[Haha, this old guy's trying to strike first.]

Jing Le wasn't intimidated by the other party's imposing manner at all, and even took a bite of the pastry next to her.

Emperor Jing never expected that the Prime Minister would actually want to fight to the death.

Looking at Jing Le and the Second Prince beside him, he instantly understood.

He wanted to take himself down before the rescue arrived, and then everything would be solved.

But is Mu Hongbo underestimating himself?

Over the years, he has dealt with most of the affairs of the court.

Some important positions have already been filled by his own people, and once they step down, the entire court will truly become his personal fiefdom.

"Mu Hongbo, you underestimate me. The Great Yong Dynasty belongs to the Jing family. Your actions are tantamount to treason."

Emperor Jing looked at the crowd and spoke in a deep voice, showing no fear of the swords that were about to strike.

He continued, "Dragon Shadow Guards, listen to my command: capture all the rebels."

"yes."

Shadow One and his men, who had been waiting in the shadows for a long time, stood in front of Emperor Jing, deflecting the oncoming swords and engaging him in battle.

"Dragon Shadow Guard? The late emperor passed the Dragon Shadow Guard down to you!!"

The prime minister's face was filled with disbelief.

He knew about the Dragon Shadow Guards; they were secret guards specially trained by the late emperor to protect the emperor.

Only true successors can gain the Dragon Shadow Guard's following.

He had personally witnessed the power of the Dragon Shadow Guards; although it was a bit of an exaggeration to say that one could take on a hundred.

But one of them can easily take on dozens of people.

"Protect the Emperor."

Just then, Zhao Gan and his entourage, who had come through the secret passage of the Prime Minister's residence, also arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

They surrounded the prime minister and his entourage directly from behind.

The Prime Minister understood immediately upon hearing Zhao Gan's voice.

He wondered why he hadn't seen Zhao Gan in the palace; it turned out he was waiting for him here.

He had only one thought in his mind: it's over, his great cause is over.

The situation had completely turned against him. Seeing this, the Prime Minister's eyes were filled with madness. He seized an opportunity and thrust his sword at Emperor Jing.

"My great cause is not yet accomplished, so don't expect to have an easy time either."

Unexpectedly, a strange change occurred.

Before the prime minister could even reach Emperor Jing's side, a sword pierced out from behind him.

A piece of clothing that ran through his body.

"Hmm...."

When the prime minister turned around, he was surprised to find that the person who had attacked him was one of his own, the very assassin he had sent to keep an eye on the empress.

"Why... pfft..."

As the Prime Minister asked his question, the sword behind him plunged even deeper.

He then said, "By order of my master, I have sent the Prime Minister to accompany her."

The assassin knew that the Empress would not survive after being banished to the Cold Palace; he was still alive just because he hadn't heard the news of the Prime Minister's death.

Now that I have dealt with the Prime Minister, the Empress can leave in peace.

He then drew his sword and, without Yingyi and the others lifting a finger, ended his own life.

The prime minister died with his eyes wide open, lying a meter away from Emperor Jing.

[Holy crap, this is so exciting! They actually turned on each other! That assassin is the one who was sent out back then.]

[Unexpectedly, he's loyal to the Empress. But the Prime Minister deserves it; who told him to treat his own daughter like that...]

Jing Le took another bite of pastry, showing no fear whatsoever at the bloody scene.

Emperor Jing's face darkened for a moment.

Could you please stop bringing up the matter between the Empress and the Prime Minister?

He didn't want to hear again that his wife had any connection with the man he thought was loyal.

This makes him look incredibly incompetent.

It seems I need to find some time to visit the inner palace, otherwise they'll think I'm no longer capable.

The second prince's lips twitched; he didn't want to hear any more of this.

The Empress was, after all, his birth mother; it was really inappropriate for him to hear about his mother's romantic escapades.

Didn't you see that Emperor Jing's face turned black?

He quietly stepped back a few paces to avoid being accidentally injured by Emperor Jing.

"Zhao Gan, arrest all the relevant officials and throw them in jail. We'll decide their fate after that."

Emperor Jing spoke in a deep voice, his imposing aura sending chills down the spines of everyone present.

Everyone knows that Emperor Jing is furious.

Of course, Jing Le is an exception.

[Haha, Father Emperor's aura is finally giving off the feeling of a tyrant. No wonder the people are so easily swayed by others' opinions.]

Emperor Jing's initial momentum crumbled instantly, and he helplessly glanced at Jing Le, who was relentlessly criticizing him.

Then he said, "Alright, go down now, you should go back too."

The first sentence was addressed to Zhao Gan and others, and the second sentence was addressed to the Second Prince.

He carried Jing Le away from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

...

The next day.

The topic is being discussed everywhere.

"Hey, did you hear any commotion last night? Everyone from the Prime Minister's residence has been arrested and thrown into jail."

"I know that. My house is right next to the Prime Minister's residence. I was getting up in the middle of the night when suddenly a group of people surrounded the entire residence, saying that the Prime Minister had been executed for treason..."

"What? The Prime Minister is plotting a rebellion? We're doing just fine now, why would there be a rebellion? Won't we have to go to war again?"

"That's right. We're living a promising life now, all thanks to the Emperor. The Prime Minister must be delirious."

"I've heard that besides the Prime Minister, there's also the Minister of Revenue, and even people from the Censorate are involved."

"I've heard about it too. Last night was a bloodbath. This morning I even saw slave traders leading servants from various households to be sold off..."

In almost a morning, news of the prime minister's treason had spread throughout the streets and alleys, and everyone knew about it.

His accomplices were also arrested and despised by the people.

Let's go back to the morning court session.

As soon as the officials entered the court, they were enveloped by a suffocating atmosphere in the hall.

Although the events of last night were not very clear, the sudden disappearance of so many ministers this morning has everyone on edge.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!