I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon novel Chapter 1383

Chapter 1383: Chapter 535: The World Is About to Change! The Holy Daughter Is Missing!

East Suburb Kangzhuang Lane, two soft sedan chairs were parked at the entrance of the alley.

One black and one blue, both very simple in appearance, with no decorations or patterns.

A few guards stood with hands at their sides, their breaths restrained, eyes vigilantly surveying the surroundings.

Inside the black sedan, two figures sat facing each other.

One of them had slightly white hair and beard, but was full of spirit; he was precisely the Prime Minister, Zhuang Jingming.

The other person wore an embroidered robe, a square face with strong features; it was none other than the Minister of War, Yin Zhao.

In between them was a small sandalwood table, with a secret compartment holding a red clay mini stove, on which sat a purple clay teapot. The lid trembled slightly, and a light mist of steam rose.

"This stove not only provides warmth and boils tea, but also doesn’t produce a trace of smoke. Mr. Yin truly has a clever mind," Zhuang Jingming said with a smile.

"I don’t have many hobbies, only a love for drinking tea. On busy workdays, I spend more time in the sedan than at my residence, so it’s quite convenient this way," Yin Zhao said as he used a cloth to hold the handle, lifted the teapot, and poured the hot tea into the cups before them. The amber tea steamed, and its refreshing fragrance instantly spread.

Zhuang Jingming took a sip and couldn’t help but praise, "Good tea."

"This is Lone Plant Snow Bud, grown at the peak of the cliffs, amidst clouds and mists. Its color is as clear as glass, with a fragrance that is cool but not bland, and it has the effect of clearing the mind and invigorating the spirit," Yin Zhao explained with pride. "I happen to have three ounces left; if you like it, Mr. Zhuang, I’ll have it sent directly to your residence."

"There’s no need for that. I’m afraid if I drink too much good tea, I won’t be able to drink ordinary tea anymore," Zhuang Jingming said lightly, setting down his teacup. "Tea is like wine; drink it often and it becomes tasteless. Too much greed brings disaster. They’re just means of relaxation but can become burdensome."

Yin Zhao’s eyebrows twitched.

The other seemed to have a hidden message, but he couldn’t quite grasp its meaning yet.

"As you age, you tend to ramble a bit, don’t take it to heart, Mr. Yin," Zhuang Jingming cleared his throat. "Back to the main point, the sudden invitation isn’t just for tea, right?"

Yin Zhao’s expression turned serious. After a moment of deliberation, he said, "Yesterday in Zhao Hua Palace, you suddenly stood up to list the Jiang Family’s crimes. I was a bit surprised... Aren’t you afraid of being implicated yourself? Or did you hear something?"

Everyone in the court knew that Zhuang Jingming had the Jiang Family’s backing; they were deeply entwined.

If Zhuang Jingming could expose the Jiang Family’s crimes, the Jiang Family could also drag him down. Should this matter escalate, even the position of Prime Minister might be untenable!

This was clear to him; Zhuang Jingming couldn’t possibly be ignorant of it.

The choice to act could only be for one of two reasons:

"You misunderstand, Mr. Zhuang. I just wanted you to witness," Yin Zhao explained. "According to Chen Mo, since this Array Map concerns the foundations of the nation, it should be closely guarded; it’s also an opportunity to verify who the real traitor is."

He remained puzzled about the previous day’s events.

Considering how the families usually acted, even if they wanted to rebel, it wouldn’t be so blatant as to almost write ’rebellion’ on their faces.

Yet they were all killed by Chen Mo, without leaving a single survivor, as if deliberately sealing lips.

Intuition told him, Chen Mo was definitely hiding something.

This time, letting Lei Xiwen bring people was partly to follow orders, partly to test.

Through the window of the sedan, Zhuang Jingming looked afar and saw Lei Xiwen take out a Yellow Decree from his chest, demanding control of the Demon Suppression Department, his eyes flickering, "An Emperor’s decree? Why was the Cabinet not informed?"

"This is a special decree that His Majesty secretly sent me a month ago, with a message saying that if anything happens in the East Suburb, regardless of reason, the Demon Suppression Department must be quickly taken over," Yin Zhao said.

The so-called special decree was issued directly by the Inner Court, without the Cabinet’s draft or revisions by the Six Ministries, solely decreed by the Emperor.

Theoretically, such actions bypassed the central court and were not in compliance, issuing such an Imperial Decree meant the matter was significant enough not to be known by others, nor leave any official trace.