Daxing City, Imperial Palace.

Yang Guang summoned all the ministers and held a grand court meeting.

The Zhou Li says: "A meeting in spring is called Chao, a meeting in summer is called Zong, a meeting in autumn is called Jin, a meeting in winter is called Yu, a meeting at different times is called Hui, and a meeting in Yin is called Tong."

The grand court meeting began in the Western Zhou Dynasty and was a court ceremony with the highest etiquette standards. It was passed down from the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Generally speaking, a grand court assembly would be held at the beginning of each year, allowing civil and military officials to pay homage to the emperor.

Under normal circumstances, the emperor rarely held grand court meetings unless there was something very important to announce.

Coincidentally, Yang Guang convened a grand court meeting this time to announce important events.

In front of all the civil and military officials, Yang Guang first issued an edict of repentance, bitterly confessing the wrong measures he had taken since he ascended the throne and admitting his mistakes.

Then, under the puzzled looks of his ministers, he issued an abdication decree, handing over the throne of the Sui Emperor and the supreme ruler of the world to Xiaolongnu.

As soon as these two edicts were issued, the entire Daxing City was in an uproar, and the news even spread throughout the world, causing a shock to the whole world.

Given Yang Guang's arrogance and rebelliousness, he would never admit his mistakes even if he died, let alone hand over the throne to someone else.

But when Xiaolongnu stepped into the hall, all the civil and military officials bowed their heads, and no one dared to raise any objection.

They had informed each other yesterday and knew what had happened in the palace and that the Jingnian Zen Temple outside the city had been destroyed.

Who would dare to attack a supreme warrior who smashed the holy land of Wulin with one palm and whose strength seemed to be broken through the void realm? Do you think your life is too long?

There are many aristocratic families in the world, headed by four major ones, namely the Yuwen family, the Dugu family, the Li family and the Lingnan Song family.

The ancestor of the Dugu clan, You Chuhong, was the most shrewd. After seeing the situation clearly, she immediately expressed her loyalty to Xiaolongnu.

Although the Yuwen clan has a grudge against Xiaolongnu, and their contemporary hero Yuwen Huaji died at the hands of Xiaolongnu, they will not disregard the safety of their family for the sake of a dead person and go against Xiaolongnu, an almighty powerful person who has broken the void realm.

Two of the four major clans in the world have already made their positions clear. The other smaller clans have nothing to say and follow suit, supporting Xiaolongnu to ascend the throne.

The world situation changed in an instant, and the throne of the emperor had changed hands.

Seeing the sincere agreement from all the civil and military officials, Xiao Longnu announced that she would officially ascend the throne in three days.

After the court was dismissed, Xiaolongnu and Yang Guang came to the harem together.

"I didn't expect that none of the officials would oppose your ascension to the throne. I thought there would be loyal ministers, but I didn't expect that there would be none."

Yang Guang said in despair: "In this world, strength is indeed respected. Personal strength is so strong that it can ignore the political power of the world."

Although he said he wanted to abdicate, he was actually still somewhat reluctant in his heart.

He thought that he had issued an edict of self-criticism, fully realized his mistakes, and regained the recognition of all officials. If the officials were reluctant to let him abdicate, wouldn't he be able to continue to be the emperor? Unexpectedly, these guys accepted Xiao Longnu's succession so readily and threw him, the former emperor, aside.

"Why, you can't bear to let go?"

Xiao Longnu could see the reluctance in Yang Guang's eyes, so she teased.

"To be honest, I am a little reluctant, but as a man, I will keep my word."

Yang Guang made up his mind and asked anxiously, "How are you going to deal with me?"

He has already issued an abdication decree, which is of no use to Xiaolongnu.

It would be a great loss if Xiaolongnu planned to kill him.

"Don't worry, as long as you behave yourself, I won't kill you."

"I've said before that you don't know how to be an emperor. Just stand aside and watch how I become an emperor."

Xiaolongnu waved her hand, giving Yang Guang reassurance.

She had no ill feelings towards Yang Guang, and there was no point in killing him, so it was better to spare his life.

"Thank you for not killing me. I can finally sleep peacefully."

Yang Guang's face showed ecstasy. After expressing his thanks solemnly, he said self-deprecatingly.

Afterwards, Yang Guang officially moved out of the palace and lived in a three-story house in the outer city.

In the blink of an eye, it was three days later.

In the Golden Palace, Xiaolongnu, dressed in a black dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne, looking down at the civil and military officials below.

The old eunuch from the Yinkui sect who had had contact with Xiaolongnu before stood aside, still acting as the chief eunuch for Xiaolongnu.

"Your Majesty, by the Will of Heaven, proclaims: I, Long Aotian, have received the favor of Heaven and the great blessing of the saints. I have received the abdication of the former Emperor Yang Guang. I am the emperor according to the order of kinship and the orthodoxy. The ministers inside and outside the court have repeatedly urged me to ascend the throne, but I have refused. I now respectfully announce to Heaven and Earth that I will take the throne. The country will be named Zhou, the reign will be Yong'an, Daxing will be renamed Chang'an, and Chang'an will be the capital."

After all the officials stood still, the old eunuch took out Xiaolongnu's accession decree and read it aloud.

Although the accession edict looks flowery, its actual content is very simple and only mentions two key points.

One is the legitimacy of Xiaolongnu's accession to the throne. It was not a conspiracy to usurp the throne, nor was it a rebellion, but came from the abdication of the former emperor Yang Guang.

Second, the name of the new dynasty was Zhou. There would no longer be a Great Sui, only a Great Zhou. The reign title was Yong'an, and the capital Daxing City was changed to Chang'an City.

Xiao Longnu was too lazy to worry about the matters of ascending the throne, and left it all to the officials. She was only responsible for naming the new dynasty and the reign title.

As for other messy procedures for enthronement and rituals for offering sacrifices to heaven, they were naturally avoided if possible, and no one dared to say anything.

It not only retained the royal majesty, but also saved Xiaolongnu a lot of effort.

"All officials kneel to welcome the new emperor to the throne!"

After the old eunuch finished reading the edict of accession to the throne, he shouted loudly in a shrill voice.

All the civil and military officials below knelt down in unison.

The old eunuch shouted again: "Shan Hu!"

All the ministers shouted: "Long live!"

The old eunuch shouted again: "Shan Hu!"

All the ministers shouted: "Long live!"

The old eunuch shouted again: "Call again!"

All the ministers shouted: "Long live the emperor!"

"Everyone, please stand up!"

Xiaolongnu's clear voice echoed throughout the hall.

The old eunuch shouted: "All officials, stand up!"

All the civil and military officials below stood up in unison, lowered their heads and stood respectfully.

All officials knelt three times and kowtowed nine times to formally pay homage to the new emperor, which was considered to have completely established the status of monarch and subject.

"If you have the documents, please submit them. If you don't, please leave the court!"

After all the ministers stood still again, the old eunuch shouted loudly, announcing the official start of the first grand court meeting after Xiaolongnu ascended the throne.

Unexpectedly, after the old eunuch finished shouting, all the ministers below fell silent, and there was complete silence in the court.

The ministers did not know the temper and personality of this unfamiliar new emperor, so in order to avoid getting into trouble, they dared not say a word.

Unknown origin, powerful, and young!

The first time he appeared in public was in Yangzhou City, where he killed Yu Wenzhi with a single blow.

Then she appeared in the palace again and found the former emperor Yang Guang.

Then, she destroyed the martial arts holy land Jingnian Zen Temple with a single blow, forcing Yang Guang to abdicate.

Who would dare to speak carelessly in the face of such a supreme power, without knowing her character and temper? What if she was moody and ordered the person who stood out to be dragged down and killed? That death would be too unfair! At the same time, although the ministers had no expression on their faces, they actually wanted to see the new emperor's joke in their hearts.

Looking at the entire history of China, such a sudden change of dynasties as today has never happened before.

All the civil and military officials in the court were also confused and didn't know how to respond.

Generally speaking, the one who changes a dynasty is the founding emperor of a country, who has a group of civil and military officials or loyal followers under his command.

This kind of emperor has the final say and supreme authority.

An emperor like Xiaolongnu who was parachuted in has neither confidants nor military support. To put it bluntly, he is a commander without troops.

Logically speaking, such an emperor has no prestige at all and is the object of being sidelined by his ministers.

But unfortunately, this new emperor possesses supreme power. No one dares to fool her, as that would be a waste of their life.

Therefore, all the ministers at this time really wanted to know what kind of skills the new emperor had and how to break this slightly embarrassing situation.

“Pah.”

Seeing that no one spoke below, Xiaolongnu clapped her hands, attracting the attention of all the ministers.

She stood up and stepped down from the dragon throne. The old eunuch came up to her and whispered, "Your Majesty is the Supreme Ruler. If you have anything to say, you can tell me. I will pass on the message."

"It's okay. It's a new dynasty with a new atmosphere. There's no need to be bound by red tape."

Xiao Longnu shook her head, walked down the hall step by step, and stood in front of the civil and military officials.

She looked around at the ministers and said to them, "Since you have nothing to say, then follow my rules."

"I am new to the throne, and I don't know the names and positions of all of you, my dear ministers. Why don't you introduce yourselves so that I can recognize you better."

When the ministers heard this, they were moved and thought that this was a good idea as it would open up the situation.

Xiao Long Nu didn't care what the ministers thought. She walked up to a minister and asked, "Let's start with you. What's your name? Where did you come from? What position did you hold before? What part of the work did you take charge of? Then report your work to me."

"Your Majesty, I am Lu Qinming, a humble servant from the Fanyang Lu family. I am the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and I am mainly responsible for household registration management."

The minister looked to be in his forties or fifties. When Xiao Longnu asked him this, he was startled and quickly stepped out of the line to report.

"Lu Qinming, let me ask you, how many households are there in my Great Zhou at present, and what is the population?"

Xiao Long Nu nodded and then asked, "Among them, how many are young, how many are middle-aged, and how many are old?"

"this."

When Lu Qinming heard this, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat and mumbled, "Your Majesty, I have to go back and look up the information to find out."

"Oh? You are the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, but you don't even know your job?"

Xiao Long Nu remained calm as she looked at him and said, "I don't care how you became the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, but it is obvious that you are not competent for your job."

"Come here, drag Minister Lu away, strip him of his official robes, take away his official status, and then give him fifty lashes of the cane, and throw him out of the palace."

As soon as he finished speaking, two guards quickly entered the hall and dragged the pale-faced Lu Qinming out.

"Your Majesty, I am from the Fanyang Lu clan. I cannot punish officials, nor can I treat common people with courtesy, Your Majesty."

Lu Qinming quickly called for help, hoping that his family background could intimidate the new emperor, and also hoping that the ministers could plead for him.

"Humph, who told you that doctors cannot be punished? We don't have such a rule in the Great Zhou!"

Xiao Long Nu snorted coldly and said, "As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he doesn't even know the population situation of the world. No wonder the world is in chaos and the people are living in misery!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers fell silent and dared not plead for Lu Qinming.

Yes, if you can’t even do your own job, others can’t even open their mouths to plead for you!

Who can you blame for this? You can only blame yourself! "Okay, next person, please."

"You, yes, it's you, come on, show it!"

After a "corridor" conversation, Xiao Longnu had a general understanding of all the officials in the court.

Most of the officials came from aristocratic families, had distinguished backgrounds, and received a good education.

But there were also some inferior guys mixed in, and they were all kicked out by Xiaolongnu.

These guys are illiterate, but they can sneak into the court and become officials. Xiao Longnu was so angry that her mouth was crooked.

After counting, she found that there were more than thirty people who were just wasting their time. In a fit of rage, she stripped them of their official positions, beat them up and drove them out.

"My Lords, there are so many vacancies now. Do you have any recommendations for candidates?"

After having a cordial chat with the ministers, Xiao Longnu sat back on the dragon throne and looked down at everyone.

Everyone lowered their heads and looked at their toes. They were so scared that they dared not speak casually.

This new emperor has no moral principles. He fights and deprives people of their positions. He is even more brutal than Yang Guang! "Well, go back and think about it carefully. At the court meeting three days later, I want to see your list of recommended candidates, as well as detailed reports on your work, the future deployment of your work, and your views and suggestions on the general situation of the country."

Glancing at the officials who were silent as a cicada, Xiao Longnu said in a cold voice: "In my company, the capable are promoted and the mediocre are demoted. Family background and qualifications are not considered, only ability is considered!"

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance. I have already given you a chance. Whether you can seize it or not depends on you."

"Retreat!"

After saying this, she stepped down from the dragon throne and left the Golden Palace.

As the saying goes, a new official starts with three things.

The first thing she did after ascending the throne as the new emperor was to set fire to all the civil and military officials.

The current Great Zhou is facing internal and external troubles. Uprisings are breaking out all over the country, there are rebel armies everywhere, and the people are living in misery.

Of course, with Xiaolongnu's own strength, she doesn't have to worry about her own safety.

Even if the rebels attacked the imperial city, she could escape safely without worrying about her life.

But since she has decided to do something for this world and leave some mark in this world, she will not treat being an emperor as a joke.

In order to resist foreign aggression, one must first stabilize the internal situation. Without sorting out the affairs of the court, even if she suppresses all the rebel forces outside, she will not be able to carry out her work well.

That's why she would first set the fire on the civil and military officials.

The only way is to rectify the court first, make the government orders flow smoothly, and make the arms and fingers move, so that the large machine of the Great Zhou can run smoothly.

Only then can she free up her hands to recover lost territories, suppress rebellions throughout the world, reunify the country, and even unify the world.

She wants to plant the Great Zhou dragon flag on every inch of land under the sun. Wherever the sun and the moon shine, it will be the land of the Great Zhou king! (End of this chapter)