A moment after the Black Ice Empress said this, Ao Li appeared from the sky with Ling Zun and Leng Hanjiang.
Ao Li stepped forward with a complicated expression. He first glanced at Ao Beiming, who was not far away, and then bowed and said, "Grand Duke Ao Li of Zhenhai Yuming greets His Majesty and the Four Heavenly Kings..."
"Humph, you still have the nerve to come see me!"
The Empress stared at the former with a pair of cold phoenix eyes and said coldly: "When the powerful Divine Lord of the Blazing Sun Divine Kingdom took action before, why didn't you send Ling Zun and Leng Hanjiang to fight?"
Ao Li's eyes flickered, and after a moment's silence, he finally spoke: "Your Majesty, I mistakenly believed that the powerful Divine Venerable Realm warriors of the Blazing Sun Divine Nation were merely feinting to buy time for the large number of cultivators below to evacuate the battlefield..."
"Then why did you remain indifferent after seeing the other Divine Realm attack General Ye Chen?"
The empress narrowed her eyes slightly, and the frost on her pretty face became even more intense.
"minister……"
Ao Li's face drooped slightly, his eyes moving constantly, and then he explained again: "Because I saw that General Ye Chen was extremely brave and could rival the opponent's God Realm powerhouse, in order to prevent the war from escalating further, I did not let Ling Zun and Leng Hanjiang take action..."
Before he could finish, Leng Hanjiang interrupted him, saying, "Your Majesty, Grand Duke Ao Li is lying. He is clearly abusing his power for personal gain. Not only does he want to abandon the southernmost land in exchange for temporary peace, he also deliberately refuses to provide assistance, allowing the enemy's powerful warriors to surround and kill Ye Chen!"
As soon as Leng Hanjiang finished speaking, the Marquis of Pingnan, who had just arrived, echoed him, "Your Majesty, everything Duke Leng said is true. I am willing to guarantee it with my life. Please investigate!"
Upon hearing this, the empress looked at Ao Li with a look of disappointment in her eyes.
"Ao Li, I originally regarded you as a trusted minister and looked forward to joining forces with you in the future to bring the Xuanbing Divine Kingdom's national strength to a new height. I didn't expect you to be such a despicable villain. I was wrong about you!"
Upon hearing this, Ao Li's face turned pale. He knelt down and said loudly, "Your Majesty, please have mercy on me. Please forgive me. From now on, I will do my best to assist Your Majesty in governing the country and expanding the territory!"
As he spoke, he looked at Ao Beiming and said, "Please ask the Heavenly King to intercede for me..."
Ao Beiming glared at the other person fiercely. After all, he was the most outstanding descendant of his royal family, so he had to protect him. Moreover, the empress's foundation was not stable now, and she had to rely on him, the king, to maintain the stability of the court. Naturally, he would not punish him severely. He just wanted to put on an act in front of everyone.
Thinking of this, Ao Beiming immediately spoke, "Your Majesty, Ao Li's actions this time were indeed inappropriate and he deserves severe punishment. However, considering his unwavering loyalty to Your Majesty and his uncomplaining dedication to the Kingdom of God, I beg Your Majesty to grant him a chance to atone for his sins."
Seeing Ao Beiming pleading for mercy, Leng Guanxing also pleaded, "Your Majesty, Ao Li has made great contributions to our Divine Kingdom before. A heavy punishment will inevitably hurt the hearts of loyal ministers. Your Majesty, please think twice..."
At this critical juncture, it is naturally the best time to win over the King of Cold Chi, and Leng Guanxing will naturally not miss this opportunity.
Seeing that the two Heavenly Kings had spoken, Ling Jiuyou and Mo Wusheng naturally echoed them. They wanted to take advantage of such a good deed, as the Empress would not punish Ao Li severely anyway.
Seeing that the four Heavenly Kings had all pleaded for him, Ao Li felt relieved and immediately kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Heavenly Kings! Ao Li is deeply grateful..."
After saying this, he did not forget to look in the direction of Ye Chen.
Ye Chen could clearly sense the mocking and complacent look in his eyes.
However, he did not say much. He really did not bother to pay attention to this kind of villain who had succeeded. He would not force the empress to severely punish this guy. The empress would naturally put the overall situation first, and he could understand that.
At this moment, the empress, who had remained silent all this time, turned her eyes slightly and looked at Ao Li indifferently, saying: "Since the four Heavenly Kings are begging for mercy, I will naturally show some mercy..."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace..."
Ao Li's face lit up with joy, and he immediately prepared to stand up...
"Um--?"
The threatening tone of the empress's drawn-out voice, coupled with her icy cold eyes, made Ao Li kneel down again.
The Empress continued, "Ao Li may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment for his crimes! As the Commander-in-Chief, you disregarded the overall situation, had no idea how to advance or retreat, and had no sense of purpose. If that's the case, then you are no longer worthy of being the Commander-in-Chief, much less the Grand Duke of the Xuanbing Divine Kingdom!"
Before anyone could recover from their shock, the empress continued with a stern voice, "From this day forward, Grand Duke Ao Li's title is stripped from him. He is demoted from Grand Duke to Duke, and is forbidden from serving as a battlefield commander for ten years. This is my decree!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience was shocked into silence.
Even Leng Guanxing, the Xuanjing Heavenly King who was closest to the empress, had a look of surprise and confusion on his face.
According to his speculation about the Empress, she would probably only give Ao Li a minor punishment, a verbal reprimand, not to mention the four Heavenly Kings pleading for mercy...
But who would have thought that he would be punished so severely in the end, not only demoted from Grand Duke to Duke, but even stripped of his title. For a nobleman with a title, the humiliation was no less than stripping him naked and parading him through the streets.
"Your Majesty! Please think twice, Your Majesty!"
Ao Li's face turned completely pale, he screamed in disbelief, and crawled forward to pull the corner of the empress's clothes.
The empress flicked her sleeves, dodged to the side, glanced at him, and said indifferently, "Ao Li, why are you becoming more and more unruly now? You still don't kowtow to express your gratitude. Do you think my punishment is not severe enough?"
Ao Li looked at Ao Beiming for help again, only to see that the Cold Chi Heavenly King had a gloomy expression at this time, but his tiger eyes were slightly closed, and he had no intention of continuing to speak.
Leng Guanxing gritted his teeth and planned to continue persuading her, but before he could open his mouth, the empress's gaze shot towards him.
"Mystic Crystal Heavenly King, didn't you hear my command clearly?"
Leng Guanxing smiled bitterly and retreated timidly.
It seems that the empress is determined to punish Ao Li today.
Before this, the empress had never been so tough. What happened today?
Ye Chen was also a little surprised by this. Did the empress do this to formally demonstrate her imperial power to everyone, or to cheer him up as the greatest contributor?
Or...both?
Seeing this, Ao Li could only bow his head stiffly and said word by word: "Ao Li... thank you... Your Majesty... for your grace!"
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