In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, time seemed to stand still at that moment.
Xiao Che's clenched fists, the stinging pain of his nails digging into his palms, were the only real sensations he could feel at that moment. He knew he was standing on the edge of a precipice, with an abyss behind him and a pack of wolves eyeing him menacingly ahead.
He had nowhere to retreat.
He slowly opened his mouth, preparing to utter those words that represented humiliation and compromise. Those words were as heavy as a mountain, almost crushing his spine.
However, just as he was about to speak...
A clear, calm voice, yet carrying an undeniable power, suddenly rang out from behind the screen.
"Wait a moment!"
The sound wasn't loud, especially in the vast and majestic Golden Palace, but it was like a bolt of lightning piercing the silent night sky, or a sharp blade with unparalleled precision, instantly severing the string that was taut on everyone's nerves!
The entire court fell silent!
The words that were about to escape Xiao Che's lips suddenly caught in his throat. He shuddered, almost unable to believe his ears, and subconsciously turned his head to look at the huge screen depicting the landscape behind him.
Behind the screen, Lin Wanwan, who had been quietly listening to everything, slowly stood up.
There was no trace of panic or fear on her face. On that exquisitely beautiful countenance lay only a deep, calm as still as a frozen pool, and a sharpness that seemed to pierce through everything.
From the moment the report in blood from Jiangnan arrived, she had been calmly observing the situation.
From the Regent's "eloquent speech" to the officials' "pleading for the people," and then to Xiao Che's predicament as a "perpetual sinner" being forced into a desperate situation, all of this unfolded before her eyes like a meticulously choreographed drama.
She looked at the bright red "Urgent!" alert above Xiao Che's head, sensing his transformation from initial shock and anger to his current helplessness and despair. Her heart sank along with his.
But she did not despair.
Because she knew that this game of cards was not over yet.
The opponent thought she had revealed all her trump cards and cornered her king.
But they miscalculated one card.
A card they had never taken seriously, and never imagined they would overturn the table at this moment—her, the Empress of Liang, Lin Wanwan!
She looked at her personal maid Ruolan, whose palms were sweating and face was pale with nervousness, and gave her an order with a calm but firm gaze.
Looking into the Empress's eyes, which seemed to hold boundless power, Ruolan's panic and fear miraculously subsided. She nodded heavily, took a deep breath, lifted her skirt, and resolutely strode out from the side of the screen.
And so came that earth-shattering "Wait a minute!" that just now.
Amidst the shocked, bewildered, and incredulous gazes of the court officials, the young palace maid Ruolan walked to the very center of the main hall.
She, a mere second-class palace maid, stood tall, facing the vast sea of civil and military officials below—officials who held the power to decide the fate of the empire—and the regent, whose authority was absolute, at the head of the table. With all her might, she shouted out a phrase that would be etched into history:
"Your Majesty the Empress... has something to report!"
Boom!!!
If the "Wait a minute" just now was a thunderclap from a clear sky, then the "Your Majesty the Empress has a memorial to present" is like a thunderbolt from the heavens, striking the roof of the Golden Palace!
The entire hall instantly fell into an even more eerie and utter silence than before!
Everyone was shocked!
They stared wide-eyed and gaping-mouthed, as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight, intently watching the slender yet incredibly stubborn little palace maid standing in the center of the hall, and the huge screen behind her that symbolized imperial power and the empire.
Empress?
Does Your Majesty have a memorial to present?
What does this mean?
Since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty, it has been an ironclad rule that the empress must not interfere in politics! The empress is the mother of the nation, and her duty is to lead the six palaces and assist the emperor, not to discuss matters with foreign officials in the court!
This is simply...unheard of! Utterly absurd!
Xiao Che, seated on the dragon throne, was completely stunned. He stared blankly at Ruolan, then at the screen behind him, his mind a complete void.
Wanwan? What is she going to do?
Did she realize the fierce criticism she would face for her actions? She was placing herself at the center of public opinion, both within the court and across the land!
After a brief silence, the first to react was Regent Xiao Yuan.
His face instantly turned ashen!
With victory within his grasp, how dare this empress, whom he considered a caged canary and utterly insignificant, who was supposed to be brought in for good luck, jump out and disrupt things at this crucial moment?!
"absurd!"
A thunderous roar erupted from Xiao Yuan's mouth, filled with undisguised rage and killing intent!
He pointed at Ruolan and sternly rebuked her: "Outrageous! This is the place where the imperial court holds meetings to discuss strategies for saving the country and its people! How dare the concubines of the harem interfere in politics?! Who gave you the audacity to spread rumors and disrupt the court here!"
His voice, like the icy wind of winter, swept through the entire hall. The immense pressure belonging to a prince and powerful minister, like a mountain, pressed down heavily on little Ruolan.
Ruolan was so frightened by this imposing aura that her face turned pale and her body trembled involuntarily. However, she still gritted her teeth and stood stubbornly in place, without taking a single step back.
The regent was furious that a mere palace maid dared to disobey him. He was about to order her to be dragged out and beaten to death as a warning to others.
However, before he could speak again...
A clear, calm, yet naturally dignified voice slowly drifted out from behind the screen.
"Uncle, please calm down. It is not your place to discipline my maids."
Accompanied by this voice, a slender yet incredibly graceful figure slowly emerged from behind the screen depicting the vast landscape.
In that instant, the light in the entire Golden Palace seemed to brighten a bit because of her appearance.
Lin Wanwan wore an elaborate and luxurious empress's formal attire—a crimson robe embroidered with twelve rows of colorful pheasant patterns, and a crown adorned with nine dragons and four phoenixes, inlaid with kingfisher feathers and pearls, its brilliance shimmering. Her makeup was dignified and solemn, and her almond-shaped eyes, which usually carried a gentle smile, were now as calm as a deep pool and as sharp as cold stars.
Her demeanor was unparalleled.
Her demeanor was that of an empress!
And so, under the frozen gazes of the entire court, she walked down the imperial steps, one by one.
Her steps were unhurried, each one firm and steady. The high heels of her phoenix shoes tapped on the polished gold bricks, producing a crisp, rhythmic "tap, tap" sound, like war drums striking the hearts of everyone present.
She didn't look at anyone.
He didn't look at the civil and military officials who were stunned and speechless with shock.
She didn't even glance at the regent, whose face had turned ashen and whose eyes were brimming with murderous intent because of her appearance.
In her eyes, from beginning to end, there was only one person.
She walked straight to the dragon throne that symbolized supreme imperial power, and stood before her king, Xiao Che, who was still in a state of great shock.
Then, in front of the entire court, she personally handed him a memorial wrapped in bright yellow brocade, which was clearly written overnight.
Her voice, at that moment, resounded throughout the deathly silent Golden Palace.
The voice, clear and firm, filled with irrefutable power, seemed to be declaring to the entire world:
Who says the national treasury is empty?
"I have a way!"
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