CHAPTER 198: 134. I SEE THAT YOU NOT ONLY DARE, BUT ALSO HAVE A LOT OF COURAGE.

「The next day.」

In the Ziwei Palace.

"Is the Senior official afraid of the Empress?"

Before the grand court assembly, Yu Ci, the Minister of Penalty, made his way to Prime Minister Gong Yangyi’s side. He observed Gong Yangyi with his eyes closed, resting. His hands were overlapped on his abdomen, cradling the ritual baton, and he appeared calm and unruffled.

Thus, Yu Ci frowned and leaned towards Gong Yangyi. "A hen crowing at dawn leads to disaster. The fact that Your Majesty has not left the deep palace for twelve years... could it be that this demoness Empress has imprisoned His Majesty?"

"Such actions are condemned by all under Heaven!" Yu Ci tightly gripped Gong Yangyi’s arm.

"If the Senior official is unwilling to second my proposal later..."

"Then merely observing from the sidelines will also suffice," he whispered softly.

At these words, Gong Yangyi opened his eyes. "With His Majesty’s martial prowess and an Innate lifespan of two hundred years, how could he be so easily imprisoned by the Empress? His Majesty is no last emperor raised by women in the depths of the palace; he is the founding Emperor. Minister Yu, do not delude yourself. Power is easily seized, but a life... is hard to preserve."

Although the Cabinet was in overall charge of court affairs, and the Prime Minister was the head of all Civil & Military Officers, power was ultimately derived from below.

Emperor Tiande had conquered the empire with astonishing speed, taking a mere four years. During those four years, compromises with local powers, regional gentry, and powerful clans were unavoidable.

At the time, Emperor Tiande’s actions were a stroke of wisdom. But every advantage comes with a disadvantage.

Having seized the Song Family’s empire with the help of local powers and Aristocratic Families, it was natural to face their backlash. These local powers and Aristocratic Families had rendered meritorious service in the Xu Family’s founding of the nation. Consequently, after Emperor Tiande established his dynasty, a large proportion of the officials in the Imperial Court were scions of these very local powers and Aristocratic Families.

The Decree of Military Officer Donation!

The Decree of Noble Donation!

They were not enacted without reason.

These troublesome legacies... if Emperor Tiande personally managed court affairs, they would not be difficult to handle—whether by dividing and suppressing, or by demoting officials and reassigning fiefdoms. Yet, as fate would have it, after the third year of the Tiande era, all news of Emperor Tiande ceased.

It wasn’t that Gong Yangyi couldn’t devise methods to deal with the local powers and Aristocratic Families. However, he was merely the Prime Minister; the resistance he would face in confronting the Civil & Military Officers, who were also subjects, was too immense.

Yu Ci... was a representative of these Aristocratic Family factions.

To have suppressed these officials from aristocratic backgrounds for twelve years was already a testament to Gong Yangyi’s considerable ability.

My life would be hard to preserve... Yu Ci couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He understood the unspoken meaning in Gong Yangyi’s words.

With court affairs in the hands of Gong Yangyi and other veteran ministers of Emperor Tiande, the Feudal Kings of the Xu surname would not yet dare to cause turmoil. But once they launched a coup and seized power from Gong Yangyi and the others, it was uncertain whether the Feudal Kings of the Xu surname would then raise troops in the name of ’serving the crown.’

Regardless of whether the Feudal Kings of the Xu surname mobilized troops for the Empress, the Crown Prince, or for themselves, any of these would be an excellent pretext.

"The Xu Family members are mostly mediocre," Yu Ci sneered, his apprehension dispelled. "Shenjing has two hundred thousand Forbidden Army troops, all battle-hardened elites. How would they dare to rebel?"

Within the Forbidden Army, even if some Xu Family members held command, they were but a small fraction. As long as they controlled the Imperial Court, they could command a portion of the Forbidden Army through the Ministry of War. With that segment of the Forbidden Army in hand, it would be sufficient to suppress any rebellious forces in Shenjing.

And if the Feudal Kings were to rebel... the Empress and the Crown Prince would automatically be on their side. Two hundred thousand Forbidden Army troops could be deployed by them, making the defense of Shenjing not difficult.

Ultimately, they still lacked the audacity to overthrow the dynasty. They merely intended to alter the state system established by Emperor Tiande, thereby achieving the goal of governance by the Aristocratic Families.

Just then, from outside the hall, the shrill voices of two eunuchs announced at the top of their lungs:

"The Empress has arrived—"

"The Crown Prince has arrived—"

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials in the hall immediately straightened up and parted to form two ranks.

Not long into the court assembly, Yu Ci stepped forward, holding his ritual baton, and bowed to Zhao Yunniang. "Your Majesty, the Empress, for the Empress to involve herself in politics is contrary to propriety. The Civil & Military Officers have not seen His Majesty the Emperor for twelve years. Has His Majesty recovered from his injuries and illness?"

"It is the established ritual for the Emperor to handle affairs of state," Yu Ci continued, his tone mild, yet the coercive intent in his words was exceedingly clear. "For the Emperor not to appear at the Grand Court Assembly... this violates propriety."

Propriety was a convenient basket; anything could be tossed into it.

"Rites govern the state, secure the nation, order the people, and benefit posterity." — *Zuo Zhuan, The Eleventh Year of Duke Yin*.

An Emperor who did not appear at the Grand Court Assembly, a sovereign who had not presided over court for twelve years... If Emperor Tiande were not the Founding Emperor, this matter alone would have been enough to incite a maelstrom of public condemnation.

"Regarding this matter..." Behind the beaded curtain, Zhao Yunniang pursed her lips and delivered her prepared response. "The Emperor is unwell. Back then, when he rallied the people to punish the wicked, conquered Shenjing, and battled the Immortals, he sustained grave injuries. He is now in secluded cultivation within the palace to recuperate."

"If Minister Yu were one of His Majesty’s veteran ministers," she went on, "you should know that when the Emperor was in the Dragon Land, he often entered seclusion, avoiding his officials. Emperor Chongming, in his time, heard of His Majesty’s passion for martial arts and gifted him the Innate Martial Arts manual, the *Imperial Court Sword Canon*."

Yu Ci was not the first minister to try and force Xu Xing to appear. Zhao Yunniang had long prepared such evasive words.

Furthermore, her words subtly highlighted that Yu Ci was not a ’Follower of the Dragon,’ not one of Emperor Tiande’s loyal founding ministers. Her aim was to make it clear to the assembled officials that Yu Ci’s intentions had displeased the Heavenly Family, and herself, the Empress.

Though it appeared to be a simple exchange of questions and answers, it was fraught with hidden machinations.

"The Empress’s words are reasonable," a scarlet-robed official boomed, stepping out from the Court Ranks to loudly question Yu Ci. "Currently, the world is at peace, the Common People are secure, and the realm is prosperous. The Emperor governs by non-action. His Majesty has committed no misdeeds during his reign. Minister Yu, by forcing His Majesty to appear, if you inadvertently cause harm to the Dragon Body, I wonder if you, Minister Yu, are prepared to atone with your life?"

This scarlet-robed official, named Gong Feng, was allied with the Empress. His words, too, concealed a murderous intent.

The Emperor governing by non-action was the way of a sage king. How could mere ritualistic concerns be used to impeach Emperor Tiande, such a sage king?

Besides, since the world was peaceful, was seeing Emperor Tiande or not truly so important? If seeing Emperor Tiande were to worsen his injuries, could Yu Ci alone bear such consequences?

"Yu Ci!" another official interjected. "Is it because His Majesty is in seclusion, and seeing the Heavenly Family as easy to bully, you intend to usurp power? Next, will you demand to wear your sword and shoes in the Emperor’s presence, enter the court without showing due haste, and be addressed without your name?"

Following this, several other officials stepped forward to slander Yu Ci. Under such a barrage of accusations, it seemed that if Yu Ci did not resign from his post or offer an apology, he would be condemned by heaven and earth.

However, Yu Ci had come prepared for today’s attempt to coerce the palace; mere words were hardly enough to shake his resolve.

"What my colleagues say is reasonable," Yu Ci began, his expression calm and fearless. He had a square face, with a few wisps of a fine beard beneath his chin. Back then, when Emperor Chongming was still on the throne, during an imperial examination by the Ministry of Rites, his ’bearing’ (one of the assessed qualities: bearing, speech, calligraphy, and judgment) received the highest possible rating. Anyone looking at his countenance would acclaim him as a paragon of loyalty in turbulent times.

"But, under Heaven, what monarch has ever abstained from court for twelve years? I, Yu Ci, am not targeting His Majesty. His Majesty is wise and brilliant; I, Yu Ci, would not dare to harbor disloyal thoughts. However, I fear... I fear that His Majesty has already met with misfortune."

"This demoness Empress, with her foxy charms, is adept at bewitching her lord!" Yu Ci declared, pulling a written Call to Arms against Zhao Yunniang from his sleeve. "Since assuming power, she has shown a wolfish nature, persecuting loyal and worthy officials... murdering the Emperor and usurping the throne, coveting the Divine Artifacts of state... Such acts are abhorred by gods and men alike, intolerable to heaven and earth!"

After reading the denunciation, he bowed deeply. "If the Empress has not secretly harmed our sovereign, I, your minister Yu Ci, am willing to face death and will offer no further argument. However, if the Empress is indeed the demoness described in this Call to Arms, having murdered the Emperor and usurped the throne, then we, your ministers... will show absolutely no mercy!"

From the palace to the common folk, there was no news of Emperor Tiande. Not only Yu Ci, but most of the Civil & Military Officers under Heaven also believed that Emperor Tiande had likely perished. The reason his death was kept secret was the fear that the hard-won empire would suddenly collapse.

Of course, Emperor Tiande’s death was probably not Zhao Yunniang’s doing. But that was unimportant. What mattered was the power to control the Divine Artifacts of the state!

"We, your ministers, second the motion!"

The next moment, more than a hundred of The Civil and Martial Officials stepped forward. Among them were those in purple, scarlet, and green robes, ranging from the highest-ranking grandees to the most minor officials.

"You..." Tears welled in Zhao Yunniang’s eyes from behind the beaded curtain. "Are you trying to stage a palace coup? While His Majesty is still here, you dare to bully my son and me. If His Majesty were truly gone, would you then storm the Imperial Palace and force us, mother and son, to our deaths?" she questioned the assembled officials.

Crown Prince Xu Zhang, seated to the left below the Dragon Chair, also showed a hint of anger. Although he did not know his Father Emperor’s whereabouts, these ministers forcing the issue in such a manner was a humiliation not only to Zhao Yunniang, the Empress, but also to him, the Crown Prince.

If Zhao Yunniang was a demoness Empress, then what did that make him, the Crown Prince?

"Do you all intend to kill me?" Xu Zhang’s face turned cold, his gaze as sharp as a sword, sweeping over the Civil & Military Officers In the Hall.

"We, your ministers, dare not!" the officials who had stepped forward exclaimed, bowing. They only said they dared not, yet they did not retreat to the Court Ranks, continuing to exert pressure on Zhao Yunniang and Xu Zhang with their unyielding presence.

"Dare not!" A new voice rang out. "I, the Emperor, see that not only do you dare, but your audacity is immense..."

Just then, a figure in a Bright Yellow Dragon Robe suddenly appeared outside the hall. This figure appeared young, but his features closely resembled those of Xu Zhang, who was In the Hall, though he appeared slightly older.