The emperor continued to indulge in pleasure with the four newly appointed noble ladies, and did not cause any more trouble for Song Xia and the prime minister. In addition, the Empress Dowager was about to return to the palace, so Consort Zhuang and Consort Xian were finally able to put their worries aside for the time being. However, the eldest prince and the second prince uncovered a long list of corrupt officials in Jiangnan. Some of these corrupt officials risked their lives to come to the capital, willing to die to drag Song Xia down with them.
Over the years, officials in the capital have kept Song Xia's handling of court affairs a closely guarded secret and have not informed local officials. However, these corrupt officials, in order to prolong their power, always find ways to inquire about the information they want to know. When threatening the eldest and second princes proved futile and their families were all punished, they acted like mad dogs, spreading the word throughout the land about Song Xia's handling of court affairs over the years.
At the morning court session, the emperor looked at his ministers with a gloomy expression: "Are you all keeping secrets from me?"
"Your Majesty, your words cannot be trusted. Over the years, all matters of state have been handled collaboratively by the ministers. When decisions cannot be made, Your Majesty personally approves them! If the Empress were truly involved in state affairs, how could the ministers possibly comply?"
The emperor sneered and tossed a stack of memorials at him: "Are these also fake?"
The courtiers' hearts skipped a beat. Weren't these things already destroyed? How did they end up in His Majesty's hands? Who betrayed us?
"Why is everyone so silent? The Empress is truly cunning! She has managed to keep you all in the dark! Is this my empire, or the Empress's?"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
"Calm down? How can you expect me to calm down? I have been in seclusion for eight years, but I am not dead. You all want this empire to change hands, don't you?"
"Your Majesty, we have absolutely no such intention."
"Father!" The fifth prince Jiang Rui and the sixth prince Jiang Gu, who were still in court, knelt down and begged for mercy. "Father, Mother only taught us how to handle political affairs. She did not really interfere. Father, please see the truth."
"Even you are all siding with her. What, are you all convinced that my throne is definitely Jiang Jin's? How dare you decide what's on my throne?"
Everyone knelt down, their hearts filled with unease, feeling that the Empress was probably truly in danger this time!
"Bring the Empress here."
"Father..."
"Shut up, or I'll settle accounts with you too. You can forget about ever getting the crown prince position again."
"Your subject is neither the eldest son nor the heir apparent, so the position of Crown Prince should not have fallen to you. Father, Mother, she did nothing wrong; she was only acting in the best interests of Xuan Kingdom."
"Very well, even you have been brainwashed by her. If I hadn't come out of seclusion for another day, would this world have become hers?"
"Father, Mother would never have meant that."
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
The emperor smashed the imperial seal: "Shut up! Are you all going to disobey my orders? Anyone who dares to say another word will have their entire family, including your nine generations of relatives, buried alive with you!"
The entire court fell silent. Song Xia, who was being escorted, looked at the clear sky and asked Xiao Ling to buy some more props.
Seeing Song Xia, who remained calm and composed even after being escorted in, the court officials and the two princes were deeply distressed, while the emperor's eyes seemed to be bloodshot.
"Empress, you interfered in state affairs while I was in seclusion. Do you admit it or not?"
Everyone looked at Song Xia, who looked back at the emperor with neither arrogance nor servility: "Your Majesty, I acknowledge it."
"How dare you! Do you believe I will strip you of your empress title and chop off your head!"
“Your Majesty,” Song Xia’s voice remained calm, “If you don’t care about the affairs of the world, someone has to govern it. As the Empress of Xuan Kingdom and the mother of the nation, I have a responsibility to be responsible for the affairs of the world!”
Hearing her words, the court officials were all deeply moved and felt genuinely fortunate for the people of Xuan Kingdom that they had such a righteous empress!
But to the emperor, it was blasphemous: “Be responsible for the world? You’re just a mere woman, what right do you have to be responsible for the world? This is my world! Everything you have is a gift from me.”
"As long as I am the Empress of Xuan Kingdom, I have the responsibility to discipline her."
"Then I will depose you as Empress today!"
Just after the emperor uttered these words, a thunderclap suddenly struck in broad daylight, startling everyone in the hall, especially the emperor, whose face turned pale.
Song Xia seized the opportunity and said, "Your Majesty, I am the Empress recognized by Heaven, you cannot depose me."
The more she said this, the angrier the emperor became: "I'm going to depose you!"
Another thunderclap startled those who had just thought it was a coincidence, causing them to look at each other strangely and offer words of advice.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider. The Empress has done nothing wrong."
"Your Majesty, the Empress is doing this for the sake of the people. She has won the praise of the world and cannot be deposed!"
"Your Majesty, your insistence on deposing the Empress will anger Heaven!"
The emperor trembled with rage and roared, "I am the ruler of the world, and I am recognized by Heaven. This is my world. How can I not make decisions for a mere empress!"
"Father!" The eldest and second princes, who had rushed back on horseback, knelt down in the hall, covered in dust. "Father, if you want to depose the Empress Dowager, then deal with your sons first. It was because your sons were ignorant of politics at first that they went to consult the Empress Dowager!"
"Very well, you all side with her and don't take me seriously at all? Do you really think I wouldn't dare to punish you? I'm still young. Even without you, I can have other sons!"
"Boom!" The third thunderbolt struck directly outside the palace, blasting a hole in the floor tiles. The courtiers were even more panicked and pleaded for mercy again.
"Your Majesty, this old Taoist priest requests an audience." At the critical moment, Taoist Qingfeng arrived. His usually calm demeanor was now replaced by anxiety. "Your Majesty, please do not act rashly!"
"What brings you here, Taoist priest?"
"Your Majesty, did you just say something against the will of Heaven? You must not say it again! If you anger Heaven, all your previous cultivation will be in vain!"
The emperor was furious: "I am the ruler of the world, and I can't even deal with a woman? Didn't you say that I was chosen by Heaven?"
"Your Majesty is the chosen one of Heaven. Only when the Phoenix Star shines upon you can Your Majesty communicate with the will of Heaven. If Your Majesty punishes the Empress, this channel of communication will be severed. Your Majesty, you must not act willfully and recklessly!"
Hearing Master Qingfeng say this, those who had previously harbored doubts about him now showed gratitude in their eyes. However, the three thunderclaps just now were indeed strange. It seems that the Empress is no ordinary person and has come to save their Xuan Kingdom!
"You too have entered the realm of immortals, yet even with you here, you cannot help me communicate with the heavens?" The emperor was still unwilling, seemingly feeling that his inability to even punish one person damaged his dignity.
Master Qingfeng shook his head: "Your Majesty, although I have entered the immortal realm, I was merely a mortal before. How could I be qualified to communicate with the will of Heaven on Your Majesty's behalf? Back then, it was only when the Empress held the Phoenix Seal that my immortal sect sensed Your Majesty's talent to become an immortal. If the Empress were not here, this immortal sect might have to close down."
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