Chapter 538: When Exactly Did It Begin?

Inside the Imperial Capital of the Ten Thousand Demon Country.

At this moment, the Six Ministries were frantically and intensely supplying the front lines.

Because they were currently at war, essentially the entire Cao Court was mobilized.

These few months could be said to be the most crucial time.

After all, if something went wrong, the Ten Thousand Demon Country would change owners.

For the Ministry of Revenue, the most troublesome matters were the supplies and intelligence regarding the front lines.

The supply of the front lines involved many aspects.

Especially since the Country Ruler of the Ten Thousand Demon Country had personally gone on an expedition, which made things even more complicated.

But this also meant that no one dared to cause any trouble behind the scenes while the Country Ruler of the Ten Thousand Demon Country was personally leading the troops on the front lines.

Because if anything happened to the Country Ruler of the Ten Thousand Demon Country, the entire Imperial Family would be destroyed.

As for surrender.

That was even more out of the question.

She Qiqi had her own faction and would absolutely not use those staunch supporters of the Imperial Family.

Therefore, almost all officials were determined to protect their official positions.

However, with the Country Ruler of the Ten Thousand Demon Country absent from the rear, there were times when opportunities could be seized.

Especially those forces arranged by She Qiqi, who finally saw a glimmer of hope.

Even though before the Country Ruler of the Ten Thousand Demon Country led the Imperial Expedition, he had thoroughly purged She Qiqi’s forces.

In short, any official who had even the slightest connection to She Qiqi was basically dismissed.

Serious cases were even given a fabricated charge and slaughtered like pigs, and for those who wanted to be safer, the extermination of the nine generations of kin was commonplace.

But how could the power She Qiqi arranged be so small?

And how could those officials whom the Country Ruler of the Ten Thousand Demon Country considered confidants truly be confidants?

“Lord Cao, I didn’t expect you to be here so early today!”

The Vice Minister of War stepped forward and bowed to Lord Cao, who was the Minister of War for the Ten Thousand Demon Country.

At this moment, the Minister of War was overseeing the battle reports from all over the realm.

All kinds of intelligence reports were quickly delivered to the Minister of War’s desk.

Now, in the entire rear, no one had more authority than him.

“Oh, it’s Little Fei. Little Fei, hurry up and come help me; I’m truly overwhelmed.

I didn’t expect that with His Majesty leading the Imperial Expedition, that Chu Yaoyao would immediately seize the opportunity.

And I have to say, that Chu Yaoyao really has some skill; she is currently locked in a back-and-forth battle with our Eastern army.”

“Lord Cao, why don’t you take a break? If Lord Cao collapses from exhaustion, it would definitely be a huge loss for the entire Ten Thousand Demon Country!”

Hu Fei, the second-in-command of the Ministry of War, stepped forward and poured a cup of tea for the Minister.

Cao Tian was not only Hu Fei’s superior but also his father-in-law.

“Alas, it’s fine, it’s fine.

With the war being so tense right now, where would I find the time to go rest?

If, by chance, something really goes wrong, I would truly become a sinner for all eternity.

Furthermore, the forces She Qiqi arranged in the Imperial Court should be making some moves now that His Majesty is absent, right?

I must keep a close eye on them.”

“Teacher, His Majesty has already carried out a complete purge before, so you don’t need to worry too much. Besides, how can one guard against a thief for a thousand days?”

The young man named Hu Fei shook his head, sat down next to his Teacher, and began handling matters for the Minister of War.

Hu Fei was a Disciple personally promoted by Cao Tian.

He could be considered Minister Cao’s confidant. Since the imperial examinations, Cao Tian had provided Hu Fei with an immense amount of care throughout his official career.

Cao Tian had even saved Hu Fei’s life.

To repay Minister Cao, the last time Minister Cao offended the Demon Emperor, Hu Fei immediately submitted a memorial, kneeling before the Demon Emperor’s Imperial Study for three days and three nights without food or water, just to beg for a chance for his Teacher to explain himself.

In the end, Hu Fei won that opportunity for his Teacher to offer a defense.

After that, Hu Fei rescued his Teacher, and Hu Fei also made a name for himself afterward.

In the Ten Thousand Demon Country, many people were proud of Hu Fei and Cao Tian, and they were extremely envious of the bond between this Master and Disciple pair.

And it was after that incident that Hu Fei was not only accepted as a Disciple by Cao Tian but was also betrothed to Cao Tian’s own daughter, treated even better than his own son.

It could be said that Cao Tian had completely regarded Hu Fei as his successor.

“Alas, what you say makes some sense.

Indeed, I was overly anxious. After all, how can one guard against a thief from a thousand miles away?

Moreover, His Majesty has already thrown those slightly connected to She Qiqi into prison, or they have already been exiled.

Logically speaking, even if there are still She Qiqi’s people in the Imperial Court.

At this time, these people cannot possibly be in important positions within the Imperial Court.

Since that is the case, I, your Master, will go and rest for a while. You will temporarily handle these matters in my stead.

“Yes, alright, Master. No problem. Please rest well and leave everything to me.”

Saying this, Hu Fei offered a cup of tea to Cao Tian.

Cao Tian nodded, took the cup of tea, and drank it down without any caution.

Hu Fei watched with his own eyes as his Master drank the tea.

Immediately after, Cao Tian rubbed his eyes, patted Hu Fei’s shoulder, handed everything over to Hu Fei, and went to rest.

After Cao Tian left, Hu Fei looked at the current situation and fell into thought for a moment.

Cao Tian took a deep breath, sat in the position of the Minister of War, and began handling the documents one by one.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Imperial Court, within the Grand Secretariat, they were also working hard for the ongoing war.

Since the Emperor was leading the Imperial Expedition, everything in the Imperial Court was currently handed over to the Grand Secretariat for operation.

Currently, the Grand Secretariat of the Ten Thousand Demon Country had become the head of all affairs.

All matters had to be approved by the Grand Secretariat.

The Grand Secretariat was composed of ten people, and these ten people were known as the Ten Grand Secretaries.

Among the ten Grand Secretariat members, seven were founding heroes of the Heavenly Frost White Snake Clan, and the remaining three were personally selected by the Demon Emperor.

To prevent any external forces from infiltrating the Grand Secretariat.

The Demon Emperor conducted rigorous selection processes based on the background, identity, and social connections of the Grand Secretariat members.

It could be said that all ten people belonged to the Demon Emperor.

Therefore, the Demon Emperor could confidently entrust all matters to them.

Every night, three members of the Grand Secretariat would take turns being on duty.

On this particular night, it happened to be the turn of two younger Grand Secretariat members and one elder member.

It was coincidentally on this very night that news of a battle report arrived concerning Chu Yaoyao’s attack from the east.

The situation on the Eastern front was already somewhat tense.

Judging by the news from those battle reports from the east, none of them had expected Chu Yaoyao to be so formidable, directly overwhelming everything on the Eastern line.

At this moment, the Cultivators on the Eastern battle line were requesting reinforcements.

But some of the requests were held back by these three individuals.

“I think we need to send them more troops; otherwise, they definitely won’t be able to hold out.”

A young, minor member of the Grand Secretariat proposed.

“I disagree.”

Another slightly older Grand Secretariat Elder denied the young man’s suggestion.

“If we dispatch troops now, what about the other areas?

Currently, we only have seventy thousand reserve soldiers in the rear.

A few more here, a few more there—do we still intend to fight this great war?

Others can win against greater numbers; why can’t we?

We cannot increase the troops. Issue a death order to them, telling them they must hold the line, or they will bring their heads to see us.”

“Senior, I absolutely do not think we should do this.

If we proceed like this, we will definitely face huge problems.

If Chu Yaoyao breaks through the Eastern line, the subsequent situation will spiral out of control.”

Although this recently selected young man heard their words and felt the matter was too risky.

Since both of them had spoken, he could only follow suit.

After all, the minority must obey the majority.

Even if he opposed them, if the other two agreed, his objection would be useless.

Unless he suppressed the matter himself, forcibly using his authority to postpone the discussion until they could deliberate together tomorrow.

But this matter was extremely urgent, and even discussing it tomorrow would likely mean missing the military opportunity.

In the end, the unanimous decision made by the three was not to dispatch reinforcements, but to force the defending general to stall Chu Yaoyao, allowing that army to launch a sudden attack and see if there was an opportunity for a counterattack.

It wasn’t just in the Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of War.

At this time, the Ministry of Revenue was calculating the amount of funds required for this great war.

The Minister of Revenue subtly adjusted a figure in the coordination of military supplies.

This adjustment would cause a slight delay in the delivery of military supplies.

This particular adjustment was extremely subtle.

Because even if it were exposed, it would only be a minor, insignificant oversight, and he was certain it wouldn’t be exposed.

Furthermore, similar incidents occurred in various official institutions throughout the Imperial Capital.

Officials of every status and rank were playing their part, whether large or small.

These actions were woven into a massive network, pushing things forward little by little.

Viewed individually, you would absolutely not find any problems with their decisions.

But when these decisions were linked together.

It was like building blocks; you look at those small blocks, and they seem useless, just simple pieces of wood.

But once you assemble them, you can see a giant robot.

Not only that, ever since the Minister of War took that rest, he felt his physical strength was getting weaker and weaker.

Cao Tian constantly coughed at home, and even the Imperial Physician personally treating Cao Tian didn’t help much.

The Imperial Physician believed that Cao Tian was overly exhausted.

Thus, the Imperial Physician prescribed some medicine and told Lord Cao to rest well these days and not worry about anything else.

In the Minister of War’s residence, Lord Cao’s wife brewed medicine for Lord Cao and served it to him.

Looking at her husband before her.

Lord Cao’s First Wife gently patted her husband:

“You’re several thousand years old. Do you think you’re still like those young men? Just rest up properly at home.

Don’t worry, nothing will go wrong.

After all, we have our good son-in-law in the Ministry of War.

His ability is in no way inferior to yours, Old Man.

He will certainly handle everything well.”

Listening to his wife’s words, Cao Tian sighed softly.

“Alas, he is indeed my good son-in-law.”

Unsure of what he was thinking, Cao Tian shook his head, and a hint of melancholy flashed in his eyes.

“Old Man, what do you mean by that? Why do I feel like you have a hidden meaning?”

His wife pouted, looking at her Old Man with some confusion.

“It’s nothing, nothing. It’s just the literal meaning.

Alright, you’re a woman, you don’t need to overthink things.

And it is indeed true. After all, Hu Fei was taught by me personally; he has surpassed his Master and is better than me. His ability is not inferior to mine, and I trust he will handle things well.

Tonight, why don’t you personally cook some delicious food and invite Little Fei to eat at home? Give him a good reward; don’t let that boy tire himself out like me.”

“Oh, alright then. You, Old Man, take good care of your health!”

The wife stopped thinking about it, left the room to prepare the evening ingredients, and instructed a maid to call Hu Fei and invite him to come over for dinner when he was free.

That evening, Hu Fei returned home and ate dinner with his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

During this meal, Cao Tian and Hu Fei coincidentally drank a lot of alcohol, even having the feeling that they wouldn’t stop until they were drunk.

After eating, Cao Tian had Hu Fei help him to the study, saying he had some matters to discuss with Hu Fei.

Back in the study, Cao Tian sat down on a chair, looked at his Disciple, and couldn’t help but sigh:

“Little Fei, you’re the one who poisoned me, right!”

Hearing his father-in-law’s words, Hu Fei did not offer much defense, nor did he show any surprise.

Hu Fei simply bowed:

“Yes, Father-in-Law. But please rest assured, Father-in-Law.

This poison will not harm your body, Father-in-Law.

It’s just that for these three or four months, Father-in-Law needs to rest well at home. But once three or four months pass, everything will be over, and Father-in-Law’s reputation will not be damaged in the slightest.”

“I never expected that you would belong to Her Highness, the Seventh Princess.”

Looking at his son-in-law, Cao Tian’s heart was filled with complex emotions.

“When exactly did it begin?”