Chapter 29: The Miserable Prime Minister
Before long, Prime Minister Honest arrived back at his own estate, bringing along Grand General Budo and his subordinates.
By this time, the residence had already been completely surrounded by Ogre and the men from the Imperial Police.
Not even a single fly would be able to escape.
Seeing Prime Minister Honest return, Ogre quickly jogged over to meet him. "Minister."
Prime Minister Honest, sitting high atop his horse, merely looked down at him and let out a brief grunt from his nose.
Ogre didn't feel insulted in the slightest. On the contrary, he offered a deeply subservient smile.
In his eyes, this wasn't the Prime Minister showing him contempt at all; it was a sign of recognition.
Could just anyone get the Prime Minister to acknowledge them like that?
Grand General Budo, meanwhile, didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to Ogre, treating him as if he were nothing but thin air.
Ogre didn't get angry about that either. He knew exactly how powerful Grand General Budo was, and he understood his own position well. A mere captain of the Imperial Police was in no way equal to someone of the General's stature.
Prime Minister Honest asked from his high vantage point, "Is that guy still inside?"
Ogre nodded eagerly, immediately declaring that from the moment he arrived, he had locked down the front, back, left, and right sides of the estate. Absolutely not a single fly had made it out.
"Oh, that is good." Prime Minister Honest gave Ogre a commendatory look.
He hadn't expected this guy to actually be of some use after all.
Just that one look made Ogre feel so ecstatic he felt like he was floating. He knew his future was secured.
He certainly wouldn't be limited to just a petty Imperial Police captain anymore; he might even become a noble.
The more he thought about it, the wider Ogre's smile became, and the more subservient his demeanor grew.
At the same time, Prime Minister Honest turned his head to look at Grand General Budo.
Grand General Budo leapt down from his horse and began walking toward the mansion.
Prime Minister Honest hurried to follow, and the soldiers behind them kept a tight formation, marching into the Prime Minister's residence with synchronized, orderly steps.
Just like last time, Prime Minister Honest reached the grand audience hall without having to exert any effort at all.
It was exactly like returning to his own home; along the way, not a single guard dared to block him.
Everyone immediately stepped aside the moment they saw him.
For some reason, though, this only gave Prime Minister Honest a bad feeling deep down in his heart.
He reached up to touch the gemstone atop his head. This Imperial Arms of his gave off a slight warmth.
Upon entering the grand audience hall, Prime Minister Honest and Grand General Budo spotted Yumesaki.
At this moment, Yumesaki was still holding the Prime Minister's woman in his arms, enjoying himself thoroughly.
Compared to last time, however, Prime Minister Honest had managed to calm himself down.
He wasn't like before, flying into a blind rage with a red face and losing his mind.
"Why are you back again?"
Yumesaki pushed away the beautiful woman at his side and looked at Prime Minister Honest with a thoroughly annoyed expression. "I let you off last time. Why can't you be grateful?"
The flesh on Prime Minister Honest's face twitched. He really hadn't expected this guy to say something like that.
This person truly considered himself the owner of this place.
"Grand General Budo, the person I told you about who stole my identity is this man."
Grand General Budo looked at Prime Minister Honest with a completely baffled expression, almost wanting to laugh out of sheer anger.
"Isn't the thief who stole the Prime Minister's identity you? You actually dare to act so brazenly here. Do you know the punishment for slandering the Prime Minister of the Empire?"
Hearing these words, Prime Minister Honest instantly went dumbfounded.
What do you mean the thief who replaced the Prime Minister is me? I am the Prime Minister!
But when he saw Grand General Budo looking at him as if he were a complete stranger, a cold shiver immediately ran down his spine.
Oh no. Grand General Budo had fallen under a spell.
How long had they even been inside? Grand General Budo had already been brainwashed by the other party. This was just too absurd.
What kind of Imperial Arms was this to be so utterly ridiculous?
Coming to his senses, Prime Minister Honest didn't hesitate for a single second. He shattered the gemstone Imperial Arms atop his head, intending to destroy whatever Imperial Arms Yumesaki was using.
But even after the gemstone shattered, he found that Grand General Budo was still staring at him like a stranger.
There was only coldness and unfamiliarity in the General's eyes.
It was blindingly obvious that Grand General Budo had not recovered from the brainwashing.
Prime Minister Honest's heart sank completely.
The worst-case scenario had come to pass. His Anti-Imperial Arms had been activated, yet Grand General Budo was still brainwashed.
This meant the opponent wasn't an Imperial Arms user at all, and the ability to steal his identity didn't stem from an Imperial Arms.
Instead, it came from a brand-new ability that even he knew nothing about.
This meant that if he wanted to reclaim the position that rightfully belonged to him, it would likely be harder than scaling the heavens.
More importantly, Grand General Budo was brainwashed and viewed him as a thief.
This meant that as long as the other party gave the order, Grand General Budo would kill him without a second thought.
The moment he pictured such a scene, Prime Minister Honest's face turned stark white.
Especially when he saw Yumesaki wearing a deeply meaningful expression, his entire body began to tremble with absolute terror.
He didn't want to die. He really didn't want to die.
He had gone through so much trouble to assassinate the previous emperor, helped the young emperor ascend the throne, and painstakingly became the Prime Minister who held absolute power over the court. How could Honest be willing to just die like this?
No, he couldn't die. Absolutely not.
With that thought, Prime Minister Honest fell to his knees before Yumesaki with a loud thud.
"This is my mistake! I was consumed by insatiable greed! My head wasn't clear, and I shouldn't have offended you!"
At this moment, tears streamed down Prime Minister Honest's face as he began to frantically beg Yumesaki for mercy, declaring that he had completely overestimated himself and hoping Yumesaki would spare his miserable life.
Seeing this, Yumesaki couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter. "You really are a man who knows how to adapt to the situation."
Prime Minister Honest forced out a deeply compliant smile.
"What my Lord says is absolutely right. What my Lord says is far too true."
Before becoming the Prime Minister who held absolute power in the court, he had also relied on sycophancy and brown-nosed his way to the top. This could be considered his natural instinct.
It was just that after he reached the top, there was no longer anyone who could make him do such a thing.
But now, he brought back the skills he had long discarded.
To survive, there was no shame in it.
Yumesaki smiled faintly, looking down at the groveling Prime Minister before speaking with a chuckle.
"How about this? I'll give you a chance. Soldiers, come here!" he shouted loudly, calling over several of his subordinates.
Yumesaki pointed at Prime Minister Honest kneeling on the ground and said, "You men go give him a hundred strikes with the military staff. Hit him hard."
Then he turned back to Prime Minister Honest. "If you can endure these hundred strikes, I will spare your life."
After he finished speaking, he directly let his subordinates drag Prime Minister Honest outside.
In truth, with Prime Minister Honest's actual strength, breaking free from these few guards wouldn't be a problem at all, but he didn't dare do it.
Because Grand General Budo was still standing right there.
The moment he dared to try anything reckless, Grand General Budo would strike him down without the slightest hesitation.
After all, in Grand General Budo's eyes, he wasn't the Prime Minister, but a thief attempting to forge the Prime Minister's identity.
This was supposed to be the protective amulet he had invited along, but it had turned into his executioner's blade instead.
It had to be said, it was a massive stroke of irony.
Before long, a series of heavy, resounding impacts echoed from outside.
It was the sound of a staff as thick as a fist slamming repeatedly against human flesh.
The hundred military staff strikes were soon completed, and the guards dragged Prime Minister Honest—whose flesh and blood were now completely mangled—back into the hall.
Yumesaki popped a grape into his mouth as he looked down at Prime Minister Honest lying flat on the floor.
The current Prime Minister Honest didn't have a single patch of intact skin left on his body. Both his back and his buttocks had long been beaten into a bloody, shredded mess.
His face was pale to the absolute extreme, looking as though he might drop dead on the spot at any given second.
Yet, he was still breathing.
Clearly, this was the result of Prime Minister Honest's long-term physical training.
"Alright, throw him out," Yumesaki said, waving his hand to his subordinates.
The guards nodded, dragging Prime Minister Honest and his mangled flesh all the way from the grand audience hall to the main front gates, before tossing him out into the street.
Prime Minister Honest couldn't withstand that final impact. The moment he hit the ground, his eyes rolled back, and he instantly blacked out.
Meanwhile, Ogre, who had been keeping watch outside the entire time, went completely numb at the sight.
No, what exactly had happened?
Why was the Prime Minister being thrown out of his own residence by someone else?
Where was Grand General Budo? Why hadn't Grand General Budo stopped them at all?
For a moment, Ogre's brain turned into a chaotic mess, completely unable to comprehend what kind of incident had just taken place.
But driven by his desire for a promotion, he still ordered his men to pick up Prime Minister Honest, and they hurriedly left the area.
On the other side.
Inside the grand audience hall, Grand General Budo looked at Yumesaki with a flat expression. "Since you have reclaimed your position, Prime Minister, it is time for me to return and report my duties."
Yumesaki smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Grand General Budo."
In truth, the moment this Grand General had entered the hall, his memories had already been altered by Yumesaki.
In his memory, the Prime Minister had brought him along to the estate, and after overcoming various difficulties, finally reclaimed his position.
The person who had just been kicked out wasn't the Prime Minister at all, but a thief who had usurped the Prime Minister's post.
Watching Grand General Budo depart with his soldiers, Yumesaki couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Memory Magic really was incredibly useful!
Without making a sound or a single movement, he could play his enemies right in the palm of his hand, and the other party wouldn't even realize anything was wrong.
It was incredibly practical.
The next morning, Yumesaki woke up from the luxurious bed belonging to the Prime Minister and stretched his body.
After washing up, Yumesaki walked toward the dining hall and found that the chef had prepared a lavish breakfast.
He took a quick glance and couldn't help but sigh in amazement again. The Prime Minister's meals really were top-notch; there was already meat first thing in the morning.
Moreover, it was the meat of a Danger Beast. The quality of the meat was exceptionally fresh and packed with incredibly high energy.
No wonder Prime Minister Honest could eat until he became such a massively fat man. Eating so many types of meat every single day, how could he not get fat?
After finishing his breakfast, Yumesaki casually strolled out of the Prime Minister's residence, heading straight toward the imperial palace.
Since he had already replaced the Prime Minister, he naturally had to go to the imperial palace to take a walk and see what an early morning court meeting looked like.
Upon entering the imperial palace, Yumesaki silently and effortlessly brainwashed the palace guards, making them all perceive him as Prime Minister Honest.
Consequently, the palace guards didn't hinder Yumesaki in the slightest.
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