Golden Branch

Zhou Jiming held the imperial edict in his hands, his whole body exuding confidence and high spirits.

His long-cherished wish for two lifetimes is about to come true.

He finally embarked on the smooth road to the pinnacle of power.

Although he is not the Minister of Dali Temple, the position of Shaoqing is also good.

Just wait for the current Dali Temple Minister to step down...

and many more!

Zhou Jiming, who was in ecstasy, suddenly thought of something -

The Shaoqing of Dali Temple is Lou Yu.

If I am transferred to the Dali Temple, what about Lou Yu?

Could it be that he was promoted to the position of Dali Temple Minister?

Zhou Jiming only felt his heart going up and down.

The smile from the heart froze on his face.

Perhaps it was because they came from the same place, or perhaps it was because they had studied together since childhood. Although the two had no personal grudges against each other, Zhou Jiming instinctively wanted to compete with Lou Yu.

It would be even better if we could step on him, look down on him, and let him live under our nose.

Maybe this is the bad fate from the previous life.

It was not in his previous life before his rebirth, but in a certain life that he did not know, he and Lou Yu must have made many enemies.

...This was Zhou Jiming's self-consolation in his heart. In fact, he was just jealous.

I am jealous of Lou Yu’s noble birth and his good luck.

He had a good father who was in a high position of power, and he became a disciple of a famous scholar in the country. Even when he got married, he married a princess who was a stunning beauty.

Lying drunk on the lap of a beauty, waking up to control the world... Lou Yu's life is so perfect that it makes countless men envious and jealous even though he is not even twenty years old!

Zhou Jiming has even more absolute reasons.

He and Lou Yu are from the same hometown, and they are also half-disciple of the same school.

He witnessed the wealth of the Lou family with his own eyes and heard about the rise of Lou Yu with his own ears.

When reading everyday, Lou Yu is accompanied by beautiful women, and is surrounded by people.

Not only does he have a good family background and is blessed, he is also so intelligent.

Lou Yu is so smart that he is almost like a demon. He is no longer an ordinary academic master or genius, but a child of destiny that countless geniuses envy.

It was as if he was the most proud work carefully crafted by Nuwa, and the biological son of God.

Life is too perfect, making it really hard for people around him (such as Zhou Jiming) not to feel jealous.

"I was born with a good fortune, so what?"

"I, Zhou Jiming, am also a favorite of God! I can be reborn after death."

"If there is a ruler in this world, it must be me!"

What is Lou Yu?

It’s just that he can reincarnate and study, which gives him all the advantages.

I, I'm not bad either.

I have the experience of living two lives, and I have the determination to make positive progress. I will definitely be able to climb to that peak and leave Lou Yu behind and step on him!

For countless days after arriving in Beijing, Zhou Jiming was secretly fuming in his heart.

In order to achieve this goal, Zhou Jiming resorted to all means and became the cruel official and lackey that he once despised.

Just now, he received the imperial edict of promotion, and his heart soared to the sky.

Before he could be surprised for too long, he fell back into the abyss again -

If Lou Yu was promoted to the position of Dali Temple Minister, wouldn't I, as the Dali Temple Junior Minister, have to make a living under him?

He had been looking up at Lou Yu for too long and didn't want to be oppressed or stepped on by him anymore.

"Someone, come! Go check if the Dali Temple Minister has been transferred!"

"Also, has there been anything unusual with the Duke of Qi's Mansion in recent days?"

Holding the imperial edict tightly, Zhou Jiming gritted his teeth and gave orders in a cold voice.

In the two years since joining the Hundred Cavalry Division, Zhou Jiming not only earned the infamy of being a cruel official, but also built up his own power.

He came from a farming family with shallow roots and did not have the soldiers and secret guards that his family had raised for many years.

However, through his own efforts, he changed his family's status, crossed the class barrier, and gradually built up his own team.

He also took advantage of his case handling to make friends with all kinds of people in the Gyeonggi region.

His spies and informants may not be as loyal as the private soldiers maintained by the aristocratic families, but they can all be used by him.

Now, he is really not a peasant slave with no foundation.

As long as he wanted, he could grasp every move in the huge capital city.

……

Lou Yu sent the three little ones to Mount Li and let them stay in a villa for one night. The next morning, he hurried back to the capital.

The troubles caused by Ani were not limited to the Crown Princess, Rong An and others, but also several powerful people who were bewitched by her.

Whether they used poison, insects, or some other sinister and strange method to prepare secret medicine, they were all stained with blood to a greater or lesser extent.

Lou Yu had to take care of all of this.

He couldn't let anyone know Ani's true identity and her real purpose of coming to Beijing.

We must not let anyone catch Ani in any way.

It’s not that Lou Yu wants to favor this Miao girl, but it’s about the Eastern Palace, and he can’t let the Eastern Palace become a topic of conversation among the people in the streets.

There is also the matter of Yongzhou, which involves a prince. Before Lou Yu arrives in Yongzhou and takes action, the news must not leak out.

It's okay for others, even if they lack ability, they still have some common sense.

They knew that the waters in the capital were deep and complicated, and when they were unsure, they would not act rashly even if they had clues.

Only Zhou Jiming has gone to extremes in his pursuit of advancement.

Not to mention his past cases, this disappearance case alone has exposed his eagerness for quick success and his unscrupulous nature.

It’s not that he shouldn’t handle the case impartially and pursue the murderer.

But... he is in the officialdom, but he doesn't seem to understand the rules of the officialdom.

Many times, the mysterious cases and even unsolved cases in Jingzhao Prefecture and Dali Temple are not really unsolved, but cannot be investigated.

A disguised peace is still peace. Compared with "balance", the truth is not that important.

Zhou Jiming didn't understand this.

Perhaps he understood, but he wanted to "progress" so much that he pretended not to understand.

Act as if you are not afraid of power and only fight for justice.

Head forward and charge forward!

He wants to be a knife in the hands of a saint, even if this knife may be double-edged.

Even if he killed one thousand enemies and lost eight hundred of his own, he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

Because he had become a "cruel official", he had no way to retreat, and he could not retreat.

With such a "stubborn" person who is good at investigating cases, Lou Yu has to be more cautious.

He would never leave any trace for Zhou Jiming, which would cause trouble for Zhou Jiming.

When Lou Yu was negotiating with Ani, he already had a comprehensive plan in mind.

Now, he is just executing it step by step.

After returning to Beijing, Lou Yu became busy without stopping.

In addition to the beginning and end of these cases, Lou Yu also has to go to the Dali Temple for handover.

Zhou Jiming: ...

"Hahaha!"

Lou Yu was not promoted to the position of Dali Temple Minister.

Lou Yu just resigned and did not receive any new appointment.

Could it be that the sage and the prince have finally grown annoyed with this hypocrite who only knows how to put on airs?

Although Lou Yu still has the title of Duke of Qi, and although he can still attend court and even participate in the council hall after the court meeting, he currently has no official position!

Lou Yu has lost his power!

Zhou Jiming completely replaced Lou Yu and became the second-in-command of the Dali Temple, as well as the designated top leader.

In less than a day, Zhou Jiming's spies found the information he wanted:

There was no change in the position of Dali Temple Minister.

Not only did Lou Yu not get promoted, but he lost his job!

"Haha! Hahaha! Lou Hanzhang, ah Lou Hanzhang, you have come to this day too?"

"Aren't you born with a good life and favored by God? Aren't you the Duke of Guo and the Prince Consort?"

"Haha, even the position of Shaoqing was lost..."

"I've always said it, God rewards hard work. I've been diligently handling cases, while Lou Hanzhang has been sitting idle. The Sage and the Crown Prince are truly wise, how could they be deceived by a hypocrite?"

Zhou Jiming finally succeeded in handling the case diligently and finally saw the bright moon after the clouds had cleared.

The heart that had sunk to the bottom of the valley started to fly again.

Zhou Jiming felt his blood boiling, and he wished he could run to the Dali Temple as soon as possible to show off to Lou Yu... Oh, no, it was to hand over the task.

At most, when he was busy with official duties, out of friendship with his fellow townsman and classmates, he cared about Lou Yu's new job and comforted him appropriately:

It doesn't matter if you lose your official position! You still have the title of founding county duke.

Besides, there is no smooth road in life.

Nine out of ten times, it’s not satisfactory!

Hanzhang was still young and held a high position before she even reached the age of twenty.

Occasional ups and downs are also God's arrangement.

A sage once said, "Heaven will bestow great responsibilities upon this person..."

Haha, isn’t Lou Hanzhang well-versed in literature and history, and isn’t he well-versed in ancient and modern times?

I believe he has already memorized the classics of the Second Sage.

...Whenever Zhou Jiming, who had been suppressed by Lou Yu for many years, thought of these scenes, he felt proud and refreshed!

His lifelong enemy was defeated just like that?!

But subsequent facts told Zhou Jiming that his "happiness" was more than that.

Zhou Jiming rushed to the Dali Temple and quickly took over many files from Lou Yu.

Zhou Jiming had prepared a lot of "kind words of comfort", but when he saw Lou Yuruo's cold eyes, he was instantly stuck.

And Lou Yu's cold and murderous aura, which had not subsided at all, made Zhou Jiming, who was known as the "Jade Yama" in the streets, tremble in his heart.

When facing Lou Yu with his full aura, Zhou Jiming finally realized the difference between the so-called cruel officials who are proficient in torture and the evil spirits who emerged from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Zhou Jiming thought he had reached the state of "not fearing life or death", but in fact, he was still far behind the real devil of hell.

In particular, Lou Yu's cruelty and brutality can be hidden under the mask of elegance.

The cool fragrance of cedar suppressed the bloodiness, making Lou Yu more like a god than a ghost!

Zhou Jiming: ...Forget it, forget it! As a successful person, why would I bother with a stray dog?

Zhou Jiming comforted himself in this way, and within half a month, it seemed that his words had come true.

Lou Yu was actually appointed as the governor of Yongzhou.

Yongzhou, the land of Lingnan!

Lou Yu not only lost his official position, but was also completely exiled by the saint and the prince.

He is finished!

……

As the appointment order was issued, Zhou Jiming was not the only one who gloated over the misfortune.

The powerful and wealthy always show their ability to take advantage of others' misfortunes and to change their attitude according to the situation.

The most direct manifestation is Lou Yu’s upcoming birthday party.

Wang Heng couldn't help but joke with Lou Yu, "Brother, this year might be the quietest birthday party you've ever had in your life!"

Lou Yu raised his eyebrows: Is the world fickle? He had experienced this more than ten years ago!