Chapter 25: Rules? My word is the law!

The Ministry of War.

Red walls and dark roof tiles emanated an aura of lethal intent that felt almost tangible. Before the gates, two massive stone lions stood in solemn, imposing silence, as if silently testifying that this place held the power of life and death over the entire empire.

When Xiao Zhan appeared at the main gate of the Ministry of War, dressed in civilian clothes and holding a token, he was immediately intercepted by the guards.

"Halt!"

The guard at the gate drew his saber, blocking the path. "This is a restricted area of the Ministry of War. Who goes—"

Before he could finish, a brass token tore through the air, propelled by a fierce gust of wind, and struck the guard squarely in the face.

"Thud!"

A muffled sound echoed. The guard stumbled backward, a bloody gash opened on his face by the sharp edge of the token. The scalding-hot medallion, engraved with the Emperor’s private seal, landed perfectly in his trembling hand.

Terror instantly seized his heart.

"Greetings... Lord Vice Minister!"

The guard, along with everyone behind him, collapsed to their knees with a synchronized "thump."

Xiao Zhan did not spare them a glance. He stepped over the threshold and entered the courtyard that symbolized the military authority of the Great Ming. Behind him, two guards from the Prince of Yan’s estate followed like shadows, their hands resting on their hilts, their eyes sweeping every corner like hawks.

The main hall of the yamen was already crowded. Civil and military officials filled the space, yet none sat in their designated seats. They stood gathered in the hall, looking at Xiao Zhan as he entered with mocking, enigmatic smiles. Leading them was a man in fourth-rank official robes, about fifty years old, sporting a goatee. He was Liu Cheng, a secretary of the Bureau of Appointments, one of the four departments of the Ministry of War.

A veteran of the bureaucracy with shrewd eyes and a goatee.

Seeing Xiao Zhan enter, Liu Cheng’s face immediately crinkled into a smile like a blooming chrysanthemum as he stepped forward to greet him.

"Oh! I, Liu Cheng, along with my colleagues at the Ministry of War, humbly welcome Lord Vice Minister!"

He bowed, his posture servile, though his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear clearly. "Lord Vice Minister is a young hero, highly favored by the Emperor. Your arrival at our Ministry is a great blessing for us all!"

A chorus of sycophantic agreement rose from behind him. Everyone wore enthusiastic smiles, yet hidden behind their eyes were blades.

"However," Liu Cheng’s tone shifted, feigning distress, "you may not be aware, Lord Vice Minister, that our Ministry has had century-old rules and established protocols for everything. As you are new here, I fear some things might be difficult to handle."

This was a smile concealing a dagger—using rules to draw a circle around him, rendering him immobile.

Xiao Zhan ignored these taunts. He walked straight to the center of the hall, his gaze sweeping over the crowd of officials, each harboring their own treacherous agenda.

There was no emotion in Xiao Zhan’s eyes; he looked at them as if they were inanimate objects.

"Upon taking office, I shall handle only three things."

Liu Cheng continued to smile. "Please speak, Lord Vice Minister. We are all ears."

Xiao Zhan held up one finger.

"First, effective immediately, on the grounds of 'investigating traitors and rectifying military defense,' I shall personally sign an order to mobilize three hundred men of the Black Armor Guard from outside the city to take control of the Ministry’s armory, blueprint room, and archives. All relevant personnel are to remain in place and await interrogation."

As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on Liu Cheng’s face froze instantly.

Mobilize the Black Armor Guard?

Those were the Emperor’s personal troops!

This was not taking office; this was a raid!

"What?!" The smile vanished from Liu Cheng’s face, and he barked, "Lord Vice Minister! Do you realize what you are saying? These are the highest secrets of the Ministry of War. According to our rules, they can only be accessed with the joint seal of the Minister and the two Vice Ministers! You, just upon taking—"

"Shut up!" Xiao Zhan interrupted him, holding up a second finger. "My rules are the rules!"

"Second, I have taken a liking to this office of yours. From now on, it belongs to me. You are to move out."

He pointed to the office of the Bureau of Appointments at the far end of the hall—the most prestigious and well-situated room.

This was naked power-grabbing and humiliation.

Liu Cheng’s face instantly flushed the color of liver.

"Third."

Xiao Zhan’s gaze swept slowly across the crowd, finally landing on an official with a fleshy face and arrogant eyes.

"Wang Mang, Secretary of the Bureau of Provisions, is it?"

The official named Wang Mang blinked in surprise, then puffed out his chest.

"That is I!"

"Very well," a faint, imperceptible arc tugged at the corner of Xiao Zhan’s mouth. "From today on, you shall serve under my command. Your first task is... to pour tea and water for me."

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was left dazed by Xiao Zhan’s three ruthless strikes. This was no longer just overbearing; he was tearing the Ministry of War’s pride to shreds and trampling it into the dirt.

"Xiao Zhan!"

Wang Mang finally snapped, lunging forward and pointing at Xiao Zhan’s nose, roaring.

"You mere stripling, a shameless wretch who climbed the ranks through snitching! How dare you be so insolent! Mobilizing the Black Armor Guard is a violation of imperial edicts and a subversion of policy! According to the laws of the Great Ming, this is a crime punishable by the extermination of your nine clans!"

He believed he had caught Xiao Zhan in a trap and spoke with vicious, cutting intent.

A flicker of sinister delight crossed Liu Cheng’s eyes.

Xiao Zhan looked at him as if watching a circus clown. He offered no defense, nor did he show any anger. He simply spoke a single word to the guard behind him.

"Cripple."

"As you command, Your Highness."

The guard stepped out. Everyone felt a blur before their eyes.

Wang Mang’s finger, still pointing at Xiao Zhan, remained suspended in mid-air. The guard had already closed the distance like a ghost. Wang Mang panicked, but as he moved to retreat, he found his throat clamped by a hand that felt like an iron vise.

He could not utter a sound.

"Crack!"

A slight, crisp snap.

Wang Mang’s throat bone was crushed to pieces. His eyes bulged, his face twisted in extreme agony and terror, yet he could only produce a wheezing, gasping sound.

But that was not all. The guard’s hand, still gripping his shoulder, suddenly exerted force.

"Snap! Snap!"

Two more bone-chilling cracks echoed. Wang Mang’s shoulder joints were shattered instantly! He collapsed like a heap of mud, his body convulsing violently as blood-flecked foam bubbled from his mouth.

From start to finish, it had taken less than a breath.

Fast. Accurate. Ruthless.

The entire hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. The gloating and cold observation on the officials' faces had transformed into a marrow-deep terror. Looking at Wang Mang—who now begged for death but could not find it—they saw their own potential fate.

Xiao Zhan strode forward, calmly stepping around the broken heap on the floor, walking step by step toward Liu Cheng, who was trembling, his face drained of all color.

He stopped at Liu Cheng’s desk. He reached out and picked up a high-quality wolf-hair brush. He examined it closely, as if admiring a work of art.

Then, right in front of Liu Cheng:

"Snap!"

A crisp sound. The expensive brush handle was snapped into two pieces.

Xiao Zhan tossed the broken brush at Liu Cheng’s boots. He leaned down and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Now, does my order take precedence, or do your damn rules?"