The Chaoyang Palace today was very different from the usual tranquility before the morning court.
The Emperor had not yet arrived, but the court officials had already abandoned propriety and were loudly debating in the Jinluan Hall.
Among them, Lord Yang was the most emotional, sighing repeatedly with grief and indignation:
"In our great nation, it is an absurdity unprecedented in a hundred years for a woman to hold political power! Now the Empress Dowager controls the affairs of the court, wielding the Son of Heaven to command the feudal lords. When the borderlands and foreign countries see this, how can they not burst out laughing!? And a woman ruling the country, with the tenderness of a woman, if this continues, I fear the foreign powers will oppress us until we are left powerless to resist!"
Someone echoed him, "How can the great matters of the state be decided by a mere woman? I heard that all the memorials sent to the Chaoyang Palace are scrutinized by the Empress Dowager herself - this is an unheard-of rarity throughout history! Today, we ministers must unite to force the Empress Dowager to abdicate and return the government to the Emperor! Otherwise, this realm will eventually be ruined by her."
Amidst the chorus of agreement, there were also officials with dissenting opinions:
"Although the Empress Dowager is a woman, since the former Emperor's passing and the new Emperor's accession, her decisions over the past two months have all been beneficial to our Qi Dynasty. The Mongols, the North Tribe, and Zhu Yin have all increased their annual tribute by 30%, and have signed treaties with us, providing our army with free reinforcements to guard our borders. The Southern Barbarians, who have long coveted our land, have also become much less aggressive under external pressure."
But these words of praise were selectively ignored by the officials who wished to stir up trouble.
In their eyes, women should be subordinate to men from birth, and allowing a woman to reign over them was simply unthinkable.
As Zhao Hua's adoptive father, Lord Luo, chose to remain neutral at the moment to avoid bias, and only said:
"Now that the Emperor is still young, how can he alone handle all these complex political affairs?"
Lord Yang seemed to have been watching Lord Luo the whole time, and as soon as he spoke, he eagerly retorted:
"The former Emperor's decree states that after the new Emperor's accession, 'the civil and military officials both at home and abroad should assist him with one heart.' It certainly did not permit a mere woman to usurp political power! Furthermore, Lord Luo is the Empress Dowager's adoptive father, naturally he wants the Empress Dowager to continue holding power, to maintain the glory of the Luo family!"
"You..."
--"The Emperor has arrived, the Empress Dowager is here~"
Just as the two were about to continue their heated debate, the Palace Eunuch Xiao Fuzi solemnly announced, immediately halting the commotion.
Cheng Yu and Zhao Hua took their respective positions in front of and behind the curtain, and only after they were both seated did they hear Zhao Hua laughing from behind the curtain:
"The ministers seem quite lively today."
However,
even before Xiao Fuzi could call out "The morning court is in session," Lord Yang had already stepped out from the crowd, bowing deeply towards the high seat and saying:
"Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report."
Just as Cheng Yu was about to let him speak, he suddenly heard Zhao Hua interrupt:
"Lord Yang, please wait a moment, I happen to have a matter to discuss with you."
Lord Yang replied unhappily, "I have a state affair to report to the Emperor, those trivial matters the Empress Dowager wishes to discuss can wait."
Zhao Hua also refused to back down, sternly saying, "What trivial matters do I have to discuss with you? What I need to discuss is a state affair."
With that, she lightly clapped her hands three times, and soon Xiao Fuzi came carrying a thick volume, handing it to her from behind the curtain.
