In the span of a few days, more than twenty officials in the Divine Capital had either died or been brought to the Left Guard's office. Spies from various factions were dispatched near the Left Guard's office, and the information they obtained was the constant sound of agonizing screams.
The Great Liang officials who had become spies for the foreign cultivators never had much of a backbone. Otherwise, they would not have been easily threatened by the foreign cultivators and chosen to become spies hidden within the Great Liang Dynasty.
The atmosphere became tense. Before the power struggles among the princes could unfold, the entire Divine Capital found itself in the midst of a purge that was not insignificant.
As a result, there were numerous officials complaining outside the duty room of the Premier, making it difficult for the officials to concentrate on reviewing the reports sent from various regions. However, when they subconsciously directed their gaze toward the Premier, who should have been seated behind the desk, they found that he was missing.
On a neighboring street outside the duty room, a small courtyard stood quietly.
A black-clad youth with a saber hanging walked in, easily spotting the old man waiting for him in the courtyard.
The old man sat by the stone table in the courtyard, next to a grape trellis that had been set up. It was already winter, and the falling snow obscured the original appearance. The old man faced the snowstorm with a head of snow, making it unclear whether it was the original color of his hair or if it had turned white from the snow.
The black-clad youth paid his respects to the slender old man and then took a seat across from him.
In terms of official positions, the premier was already the top-rank civil official in the entire Great Liang Dynasty. Among military officials, only the official ranks of the Lord Warden Commander and the Northern Frontier Great General could rival him. However, it was apparent that in this world, whether one had vast knowledge or held high official positions, it did not carry much weight. Foreign cultivators would not respect you based on your official position, and the northern demons would not spare you because of your rank.
Ultimately, in this world, might was right.
As the premier of the Great Liang Dynasty, when mentioning important figures in the Divine Capital, he would generally be overlooked. The old man seemed indifferent to the youth in front of him, not overly concerned with his actions either. He just straightforwardly asked, "Commander Chen, how many more people do you plan to kill, and how many spies do you intend to catch?"
Currently, with the Divine Capital in turmoil, although the biggest storm had not fully erupted, the Premier even felt that Chen Chao might become the catalyst.
Chen Chao said calmly, "I don't know how many spies are in the Divine Capital. But clearly, even if I think I can catch all the spies in the Divine Capital, I can't. So, there's no need to worry. I'll catch as many spies as there are, I'll catch as many spies as I can, and I'll catch as many spies as I can see."
When human efforts reach their limits, many people would tend to worry. However, Chen Chao believed he did not need to worry because he only needed to do what he could within his capabilities. This meant catching as many spies as there were.
The Premier had initially planned to say many things, such as discussing the current situation in the Divine Capital with earnest words and the best intentions, talking about what actions should be taken now, and advising against certain actions at the moment. However, hearing Chen Chao's words, he was somewhat surprised. For a moment, he did not know where to begin.
He was somewhat absentminded.
Then he looked at Chen Chao in front of him, whose eyes were incredibly clear, staring straight at the Premier.
The Premier sighed and said, "It seems somewhat superfluous to meet with you."
Chen Chao shook his head and replied, "Actually, I have always wanted to meet with you.
While the premier was not considered a prominent figure in the Divine Capital, as the premier, he was the one formulating and implementing national policies on many occasions. Although everything required approval from the Emperor, for the people of the Great Liang, especially those who benefited from the policies he implemented, the Premier was a true big shot.
"The reason I'm doing these things is because even before returning to the Divine Capital, I received a name list. The people I have been capturing these days, all of them are on that list. In other words, these spies have been under our observation for quite some time. Whether we arrest them now or have been watching them all along, it doesn't make much difference."
Chen Chao looked at the Premier and said calmly, "So, it seems like there's not much significance in what I'm doing."
The Premier had vaguely guessed that this was the result of years of accumulation by the warden faction. However, he did not understand why these actions were taken at this particular moment, and at this point, he was even more puzzled about why Chen Chao was saying these things.
Seeing the Premier's confusion, Chen Chao answered the first question, "I'm doing this now because it's a good opportunity. Capturing spies along with those so-called remnants of the previous dynasty, it doesn't seem abrupt. At least, that's how it appears now. It doesn't provoke too much panic. I don't know what the Lord Warden Commander thinks, but from my perspective, that's the reason."
"As for why I'm telling all this to Premier, as the foremost civil official, you deal with court matters and officials every day. There are some matters you probably already have conclusions about, and now I just want Premier to say them out loud."
Upon hearing this, the Premier understood. He looked at Chen Chao with some curiosity and asked, "Why do you think I know, and why do you think I would tell you? You should know that outside the duty room right now, countless people are cursing. If I tell you these things, they won't be cursing you in front of my duty room; they will be truly cursing me."
Talking up to here, he took a breath and continued, "Even if I tell you, how can you judge that I'm not borrowing this to suppress my own rivals?"
The Premier had spent many years in the officialdom and was naturally a veteran politician with rich experience. It was very difficult for ordinary people to read someone like him, and also very challenging to be able to scheme against him.
However, facing Chen Chao, the Premier seemed rather genuine.
Yet, this sincerity made Chen Chao feel somewhat unreal.
Because this was not the attitude the Premier should have.
Chen Chao was silent for a long time.
He was not thinking how to respond to the Premier; he simply wanted to stay silent.
The Premier said, "There's no need for a young man at your age to pretend to be profound, because it's meaningless."
Chen Chao responded, "You should know that in the Great Liang, especially in the officialdom, all the scheming and power-amassing are meaningless. Because none of you can deceive one person."
Upon hearing this, the Premier had already understood who Chen Chao was referring to. In this world, even these so-called old foxes could not deceive someone.
"His Majesty is naturally an unparalleled ruler. If not out of consideration for the founding emperor, I'm afraid the court..."
The Premier looked at Chen Chao and said calmly, "His Majesty's eyesight is indeed good."
Although not everyone knew the details of what happened between Chen Chao and the Great Liang Emperor, the Premier was well aware that Chen Chao was someone highly regarded by the emperor.
Chen Chao said, "Do you believe that His Majesty died in the North?"
This was a widely spread rumor in the Divine Capital in recent days, saying that the emperor had died in the Northern Frontier.
The Premier smiled and said, "The Demon Emperor is powerful, but His Majesty isn't weak."
He did not directly answer the question, but already gave his answer.
Chen Chao said, "It seems that His Majesty is truly remarkable in the eyes of you all."
The Premier did not answer this question, he just wondered that a prince who could fight against a whole nation and win, how could he not be amazing?
Chen Chao said, "So after all this talk, you're still unwilling to give me some names?"
The Premier shook his head and said, "Of course I'm giving them to you."
Chen Chao became somewhat curious, looking at the Premier with curiosity who was quiet.
The Premier smiled and said, "I didn't mention it earlier because I didn't know how you all would handle it. Although I'm a scholar, I understand the importance of rooting out a problem. If it's only a partial solution, there's no need to say much."
After saying these words, he took out a list from his pocket and handed it to Chen Chao.
Chen Chao opened it and, upon seeing a familiar name, asked curiously, "Lord Li has an excellent reputation in court and has always known for his integrity. Moreover, his office doesn't seem to be able to pry into any secrets. Why is he on the list?"
The Premier said calmly, "He might not be able to pry into any secrets now, but it doesn't mean it will remain the same in the future. Place a chess piece here for a few years. When the time is right, move that piece to a crucial position."
Chen Chao nodded and said, "Understood."
Then he saw another name and asked, "All these spies are in the Clear Stream Office. Perhaps they accepted benefits from the foreign cultivators first, but they won't be asked to do anything in return. That's why even the Warden's office finds it difficult to discover that they are spies. How did you find out?"
The Premier smiled and provided some reasons.
It was mostly trivial things.
"A rare book often costs hundreds of skygold currency, it's not easy to come by."
The Premier sighed.
Chen Chao remained silent and stood up to leave.
Suddenly, the Premier asked, "Have you ever considered that I might be a spy too?"
The question seemed casual, but it held a deeper meaning.
Chen Chao looked at him and replied, "I've considered it."
The Premier smiled, waiting for the continuation.
Chen Chao frowned, saying, "Compared to people of the same age, I may be considered clever, but compared to people like you, I seem very naive."
The Premier smiled and remarked, "At your age, with such modesty despite your achievements, it's quite rare."
Chen Chao did not speak, he just bowed and left, quickly disappearing into the snowstorm.
The Premier kept watching him like this.
After a while, Du Qian walked out of the room behind him. The Grand Historian's expression did not look too pleasant.
The Premier asked, "Do you still think he's incapable now?"
Du Qian furrowed his brow, saying, "Such cunningness at such a young age, even managing to scheme against you, I naturally dislike him."
The Premier smiled, "In this world, everyone is a pawn. Only a few can truly play the game."
Du Qian said unhappily, "How could that be?"
The Premier looked at Du Qian, shook his head, and suddenly asked, "How are those kids of yours doing now?"
Mentioning his descendants, Du Qian was rather excited and said with a smile, "Those few young fellows are pretty good. It just makes me a bit troubled, who will succeed my position in the future?"
In the Great Liang Dynasty, official positions were not hereditary, but the position of Grand Historian had always been passed down through generations.
