The Emperor's murky eyes rolled slightly as he let out an almost imperceptible sigh, rising from his dragon throne.
Zhou Quande supported him and stepped aside.
Qin Zhao, with disdain, did not immediately sit on the dragon throne, which still retained the warmth of Qin Zheng's presence.
She stood on the jade steps, overlooking the courtiers, and said, "Don't you know what to do?"
The courtiers avoided her gaze, afraid to look at Qin Zhao or respond.
For a moment, the Heaven and Earth Hall fell silent, as if one could hear the sound of their sweat seeping from their pores.
Qin Zheng, witnessing this, smugly thought, "So what if Zhao Yang successfully usurped the throne? The subjects only recognize me."
But then, a resounding "thud" was heard!
Everyone turned to the source of the sound and saw Xiao Ang Ming kneeling on the ground, loudly proclaiming, "I, Your Majesty, pay my respects!"
They couldn't conceal their astonishment and voiced their dissuasion.
"Sir Xiao, how can you acknowledge the usurper as the ruler?"
"Sir Xiao, have you lost your mind?"
"Ah, it's frustrating when someone can't live up to expectations. Sir Xiao, you're supposed to be an example to everyone present. How could you engage in such an unscrupulous act?"
Qin Zheng stared at Xiao Ang Ming, his eyes spewing sparks of fury!
He recalled Xiao Ang Ming's loyalty in the past, his favor towards him, and now he felt that Xiao Ang Ming was nothing but a joke!
Xiao Ang Ming cleared his throat and immediately several other ministers knelt down.
Cao Ren, the Deputy Prime Minister, was the first to react. These individuals were all Xiao Ang Ming's protégés, who would respectfully address him as their teacher.
He berated, "Xiao Ang Ming, you shameless scoundrel! Not only did you sell out your master for personal gain, but you also corrupted your protégés.
Your sins are grave. Aren't you afraid of going to hell?"
Xiao Ang Ming replied, "I am loyal to the Emperor. In the past, it was Your Majesty, and now it is Your Highness.
My original intentions have never wavered.
Your Majesty has grown old and your health has deteriorated. You no longer have the ability to govern the country. Can't you see it?
Could it be that you want to take advantage of Your Majesty's confusion and cause chaos in the court? Those with such hidden intentions should be the ones to die!"
The courtiers remained silent.
Sir Xiao truly lived up to his reputation as a powerful manipulator, skillfully slapping labels on others. Despite knowing that Xiao Ang Ming was playing a political game, people continued to kneel one after another.
So far, one-third of the people in the hall had bowed their heads and pledged allegiance to Qin Zhao.
Cao Ren continued, "Imperial Princess, I will never submit to you, even if it costs me my life. You are nothing but a thief who stole the throne!"
Qin Zhao remained composed and instructed Cong Han, "Take Prime Minister Cao to the pillar of judgment."
Cong Han obeyed the command and walked towards Cao Ren. Without a word, he took hold of him and led him towards the pillar.
Cao Ren shouted, "What are you doing?
Release me! Do you know who I am?
I am the Prime Minister of Yue Country! Touching me is a capital offense!"
Cong Han's expression remained calm as water, seemingly unaffected by Cao Ren's words.
Cao Ren was dragged to the pillar.
No one in the room knew what the Imperial Princess intended to do.
Qin Zhao, enveloped in bewildered gazes, said to Cao Ren, "I permit you to die in remonstration."
"Dying in remonstration" was a resolute form of remonstration used by ministers to express their clear stance when their opinions clashed with those of the Emperor!
Qin Zhao's words sent a chill down the foreheads of the ministers in the Heaven and Earth Hall.
No one could have expected that the Imperial Princess would be so ruthless!
Forcing the Prime Minister to die publicly would leave an indelible mark of infamy.
Cao Ren stared at the red pillar that seemed to be stained with blood, involuntarily stepping back, only to have Cong Han hold a knife against his back.
He felt the pain and swiftly lunged forward!
Just as he was about to crash into the pillar, he stopped in time!
Qin Zhao, seeing Cao Ren hesitate, understandingly said, "If Prime Minister Cao finds it too painful to crash into the pillar, I can prepare some fine wine for you here. And if you don't like drinking, there's an unlimited supply of ropes."
In an instant, the blood drained from Cao Ren's face, leaving it as pale as paper!
Trembling, he slowly dropped to his knees, intending to beg for mercy. But before his knees could touch the ground, he forcefully lunged towards the red pillar!
A muffled sound rang out...
The ministers who were friendly with him couldn't bear to watch and closed their eyes.
The other ministers fell silent, their hearts racing, frightened to the point of almost fainting.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Qin Zhao applauded. "Lord Cao dares to take action and take responsibility. Truly worthy of being a respected minister of Yue Country!"
After a moment, she stopped clapping and asked, "Does anyone else want to follow Lord Cao's spirit and object to my actions?"
No one answered.
Qin Zhao's voice suddenly turned cold. "Then why are you all still standing?"
The ministers trembled in shock, their bodies quivering, and then thudded to the ground, vying with each other to kneel, afraid of being the last and becoming the target of everyone's condemnation!
Seizing the opportune moment, Xiao Ang Ming repeated the words he had said before, "I pay my respects to the Emperor, long live the Emperor for ten thousand years!"
The ministers, in fear, echoed, "Long live the Emperor for ten thousand years!"
Sensing that the aura of Qin Zheng on the Dragon Throne had cooled, Qin Zhao sat down and said, "Rise, everyone."
As soon as the ministers stood straight, Huo Jun, covered in blood, walked in from outside the Hall of Heaven and Earth and knelt at the jade steps, reporting to Qin Zhao, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Guard has been completely wiped out!"
Qin Zhao stood up and walked step by step towards Huo Jun, helping her up. "You've done well."
Huo Jun wiped the sweat mixed with blood from her face and replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Qin Zhao returned to the Dragon Throne and said, "The grand ceremony for my ascension will be held in the early days of August. If there's nothing else, you may all go."
The ministers breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew one after another.
Outside the Hall of Heaven and Earth, blood flowed like a river, and bodies piled up like mountains.
Everyone attempted to find a detour but realized the area covered in blood was too vast, leaving them with no choice but to tread on blood, leaving bloody footprints that extended all the way outside the palace.
Under Qin Zhao's instruction, Huo Jun commanded people to clean up the mess in front of the Hall of Heaven and Earth.
The hall returned to tranquility, and Qin Zhao shifted her gaze to Qin Zheng, whose face had turned pale. She asked, "Why haven't you left? Do you have something to say to me?"
Qin Zheng coldly snorted, "You've just successfully seized the throne, and you're already disowning your own father. How disgraceful!"
Qin Zhao smiled. "When you fed me poison, did you consider our father-daughter relationship? In the end, you were the one who lacked benevolence, and I had no choice but to act unjustly. Allowing you to live until now is already my mercy. Don't be ungrateful."
Qin Zheng stared fixedly at Qin Zhao and sternly questioned, "When did you find out that I had given you poison to eat?!"
