Silence.
A silence so profound it could freeze one's Divine Soul.
He Sui's command, like an invisible heavy hammer, fiercely struck within the giant coffin known as the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
It rattled everyone's eardrums and shattered their spirits.
The Imperial Guards' commander, with his armor clanking, was about to step forward to execute this earth-shattering decree.
However, an old but powerful roar, like a clap of thunder, resounded abruptly!
"Wait!"
Gu Bingqian, the Grand Secretary, finally broke free from the shocking revelation of his daughter's rebellion.
He didn't pounce like a mad dog, nor did he kneel and beg for mercy.
This old fox, who had been immersed in court for forty years, after the initial shock, instantly found the most vicious and effective weapon for counterattack — rules.
His hair bristled, and his old yet still upright body stood like a wall, firmly blocking the front of the hall, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at He Sui on the Dragon Throne.
"Your Majesty! Do you know what you are doing?!"
There was no hint of pleading in his voice, only heartbroken questioning, as if He Sui was the one who had committed a grave error.
"Deposing an Empress is a matter of national importance! It requires deliberation by the Grand Secretariat, joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices, reporting to the ancestral temple, and announcement to the world!"
"How can such a hasty action be taken based on unverified crazy talk?!"
"Your Majesty's actions treat Da Yue Dynasty's centuries-old laws as nothing! Where do you place the ancestral rules established by the late emperor?!"
Every word was like a knife, every phrase struck at the heart.
He skillfully avoided the core issue of "rebellion" and instead directed the spearhead at He Sui for "abusing imperial power and destroy laws."
This was an incredibly ruthless open plot!
As soon as these words were uttered, officials of the Gu Family faction, as if finding their backbone, immediately reacted.
The Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, a student of Gu Bingqian, immediately stepped forward to second the motion, his voice stern:
"Grand Secretary's words are absolutely correct! Your Majesty, how can a matter of national importance be treated as a child's game! The act of deposing an Empress shakes the Foundation of the nation; without irrefutable evidence and due process, how will the people of the world view Your Majesty? How will they view our Great Yue Dynasty court?!"
The Minister of Rites followed closely, kneeling and kowtowing with profound grief:
"Your Majesty, please reconsider! The Empress is the mother of the nation; her deposition or establishment concerns the dignity of the country! Since ancient times, there has never been such a hasty act! If this act succeeds, it will surely become a laughing stock for the world, and an inglorious mark will be left in the annals of history!"
"Please, Your Majesty, reconsider!"
"Please, Your Majesty, withdraw your decree and hand it over to the Three Judicial Offices for a joint trial!"
For a time, the Gu Family's cronies stepped forward one after another, some speaking passionately, others weeping profusely, instantly forming a huge wave of sound in the hall, like an invisible wall, firmly resisting imperial power.
The Imperial Guards' movements, as expected, hesitated.
Those loyal old officials who were originally filled with righteous indignation now also looked troubled, whispering among themselves.
Gu Bingqian's words struck at their weakness as civil officials—procedural justice.
The situation subtly reversed in an instant.
The pressure, like a mountain, returned to the Dragon Throne.
Seeing this, Gu Bingqian's heart settled slightly, and a hint of triumph flashed in his eyes.
Little Emperor, you are still too naive!
Imperial power is not a knife you can wield at will, but a scepter wrapped in countless rules, laws, and human relations!
You want to kill, you can.
But you must follow my procedures, use my rules!
As long as we drag this out, until you die from the poison, there will still be room for maneuver!
On the Dragon Throne, He Sui watched all this with a cold expression.
He watched the performance of those clowns, his heart completely calm, even feeling a little like laughing.
Open plot?
Rules?
In the face of absolute power, they are nothing more than toilet paper to wipe one's backside.
His consciousness sank into his mind, and the light golden panel clearly appeared.
Remaining lifespan: one hour.
Dragon Qi Value: 20 points.
This amount of time was enough.
Enough for him to completely tear apart these so-called rules!
Just in this tense standoff between ruler and ministers, a deadlock.
A clear, yet slightly cold voice, leisurely sounded from the Imperial Clan's ranks.
"Grand Secretary, what a sharp tongue, what an 'ancestral law.'"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a Prince, dressed in a four-clawed python robe and with an elegant face, slowly stepping out.
The Director of the Imperial Clan Court, Prince Shu He Zhang.
He first nodded slightly to He Sui on the Dragon Throne, neither humble nor arrogant, and bowed.
Then, he turned his gaze to Gu Bingqian, and in his gentle and refined eyes, there was an undeniable sharpness.
"Grand Secretary, you speak of laws, and I admire that."
He Zhang's tone was very calm, as if he was chatting with someone.
"Then I would like to ask the Grand Secretary, in the laws of our Da Yue Dynasty, what is the punishment for the crime of rebellion?"
Gu Bingqian's eyelids twitched, and he said in a deep voice: "It is naturally the crime of exterminating three generations of the family! However, everything must be based on evidence! How can one make baseless conjectures!"
"Evidence?"
He Zhang smiled, a gentle smile, yet it made Gu Bingqian's heart palpitate.
"Empress Gu's words just now, 'This empire should have been mine,' were roared out by her own mouth in front of The entire imperial court."
"Grand Secretary, did you hear it?"
He looked around, his gaze sweeping over all the ministers.
"All colleagues, did you hear it?"
No one dared to answer, nor did anyone dare to deny it.
The smile on He Zhang's lips grew wider.
"So, the ears of The entire imperial court are not considered evidence."
"So, what we, the hundred officials, personally heard, is all just 'crazy talk.'"
He changed the subject, his voice suddenly rising, revealing the arrogance and killing intent unique to the Imperial Clan!
"Or, in Grand Secretary Gu's eyes, does my He Family's empire have to wait for an outsider poisonous woman to ride on our heads before leisurely going through your Grand Secretariat's procedures?!"
Boom—!!!
These words, like a clap of thunder, completely woke up the Imperial Clan's Princes who were still hesitating!
That's right!
This was their He Family's empire!
An outsider woman was pointing fingers and saying she wanted to seize it, and they were still talking about some damn rules!
"Prince Shu is right!"
A hot-tempered old Prince immediately stepped forward, pointing angrily at Gu Bingqian.
"Gu Bingqian! Your daughter's rebellion is ironclad evidence! How dare you still quibble here, obstructing His Majesty? Could it be that your Gu Family intends for both father and daughter to rebel together?!"
"Our He Family's affairs, we can discuss anything behind closed doors! But if outsiders want to seize our He Family's empire, we will be the first to disagree!"
"Please, Your Majesty, issue a decree to severely punish the national traitor!"
"Please, Your Majesty, issue a decree!"
The power of the Imperial Clan was completely ignited at this moment!
Gu Bingqian's face instantly turned ashen, like paper.
He had calculated everything, but he hadn't expected that Prince Shu, who had always been content with his lot and known for his wisdom, would deliver the most fatal blow at this critical juncture!
He instantly escalated the conflict between ruler and minister into a life-and-death struggle between the Imperial Clan and the Empress's family!
The tide had turned.
On the Dragon Throne, He Sui watched this splendid game below, a cold smile, unnoticed by anyone, playing on his lips.
What a good uncle, sniffing out blood and pouncing on it.
However, I like it.
He no longer gave Gu Bingqian any opportunity, his cold gaze swept across the entire hall, his voice like the winter wind of the twelfth lunar month, chilling everyone to the bone.
"What are you still standing there for?"
"For me—"
"Drag her out!"
This time, the Imperial Guards no longer hesitated in the slightest, with a clang, they rushed forward like wolves and tigers, firmly restraining Consort Gu, who had completely collapsed and was cursing frantically.
"No! Your Majesty, spare my life! Father, save me! I didn't say it! It's an illusion!!!"
"He Sui! You dying waste! You'll die a terrible death! Destiny is with me! You defy Heaven, and you will surely suffer Heaven's wrath!!!"
Hairpins fell to the ground, and jewels scattered.
The Empress, who once commanded the nation, was now as disheveled as a dog, uttering the most vicious curses.
The moment she was dragged out of the hall, she looked back with intense resentment, her eyes, filled with madness, fixed on the solitary, cold figure on the Dragon Throne.
She didn't understand.
She would never understand.
As the figure of the deposed Empress disappeared, the suffocating tension in the hall seemed to ease slightly.
Many officials secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this thrilling storm had finally come to an end.
However, they were all wrong.
He Sui had no intention of stopping there.
Today, he not only wanted to depose the Empress, but also to establish his authority!
He wanted to use the most direct and bloody method to tell The entire imperial court who truly ruled in this Hall of Supreme Harmony!
His cold gaze did not linger, moving directly from the ashen-faced Gu Bingqian, like a hawk searching for prey, slowly sweeping over the Gu Family's cronies who were as silent as cicadas in winter.
Finally, his gaze settled on the Assistant Minister of Personnel, Assistant Minister Zhang, Gu Bingqian's favorite student.
Just now, he was the quickest to agree and the fiercest to shout.
The Ministry of Personnel, which managed the promotion and demotion of all officials in the empire, was one of the most important Foundations of the Gu Family's power.
Hitting him was like hitting the Gu Family's vital spot!
Locked by that cold gaze, Assistant Minister Zhang trembled all over, as if falling into an ice cellar, and an ominous premonition instantly enveloped his entire body.
He Sui's hand slowly rose, his slender index finger, from a distant position, pointed at the Assistant Minister who was already scared out of his wits.
"And you."
The three cold words made Assistant Minister Zhang's legs go weak, almost collapsing to the ground.
He Sui's voice, without a hint of emotion, yet carried an undeniable iron-blooded authority that resonated throughout the entire hall!
"Roaring in the imperial court, disrespectful to me, disregarding the sovereign!"
"His heart deserves to be punished!"
He suddenly turned and roared fiercely towards outside the hall, his voice as if from the netherworld!
"Guards!"
"Drag him out for me!"
"Twenty strokes of the court rod!"
Court rod!
As these two words were uttered, the air in the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony seemed to freeze!
This was the Hall of Supreme Harmony! The most sacred place in the Great Yue Dynasty!
Since the founding of the Dynasty, there had never been a precedent of publicly flogging a second-rank official in front of the hall!
This was the most blatant humiliation to the entire civil official class!
"Your Majesty, no!"
Gu Bingqian finally reacted, roaring with eyes wide in fury: "Assistant Minister Zhang is an imperial official; even if he has a minor fault, he should be handed over to the judicial authorities for judgment! Your Majesty's abuse of private punishment, how is it different from a tyrant?!"
"Tyrant?"
He Sui smiled, a cruel smile.
"Today, I will let you all see what a tyrant is!"
His voice suddenly rose, turning into thunder!
"I'll see who dares to stop me!"
"Whoever stops me will be guilty of the same crime as him!"
"Drag them all out and beat them for me!"
As these words were uttered, those Gu Family officials who had originally intended to plead for mercy instantly froze in place, their faces pale.
Two burly Imperial Guards, no longer hesitant, stepped forward, one on each side, firmly restraining Assistant Minister Zhang, who was limp as mud, dragging him out of the hall like a dead dog.
"No! Your Majesty, spare my life! Grand Secretary, save me! Save me!!!"
Assistant Minister Zhang let out a pig-like, shrill scream, leaving a wet trail on the cold floor tiles.
Soon, his desperate cries and pleas for mercy came from outside the hall.
Immediately after—
Slap!!!
A dull, extremely jarring thud, clearly audible through the hall doors, came through!
The sound was like a giant club, swung with full force, fiercely striking flesh!
"Ah—!!!"
A mournful shriek, not sounding human, followed immediately!
"Too noisy."
He Sui's finger gently tapped on the armrest of the imperial seat, and he turned to Xiao Anzi, his personal eunuch below the imperial steps, and said:
"Xiao Anzi, go tell the Imperial Guard Department outside to gag those condemned officials so they don't make any noise. There's still a discussion going on in the hall."
Xiao Anzi saw He Sui make a gesture with his hand, nodded vigorously, and hurried out of the hall with small, quick steps, bending at the waist.
He Sui's words struck fear into the hearts of the ministers.
They had never expected He Sui to issue such an order.
What the ministers didn't expect was that after Xiao Anzi left, he came before the torture bench and gave a meaningful look to the supervising eunuch.
The supervising eunuch immediately understood the look, and the direction of his toes changed.
And the Imperial Guard soldiers responsible for the execution immediately changed their method of beating.
Light beating, severe beating, and lethal beating were the three methods of court rod punishment in the Da Yue Dynasty.
Light beating only caused superficial injuries, severe beating aimed to cause disability, and lethal beating aimed to kill the person.
He Sui's gesture just now was an order for the Imperial Guard Department to switch to lethal beating.
Thump!!
Crack!!
Puff!!!
The sounds of impact were no longer loud, and the muffled groans of the punished were completely stifled.
The subtle sounds were clearly audible in the pin-drop silent hall, turning into the most terrifying symphony, echoing within the dead silent Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Every sound was like a heavy hammer, fiercely striking the hearts of all the civil officials in the hall.
Their faces turned paler inch by inch.
Their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.
Their eyes were filled with unprecedented fear.
At this moment, even the most muddle-headed minister understood.
Consort Gu and Gu Bingqian's open challenge had enraged He Sui.
Since you came for my life, I will truly strike lethal blows and make you bleed.
A thousand-year-long struggle between imperial power and prime ministerial power was completely exposed here, heading in a violent and undisguised direction.
The cold golden bricks seemed to be stained by the sound, oozing blood.
On the Dragon Throne, He Sui was expressionless, coldly listening to this 'pleasant' music.
Below the imperial steps, Gu Bingqian trembled all over, his old face twisted by extreme anger and humiliation, the resentment in his eyes almost materializing.
In the Imperial Clan's ranks, Prince Shu He Zhang deeply looked at his thin but ruthless nephew on the Dragon Throne.
A meaningful curve, understood by no one, appeared at the corner of his lips.
This bloody war had only just begun.