“Your Majesty only needs to watch.”
As he spoke, Wu Yi turned to look at Prime Minister Xu. Wu Yi said, “Prime Minister Xu, Lin Zhentao is your dog. I understand you wanting to protect him, but have you ever asked for this heir’s opinion?”
Prime Minister Xu took a deep breath and snorted coldly, “Your opinion? Ridiculous. You hold no official title, no real power, and only wear the title of Heir of the Duke of Dingguo because you were lucky to be born into the right house. And now you expect a dignified Prime Minister like me to consult you? Where do you get the qualifications? Absolutely absurd.”
Wu Yi smiled faintly, “Whether or not I’m qualified, Prime Minister Xu, you’ll soon find out.”
Sensing that his own life was at stake, Lin Zhentao immediately jumped in, shouting angrily, “Wu Yi, don’t push people too far! I admit I wrongly accused you without knowing the truth, but the Prime Minister has already punished me. What more do you want?”
Wu Yi’s lips curled slightly as he spoke loudly, his voice booming through the Golden Luan Hall, “You want to know what I want? Then I’ll tell you—I want to behead you in front of Her Majesty and all the officials!”
BOOM—!
The entire hall was shaken!
Everyone looked at Wu Yi in disbelief. He actually dared to say that in front of the Empress and the entire civil and military court? He wanted to behead the Minister of Revenue?
That’s a 1st rank official!
This guy really had guts.
Even Duke Wu An was shocked by his own son. That kind of decisiveness, that ruthless dominance—it felt unfamiliar even to him.
Long Yin had already been completely won over, eyes glued to Wu Yi with admiration. In his heart, only one word echoed: “Awesome!”
As for Long Qiyue, her gaze trembled slightly. Her legs under the dragon robe unconsciously tightened together, and the jade hand in her sleeve instinctively clenched. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Wu Yi truly understood her!
However, she still wore a trace of anger on her face. “Impudent! You dare to kill a court official in front of me? How bold of you. The Minister of Revenue is not someone you can just kill. Give me a reasonable explanation!”
Wu Yi cursed silently in his heart, Damn it! You’re using me as your weapon and now asking me for a reason?
At this point, anyone sharp enough could sense something was off.
This… didn’t feel right!
The Empress and Wu Yi seemed to be putting on a double act.
How did things suddenly become a performance?
Where had they missed a step?
Wu Yi ignored the stunned crowd. Since the Empress wanted to act, he’d play along. Who couldn’t act?
With a cold face and his hands behind his back, he paced slowly inside the grand hall, his voice loud and filled with grief and anger, echoing in everyone’s ears.
“Her Majesty wants a reason? Then I’ll give you one.”
“My Wu family has been loyal for generations. My grandfather, Duke of Dingguo, fought alongside the late emperor, battling enemies both foreign and domestic, dedicating his life and earning countless military honors.”
“My father, Duke Zhenbei, guarded the northern borders for years, killing countless enemies to protect the empire, achieving great merits time after time.”
“These are the things you’ve seen, but what about what you haven’t seen? Have you all just forgotten?”
Suddenly, he spun around, his eyes bloodshot as he looked at the Empress.
“My second granduncle Wu Qing, my second uncle Wu Anlong, my eldest brother Wu Yun, my two cousins Wu Zhen and Wu Hong, and so many of the Wu family’s blood relatives, the countless soldiers of the Wu family army—they’ve all died for this country, buried beneath the soil. Have you forgotten them?”
“And my third uncle Wu Anhua. He was once recognized as the number one martial arts genius of the Longhua Empire, the one most likely to ascend as a 9th rank Martial Sovereign!”
“He could’ve stood at the pinnacle of martial arts. He could’ve pursued the purest heart of the Dao.”
At this point, Wu Yi shouted with reddened eyes, “Ten years! His prime ten years!”
“Do you even know what he’s gone through in those ten years?”
“Do you understand how cruel that is to someone who could’ve reached the peak of the martial path?”
At that moment, the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone looked at Wu Yi with complex expressions. Their hearts were heavy.
Duke Wu An had long closed his eyes, seemingly calm, but his trembling fists betrayed his true emotions.
Even Long Qiyue instinctively bit her red lip, her gaze visibly trembling as she looked at Wu Yi’s pained expression. At that moment, she couldn’t tell whether Wu Yi was still acting—because that kind of grief in his eyes couldn’t be faked.
Just then, Wu Yi suddenly pointed at Lin Zhentao and shouted loudly, “My Wu family has been loyal and heroic for generations, nearly sacrificing the entire clan to defend Longhua.”
“But Lin Zhentao dared to frame a descendant of this loyal family, putting me in mortal danger.”
“I ask Your Majesty!”
“Lin Zhentao, as the dignified Minister of Revenue, a 1st rank court official, falsely accused a loyal heir who upholds the peace of Longhua without any concrete evidence, and even declared I committed a capital offense, manipulating the court to pressure Your Majesty into issuing a death decree.”
“Should such evil deeds be punished by death?”
“I ask Your Majesty again!”
“If I had truly been killed because of Lin Zhentao’s false accusation, wouldn’t that have created a rift between the Duke of Dingguo’s house and Your Majesty, shaking the foundation of Longhua? Wouldn’t that have brought a disaster to the empire?”
“Should a man who endangers the very empire be executed?”
BOOM—!
As soon as he finished, Lin Zhentao turned pale with fear.
He immediately knelt and begged the Empress, “Spare me, Your Majesty! I was kept in the dark! Had I known the truth, I wouldn’t have dared to falsely accuse the Heir even if I had ten lives!”
But Long Qiyue ignored him. She cast a subtle glance at Wu Yi, her eyes filled with admiration.
She thought to herself, “Beautiful!”
Now that Wu Yi’s blade was out, she could finally use this moment to strike righteously and eliminate her enemies.
Then her phoenix eyes swept over the court officials with undeniable majesty as she declared in an unquestionable tone, “You all heard what the Heir just said.”
“The Wu family has always been loyal and heroic. In all of Longhua, who doesn’t know this?”
“If it weren’t for Duke Wu Yuan turning the tide back then, Longhua would’ve changed rulers long ago.”
“It’s no exaggeration to say, without the Wu family, there would be no Longhua today.”
“Lin Zhentao, the Minister of Revenue, framed a loyal heir of a meritorious clan. Over the years, he’s abused his power to form factions and enrich himself—his crimes are too many to list.”
“This is something I cannot tolerate.”
“Therefore, I decree that Lin Zhentao be executed on the spot.”
She turned to Wu Yi and said loudly, “The execution will be carried out by the Heir himself—on my behalf.”
Thud—
Lin Zhentao’s face went blank, and he collapsed to the floor, completely limp.
It’s over!
Totally over.
“He may not have made major contributions, but he’s worked hard for years. I ask Your Majesty to show mercy for the sake of this old minister.”
As he spoke, Prime Minister Xu actually knelt to plead for Lin Zhentao.
He knew—this wasn’t a wise move.
But he had no choice.
Lin Zhentao was his right-hand man. If he didn’t step in and Lin Zhentao was really killed, those ministers who followed his lead would feel disheartened and lose faith, which would shake the influence and foundation he had built over the years.
Moreover, if the Empress succeeded this time, things would spiral out of control.
With her ruthless methods, she could quickly eliminate all his allies and completely strip away his power.
As Prime Minister Xu knelt, his allies immediately followed, falling to their knees one after another, shouting in unison:
“Minister Lin doesn’t deserve death, we beg Your Majesty for mercy!”
“Minister Lin doesn’t deserve death, we beg Your Majesty for mercy!”
“…”
Wu Yi turned his head and scanned the room, secretly exclaiming, What the hell!
Among the Six Ministries, aside from the Ministry of Rites and Ministry of War, the remaining four Ministers were all under Prime Minister Xu’s control.
Even the assistant ministers, the Hanlin Academy, and others—he had a majority there too.
And this was only the political power within the court.
It didn’t even count the military power that Prime Minister Xu controlled.
At that moment, Wu Yi finally realized how difficult it was for Long Qiyue.
She had only been on the throne for a year.
No matter how capable she was, it was impossible for her to topple such a colossal figure like Prime Minister Xu in such a short time.
“After the late emperor passed, he really did leave her a mess,” Wu Yi sighed inwardly as he looked toward the Empress.
To his surprise, she was also looking at him, her gaze tinged with helplessness.
Even more shocking—Wu Yi noticed that the once lofty, cold, and proud Empress now had a trace of soft vulnerability in her eyes.
It was as if she was saying to him, “Wu Yi, look~”
Damn it!
You’re acting cute with me?
Trying to hook me like a Qiaozui fish?
I f*cking…
I really do fall for this kind of thing.
So what if it’s Qiaozui?
Suddenly, Wu Yi’s roar echoed throughout the grand hall, “No one’s plea will work!”
“Today, Lin Zhentao will die by my hand! Even if the heavens themselves come down, they won’t save him. I said it!”