Huangfu?
Minister Zhang exclaimed, "He...he...he's a member of the Wumeng royal family?"
No wonder, no wonder His Majesty treated him this way, he is truly despicable!
Now Qi An didn't need to say anything more; a ruthless glint flashed across Minister Zhang's face.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, our distinguished guests from Wumeng have come from afar, and I will certainly provide them with the best possible hospitality."
Qi An nodded in satisfaction.
Zhang Li's father was an old general who died on the battlefield against Wumeng, so he had an extreme aversion to Wumeng.
In his previous life, he was one of the few officials who did not surrender and fought to the last moment.
When Nie Yuhuang was imprisoned here, Zhang Li was bound by imperial orders, but he never disrespected her, nor did he ever resort to torture.
Sometimes she would instruct the jailers to bring her some good food or apply some medicine.
It can be said that he showed Nie Yuhuang respect to the best of his ability.
Qi An leaned down slightly and whispered to Xu Shize, "You stay here for now. I'll come back to celebrate with you after I've destroyed Wumeng."
Hearing the screams and wails coming from the depths of the prison, and looking at the horrifying instruments of torture hanging on several walls, Xu Shi began to struggle, making incoherent sounds.
Qi An knew that he meant, "Kill me."
Qi An drew a knife from the jailer's waist and casually swung it a few times, digging out Xu Shize's two kneecaps.
Since we're going to be neighbors with Nie Ming, it's better to be a bit more consistent.
Everyone: "..."
Her Majesty the Empress's smooth and skillful technique is even more adept than those who specialize in torturing people.
That's incredibly brutal!
Qi An waved his hand: "Drag him away."
The two jailers quickly carried the man to the cell next to Nie Ming's, where he became neighbors with His Highness the Crown Prince.
Since he was already there, Qi An took the opportunity to glance at Nie Ming.
The once glorious Crown Prince lay on the ground, barely alive, his body covered in shocking wounds.
All ten of his fingers were crushed and his legs were crippled. He could only crawl on the ground like a dog and reach for food with his mouth.
It was just a cold steamed bun, but he ate it with great relish, finding it much more delicious than the delicacies he used to eat.
Boss Qi chuckled, "Sure enough, I ate too much before."
Upon seeing her, Nie Ming paused, then immediately dragged his broken leg into a kneeling position and kowtowed repeatedly to her, tears streaming down his face.
Qi An said gently, "It seems that my brother is doing well, eating well. Now I can rest assured."
He then said to Minister Zhang, "You must change this habit of kneeling and kowtowing at the drop of a hat. How can the crown prince of a country be so spineless?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. Please rest assured."
Qi An left satisfied after arranging a deluxe single room for Xu Shize and ensuring that he and Nie Ming would enjoy VIP treatment.
As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and the same goes for a new emperor.
The first fire burned down the rampant and domineering maternal relatives, wiping out the entire Han state family.
The second fire was used to punish the traitors who colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country; not a single person was spared in the Prime Minister's residence.
Since the Empress came to power, the blood on the guillotine has never dried.
The entire court was filled with fear, especially those who had done wrong, who were afraid that one day they would wake up to find themselves on the execution ground.
The people of Dayu, however, were not particularly afraid.
Many people were even a little happy to learn that the eldest princess had become empress.
They didn't care whether the emperor on the throne was male or female; as long as they were fed, clothed, and spared the suffering of war, he was a good emperor.
Moreover, Princess Nie Yuhuang is widely recognized as formidable.
He went to the battlefield at the age of seventeen, defeated the enemy, beheaded the enemy, and guarded the border for Dayu.
Compared to letting that incompetent crown prince succeed to the throne, the eldest princess would obviously put their minds at ease.
Of course, there are always plenty of "big men" with shit for brains, especially those pedantic scholars in the countryside who nitpick over words.
In their view, a woman as emperor was an insult to them men.
But they only dared to whisper among themselves behind closed doors; they didn't dare utter a single word in public.
After all, the Prime Minister and the Duke were both executed by the Empress, so what were they?
Court officials and common people alike are speculating about where Her Majesty the Empress's third act will take place.
After the morning court session that day, an explosive piece of news quickly spread throughout the entire imperial city.
The Empress beat her husband, Xu Shize, half to death and threw him into the Ministry of Justice's prison.
The government and the public were greatly shocked.
No one could have imagined that the new emperor's third act of violence would actually spread to his own backyard.
The reason behind it shocked everyone even more.
The Empress herself confirmed that Xu Shize's true identity is Huangfu Shize, the thirteenth prince of Wumeng.
He and the deceased Prime Minister Wenbin were both spies from Wumeng, plotting to overthrow the Dayu regime.
The people were both angry and terrified. That was their husband, their bedmate. Luckily, the Empress was wise; otherwise, they wouldn't even know how they died one day.
My heart aches for Her Majesty the Empress; that scoundrel deserves to die a horrible death!
After these three measures were implemented, all the officials, regardless of their true thoughts, behaved themselves on the surface.
That morning at court, several regents secretly inquired about the recent situation of the old emperor and the crown prince from Qi An.
In a good mood, Elder Qi was very easy to talk to. With a wave of his hand, he led the officials to see the retired emperor's life.
The old emperor's vocal cords had long since broken, and he could no longer utter a single word.
Before this, many people suspected that the emperor and the crown prince had been killed by the empress, but no one dared to say it.
As for Zhang Li, the only Minister of Justice who could see the Crown Prince, his mouth was tighter than a clam shell.
He dared not utter a word without the Empress's permission.
The officials took turns going in for a visit.
However, when I went in, I walked in properly.
When they came out, everyone was leaning against the wall.
I vomited until I was completely exhausted.
Several timid people were so frightened that they fainted and had to be carried out by the guards.
Only the military officers and a few ministers with relatively strong mental fortitude did not vomit, but their faces were pale and their steps were unsteady.
One thing is certain: anyone who has seen the retired emperor will not be able to eat meat in the near future.
By the way, plain white rice probably won't work either.
Because it evokes images of the countless tiny, adorable things covering the body of the retired emperor.
Everyone genuinely felt that if the Empress had truly killed the Emperor Emeritus, everyone would have to praise her for her filial piety.
The Emperor Emeritus looked so inhuman and grotesque; it was truly terrifying and painful.
The chief eunuch Fu Hai glanced at Qi An, then put on his best acting skills, tearfully "explaining" to the assembled officials.
"The retired emperor was already in poor health, and then the deposed empress gave him a strange poison. I don't know how he ended up like this. What a tragedy."
Boss Qi: "..."
That's unnecessary!
She didn't tell him to say those things, so what's the point of him saying them?
The Empress's silence led the courtiers to automatically imagine what would happen next.
The Empress poisoned the old Emperor for the sake of the Crown Prince, but the Princess discovered it and, in a fit of rage, killed the Empress and reportedly crippled the Crown Prince as well.
Yes, I can understand. After all, the eldest princess was known for her filial piety.
As for rebelling and becoming empress, well... actually... it's understandable... I guess.
With the royal family in decline, the eldest princess had no choice but to endure humiliation and shoulder the heavy responsibility for the sake of the Great Yu Kingdom.
The group quickly completed their self-brainwashing.
One of the regents, unwilling to give up, inquired about Nie Ming again.
Qi An raised his chin at Zhang Li and said, "Minister Zhang, tell everyone what His Highness the Crown Prince has been doing lately."
Zhang Li spoke fluently and naturally without the slightest hesitation:
"His Highness the Crown Prince has been undergoing rigorous training recently. His Majesty said that the heir apparent of a country cannot be a spineless coward."
Qi An: "..."
A promising talent!
Zhang Li was not guilty at all. Did he tell a single lie?
The ministers: "..."
They have wronged Her Majesty the Empress; Your Majesty's intentions are truly good.
After that day, the court officials accepted reality, and the people were only concerned with feeling sorry for the emperor; in short, they were all very well-behaved.
But just because they've become obedient doesn't mean no one will cause trouble.
The four vassal kings rebelled together under the pretext of "purging the court of corrupt officials."
The entire court was in a panic, while Old Master Qi laughed.
She had just issued a decree exempting the people of Dayu from taxes for three years.
Just when we were worried about the lack of money in the national treasury, here comes the money-giver right away.
It's like someone just delivered a pillow when I was about to fall asleep—I'm so happy!
Immediately afterwards, there was also movement from Wumeng.
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