Inside the Golden Palace, all was deathly silent.
Those repeated cries of "Your Majesty, please reconsider!" seemed to still echo among the beams and pillars, converging into an invisible giant wave that crashed down on Xiao Che on the dragon throne.
The officials kneeling on the ground, led by Liu Zan, the Minister of Rites, and the Director of the Imperial Clan Court, all had their heads bowed, but a hint of smugness lingered on their lips.
Their strategy was an open and aboveboard maneuver, a grand scheme based on ancestral rules and the foundation of the state. They did not believe that this young emperor, who had just recovered from his injuries and whose power was not yet secure, would dare to defy the world and openly oppose the rules of the entire court.
Regent Xiao Yuan sat upright in his seat, a hint of admiration in his eyes. He admired the perfect arrangement, and he admired his nephew who was about to be forced into a corner and had no choice but to bow his head.
This was exactly the effect he wanted, to make Xiao Che understand that the Great Liang Dynasty was not ruled by him alone!
Just when everyone thought the emperor was about to compromise, and even Imperial Censor Han and General Zhou looked on in despair—
"Bang!"
A deafening roar, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, suddenly exploded!
Everyone looked up in shock, only to see Xiao Che, sitting on the dragon throne, slam his palm down on the armrest of the throne in front of him! The pure gold dragon head armrest emitted a muffled hum as he struck it, and the entire hall trembled!
Liu Zan and his group, who had just been smug, were so frightened by this sudden thunderous power that they trembled and fell silent instantly.
The entire Golden Palace was completely silent.
Xiao Che slowly raised his eyes. His once calm and still gaze was now filled with frost and a storm brewing. He no longer concealed his anger. The chilling aura of an emperor swept through the entire hall, making everyone feel a bone-chilling cold and their breath catch in their throats.
His cold gaze first fell on Liu Zan, the Minister of Rites.
“Minister Liu,” he began, his voice not loud, but each word clear and cold, carrying a chilling edge, “you just questioned why the Empress has no children, didn’t you?”
Liu Zan felt uneasy under that gaze, but since things had come to this, he could only bite the bullet and say, "This old minister...this old minister dares not, this old minister is only worried about the foundation of the country."
"Worried about the foundation of the nation?" Xiao Che's lips curled into an extremely mocking smile, colder than ice. "What a fine excuse for worrying about the foundation of the nation!"
He spoke slowly and deliberately, enunciating each word: "For half a year of the year since my marriage to the Empress, I was poisoned by a villain and suffered a severe poisoning. Afterward, I was assassinated during a hunt, narrowly escaping death and spending my time in bed recovering from my injuries!"
His voice suddenly rose, like a drawn sword, carrying a chilling murderous aura!
"Do you, my beloved ministers, think that I should have a son with the Empress while I am seriously injured and on the verge of death?! Or do you, my beloved minister, think that my life or death is less important than an unborn prince?!"
These words are both an explanation and a chilling warning!
He directly linked his childlessness to the two momentous events that threatened the very foundation of the nation: his poisoning and his assassination attempt. You talk about the foundation of the nation? Well, let me tell you, my safety is the greatest foundation of the nation!
Liu Zan's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his court robes. He knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This old minister had absolutely no such intention! This old minister deserves to die!"
He never imagined the emperor would respond in this way! This wasn't a defense; it was a blatant threat, using the emperor's authority and the lingering power of the assassination attempt! Anyone who dared to say the empress had no children was questioning the emperor's judgment of their own safety, or even implying that the assassination attempt was insignificant!
Who can bear this crime?
With a single move, he shattered the sharpest blade, "Childlessness," into pieces!
Xiao Che didn't even glance at him again, and turned his gaze to the old clan leader kneeling on the ground.
"Lord Zongzheng," his tone grew even colder, "you just said that the Empress temporarily assuming power is... like a hen crowing at dawn?"
The old patriarch trembled, but forced himself to say, "This old minister... this old minister is merely stating the ancestral rules: the empress dowager must not interfere in politics; this is an ironclad law..."
"Ironclad rule?!" Xiao Che seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He suddenly stood up from the dragon throne, and his powerful aura instantly exploded!
"All I know is that while my life hangs in the balance, and the court is in a state of panic, you are either standing by and watching, or secretly plotting and scheming—who knows what underhanded tricks you are playing—"
He pointed towards the screen, his voice suddenly rising and resounding throughout the entire Golden Palace, filled with an undeniable domineering and protective aura!
"—It is my Empress! It is she, a woman, with her frail body, who has supported my crumbling empire! It is she who has stabilized the harem and appeased the court officials, so that I can stand here safely today!"
"This achievement, this sense of responsibility, this courage—who among you possesses such skill?!"
"You!" He pointed at the old Imperial Clan Minister and demanded sharply, "You stood by and watched, did you ever share even the slightest bit of my burdens?"
"You!" He then pointed to another minister from the regent's faction, "You secretly colluded with others; did you ever consider the safety of the nation?"
He descended the imperial steps step by step, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over all the ministers kneeling on the ground in opposition, his voice carrying the force of thunder!
"My Empress is protecting this empire for me! And you're here talking to me about 'hens crowing at dawn'?!"
"Who among you dares to disagree with this achievement?!"
"Who dares?!"
The last two words, like the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger, shook the entire hall. The kneeling ministers were all ashen-faced, trembling all over, and dared not even raise their heads.
They were completely stunned by the emperor's words!
The emperor completely disregarded ancestral rules and only cared about "merits"! He directly defined Lin Wanwan's "interference in politics" as a peerless feat of "protecting the country and saving the emperor"! Anyone who dared to question it was negating the emperor and the country!
Behind the screen, Lin Wanwan's eyes welled up slightly, and an indescribable warmth surged in her heart.
Looking at the man who was willing to go against the entire court to protect her, and at his tall and straight back, she felt a sense of peace she had never felt before.
My Empress...
These four words moved her more than any sweet words.
Xiao Che walked to the center of the hall, looked around at the silent officials, and finally fixed his gaze on Regent Xiao Yuan, whose face was extremely pale.
"Imperial Uncle, and all my beloved ministers, listen carefully to me."
His voice regained its calmness, yet carried a deep-seated strength and resolve.
"My empress is a meritorious woman who fought alongside me! She is not the useless palace plaything you imagine, who only knows how to be jealous and quarrelsome!"
"From this day forward, anyone who dares to use 'ancestral rules' as a pretext to criticize the Empress in the slightest will be questioning my decision! I will not let them off lightly!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Golden Palace fell silent.
Everyone was stunned by the absolute authority and domineering protectiveness of Xiao Che's wife conveyed in his words.
This isn't a discussion; it's clearly an ultimatum!
Regent Xiao Yuan's face was so gloomy it could drip water. His hands, resting on his knees, were clenched into fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked.
He lost, utterly defeated in terms of momentum.
The two "crimes" he had carefully prepared were refuted by Xiao Che with an almost unreasonable and domineering imperial logic, leaving them completely exposed.
He knew he had to get involved himself. Otherwise, all the prestige he had built up over the years would vanish after this day!
Just as he slowly rose, preparing for the final debate with Xiao Che, to push this courtly struggle to its climax—
Outside the hall, a eunuch scrambled in, his high-pitched, panicked voice announcing the arrival of the newcomer, shattering the tense atmosphere within:
"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
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