"Boss, how does it taste after a good meal?"
Grand Secretary Xie looked embarrassed. "What do you mean by that, Father?"
"I'm telling you, you're confused."
Old Xie slammed his hand on the table. "You can't figure it out yourself, yet you want to drag your whole family down with you to your death?"
Grand Secretary Xie, with his neck stiff, said, "I really don't believe that the princess could kill the entire Xie family."
Grand Secretary Xie simply didn't believe it; after all, he was a Grand Secretary.
As the head of all officials, he did not believe that the princess could have such great courage.
Isn't the princess afraid of being ridiculed by the whole world?
"If a princess can even harm her own father, what chance do you, a mere Grand Secretary, have?"
"Or is it that you, a Grand Secretary, are so arrogant that you think you are more important than His Majesty?"
"Of course not," Elder Xie immediately retorted, how could he dare to have such a treasonous thought?
Old Xie asked again, "Eldest brother, what is your purpose in becoming an official?"
"Naturally, it's for the sake of the people under heaven, so that they can live a good life."
Old Xie then asked, "What does it have to do with you who sits on the dragon throne?"
"The princess's methods are cruel, it's really not..."
Old Master Xie retorted, "I think so. The princess is both strong and gentle."
Grand Secretary Xie wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by him.
“You’ve returned in disgrace today; all those officials are watching.”
When Elder Xie brought this up, Grand Secretary Xie's expression became even more unpleasant.
“You are getting old. From now on, the position of head of the Xie family should be handed over to Xie Qi.”
Grand Secretary Xie was naturally unhappy; how could he be considered old?
At that time, his father was still loyal to the late emperor.
Old Master Xie asked, "What, do you still want to argue with your father?"
Grand Secretary Xie simply shook his head in the end, saying, "Whatever Father says goes."
The next day, Pei Zhi, dressed in magnificent robes, sat radiantly on the dragon throne.
Having come this far, Pei Zhi no longer intended to conceal her ambition.
If she truly only wanted to rule from behind the curtain, she wouldn't have gone to such great lengths.
These officials had long since figured out the princess's intentions.
Seeing the princess sit directly on the dragon throne, not a single official in the court dared to stop her.
After Pei Zhi sat down, Elder Xie was the first to stand up from his chair and perform a full kneeling ceremony in the main hall.
"Your humble servant greets the princess. May the princess live a thousand years!"
Seeing that Elder Xie acted this way, the other officials naturally no longer hesitated.
They knelt down one by one, offering their congratulations on the princess's birthday.
Pei Zhi also gave Xie Lao a lot of face, personally getting down from the dragon throne and helping Xie Lao up.
"Master Xie is now my teacher, so everyone can respectfully address him as Grand Tutor Xie."
The other officials then said, "Greetings, Grand Tutor Xie."
Pei Zhi nodded in satisfaction, "My beloved ministers, please rise."
Old Master Xie represents the entire Xie family, and now he has become the princess's mentor.
If these officials below don't even have this much sense, then they're really asking for trouble.
Pei Zhi had the eunuch announce the decree, and this time, a few officials died as well.
With these positions vacant, Pei Zhi promoted some of the people she had her eye on.
Inside the Second Prince's residence, he heard from his servants that Pei Zhi had brazenly sat on the dragon throne, and the Second Prince immediately became restless.
"What is she planning to do? She's just a woman, yet she has such audacity."
The second prince paced back and forth anxiously, "Where are all those officials? Where are all those censors? Are they all dead?"
The second prince said discontentedly, "Didn't you always say you were willing to die for your country? How come you've become spineless now? Are you willing to kneel at a woman's feet?"
"When Master Xie became the princess's tutor, not a single official in the entire court dared to stand up after he knelt down."
The second prince gritted his teeth, "She's quite capable, managing to win over the Xie family first."
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
The Second Prince could not allow a woman to hold a high position; otherwise, what would he become?
"I am going to the palace to see my father, the Emperor, so that I may inform him of this matter."
His advisors advised, "Your Highness wishes to enter the palace to see His Majesty, but I'm afraid that is not possible."
"The entire palace and the capital are controlled by the princess. She won't let His Highness see His Majesty so easily."
The second prince snorted coldly, "I am the Emperor's own son. If a son wants to see his father, does she think she can refuse?"
“If she won’t let me see her, I will kneel at the palace gate and let all the officials and common people see me.”
After much deliberation, the staff concluded that this was a viable solution.
The Second Prince is His Majesty's own son. It's perfectly normal for a son to miss his father after not seeing him for several days.
"If she won't let me see my father, it means that something must have happened to him."
The aide nodded in agreement, "If the princess refuses to see him, His Highness should just cry loudly at the palace gate, saying that he dreamt that something happened to His Majesty and that he was extremely worried."
After making his decision, the Second Prince was unwilling to waste even a moment longer.
The longer Pei Zhi sits on this dragon throne, the more difficult it will be for the Second Prince to pull her down.
The second prince changed into princely attire, had his servants load him into a carriage, and headed to the palace.
The second prince thought that Pei Zhi would be too guilty to let him into the palace.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped off the carriage and spoke, the guards wanted to lead the Second Prince inside.
The second prince was now completely hesitant. He worried that he might be able to get in but not be able to get out.
The advisor behind the Second Prince gave him a reassuring look, "Your Highness, rest assured, if Your Highness does not return to the residence after dinner, I will definitely come to retrieve him."
Upon hearing this, the second prince felt somewhat relieved.
The second prince was led by a guard to the imperial study to meet Pei Zhi.
The second prince saw Pei Zhi sitting in the seat that his father used to sit in, and even Pei Zhi was reviewing memorials.
"Chang Le, you are just a woman, yet you dare to sit on the throne of the Emperor?"
The second prince sneered, "If Father finds out, he will surely punish you for a grave crime of treason."
After Pei Zhi finished processing the memorials in his hand, he said, "Brother, now that I am ruling in place of Father, you should bow to me when you see me."
The second prince seemed to have heard a joke, "Give you a bow? You're dreaming."
With a single glance from Pei Zhi, the guard standing behind the Second Prince stretched out his foot and kicked the Second Prince in the groin.
The second prince's legs buckled, and he knelt down on both knees.
"You've gone too far! I'm your elder brother, how dare you humiliate me like this?"
Pei Zhi put down his pen. "Isn't Your Majesty going to see Father? I'll take you there now."
The Second Prince calmed down when he heard Pei Zhi say that he would take him to see Emperor Pei.
The second prince thought that when he arrived in front of his father, he would definitely complain about Pei Zhi.
Ideally, the Emperor would hand over the power to oversee the government to him.
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