Zhu Cunji had only just finished sniping at Wu Shen when the battle at Yanmen Pass officially began on screen.
The small artillery tubes thundered—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shells arced gracefully through the air and crashed down inside the pass, blasting the Manchu troops into panicked chaos. Their screams echoed as they scattered in all directions.
Next, the assault troops moved in.
Gao Chuwu was like a ferocious beast unleashed, hacking wildly atop the walls.
Unfortunately—
The camera was simply too far away.
The miniature camera lacked any zoom or focus function. It couldn't do cinematic tricks—no sudden close-ups, no heroic framing, no dramatic slow motion.
So Gao Chuwu's individual ferocity wasn't especially clear.
What the audience saw instead was the overall battlefield.
And that was more than enough.
When they saw the Manchus routed—heads tucked, fleeing in disarray—the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers. The entire city of Xi'an exploded with joy.
Zhu Cunji clapped excitedly.
"Well fought! Well fought! Hahaha—magnificent! That general Gao Chuwu is a true tiger! He deserves a reward! Who can summon him? I'll award him a hundred taels of silver!"
Wu Shen chimed in dryly,
"He serves under Master Li. Are you sure a hundred taels would impress him?"
Zhu Cunji froze solid.
…Master Li's man?
Then—never mind.
He already understood: Master Li was truly wealthy enough to rival nations. The Qin Prince's estate, compared to that man's fortune, wasn't even worth mentioning.
The realization was unsettling.
Yet Zhu Cunji felt not the slightest urge to question it.
Because he had noticed something unsettling:
Master Li's face bore a suspicious resemblance to the Dao Xuan Tianzun worshipped by all.
Ever since that realization, even when speaking to the mass-produced Model No. 3 Heavenly Venerable, Zhu Cunji had unconsciously lowered his voice.
Just then, the footage of Yanmen Pass ended.
The image switched back to Gao Yiye, who smiled gently.
"Several days ago, Dao Xuan Tianzun dispatched a new reporter to the frontier. She has returned with important footage. Please watch her report."
The image shifted again.
Hua Kui appeared on screen.
The crowd reacted instantly.
"Ohhh—what a beauty!"
To be fair, Gao Yiye was also a great beauty. But Gao Yiye was a Saintess. No one dared entertain even the slightest improper thought—lest Dao Xuan Tianzun take offense.
Hua Kui, however, was different.
She was a mortal woman.
The audience immediately dropped to their knees in admiration—figuratively speaking—and began enthusiastically worshipping her with their eyes.
"The Gao Family Village logistics team is transporting supplies to the front lines. As you can see, the goods are being loaded onto ships at the Hejin docks. These logistics soldiers truly work so hard…"
The image changed again.
Flames and gunfire filled the background.
Hua Kui now stood on the battlefield. The crack of muskets overlapped into a continuous roar. Her face was pressed close to the camera as she shouted,
"Hello everyone! I'm currently on the battlefield! This is Shanxi—on the official road north of Pingyang Prefecture! The logistics convoy has been attacked by band—by highway robbers! The logistics soldiers are engaging the enemy right now!"
The audience gasped.
"Whoa!"
Zhu Cunji leapt to his feet, furious.
"Is this a joke?! Is this a joke?! There are bandits even on the official road between Pingyang and Taiyuan?! Attacking logistics convoys—this is sabotage of the border war! This is outrageous! Absolutely intolerable!
"What is the Shanxi Governor doing?! Why are bandits allowed to roam freely?! Why is Shanxi crawling with criminals?! What is the governor eating all day?!
"Impeach him! We must impeach him!"
This time, Wu Shen did not argue back.
Instead, he frowned.
"The Shanxi Governor is Lord Dai Jun'en—an old poet. He's an honest official, not corrupt. This situation…"
Zhu Cunji roared,
"Aren't you a Censor?! Write a memorial! Impeach him! Immediately!"
Wu Shen spread his hands.
"Careful there—I'm the Supervising Censor of Shaanxi, not Shanxi. Even if I impeach someone, it can only be a Shaanxi official."
Zhu Cunji scoffed.
"Don't play dumb with me. You Censors can impeach anyone in the empire. You don't even need evidence—you can submit hearsay memorials! As long as you've heard something, verified or not, you can impeach!"
Wu Shen laughed bitterly.
"But I can't just impeach people recklessly."
Zhu Cunji jabbed a finger at the Divine Mirror.
"Reckless?! Look at this! Look carefully! This footage comes from the Divine Mirror—how could it be false?! Bandits are blocking roads between Taiyuan and Pingyang, robbing frontline supplies! Is there no justice left? No law?!
"You watched the broadcast a few days ago too, didn't you? Three bandits attacked the steel transport convoy—only the workers stopped them! Those three bandits were ones Dai Jun'en had previously pacified. Why didn't he execute them on the spot?!
"Look at Hong Chengchou—he killed surrendered bandits outright! Problem solved!"
Wu Shen:
"..."
Zhu Cunji continued angrily,
"I don't care if Dai Jun'en is a clean official. He failed his duty—he can't escape that charge. Impeach him. Impeach him hard."
Wu Shen knew it already.
Even if he didn't submit an impeachment memorial, others certainly would.
This matter could not be avoided.
And frankly—
The bandit problem in Shanxi did need serious treatment.
Otherwise, with Manchus attacking from outside and bandits ravaging the interior—inside and outside coordinating—who could withstand it?
Wu Shen sighed deeply.
"The Divine Mirror truly is a demon-revealing mirror."
It exposed not only the ugliness of villains, but also the limits of good men.
Under this mirror, villains could not pretend to be virtuous—and mediocrities could not pretend to be capable. Poets could not masquerade as administrators, nor scholars as generals.
Dai Jun'en was indeed a good man.
But goodness alone did not mean he could handle the current situation.
Private virtue, ability, and circumstance—these were three separate things. They had to be distinguished.
Wu Shen finally picked up his brush.
He didn't directly impeach anyone.
Instead, he carefully analyzed the situation in Shanxi for the Chongzhen Emperor—emphasizing the importance of matching official capability to political reality.
At this moment, Shanxi did not need a kindly elder.
It needed a man of ability, of ruthlessness, of decisive authority—someone who dared to kill.
As for what followed—
That would be left to Heaven's will.
Wu Shen's memorial was delivered to the relay station. Couriers ran day and night, carrying it to the capital.
At the same time, many other officials were also drafting impeachment memorials against Dai Jun'en.
Some did so out of genuine concern for the Great Ming.
Others did so because removing a powerful figure would free up many positions—and perhaps one of them would be theirs.
This world has never lacked people eager to climb upward by stepping on others' backs.
In politics, a single misstep—even half a step—can mean doom.
Several days later, the imperial decree arrived.
Shanxi Governor Dai Jun'en, for ineffective bandit suppression, lax governance, and allowing criminals to run rampant—nearly endangering border security—was immediately dismissed from office.
Wu Shen was appointed the new Governor of Shanxi, effective immediately.