706 No Way Forward (1/2)

Qiu Jianhan was startled upon hearing the emperor's words. In his mind, he was rolling his eyes wildly even as his face was calm, without a sign of his repressed frustration.

'You're asking me? How would I know?'

'Besides, what's the use of following formal procedures?'

”What do you mean, Your Majesty? This old official does not understand. Please speak directly, Your Majesty,” said Qiu Jianhan.

”Is Supreme Cloud set on killing him?” asked the emperor, ”Is it possible to let him go?”

Qiu Jianhan was sweating. ”How would this old official know of this?”

”Ask him about it for me,” the emperor said vehemently.

Qiu Jianhan was flabbergasted. ”Where- where would this old official go to ask?”

'Are you asking me? Then who am I supposed to ask? Don't you know that Supreme Cloud is always unpredictable? He is never to be found if he does not wish it, and you will only meet him if he wants to meet you!'

The Emperor stated, ”Very well, it is decided. Go speak to him on my behalf. The second one has given up on everything. He has nothing else. Why must he be forced into the corner? Regardless, he is still of my blood.”

Qiu Jianhan wanted to say more but His Majesty had begun to chase his guest away. ”Go – go ahead. I know you have your way. I believe in you.”

Qiu Jianhan was sent out of the palace in bewilderment.

How… How was he to go about this?

While the emperor did not frequently meet unreasonable officials, it was not entirely uncommon. It was not exactly rare either, like in the case of the Emperor of Yutang's three pillars of support. Qiu Jianhan, Leng Daoyin, and Fang Qingtian were exemplary images of incorrigible rogues, seasoned like pickles.

Therefore, the Emperor of Yutang was well equipped with tactics to tackle these rogues. More specifically, he was well versed in the ways of tackling his rogues!

What then was the most effective tactic in subduing rogues?

When rogues set out to do mischief, they were always on the lookout for advantages. When a rogue met another rogue, it would then be a contest of who was more aggressive.

His Majesty was all about 'I don't care' and 'What can you do if I'm being unreasonable?' now.

Qiu Jianhan was exhausted.

It was said that heroes could come from humble beginnings and rogues could be of any age. Now, Qiu Jianhan wanted very much to say that rogues were not limited to any particular status or class as well!

What should an official do when he faced an unreasonable and roguish emperor?

”Sigh…”

Qiu Jianhan felt like he had suddenly aged decades in this single afternoon. He returned home and kept on sighing, feeling the onset of crippling helpless.