As the words fell, a series of chaotic footsteps and suppressed gasps echoed from outside the palace doors.
Under the 'invitation' of Zhou Chun’s wolf-like Imperial Bodyguard, more than a dozen elders, dressed in scholarly robes and wearing square headscarves, were half-coaxed, half-forced into the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Leading them was Wang Xiwen, the retired Grand Confucian with white hair and beard, who should have been outside Chengtian Gate, banging his head on the ground in a dramatic 'blood remonstrance'!
They were no longer the righteous heroes willing to die valiantly, as Gu Bingqian had described; instead, each one was pale, disheveled, and their eyes were filled with the terror and shame of having their conspiracy exposed.
As they entered the main hall, they saw Gu Bingqian in his mourning clothes, and then Zhou Chun, with the dossier in hand, his eyes as sharp as knives.
Finally, their gaze fell upon the cold, indifferent eyes on the Dragon Throne, and everyone's legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Thud! Thud!”
A series of dull thuds as kneecaps collided with golden bricks. This group of Grand Confucian elders, who should have been the exemplars of the literati across the land, all knelt in unison.
“Your… Your subjects are guilty!”
“We… We were misled by the traitor Gu Bingqian! We beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!”
In the face of absolute evidence and the threat of death, their so-called integrity shattered more thoroughly than glazed tiles.
They scrambled to confess their monstrous crimes of colluding with Gu Bingqian, accepting bribes, and attempting to force the Emperor's hand with a 'blood remonstrance'.
However, amidst this chorus of wails and pleas for mercy, a discordant voice, trembling yet sharp, rang out!
“Your Majesty! Even if we are wrong, it was due to being misled by a treacherous person! But what about Your Majesty?!”
Wang Xiwen lifted his old, wrinkled face, his eyes burning with a final, desperate obsession.
He pointed at He Sui and roared with all his might:
“The Empress is the Mother of the Nation! Dethroning an Empress is a matter of great importance to the nation! You did not go through the three judicial reviews, nor did you report to the ancestral temple; you merely acted on a mad word to depose and establish! This is punishing without teaching, which is tyranny!”
“Your actions are no different from those of Jie and Zhou! You are a tyrant!!”
The two words “tyrant” swept through the silent hall like a chilling wind.
Many officials' expressions changed again.
This old scoundrel intended to use the last shackles of Confucian legitimacy to make a final struggle for himself and for Gu Bingqian!
However, He Sui on the Dragon Throne did not even lift an eyelid.
He was even too lazy to look at Wang Xiwen’s face, which had turned the color of a pig’s liver.
Tyrant?
He slowly rotated the jade thumb ring on his thumb, his cold gaze, like a beast patrolling its territory, slowly sweeping over the hundred officials below the dais.
“My beloved ministers, you are all the backbone of My Empire.”
His voice was terrifyingly calm, yet every minister caught by his gaze felt their heart gripped tightly by an invisible hand.
“You tell Me.”
“Yesterday, here in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the deposed Empress Consort Gu, what… what did she do?”
He Sui did not question, did not guide, but merely asked plainly.
Yet this plainness was more terrifying than a thunderous rage!
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Who dared to speak first?
This would mean completely trampling the Gu Family and irrevocably binding themselves to the Son of Heaven's chariot!
In this suffocating silence, the Director of the Imperial Clan Court, Prince Shu He Zhang, stepped forward slowly and bowed slightly towards the Dragon Throne.
“Reporting to Your Majesty.”
His voice was clear, yet every word was like a knife.
“Yesterday, the deposed Empress Gu Shi, in front of The entire imperial court, personally shrieked—”
He paused, then repeated each word clearly:
“‘This Empire! This world! It should have been mine!’”
Boom—!!!
This sentence, brought up again, still exploded in everyone’s minds like a volcano!
With Prince Shu taking the lead, the Imperial Clan princes and loyalist old ministers who had long been dissatisfied with the Gu Family instantly found an outlet!
“Exactly! We heard it with our own ears! The Empress conspired to usurp, the evidence is ironclad!”
“Such treasonous words are an affront to both gods and men! What need is there for further trial?!”
“Your Majesty's dethronement of the Empress is to remove a scourge for our Da Yue Dynasty! It is an act of sagacity!”
The wave of voices, one after another!
The color drained from Wang Xiwen’s old face with a 'swish'.
His proudly held 'legitimacy' was as fragile as a paper window in the face of this undisguised fact of 'conspiracy to rebel'!
He Sui savored this wave that he had personally stirred up.
Finally, he cast his cold, slightly mocking gaze towards the instigator who had been slumped on the ground the entire time.
“Gu Bingqian.”
He called out softly.
“Will you speak for yourself, or… shall I speak for you?”
At this moment, Gu Bingqian’s body, which had been like a walking corpse, trembled violently.
He slowly raised his head, his dead-gray eyes meeting He Sui’s unfathomable gaze.
He saw it.
He saw that in those eyes, there was no anger, no triumph, only indifference.
It was the indifference of a god looking down on an ant.
He wanted to deny, to argue, to roar... but under the gaze of those eyes, all his schemes, all his venom, turned to dust.
He opened his mouth, and a 'hoarse' sound, like a broken bellows, came from his throat, but not a single word could be uttered.
He could not deny it.
Wang Xiwen and the others behind him, seeing this scene, had their last shred of hope completely shattered. Each face turned ashen, like mourners, as they heavily knocked their foreheads against the cold golden bricks, trembling like sieves.
In the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony, the outcome was decided.
He Sui slowly rose from the Dragon Throne, looking down from above at this group of 'Grand Confucians' whom he had manipulated in the palm of his hand.
“I, remembering that you once contributed to Da Yue, and once taught and nurtured, with disciples throughout the land.”
His voice carried a hint of the 'magnanimity' unique to an Emperor.
“This time, you were misled by a treacherous person, and I… can let bygones be bygones.”
At these words, Wang Xiwen and the others felt as if they had received a great pardon, their eyes bursting with the wild joy of escaping disaster, and they were about to kowtow in gratitude.
However, He Sui’s next sentence plunged them into the icy depths of the Nine Hells!
“But…”
His voice suddenly turned cold, transforming into a steel blade that scraped bones!
“This is not to be repeated!”
“If there is a next time, no matter who, no matter their achievements, no matter their prestige…”
He Sui spoke each word distinctly, his voice turning into thunder, as he harshly pronounced:
“All of you, stripped of your official titles!”
“Your descendants for three generations shall not be allowed to participate in the imperial examinations!”
“I, mean what I say!”
The Confucians felt as if they had received a great pardon, kowtowing in gratitude.
Gu Bingqian’s face, twisted by extreme anger and humiliation, now strangely calmed, leaving only a deathly pallor.
Slowly, under the horrified gaze of The entire imperial court, he raised his hand.
Inch by inch, he unfastened the purple-gold Grand Secretary's seal, symbolizing his position beneath one and above ten thousand, from his waist.
His movements were slow and solemn, as if performing a sacred offering.
【Oh, what is this old dog doing? Can't he take a loss?】
He Sui sneered inwardly, but his face remained impassive, watching his performance with interest.
Gu Bingqian held the great seal in both hands, a bitter smile on his face. His laughter, in the dead silence of the hall, was like the mournful cry of a night owl, grating on everyone's eardrums.
“Your Majesty!”
He raised the great seal high, his voice no longer a roar, but a penetrating sorrow and resolve.
“This seal was bestowed by the late Emperor, to assist the monarch and uphold the Empire!”
“It is not for aiding tyranny and unjustly killing loyal officials!”
His gaze swept over the silent officials in the hall, his voice suddenly rising, shaking the four fields!
“This old minister has served three generations of regents, toiling with all his heart and soul, originally intending to dedicate himself to Your Majesty until death!”
“But today, Your Majesty openly flogged a second-rank official to death, treating the national law as nothing, acting like a tyrant!”
“This old minister… has no face to stand in this imperial court any longer!”
“Today, I shall return this immense power to Your Majesty!”
The moment his words fell—
“Clang—!”
The purple-gold great seal was fiercely thrown onto the cold golden bricks!
The piercing crash, like a clap of thunder, exploded in everyone's minds, shaking them to their core!
This was not over!
Gu Bingqian tore off the official hat on his head, which symbolized his status, letting his streaked hair fall loose, appearing like a madman.
“This office, this old minister will no longer hold!”
He suddenly turned, no longer looking at He Sui on the Dragon Throne, and walked unsteadily towards the palace door.
That resolute and tragic back seemed to declare to the world—
So be it! So be it!
Let all the world see the end of a loyal minister, and a tyrant on the throne!
In an instant, all the officials understood.
This was an open scheme!
An open scheme a hundred times more ruthless than 'blood remonstrance to force the Emperor's hand'!
He wanted to actively transform the humiliation of 'being dismissed from office' into the tragic 'loyal minister's heart dying, leaving his post'!
He wanted to leave with the 'legitimacy' and 'morality' of the civil official group, and firmly pin the black pot of 'tyrant' on He Sui's head!
Just when everyone thought He Sui would be enraged and order this old scoundrel dragged back and beheaded for public display.
“My beloved minister, stay.”
A gentle voice came softly from the Dragon Throne.
The voice was so soft, as if he were trying to retain a close friend about to embark on a long journey.
He Sui's face even carried a hint of a concerned smile.
He looked at Gu Bingqian's frozen back and slowly spoke.
“The Grand Secretary has toiled for the nation, and is overcome with grief, leading to heart fire attacking his heart. I… understand.”
“It is time for a good rest.”
“I, permit you to retire.”
Retire!
Not dismissed, but retired!
It was the Son of Heaven showing compassion for an old minister, graciously allowing him to return to his hometown in glory and enjoy his golden years!
A single word's difference, a world apart!
Gu Bingqian's open scheme was instantly shattered completely!
The smile on He Sui's face, at the moment his words fell, instantly faded, leaving only endless coldness, his voice like black ice!
“Imperial Bodyguard!”
Zhou Chun's figure appeared in the hall like a ghost.
“Your subject is here!”
“The Grand Secretary is overcome with sorrow and cannot even walk steadily.”
He Sui spoke each word distinctly, the word 'assist' emphasized heavily.
“You, go, personally 'assist' the Grand Secretary back to his residence!”
“Remember, it is to 'escort' him back!”
His voice suddenly turned into thunder, carrying an unquestionable murderous intent!
“If the Grand Secretary is delayed in the palace for another moment, or bumps into anything, I will take your heads!”
“By your command!”
A cruel pleasure flashed in Zhou Chun's eyes. He strode forward with two Imperial Bodyguard, one on each side, and 'assisted' Gu Bingqian, whose body had already begun to tremble violently.
That was not assistance at all; it was clearly an iron-like restraint!
Gu Bingqian's political performance utterly collapsed.
His tragic 'loyal minister leaving his post' was forcibly twisted into the embarrassing and disgraceful 'Son of Heaven forcibly dragging him out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony'!
“He Sui!!!”
Gu Bingqian finally broke down, letting out a beast-like roar, but the Imperial Bodyguard clamped his mouth shut, so he could only make 'woo-woo' sounds, and was 'escorted' out of the palace gates, disappearing from view.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony returned to dead silence.
He Sui coldly swept his gaze over the terrified faces below, then flicked his sleeves and rose.
“Court dismissed.”
...Hall of Mental Cultivation.
As soon as He Sui changed out of his Dragon Robe, Zhou Chun and Xiao Anzi's figures entered in quick succession, their faces bearing an unprecedented solemnity.
“Speak.” He Sui picked up his teacup and blew on the hot liquid.
“Your Majesty!”
Zhou Chun knelt on one knee, his voice urgent as fire.
“The old dog Gu… has completely gone mad!”
“As soon as he left the palace, he immediately dispatched his trusted loyalists to scatter and contact his former subordinates in the Capital Garrison, as well as the Cao Gang experts entrenched on the Grand Canal!”
“From his posture, he is prepared to tear off the pretense, and at all costs, to… stage a military coup!”
He Sui's action of sipping tea paused slightly.
Xiao Anzi then stepped forward, his voice trembling.
“Your Majesty, what's even more critical is…”
“Qin Tian, the 'Cang Lang' of the Northern Frontier, has led three thousand elite cavalry, under the guise of reporting for duty, and is heading towards the Capital. He will arrive within days!”
“This man is the 'Son of Heaven's Mandate' among the generals, with extremely high prestige in the Northern Frontier army! His true purpose for this trip is to seek justice for his subordinates who were unjustly killed and had their military pay embezzled by Gu Bingqian's cronies!”
Xiao Anzi swallowed, and said with difficulty: “Gu Bingqian has deep roots in the military. He will undoubtedly spare no effort to win over Qin Tian before Your Majesty!”
“Once Gu Bingqian gets Qin Tian, this 'knife', and with insiders in the Capital Garrison…”
The consequences were self-evident.
The air in the entire Hall of Mental Cultivation seemed to solidify.
The victory in the imperial court seemed so fragile under the threat of military force.
A sense of crisis, like Mount Tai pressing down, instantly descended!
However, in this desperate situation, He Sui not only showed no panic, but instead put down his teacup and slowly stood up.
His eyes, for the first time, gleamed with the sharp, hungry light of a wolf.
He walked to the large map hanging on the wall, his gaze fixed on the blood-red route from the 'Northern Frontier' to the 'Capital'.
A cold and cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
【Stealing people?】
【Good, I love playing this kind of game.】
He turned around, looking at Zhou Chun and Xiao Anzi, who were kneeling on the ground, their eyes full of worry, and issued a cold command that would decide the fate of the Empire.
“Gu Bingqian wants to steal people?”
“Good.”
He Sui's voice was calm, yet it carried a domineering aura that could stir up storms.
“I, will play this game of stealing with him once.”