Fantasy: I Am the Villain.

Chapter 181 Thorough Investigation

Chapter 181

The Grand Councilor quickly walked into the hall, knelt down before the king with a thud, and said in a terrified voice, with snot and tears streaming down his face, "Your Majesty, please understand, I am truly wronged!"

Your humble servant truly knows nothing about bribing Elder Ding, and is even less aware of why the elder immediately accused you of bribery.

Since entering the court, I have devoted myself to serving the king and the country of Moyun.

I dare not claim to have rendered great service, but I have certainly been diligent and conscientious. To suffer such an unjust injustice, to be falsely accused, I implore Your Majesty to do me justice!

The king was originally thinking of ways to deal with Elder Ding's revelation of the Grand Councilor, or how to shut the Grand Councilor up so that he wouldn't reveal everything in a moment of desperation and leave the king in an embarrassing situation.

Now it seems this minister is quite pragmatic; this is a perfect opportunity to make his move. Since he's been tasked with investigating, it's not unreasonable to tamper with things along the way.

If all else fails, we can simply hand the minister over to Bai Ke and his group, let them deal with him as they see fit, and then say a few words of deep sorrow and indignation.

Thinking of this, the king was very satisfied. "My dear minister has assisted me in handling state affairs for many years, and now you are embroiled in this bribery matter. I will certainly investigate this matter thoroughly."

If you have been wronged, I will certainly give you justice. Please rise!

"Your Majesty, since this Grand Councilor claims he knows nothing about this matter and is appealing to you, then your country should not be the one to conduct this thorough investigation, lest you be accused of covering up the wrongdoing!"

"To be fair, why don't we, the people of Tian Ce Palace, investigate this matter? That would silence the criticism and prevent gossip!" Bai Ke stepped forward and said upon seeing this situation.

Upon hearing this, the disciples of Tian Ce Palace all nodded in agreement, feeling that this method was indeed fair! On the other hand, the ministers of Mo Yun Kingdom were all watching the king's intentions, ready to act accordingly.

Seeing Bai Ke's smooth talk and flattery, the king couldn't help but think to himself, "What nonsense! Besides my people, aren't the people in this hall just from your Tian Ce Palace?"

"How dare my men disagree with my words! Hmph, they just don't trust us. That Bai Ke is truly cunning!"

Although that's what he thought, since Bai Ke had already said so, the king couldn't have any objections, and he couldn't show any disapproval on his face, otherwise he would appear guilty and trying to cover up his guilt!

But if I agree, what if the people of Tian Ce Palace really find out and confirm the Grand Councilor's crimes, and implicate me? That would be bad!

As the king hesitated, unsure of what to do, the Grand Councilor, being quick-witted, knew the king was in a dilemma—he might end up taking the blame without saying a word. His eyes darted around, and an idea suddenly came to him.

He immediately pointed at Bai Ke and said loudly to the King of Moyun Kingdom, "Your Majesty, I feel this matter is inappropriate!"

Your humble servant believes that no matter how much this commotion occurs, it is ultimately a matter of our own Moyun Kingdom, and it is not permissible for an outsider like Bai Ke to interfere and point fingers.

"In my humble opinion, Bai Ke has repeatedly shown disrespect to Your Majesty and slandered important ministers. If this continues, the country will cease to exist. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!" As soon as he finished speaking, the Grand Councilor bowed to the Emperor again.

In this situation, the man seemed to be a truly loyal minister who devoted himself to the country, but was framed by traitors. At this critical juncture, he disregarded his personal safety and earnestly advised his lord, presenting a noble image.

At this moment, the ministers standing to the side of the hall, having heard these words and having gained a deep understanding of the king through years of observation, all echoed the words of the Grand Councilor.

Although those people knew in private what kind of person the Grand Councilors were, they saw that Bai Ke and his group were young and their aggressive words only made them feel united against the enemy.

The disciples of Tian Ce Palace couldn't sit still any longer and stood up to support their senior brother.

Just kidding, a bunch of malicious people are using their numbers to spout nonsense and argue their way out of line. Do they think they're just decorations?

Just as everyone was arguing and making a huge fuss, a voice suddenly said:

Since the people of Tian Ce Palace are using the excuse that Mo Yun Kingdom is a vassal state of Tian Ce Palace and that the elder in charge accepted bribes in Mo Yun Kingdom, they want to thoroughly investigate this matter.

"So, does that mean the magical treasures and elixirs they obtained from exorcising demons in Anning Village and the Netherworld Beast Forest were also found on Moyun Kingdom's land? Shouldn't they hand over a portion to Moyun Kingdom as a legal way of paying taxes?"

Upon hearing "legal tax payment," Bai Ke realized that the term "legal tax payment" didn't exist in this world. Therefore, the person who just said that was probably a time traveler, just like himself.

Thinking of this, Bai Ke was about to go find the person who had just spoken when, before he could find out who it was, the people at the banquet were all stirred up by the words of the person who had spoken, and they all wanted the ancient cultivator's remnants in Bai Ke's hands.

Since it was obtained by Bai Ke and his group from exorcising demons, those demons must have some treasures. If they hand over a portion to Mo Yun Kingdom as that person suggested, wouldn't they be able to get a share of the spoils and taste the benefits?

Perhaps the treasures inside can greatly help them improve their cultivation! That's what the ministers of Moyun Kingdom thought.

In cultivation-focused nations like Moyun Kingdom, the royal family is the largest cultivation force within the country.

To put it bluntly, it's essentially the royal family, along with other major families and sects, jointly forming a kingdom to seek profits.

The Tian Ce Palace sits high above, at the top of the pyramid, enjoying the offerings from these lower forces, who in turn provide them with support and protection.

The Mo Yun Kingdom is rife with internal power struggles. The current Mo Yun Kingdom ruler and his forces are inclined to become independent and even plot to seize the Tian Ce Palace's superior position.

That's why they took advantage of the ancient cultivator's cave to try and probe the strength of the Tian Ce Palace.

Seeing that Bai Ke and his group, sent by Tian Ce Palace, were just a bunch of juniors, and although they were highly skilled, they didn't have much experience in dealing with people, they thought of taking advantage of the situation and came up with this idea.

Upon seeing this, Bai Ke let out a soft snort, looking at the ministers with disdain and sarcasm, and said:

"The Netherworld Beast Forest is not within the territory of the Moyun Kingdom. Why should we hand over a portion of the spoils we obtained there to you?"

"Oh, right! Anning Village is actually within the territory of your Moyun Kingdom. We just captured a group of zombies there and were wondering how to transport them back. Since you want them so badly, I won't stand on ceremony and will give them to you!"

In fact, to prevent the zombies from escaping again and biting people, Bai Ke had already instructed the disciples guarding the zombies to burn them all away.

The reason I said that was just to scare those greedy ministers. You want it? Fine, I'll give it to you then, let's see if you dare take it!