This Is What a Villain Is Like

Chengming Hall.

Emperor Xia, wearing a formal crown atop informal silk robes, sat behind her desk flipping through memorials. Her face was devoid of expression. Though her eyes seemed to scan the documents, her mind was clearly heavy with concerns.

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy and oppressive. All the maids stood with their hands at their sides, daring not even to breathe too loudly.

"Your Majesty, Right Captain Situ requests an audience."

A eunuch carrying a golden lamp suddenly stepped forward to announce him.

A flicker of emotion crossed Emperor Xia’s otherwise expressionless face. "Admit him," she said faintly.

"Your Majesty..."

A tall, imposing man in armor was soon led into the hall by several eunuchs. He knelt respectfully on the other side of a beaded screen.

It was Right Captain Situ Ying of the Captain’s Mansion.

"What have you found?"

Emperor Xia glanced at him, and the surrounding eunuchs and maids respectfully withdrew.

Her voice was calm, but a careful listener could detect a hint of suppressed fury.

Situ Ying dared not raise his head. He simply bowed it lower and said, "Your Majesty, I have investigated the matter. The rumors are indeed being spread covertly, but as for the mastermind’s identity, that requires further investigation..."

For some reason, rumors had recently begun to circulate throughout Imperial Capital Jingyang City that His Majesty Emperor Xia was, in fact, a woman.

In a single day, the rumor had spread far and wide, and it was only intensifying.

Many members of the nobility had heard the story.

The news quickly reached Emperor Xia’s ears, sending her into a furious rage. She immediately ordered Situ Ying to conduct a thorough investigation and execute anyone found spreading these rumors and undermining public confidence.

While similar rumors had surfaced in the Imperial Capital years ago, they had eventually died down because Emperor Xia had simply ignored them.

Furthermore, as she cultivated the Great Xia’s Imperial Extreme World-Suppressing Skill, her power had grown profound. Her Dragon Energy blazed like a roaring furnace, as radiant as the sun, and so the issue faded away, with no one daring to voice any further suspicion.

But who would have thought that after so many years, the same rumor would resurface in the Imperial Capital.

And it had happened now, of all times, with the Southern Hunting just around the corner.

The mastermind who had deliberately spread such a rumor was clearly aiming to undermine Emperor Xia and the Royal Family. Their intent was to diminish her imperial prestige and, most likely, to sabotage the Southern Hunting.

"How much longer do you need to find the mastermind? If you can’t even get to the bottom of such a trivial matter, what use do I have for you and the Imperial Army?"

"You stood by and watched as Xie Jianjia was abducted by the Prime Minister’s Mansion, and you did nothing."

"And now you’re telling me you need this much time to investigate one measly rumor?"

Emperor Xia’s voice was low. Her jade-like hand tightened its grip on the memorial, betraying the rage simmering within her.

Two days ago, in open court, Prime Minister Jiang Lintian had demanded to know Xie Jianjia’s whereabouts in front of all the ministers.

It was the Prime Minister’s Mansion that had abducted Xie Jianjia, yet he had put on a show of righteous fury, interrogating her just to provoke her.

She had been seething, but she couldn’t afford to lose her composure. She could only endure it as the Prime Minister questioned her again and again before the entire court, a great blow to her imperial dignity.

And immediately afterward, someone in the Imperial Capital had deliberately started spreading the rumor that she was a woman.

This enraged Emperor Xia further. She suspected the Prime Minister’s Mansion had secretly ordered the rumor to be spread; she couldn’t imagine which other power would be behind it.

Cold sweat beaded on Situ Ying’s forehead. He quickly bowed his head. "Within three days, I will find the mastermind behind these rumors. I swear it."

Emperor Xia gave him a long, hard look and sighed inwardly.

’If the Prime Minister’s Mansion is secretly pulling the strings, how could Situ Ying possibly uncover it? And even if he did, what good would it do?’

"You are dismissed." She waved her hand in irritation.

Only then did Situ Ying respectfully withdraw.

"Spring Orchid..."

After Situ Ying had left, Emperor Xia pondered for a moment before speaking.

The sword-carrying maid who had been standing silently behind her stepped forward. "Your Majesty," she said respectfully.

"What of the matter I had the Dark Flower Pavilion investigate?" Emperor Xia asked.

Spring Orchid replied, "We have some leads, but we may need to go through the Observatory to confirm anything."

"As I recall, doesn’t Hu Heng have a junior martial sister? They both came from Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, and she is now a Commander at the Observatory."

"Can he find a way to get her to talk?" Emperor Xia asked coolly.

Spring Orchid considered this for a moment. "In that case, I will inform Hu Heng and tell him to find a way."

With that, she too withdrew respectfully.

Emperor Xia’s pale, jade-like hand stroked the memorial before her as she sank into thought.

She wanted to probe the truth about Jiang Lan, but any information related to him was difficult to obtain. It was obvious the Prime Minister’s Mansion was deliberately concealing things.

Details about Jiang Lan’s youth, in particular, had not been leaked in the slightest.

She could only rely on her own vague impressions of Jiang Lan from the past to try and confirm her suspicions.

With the Southern Hunting so close, Prime Minister Jiang Lintian was now searching for all manner of Heaven and Earth Treasures for Jiang Lan with great fanfare. Knowing that old fox, this was likely just a diversion.

The Great Xia dynasty was situated in the heart of the Celestial Central Province, with the Hundred Kingdoms arrayed around it like supplicants.

Within its one hundred and eight commanderies were countless Sects of varying sizes, all of which were subject to Great Xia’s rule.

Beyond the borders of Great Xia, however, were numerous top-tier Immortal Sects like the Taiyi Sect, the Jasper Pool Sect, the Nether Abyss Sect, and the Ancient Inquiring Sect, none of which were subject to Great Xia’s authority.

At the height of the Great Xia dynasty’s power, even the Taiyi Sect, leader among the Immortal Sects, had been required to come to court and pay tribute.

However, with the changing of dynasties and the decline of its National Fortune, many of the Immortal Sects no longer recognized Great Xia as the hegemon of the Celestial Central Province.