She stepped out in a pair of black palace boots embroidered with gold cloud patterns on a black sole, followed by a black phoenix-tail skirt that trailed to the ground.

Empress Qin Minghuang stood atop the nine-tiered imperial staircase, a gentle breeze ruffling the twelve strings of pearl tassels adorning her temples, their jade-like tinkling melodies resonating.

Su Quan followed closely on the right, his back hunched. The old eunuch kept his hands tucked into his scarlet sleeves, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

"Panyue."

The Empress called softly.

Pan Yue clasped his hands in a fist salute, and the bluish-black luster around his body intensified.

The formless "momentum" suddenly spread out, condensing into visible ripples in the air.

The Azure Phoenix Guards on the outer perimeter all took a half step back, allowing the powerful energy to create space for the flow of energy.

Qu Heng felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest, and every breath he took tasted of rust.

The soles of the boots of the team members behind them were slowly sinking into the paving stones, as if they were bearing the weight of a mountain.

After doing all this, Pan Yue stepped aside to give way to the view.

The Empress's gaze fell on Qu Heng at the front, her eyes sliding over the severed little finger of his left hand.

A fleeting hint of surprise crossed his eyes, like a pebble dropped into an ancient well, gone in an instant.

"This humble general dares to ask Your Majesty!" Qu Heng suddenly raised his head, the veins on his neck bulging.

"Seven years ago, the military pay in the northern frontier was largely tainted with inferior currency. Was this at His Majesty's behest?"

Sweat dripped down his chin, leaving dark stains on the bluestone bricks, but he stubbornly refused to bow his head.

"Yes." The Empress's voice was perfectly calm, without the slightest ripple.

"Each string of cash contained 300 copper coins of lead, and a total of 270,000 strings of cash were sent to the northern frontier as military pay."

Qu Heng hadn't expected His Majesty to answer so readily, so... frankly!

Anger filled his chest, but he held it back, gritting his teeth as he continued to ask:

"Is Your Majesty aware that General Zhao Polu has sent envoys to the capital to plead for justice?"

"I know." Qin Minghuang's answer was still straightforward.

"Before the memorial reached Fengjing, all three messengers were intercepted and killed. The closest one reached Xianyun County in Jingzhou, but was intercepted by the Xuanji Guard."

Qu Heng suddenly staggered, shakily raising his arm to point at His Majesty, his voice hoarse and strained: "Why?!"

A gentle breeze suddenly swirled up withered leaves, making them dance around the imperial palace.

"The war has been ongoing, the national treasury has been depleted, and the grain stored in the imperial granary is only enough for the capital for ten days."

As a military clerk, you should be able to keep track of the accounts.

If the full pay is made, an additional 30% of the land tax must be levied.

If actual silver is allocated, the silver equivalent of the grain transported to the six prefectures in the central and southern regions will be increased by another 50%.

Her gaze suddenly sharpened like a needle:

"At that time, people in the north exchanged children to eat, and in the south, there were corpses of the starving."

Should we squeeze the last drop of blood from the people to continue the war, or should we cut off the soldiers' food and supplies to stop the fighting?

Qu Canjun, what would you choose?

Qu Heng's lips began to tremble.

He recalled those years of war in the North, when he had indeed seen people eating dirt and starving people hanging themselves outside the state government offices.

The Empress took half a step forward, her embroidered gold skirt brushing against the stone steps.

"Even if we slaughtered all the corrupt officials and confiscated their property, it still wouldn't be enough to cover half a month's supply for the northern army."

"I remember Zhao Polu's military report said, 'The iron cavalry of the north wind eat a sheep a day, while our soldiers eat a bran cake a day.'"

Qu Heng, can you still swallow the bran cakes you ate while in the army?

boom!

Qu Heng was shaken by the shock.

He suddenly roared, appearing almost delirious.

"even so!

Cao Cheng'an colluded with the Shuofeng Dynasty, and his three thousand cavalrymen annihilated twelve hundred patrol soldiers of the Zhaoyi Army. Is Your Majesty aware of this?

"I know." The Empress's voice was tinged with frost.

Therefore, Cao Cheng'an was stripped of his position as General of the Northern Frontier and returned to the capital to serve as the Right Vice Director of the Xuan Ge Division.

Above them were the Superintendent and the Left Junior Supervisor, who held nominal authority but were merely figureheads; this was the punishment.

"Punishment?" Qu Heng suddenly burst into tears of laughter, his severed finger trembling violently in the air.

"My eldest brother was pierced by ten thousand arrows, and twelve hundred brothers had their ears cut off to claim credit. His Majesty actually uses the loss of his own career to atone for these blood debts?!"

The Empress looked down at him, her eyes expressionless.

"Cao Cheng'an guarded the northern border for more than ten years. The people of the north wind would stop their children from crying at night upon hearing his name. This was a great achievement."

I spent three years clipping his wings and stripping him of his power, leaving him with no foothold in the Xuanwu Army. This balances out his merits and demerits.

"Merits and demerits cancel each other out?!" Qu Heng roared as he drew his sword.

The blade reflected his distorted face, as well as the Empress's calm eyes on the imperial throne.

Pan Yue's energy suddenly pressed down, and Qu Heng's kneecaps cracked under the immense pressure.

But he still forced himself to stand upright, leaning on the knife, his severed fingers digging deeply into the cracks in the hilt.

"This humble general will ask one last question... Has Your Majesty ever regretted it?"

No.

...

The imperial carriage slowly entered Qinghui Palace, the copper bells on the eaves ringing softly, echoing with a lonely sound.

Qin Zhaoyue, supported by her maid, stepped down from the palanquin and strode inside, ignoring everyone else.

Upon entering the bedchamber, the first thing he did was raise his chin, signaling to Tao Yao to remove the heavy jeweled crown from her head.

"Move faster, it's making my neck hurt."

Tao Yao and Ying Nuo quickly stepped forward and carefully removed the hairpin from her hair, whispering as they did so:

"Your Highness, such a terrible thing has happened today..."

Qin Zhaoyue glanced at her sideways, a half-smile playing on her lips: "You have sharp ears."

Tao Yao stuck out her tongue: "It's already spread all over the place, with all sorts of rumors. It's hard for me not to know."

Qin Zhaoyue scoffed lightly, finally removing the heavy pearl crown and hairpins.

This was also one of the reasons why she was unwilling to attend court; she felt like she had a lead ball on her head.

Letting her long, black hair cascade down her back, she leaned lazily against the soft cushion.

"How can I interfere in such court turmoil? His Majesty will make the decision alone; why should I worry about it?"

She could tell that Her Highness was unwilling to talk more, but after serving her so closely for so long, she seemed to be in a good mood.

"Yes," Tao Yao replied softly.

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