"What's all the noise about? My ears aren't deaf. Can't you see I have important business to attend to?"

He had watched the Yan Emperor grow up, and now, looking at him, he felt a deep disappointment and frustration.

"Your Majesty, please punish Prince Heng and give the Yue Kingdom an explanation!"

Prime Minister Wang knelt on the ground, his voice resounding.

Following Prime Minister Wang's kneeling, a few other ministers also knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty, please punish Prince Heng and give the Yue Kingdom an explanation!"

At this moment, Yan Shaoheng was already standing outside the door.

"Prince Heng has arrived."

"I have met Prince Heng."

The officials bowed deeply to Yan Shaoheng. Prime Minister Wang frowned, unaware that the court had been completely replaced by Yan Shaoheng's men.

"What does Prime Minister Wang want the Emperor to punish me for? I had no idea that being away for half a month would result in such a serious crime in Prime Minister Wang's eyes?"

As Yan Shaoheng passed by Prime Minister Wang and his entourage, a cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips.

The kneeling minister felt a wave of fear wash over him.

"The Yue Kingdom has already sent messengers to report on what Prince Heng has done there, saying that you had an affair with the late emperor's concubine and that she had given birth to a son."

Now that they have rebelled and are to be executed, King Heng has taken them back to the State of Yan.

"May I ask Your Majesty, shouldn't we give the Yue Kingdom an explanation?"

Prime Minister Wang spoke with extreme indignation, and was even a little out of breath.

"What kind of explanation does Prime Minister Wang intend to give to the Yue Kingdom?"

Yan Shaoheng revealed a smile, his eyes were cold and piercing, and his sharp white teeth were faintly visible, causing the kneeling ministers to shiver and their hearts to begin to soften.

"Naturally, it should be handed over to the Moon Kingdom for disposal."

"Hahaha! The dignified Prime Minister of Yan actually listened to slander without even asking what happened and sent a prince to another country for punishment. Prime Minister Wang, you are truly something else."

His handsome face seemed to have several veins bulging out, but upon closer inspection, it didn't quite look like that, making him seem very strange.

“Prime Minister Wang, Prince Heng is right. We don’t know the full story yet, so we can’t jump to conclusions so quickly.”

The Yan Emperor echoed his sentiments, still reluctant to let go of the warmth in his hands.

"In that case, may I be so bold as to ask Your Highness, is what the Yue Kingdom envoy mentioned in his letter true?"

"Every word is true!"

Yan Shaoheng simply admitted it, so who can do anything to him now?

"Your Majesty! You heard it yourself, Prince Heng has admitted it. Please punish Prince Heng!"

"Prince Heng, what do you think should be done about this?"

The Emperor of Yan gently lifted Consort Mei's chin, as if teasing a bird.

"I don't think there's anything to deal with in this matter. Yan has always been inferior to Yue, but I don't think it's because Yan is inferior to Yue."

Rather, it was cowardice and incompetence. If someone could really destroy the Yue Kingdom, how could the Yue Kingdom bully the Yan Kingdom?

"I brought them back this time to tell the Yue Kingdom that the Yan Kingdom is the true leader of the four kingdoms!"

"Chaos! Chaos! Everything is in chaos!"

Prime Minister Wang stood up, and like a madman, began to berate Yan Shaoheng.

Yan Shaoheng drew the sword from Cheng Ying's waist and slit Prime Minister Wang's throat on the spot.

"Prime Minister Wang has pleaded for the Yue Kingdom time and time again. I have reason to suspect Prime Minister Wang's intentions. Your Majesty, do you think what I said makes sense?"

The Emperor of Yan was startled by the gushing blood, and Consort Mei, who was standing next to him, screamed in fright.

Fearing they would be next to have their throats slit, all the ministers knelt down and bowed their heads.

Weapons are not allowed in the palace, and now that Yan Shaoheng has brought a knife into the palace, he no longer takes the Emperor Yan seriously.

"How dare you, Yan Shaoheng! Not only did you bring a knife into the palace without permission, but you also killed the current prime minister! Guards, seize him for me!"

The Empress Dowager, dressed in magnificent attire, exuded a solemn aura that commanded respect.

The ministers who had just been fighting against Yan Shaoheng now seemed to have seen a savior.

"Didn't you hear what I said? Seize him at once!"

Seeing that none of the guards made a move, the Empress Dowager issued another order.

But still, no one listened to her.

"Since ancient times, the empress dowager has never been allowed to interfere in politics. Is she planning a rebellion?"

"Yan Shaoheng, you don't need to put such a big label on me. Even if I am the mistress of the harem, I can still order around these lowly guards."

"In that case, then please summon the Empress Dowager."

But still no guards paid him any attention, and even the ministers who saw that no guards were taking action did not dare to get up and do anything to Yan Shaoheng.

Only then did the Empress Dowager realize how big a mistake she had made by handing over the reins of power to her son all these years.

In just a few years, they were no longer in the imperial court.

"You unfilial son! You unfilial son! Look at what you've done! Look at the entire court, where are your loyal subjects now?"

Seeing that no one obeyed her, the Empress Dowager vented her anger on the Emperor of Yan.

"You vixen! You failed to bewitch the late emperor back then, and now you're trying to bewitch my son! I'll kill you!"

The Empress Dowager, having been provoked, had long lost her earlier grace and majesty.

Just as the Empress Dowager was about to slap Consort Mei across the face, the Emperor of Yan caught her hand.

With a forceful shove, he threw the Empress Dowager away, and she fell to the ground before she could react.

"Empress Dowager! Empress Dowager!"

After the Empress Dowager's maid helped her up, the slap that was originally meant for her landed on the maid's face.

"You vile woman, why didn't you help me up? Did you want to see me fall so you could do the same thing as that lowly servant?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

The maids kowtowed one by one to the ground, and after several kowtows, their foreheads were already bleeding.

But she dared not stop, because two maids before her had already been beaten to death for displeasing the Empress Dowager.

"It was I who pushed you, why make things difficult for a maid?"

The Empress Dowager's eyes reddened, her lips trembled, and even her voice trembled slightly.

"You unfilial son! You are obsessed with women all day long. I think you will fall into the hands of women sooner or later."

"Falling into a woman's hands? Wouldn't that be better? Does Mother not want it to fall into a man's hands?"

"Insolence! Do you know what you're saying?!"

"Of course I know how many of the eunuchs in your palace are real eunuchs. I'm sure you know that too. I'm just turning a blind eye to it."

However, the Empress Dowager publicly disrespected the Emperor of Yan, and the Emperor of Yan, enraged, revealed the truth.

"You! You actually knew all of this?"

The Empress Dowager was somewhat shocked. Over the years, the Yan Emperor had visited her palace only a handful of times, and even when he did, she would dismiss all the eunuchs.

I never expected that he would find out.

"No! You bitch! Did you do this? Did you?"

Consort Mei, like a frightened kitten, snuggled closer to Emperor Yan.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is so scary! I'm frightened! Please protect me, Your Majesty!"

The Emperor Yan hugged Consort Mei even tighter, gently stroking her back. "Good, good, I will protect you, I will protect you!"