Chapter Four: The Four Legendary Constables

Seeing the notification on the interface, Zhu Yu’s lips twitched, uncertain whether to laugh or cry. He took another careful look at the words displayed, then at the glaring number—501! He cursed inwardly. Was this so-called golden finger here to save him, or to hasten his doom? The number was about to fall below 500!

Zhu Yu took a deep breath, comforting himself that since the system had arrived, his rise couldn’t be far behind. He calmed his mind and began to study the system, searching for a solution. But after fiddling with it for quite some time, he discovered there was nothing but that initial page; nothing else could be found. His heart plummeted.

Still, Zhu Yu managed to understand a bit about how this system worked. Although he didn’t know how to use it yet, judging by the penalty for having less than 500 luck points, and considering the system’s name, it seemed that earning luck points was tied to the fate of the nation, not himself personally.

Before Zhu Yu could recover his composure, an event occurred that chilled him to the core. He watched as the system’s luck value of 501 abruptly dropped to 483!

Not long after, Eunuch Wu hurried in and explained the reason for the plummeting luck value. Two things had happened: the murderer who killed the Divine Constable had escaped from the Six Gates prison, and Grand Chancellor Zhang Hairui and his entire household had been wiped out overnight!

Hearing these two pieces of news, Zhu Yu’s vision went black. The first was bad enough, but the entire household of the Grand Chancellor being slaughtered in a single night—could anyone believe such a thing? How weak had the imperial court become to allow such audacity?

Thinking about what had happened since his luck value fell below 500, Zhu Yu suddenly felt exhausted. He considered simply being a muddle-headed emperor for three months, enjoying himself before finding a comfortable way to die.

Eunuch Wu, seeing Zhu Yu’s expression, tried to comfort him. “Your Majesty, rest assured. Divine Marquis Zhuge will surely get to the bottom of these matters. Do you not trust Divine Marquis Zhuge’s abilities?”

Hearing this, Zhu Yu frowned and asked, “Divine Marquis Zhuge? Shouldn’t it be Iron-Gallant Divine Marquis?”

“Your Majesty must be joking. Have you forgotten Divine Marquis Zhuge? He was formerly the late emperor’s personal bodyguard, hailed as the first among all guards. Even Iron-Gallant Divine Marquis praised him highly.”

“Divine Marquis Zhuge… Zhuge Zhengwo!” The name flashed across Zhu Yu’s mind, and he blurted it out.

“Yes, Divine Marquis Zhuge is indeed called Zhuge Zhengwo. Your Majesty remembers now?”

“Leave!” Zhu Yu shot a glare at Eunuch Wu, suddenly annoyed at this sycophant who couldn’t even flatter properly.

After Eunuch Wu withdrew, the vast imperial study was left with only Zhu Yu, his brows tightly knit.

But before long, laughter echoed through the study. He had found a way out! Zhu Yu had figured out how to break the deadlock—how to raise his luck value above 500.

Realizing who Zhuge Zhengwo was, Zhu Yu understood that the plot of “The Four Great Constables” was unfolding. Moments before, he had been wracking his brain to recall the specific storyline.

He managed to remember quite a bit, which gave him the confidence to turn things around. The plot of “The Four Great Constables” revolved around Zhuge Zhengwo and his four subordinates: Coldblood, Emotionless, Ironhand, and Life-Snatcher.

Among the villains, Chancellor Cai was a minor antagonist, wielding immense power as the head traitor. The emperor in the story was little more than a figurehead; by the finale, all the villains, including Chancellor Cai, ended up dead.

Just the death of Chancellor Cai alone would be enough to push his luck value above 500! All Zhu Yu had to do was leave the palace and encounter danger at the right moment.

Zhu Yu recalled the emperor’s specific plotlines in “The Four Great Constables,” then called for Eunuch Wu. “Has there been any temple fair or lantern festival in the capital recently?”

Eunuch Wu pondered a moment before replying, “Your Majesty, in three days’ time, there will be a temple fair in the capital starting at noon and a lantern festival that evening.”

Hearing this confirmed, Zhu Yu felt relieved. From his memories of the plot, he was sure he wouldn’t be harmed—only frightened a little. He could raise his luck value by taking this free ride, and with Chancellor Cai dead, he would regain most of the power at court.

As for whether the comprehensive martial world would cause the plot to change, Zhu Yu dared not dwell on it—it was pointless to worry. He lacked the ability to set the story right if it did veer off course.

All he could do was bet everything on this chance. It was his only opportunity to turn the tables.

Three days later, Zhu Yu said to his close attendant, Eunuch Wu, “Change into plain clothes and accompany me out of the palace.”

Eunuch Wu was startled and quickly tried to dissuade him. “Your Majesty, please reconsider! There will be heavy crowds at the temple fair today. If anything dangerous were to happen… And besides, all three chief eunuchs of the Eastern and Western Factories are out of the capital. There’s no one to protect you. Perhaps Your Majesty should wait for a less busy day?”

“Isn’t that what you’re for? Besides, I intend to go incognito among the people. If I wait for a day when there’s no one around, whom would I visit?” Zhu Yu replied impatiently.

The truth was, today’s excursion was a set piece from “The Four Great Constables.” He couldn’t afford to disrupt the plot—if anything went wrong, his fate would be sealed in three months.

In the end, Eunuch Wu failed to persuade him and could only accompany Zhu Yu out of the palace.

As they left, the expected “accident” occurred. Facing the palace guards blocking his way, Zhu Yu’s anger flared, even though he’d already remembered this part of the story. Wasn’t he the emperor? Did these people have any respect for their sovereign?

Once his temper ignited, it was not easily extinguished. The more he looked at the guards forming a human wall, the more hateful they appeared. He couldn’t help but throw punches and kicks at them.

Just as Zhu Yu was tiring of his own outburst, the palace gates opened.

A middle-aged man in ornate robes strode in with his retinue, weapons unsheathed, swaggering as if he owned the place. As he walked, he scolded, “His Majesty is going to inspect the people—why are you blocking him? What are you thinking? How can I entrust His Majesty’s safety to such blockheads?”

He berated the guards as he drew near, and before he’d finished speaking, they parted to allow him through.

This scene made Zhu Yu’s eyelids twitch.

With a false smile, the man gave a perfunctory bow. “Your servant pays respects to Your Majesty. Are you going out? Would you like me to assign some guards to protect you, lest you run into trouble?”

“Thank you for your concern, uncle, but that’s unnecessary,” Zhu Yu replied with a forced smile.

This man was none other than Chancellor Cai—the head traitor of the court, Zhu Yu’s uncle, and Zhu Yu’s most important target this time.