Chapter 2134: Crazy Scandal Pt. 1  

In the court session, the officials all whispered among each other. Many of them were consulting their elders about what was happening, but those elders were all completely tight-lipped.

“The emperor and the empress have arrived!” Only when the eunuch’s shrill voice filled the air did the clamoring hall quiet down.

Soon after, Zhao Ruizhi and Bi Linglong entered from the side one after another. Zhao Ruizhi sat down on the dragon throne in front, while Bi Linglong sat down on the phoenix seat behind the pearl curtains.

Many worried officials sighed in relief when they saw that the two individuals were still there. It seemed everything was still within control. However, those who were more perceptive noticed that the position Bi Linglong sat in was a bit different from usual. Usually, the empress dowager sat at the very center while Bi Linglong's position was a smaller one to the side. But she was now seated at the very center, while the empress dowager didn’t appear. The seat that the empress dowager normally sat in had even been directly removed.

There were quite a few people who had already heard some rumors. When they saw that, they all felt a bit guilty. The Liu clan was indeed completely done for. They had thought that, with how many years the empress dowager spent in the capital as well as her grandmaster rank cultivation, as long as she was here, the Liu clan would still have a chance to make a comeback. But now…

After all of the officials completed the formalities, Bi Linglong cleared her throat and said, “I believe all of my beloved subjects have already heard that some things happened last night. The empress dowager attempted to overthrow the throne, and she colluded with the Liu brothers both inside and outside. Fortunately, with the assistance of King Yi, King Wu, and the other members of the royal family, we were able to quell the rebellion.”

Not too long ago, her father Bi Qi had entered the palace and had a long talk with her. She realized that with how things stood, she could only continue dealing with the situation at hand. Otherwise, if the matter was really investigated, wouldn’t the Bi clan be accused of treason for creating a fake decree?

Either way, she had never gotten along with the empress. Now that nothing boded well for the empress, she would first stabilize the situation. She would then slowly settle things with everyone else.

Even though the officials were mentally prepared, there was still a huge uproar when they received the news. They all knew that the current emperor was the child of the empress dowager’s older sister. With that level of blood relation, wasn’t the Liu clan completely mad for trying to replace him for a prince that had no relation to them at all?

But now that the dust had already settled, none of them would speak up for the losing family. They just continued to glance at King Yi and King Wu. So those two were the main forces behind yesterday’s events! At the same time, they glanced at Bi Qi from time to time. They all knew that the Bi and Liu clans had never gotten along. No one would believe it if he said he'd taken no part in this event.

Sure enough, King Yi, Zhao Huang was promoted from East Defense General to Grand General during the following rewards ceremony, which made him the leader of all of the military officers. His sons Zhao Shun and Zhao Yi were both granted the title of king and granted fiefdoms of ten thousand households. Zhao Shun was even promoted to Right Guard General. King Wu was promoted to Liu Yao’s previous title, leaving him in charge of the capital’s defense. At the same time, he concurrently held the position of Central Lead General, with the six field officers outside the city being under his command.

On the other hand, Bi Qi’s fiefdom was increased by eight thousand households, and he concurrently took the positions of Chief Attendant and War Chariot General. Many insightful individuals could tell that even though Bi Qi didn’t seem to have received as much as King Yi and King Wu on the surface, he had received many practical benefits.

Even though the Imperial Secretariat was the highest of the three secretariats in name, the position came with a duty to carry out a lot of governmental affairs. Not only was it an extremely busy position, it was far from the center of policymaking. However, the Chief Attendant was different. That was a key figure who discussed and designed policies right by the emperor’s side. The War Chariot General was also the third-ranked among the generals. The Grand General was now King Yi, while the second-ranked White Rider General, King Qi, was already dead. Now, it was nothing but an empty position. That meant Bi Qi's position in the army was actually number two. It also meant that from now on, not only would he have authority both in the military and in policymaking, the Bi clan could also end up becoming the number one richest and most powerful clan.

Everyone who had participated in the removal of the Liu clan received satisfactory returns. Apart from that, there were some individuals of noble and high prestige who also received rewards. For example, the Commandant of Justice Jiang Boyang was added to the Chief Attendants to also be at the center of policymaking. He was also appointed as the Crown Prince’s Imperial Tutor. Additionally, he was permitted to have an increase of five hundred personal troops and honor guards.

Everyone present secretly suspected that the reason why the empress had done this was to appease the high ministers of the court.

Jiang Boyang, who was always upright and plain-spoken and held the Commandant of Justice position, was in charge of the law to begin with. If he really decided to investigate the legitimacy of the matter involving the empress dowager and the Liu clan in earnest, it really would be a bit difficult to wrap things up. That was especially the case if one took into account how the Jiang clan, Pei clan, Yu clan, and even the royal family were all connected by marriage, and the unmarried daughter Jiang Luofu was even a teacher at the Royal Academy's rear mountain, someone of considerable importance in the court.

Since the Liu clan was finished, there were a lot of vacancies in the court. That was why almost every single important official who attended was promoted, making it quite the joyous occasion.

When she saw that her high-handed measures had finally satisfied the civil and military officials and made them tacitly accept the event, Bi Linglong finally sighed in relief.

But who would have thought that just then, the usually silent Zhao Ruizhi would suddenly ask, “Where is Zu An? Why haven’t I heard about where he is all this time?”

The entire palace entered a terrifying silence. Many people looked at each other in dismay. Their eyes were full of confusion. Why was the regent being dragged into this matter? The ones they consulted around them were also completely confused. They communicated with their eyes ‘I don’t know!’

A smile had just appeared on the face of Bi Linglong behind the curtains, but when she heard that, her expression changed. She immediately looked at Bi Qi below. She was a smart woman and immediately reacted. So the previous day's events were actually also directed at Zu An? Why would they dare?!

Bi Qi spoke up and replied, “The regent went to the Fiend races’ sealed land to fight against the alien monsters. We currently still lack news of him, so I fear that he has already…”

“Hmph, aren’t we letting him off easy here? This emperor wants to strip him of his Regent position.” Zhao Ruizhi raised his fist angrily.

“You absolutely must not! The regent has earned his position through tremendous merit! Even if he perished in the Fiend races' sealed land due to an unforeseen event, everyone of the human race, no, the entire world, would have to commemorate his achievements. How could we do such a thing that would make the world sneer?!” Jiang Boyang finally couldn't endure the rage that had accumulated in his chest and spoke up with a firm tone.

Sang Hong also stepped forward and said, “That’s right. The regent has done miraculous work time and time again in recent years. Now, he has even risked his own life to fend off the alien monsters. I wonder what mistake he has made that has angered your majesty so.”

What kind of a joke was this? The Sang clan was now completely bound to Zu An. How could he just stand there without saying anything?

Just then, the Qin clan, Murong clan, and other officials who were close to Zu An all spoke up in agreement. There were also many officials who had close relations with the academy that spoke up.

Zhao Ruizhi had never expected that these officials who had been extremely respectful just a moment before would suddenly become so worked up. When he saw that there were many among them who were a bit intimidating, he immediately couldn't help but feel a bit of regret. He said, “Even if what you guys say makes sense, still… Still, he bullied this emperor’s Linglong. This emperor… How could this emperor so easily forgive him?”

He didn’t speak those words with even half an ounce of a ruler’s prestige, and he sounded more and more wronged toward the end. His voice also became softer and softer. However, the important officials who had the right to attend the morning court ceremony all had impressive cultivation ranks. They all heard what he said clearly.

The impassioned and worked up court immediately became quiet. They all looked at Bi Linglong in shock, wondering where this crazy scandal had suddenly come from!