Chapter 310: Persuading the Ministers to Step Down

Yangxin Hall.

All the officials, great and small, in the court had not left and knelt outside the hall's gate.

Inside the hall.

Duke of Ning lay on the soft couch, his head wrapped in heavy gauze, and his consciousness was gradually clearing.

Chu Yunzheng stood in front of the soft couch, his fingers supporting his forehead, his eyes full of fatigue.

The Duke of Ning, as soon as he opened his eyes, knelt on the ground.

His voice rang firm: "Please, Emperor, think twice."

"The Mo Family has given so much to Fengqi Kingdom; now that you act this way, it is far unfair to the Mo Family."

Chu Yunzheng knit his brows: "Duke of Ning, precisely because of this, I resorted to this desperate measure."

"Don't you understand? The Mo Family cannot be left without heirs."

The Duke of Ning's body trembled slightly.

The Mo Family Army, Xu Yanchuan's great army, and the hundreds of thousands of troops in Su Yanci's hand all required someone to suppress.

The Xu Family and the Xiao Family have already been eliminated.

Now the military command, seemingly all in Chu Yunzheng's hands, is also a kind of danger.

The Emperor has too many affairs to manage each day, and cannot be in two places at once.

What he wants is merely a pawn bearing the Mo Family's name that obeys.

The Duke of Ning's eyes were full of sorrow; the most painful thing was having seen through everything.

He spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse: "It cannot be Bai Zijun either; he would only tarnish the Mo Family."

"Have you thought of your daughter?" Chu Yunzheng pondered heavily.

Thinking of Bai Li, a flash of guilt crossed the Duke of Ning's eyes.

How could he not understand what the Emperor thought?

Clenching his teeth, his voice filled with pain, he still remained kneeling and shouted: "Please, Emperor, revoke the decree!"

The scorching sun was overhead.

The martial generals' constitutions were still good, allowing them to endure a bit.

But for the civil officials, such a scorching sun had already left them dizzy and disoriented.

Three people had already fainted from heatstroke.

Behind Xiao Dongzi followed a group of eunuchs, each holding ice water to relieve the heat, yet none of them drank.

When the fifth civil official collapsed, Xiao Dongzi also panicked.

He hurried into the hall to report: "Emperor…"

He need not speak; Chu Yunzheng already knew what had happened outside.

His face radiated anger: "Scoundrels! Did I make them kneel?"

"What? Is this to blackmail the Emperor?"

The Duke of Ning also knelt there, loudly saying: "If the Emperor insists, we can only kneel and beg the Emperor to revoke the decree!"

Wan Tang's hands had already received simple bandaging.

She and Noble Consort Hui Guifei supported each other, walking toward Yangxin Hall.

【Walk slower, walk slower; the Dog Emperor is currently furious, his heart full of anger. He's already been forced into a corner.】

【So satisfying, who let him do such a brainless act.】

【I used to think he was a wise ruler; now how has he become like this.】

【Because he is still just a person. Think about it, the court once formed a Three-way Stalemate; the authority to decide anything was never solely in Chu Yunzheng's hands. Whatever decision he made, he still had to consider the Duke of Ning, the Xiao Family, and the Xu Family.】

【Now, with military command in his grasp, the only one in the court who can still speak up is the Duke of Ning. Yet the Duke's meager command cannot match Chu Yunzheng's. Therefore, he is not worth fearing.】

【Hmph, Dog Emperor, does he really think everyone is his? That's ours, Tangtang's; the Mo Family Army's current supplies are all privately funded by Tangtang. The Hundred Thousand Army in Su Yanci's hand is also sustained by Tangtang's enterprises, and even the Xu Family's troops are covertly supported by Qi Qi's side.】

【It's not that I look down on Chu Yunzheng; does the Minister of Revenue in his hands truly have the ability to sustain so many troops?】

【If Tangtang is displeased, not a single coin will be spent. Who would still be willing to risk their life?】

Wan Tang listened quietly to the discussion in the barrage, her steps never pausing, and hurried toward Yangxin Hall.

Her front foot was like a steel blade.

Outside the hall, a eunuch announced: "The Empress and the Noble Consort have arrived."

The kneeling court officials throughout the courtyard bowed in succession.

Noble Consort Hui Guifei, concerned about the Duke of Ning, only glanced, then pulled aside the curtain and entered the inner hall.

Wan Tang, however, stopped at the steps.

Her gaze swept over the kneeling crowd in the courtyard, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

These white‑haired old ministers were all former acquaintances of the Mo Family, or generals who had once received the Mo Family's favor.

The scorching sun burned them, yet they knelt upright.

She hurried forward: "Everyone, please rise; this sun is scorching, your bodies cannot endure."

Not a single person stood up.

On each face was written determination.

Looking around, Wan Tang actually saw Zhou Su.

She was slightly stunned: "Lord Zhou? Why are you also kneeling here?"

Logically, Zhou Su was a person of King Yan, and should not be here.

Zhou Su lifted his head; the jade pendant of the speech official glimmered blue in the blazing sun: "Your Majesty forcibly ordered Bai Zijun to inherit the Mo Family; this act violates propriety and freezes the hearts of loyal ministers and capable generals."

"Even if we kneel until the oil runs out and the lamps extinguish, we will still remonstrate against the holy will!"

From inside Yangxin Hall a faint angry rebuke from Chu Yunzheng could be heard: "My intention is already decided!"

Wan Tang took a deep breath and turned to enter the room.

Inside Yangxin Hall.

Chu Yunzheng wore a darkened face.

Hui Guifei helped her elderly father, and her gaze toward Chu Yunzheng was full of resentment.

"I, the consort, have seen the Emperor," Wan Tang walked forward.

The Duke of Ning looked at Wan Tang; she was the Mo Family's only child.

He hurriedly kowtowed and shouted, "The old minister has seen the Noble Consort."

Wan Tang quickly stepped forward, both hands supporting, "Duke, please rise quickly!"

"Old minister, I cannot rise!" the Duke of Ning lamented, "If the old minister gets up, it would betray the Mo Family."

"Why?" Wan Tang asked knowingly.

The Duke of Ning glanced at Chu Yunzheng, and, with a pained voice, shouted, "Noble Consort, the Emperor insists on having Bai Zijun posthumously adopted into the Mo Family, making him the Mo Family's sole male heir."

"Moreover, he is to lead the Mo Family Army."

In Chu Yunzheng's eyes, an unusual hint of panic appeared: "How can court affairs be reported to women of the Imperial harem?"

Wan Tang's face turned ashen in an instant.

She bit her lower lip, slowly lifted her head, and looked at Chu Yunzheng.

Her eyelashes trembled, her face full of a sense of shattering.

Chu Yunzheng felt a pang in his heart at the sight.

Yet he did not feel any fault, merely turning his face aside, he said coldly, "If you are concerned about the Duke of Ning, you have now seen that he is not seriously ill."

"Step down immediately."

Wan Tang's body trembled; only with the support of her little grandson and Xiao Luzi did she manage to stand steady.

Even though she tried to conceal it, the pain overflowed in her words.

When she opened her mouth, her voice involuntarily choked, "Since it is to be entered into the Mo Family genealogy, this is a great court matter, and also a family affair of the Mo Family."

"As the Mo Family's last child, I, the consort, ought to take part."

Hui Guifei looked at Wan Tang with eyes full of worry.

Even the Duke of Ning breathed especially lightly, fearing that Wan Tang would shatter at the slightest touch.

Hearing this news, how heart‑broken she must be!

"So even you intend to oppose me?" Chu Yunzheng suddenly turned back, his voice raised, his tone full of anger.

Wan Tang's body shivered again.

She gave a bitter smile.

She said slowly, "I, the consort, have long said that whatever decision the Emperor makes, I will unconditionally support you."

She tried to approach Chu Yunzheng.

But when her hand was about to touch him, she withdrew it.

She clenched both fists, her nails digging into flesh, to suppress the roar in her heart.

She forced a smile: "The Emperor acts so, of course there is a reason of the Emperor."

"I, the consort, must certainly support the Emperor."

Wan Tang helped the Duke of Ning to his feet: "The Mo Family's sacrifice is for the country's loyalty, not for prolonging life; if you act thus, you betray the Mo Family's original intention."

The Duke of Ning was puzzled.

Wan Tang sighed and walked out.

Facing the ministers, she said, "The Mo Family's loyal and righteous spirit has poured its liver and brain onto the ground for Fengqi Kingdom. Our grandfather endured humiliation precisely to fulfill loyalty and righteousness. I ask for protection."

She then knelt, "I, this palace, on behalf of the Mo Family's ancestors, beg you all to return."

Zhou Su questioned, "Does the Empress want us to stand by while Your Majesty acts recklessly?"

"Your Majesty has his own holy judgment," Wan Tang lifted her eyes, "As for the posthumous adoption, it requires the Imperial Observatory to select an auspicious day and the Ministry of Rites to draft regulations; it cannot be rushed."

Wan Tang's tone grew heavier.

Any minister qualified to kneel in Yangxin Hall is a seasoned fox.

Having spoken this far, who can still not understand?

The so‑called Imperial Observatory is merely another form of refusal.

"Since the Emperor insists, this matter cannot be handled carelessly; it must be presented to the Imperial Observatory for review."

"Indeed, though it is somewhat cumbersome, we must also seek the Mo Family elders' consent."

"Emperor, may I ask whether you agree?"

Chu Yunzheng, inside, was racking his brain over this matter; if it could be resolved, that would be best.

He immediately stepped forward, raised his hand: "Very well!"

"This matter, I approve."

As the crowd gradually dispersed, everyone gave Wan Tang a solemn deep bow.

The Duke of Ning walked to the Gongmen and turned back, bowing deeply to Hui Guifei: "Noble Consort, please accompany the Empress more often and converse with her."

An aged gaze swept over Wan Tang's blood‑stained sleeves, "The inner palace is lonely; someone must stay to speak personal words."

Hui Guifei pursed her lips, nodded, and clenched her fist slightly.

When the last minister's figure vanished at the end of the palace corridor, Wan Tang still stood in place.

Today, a single kneel.

Wan Tang saw the court situation even more clearly.

At least the Mo Family's blood has not been shed in vain; there are still those willing to speak for them.

"Emperor." Wan Tang watched the crowd disperse, the light in her eyes vanished completely.

Her voice was full of grievance: "I, the humble consort, am feeling unwell, so I shall take my leave now."

Chu Yunzheng's eyes softened, and he reached out to grasp Wan Tang's hand: "Tangtang, to have a wife like this is my fortune."

"Today, thanks to you for relieving me of the encirclement."

Hui Guifei, listening nearby, sneered repeatedly: "The Emperor stabs a knife into the Empress's heart, yet can speak of it so lightly?"

Chu Yunzheng's expression darkened: "Hui Guifei, I too acted out of helplessness."

Turning back to Wan Tang: "Tangtang, I will certainly compensate you."

"Tonight, I will come to see you."

Wan Tang sneered inwardly, but her eyes showed delight: "As long as the Emperor has me in his heart, that is enough."

"In my heart, of course, there is you."

Chu Yunzheng's tone grew solemn, then suddenly shifted, frowning: "But Empress, today I escaped the predicament, yet discovered something interesting."

Wan Tang's face was full of confusion.

Chu Yunzheng's eyes were like abysses, his voice distant: "The ministers at court oppose me, yet are willing to obey the Empress's orders…"