The Minister of Rites, Liu Zan, exclaimed, "Absolutely not!" which was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the newly ignited flame.
The aura that had been building up inside the Golden Palace due to the emperor's triumphant return suddenly froze.
The faces of General Zhou and his entourage, who had just been thrilled by the rewards they had received, instantly darkened. They glared angrily at the trembling old minister who had stepped forward, their eyes filled with fury.
Meanwhile, the officials of Regent Xiao Yuan's faction seemed to have suddenly found their backbone, and their previously suppressed arrogance quietly rose again, with sneers of anticipation appearing on their lips.
Behind the screen, Lin Wanwan's hand holding the teacup was as steady as a rock, but her heart skipped a beat.
She knew that the other party was about to retaliate. And, the first move was aimed directly at her vitals.
The Minister of Rites, Liu Zan, took two shaky steps forward, bowed deeply to Xiao Che on the dragon throne, and, with an expression of utter devotion to the country, said with heartache, "Your Majesty, I agree with Imperial Censor Han's assessment that the Empress has rendered great service to the nation. However, the Phoenix Seal is the symbol of the Empress Dowager, representing the continuation of the imperial lineage and the continuation of the imperial family. This old minister... dares to ask a question!"
He abruptly raised his head, his cloudy old eyes staring directly at the throne, his voice suddenly rising in pitch, sharp as an awl, piercing the ears of everyone present:
"May I ask, Your Majesty, you have been in the palace for nearly a year, yet there is still no news of pregnancy. The foundation of the nation is not yet settled, and the crown prince has not been established. How can you possibly wield this phoenix jade seal, which symbolizes the eternal reign of the empire and the perpetual continuation of the bloodline?!"
"boom--!"
These words caused an uproar in the entire imperial court!
Ruthless! Absolutely ruthless!
This is an utterly unreasonable and fatal blow!
"Childlessness" was the sharpest knife hanging over the heads of all empresses and concubines throughout history, their greatest original sin. No matter how great your achievements or how virtuous you were, if you had no offspring, your foundation would always be unstable.
The Minister of Rites' words completely bypassed all of Lin Wanwan's achievements, using the most traditional and irrefutable reason to nail her firmly to the pillar of shame as "unqualified"!
The few neutral officials who had just been so enthusiastic and ready to second Han Yushi's proposal now fell silent, their faces showing reluctance.
Yes, it is true that the Empress has no children. To place her in charge of the Phoenix Seal is indeed unreasonable according to ancestral rules and etiquette.
Imperial Censor Han was so angry that his face turned red. He was about to step forward to refute when he saw another figure step out from the Regent's side of the queue.
He was an old minister with white hair and beard, holding the official position of Director of the Imperial Clan Court, in charge of the affairs of the royal clan, and he valued ancestral rules the most.
He first nodded approvingly to Liu Zan, then turned to the dragon throne, his expression even more grief-stricken than Liu Zan's, as if the Liang dynasty was about to collapse at any moment.
"Your Majesty! Minister Liu's words are invaluable! I have one more thing to say, which I must present!"
Xiao Che's expression grew increasingly cold, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and he uttered only one word: "Speak."
Encouraged, the old patriarch's voice grew even more impassioned: "While His Majesty is in a coma, the Empress temporarily manages state affairs, which is a temporary measure. However, interference in politics by the empress is strictly forbidden by our ancestors! The Empress's actions are tantamount to a hen crowing at dawn, transgressing ancestral rules!"
The phrase "a hen crowing at dawn" struck everyone like a heavy blow, turning the faces of the royalist officials deathly pale.
That's an overstatement!
Without giving anyone a chance to refute, the old Imperial Clan Minister continued with a pained expression, "Now that His Majesty has recovered his health and regained control of the court, it is truly a blessing for the nation and a boon for all the people! If the Phoenix Seal is handed over to the Empress at this time, wouldn't that be announcing to the world that our Great Liang Dynasty encourages the Empress to interfere in politics? This is a path to chaos and a source of national disaster! Your Majesty, please think it over!"
After saying this, he burst into tears, knelt on the ground, and cried out, "For the sake of the stability of the country, please, Your Majesty, rescind your decree!"
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
In an instant, officials from the Regent's faction stepped forward and knelt down in a great display of power, as if they were the true loyal ministers who served the country and its people.
Two incredibly heavy hats were suddenly and unexpectedly placed on top of each other.
The statement "Without an heir, the foundation of the nation is uncertain" negated her fundamental qualifications to be empress.
The phrase "a hen crowing at dawn, the harem interfering in politics" twisted her greatest achievement into a heinous crime.
Every sentence is piercing to the heart, every word is like a knife!
Lin Wanwan, who was originally a "meritorious official," was suddenly branded as a "potential scourge" who was shaking the foundation of the country and disrupting the court.
Censor Han and General Zhou were caught off guard by this series of attacks. They opened their mouths, but found that any explanation seemed so pale and powerless.
Merit? The other party directly defined it as a crime by "interference in politics by the harem".
Gratitude? The other party uses lofty principles like "national foundation" and "ancestral system" to pressure you.
How do we argue this?
The political climate in the imperial court underwent a dramatic reversal in just a few breaths.
Behind the screen, Lin Wanwan's knuckles turned slightly white from the force she exerted. She could feel the gazes—some inquisitive, some contemptuous, some gloating—piercing through the screen and directed at her.
She could even imagine the smug smile on Regent Xiao Yuan's hypocritical face at that moment.
The opponent won this round beautifully.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and her gaze involuntarily fell on the figure sitting upright on the Nine Dragon Throne.
Xiao Che, how will you deal with this?
In the Golden Palace, Xiao Che remained expressionless. He leaned back on the dragon throne, his slender fingers gently tapping on the dragon's head, producing a soft "tap, tap" sound. The sound was not loud, but it struck everyone's heart like the beat of a drum.
His face was expressionless, and his eyes were so deep that it was impossible to fathom his inner thoughts.
Even Liu Zan and the old Imperial Clan Secretary, who were kneeling on the ground, began to feel uneasy. Since recovering from his injuries, the emperor's mind had become even more profound and unpredictable than before.
Faced with the verbal attacks and written criticisms from his ministers, and the overwhelming pressure, Xiao Che's expression seemed to grow colder and more somber.
Lin Wanwan watched him from behind the screen, her heart clenching.
She knew that Xiao Che was under immense pressure at this moment. One was his birth mother, and the other was his imperial uncle. Together, they were using the two mountains of "filial piety" and "ancestral rules" to crush him.
Just then, she habitually shifted her gaze slightly upwards, landing on the top of Xiao Che's head.
The next second, all of Lin Wanwan's worries vanished instantly.
Above Xiao Che's icy handsome face, in the area of that all-too-familiar emoji, a breathtaking scene was unfolding.
It's no longer those cute, cartoonish characters making sarcastic remarks; it's now a volcano erupting violently!
Dark red lava surged wildly in the crater, and thick black volcanic ash shot straight into the sky. The entire meme was trembling violently, as if it were about to burn that space to ashes.
Next to the volcano, there was a line of large, constantly flashing text made of flame effects—
[A bunch of stubborn old fogies, they're driving me crazy! .gif]
Lin Wanwan almost burst out laughing.
It turns out that he wasn't calm, he wasn't hesitant, and he wasn't forced into a corner.
He's... about to explode with anger!
All the coldness and composure are merely the calm before the storm.
Lin Wanwan slowly put down her teacup, her back ramrod straight, a sharp yet gentle light flashing in her eyes.
She knew that the volcano that erupted for her sake was about to burn the entire court to ashes.
Her man is about to get involved himself.
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