently, as if brushing away dust. Two powerful agents immediately stepped forward, pinning the former Governor—who had once held the power of the Second District in his palm—and dragged him toward the door.

They arrived with the speed of a storm and departed with cold efficiency, leaving the guests in the hall behind in a deathly, stunned silence.