Chapter 62: Empress: I Can

Inside the Golden Throne Hall, the air was suffocatingly heavy.

The factional struggle was like water and fire; the court was the main battlefield of slaughter.

The ministers still standing here had all crawled out of "mountains of corpses and seas of blood," yet even those accustomed to grand scenes were stunned by this sight.

Too fast, too brutal!

Not a single moment to catch breath!

From the moment the memory stone was handed to Eunuch Jin, the outcome was sealed.

Publicly revealing the footage was meant to force the Empress to declare her stance, leaving her no room to maneuver!

Immediately, Yunhe produced further evidence, dragging out a large number of officials, and struck from both sides, turning the Six Ministries into sieves!

Especially the Ministry of Revenue, long as solid as a iron barrel, was about to face a massive purge!

Mass officials fell from office, positions left vacant and awaiting replacement—this cake, the Consort's faction would surely bite into hard!

This was an open, unhidden strategy!

And all of this began because of a mere hundred-man commander—

He solved the Barbarian Slave Case, he discovered the Crimson Sand Mine, he killed the demonic race…

The Consort's faction's move was a sword to the throat; Chen Mo was that blade!

…

Much later.

The Empress's voice came from behind the bamboo curtain: "Where is the accused now?"

Chen Zhuo answered: "This case was only solved last night; the accused is Zhou Li, commander of the Zhou family's guards, now imprisoned in the Imperial Prison, ready for interrogation at any time."

"What of the Crimson Sand Mine?"

"The Tianlin Guard has rushed to the Western Wilderness Mountains and fully sealed off the mine shafts."

"Good."

The Empress paused slightly in tone; even through the bamboo curtain, the sharp gaze fixed on Zhou Chuanbing was palpable.

"Vice Minister Zhou, do you have anything to say?"

Her tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

"Your servant…"

Zhou Chuanbing's lips trembled; the words stuck in his throat.

How could he explain?

That he was unaware?

If he could command Zhou Li, then Zhou Jingan must be involved.

Treason is a crime of collective punishment; the evidence is undeniable—he cannot escape death. At this moment, any words would sound hollow and powerless.

After a long silence, Zhou Chuanbing removed his official cap and slowly knelt prostrate on the ground.

"Your servant awaits the Emperor's judgment!"

Boom—

He slammed his head hard against the floor.

When he lifted his head, his forehead was already dark and bruised.

The Empress said coolly: "Bring in the guards."

The clatter of armor echoed as a group of golden-armored guards surged through the doors.

"Imprison Zhou Chuanbing in the Heavenly Prison; arrest all members of the Zhou family; order the Three Departments to conduct a joint investigation and uncover the truth completely!"

"All officials implicated in the Barbarian Slave Case are to be arrested immediately; if the evidence holds, punish them according to law—no leniency!"

"Yes!"

The guards stepped forward and took the implicated officials into custody.

Several ministers trembled from head to toe, unable to stand, forced to be half-carried, half-dragged out of the hall.

Zhou Chuanbing, however, had grown calm. He straightened his official robes and walked steadily toward the door; sunlight fell upon him, and the streaks of gray at his temples stood out sharply.

As he was about to step out of the Golden Throne Hall, he halted, turning to glance at Chen Zhuo.

Looking at that upright, pine-like back, his gaze grew distant—he never imagined their conversation on the Golden Water Bridge would come true so bitterly.

Countless thoughts churned within him, finally dissolving into a long, weary sigh:

"It's not that you, Chen Zhuo, are capable—it's that you have a fine son…"

…

Inside the grand hall, silence reigned.

From start to finish, not a single person spoke up for Zhou Chuanbing.

The two factions had long been locked in open and covert struggle, crushing each other—but no matter how fierce the fight, it remained an "internal conflict."

Loyalty determines thought: colluding with demonic races, secretly mining crimson sand, plotting to overthrow the court—that made him the enemy of all!

The Zhou family must die!

Eunuch Jin descended from the dais and took the memory stone from Yunhe's hands.

Having learned from the previous experience, he did not immediately examine it, but carefully tucked it into his sleeve, fearing another image might suddenly appear…

Behind the bamboo curtain, the Empress's icy voice rang out:

"Elder Chen, you've given this palace a tremendous surprise—but do you have any other matters to report?"

Colluding with demonic races was certainly deserving of death, but Chen Zhuo's actions just now had also displeased her.

Playing the footage publicly was clearly forcing her to declare her stance—the unspoken implication being that she would protect Zhou Chuanbing for the sake of profit.

What do you take me for?

Chen Zhuo naturally heard the displeasure in the Empress's tone. Any other minister might have grown fearful and trembled, but he was a censor — a Rank 3 censor at that!

"I do!"

Your Highness, you asked for it... Chen Zhuo's voice boomed like a bell:

"This humble minister impeaches the Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture, Cui Hao!"

"As Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture, he bears the duty of maintaining the peace and stability of Ducheng. His subordinates risked life and limb outside, yet he knew nothing of the case!"

"The tunnels nearly bored straight through Ducheng, and he didn't notice a thing!"

"This shows he draws his salary without doing a lick of work — a grave dereliction of duty. He should be stripped of his post and barred from office forever!"

Empress: "..."

Cui Hao's scalp went numb. He had only borrowed the moment to stomp on someone, never expecting revenge to come so swiftly!

That Chen fellow truly does hold grudges — no overnight feuds with him!

The Supervising Secretaries of the Six Offices came to their senses, suddenly like sharks scenting blood, their cheeks flushing slightly, their eyes brimming with excitement.

At last, it was their home turf!

They couldn't handle a losing fight, but surely they could handle a winning one?

One after another, they all leapt out:

"I report to Your Majesty — this minister impeaches the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, Xu Lin! The man is despicable and filthy, a faction-builder who serves his clique..."

"I impeach the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Yan Peizhi — he's two-faced, no good sort at all..."

"The Ministry of Rites Secretary Zhang Jinlan never spends a single tael at the Entertainment Bureau — the scoundrel abuses his authority, pure freeloading..."

"..."

Impeach, impeach, impeach — they impeached the whole damn lot!

The censors, who had been stewing with fury, had gone completely berserk.

The Six Ministries officials who had spoken out earlier to disparage and sneer were now named and impeached one by one.

The Court Recorder's brush was nearly smoking from the furious scribbling — because court proceedings had to be recorded faithfully, fair and objective, the content preserved in its original flavor. He even jotted down "Yan Peizhi sneaked a peek at a palace maid's bottom as he entered the palace"...

The entire court was in an uproar, like a vegetable market.

Behind the bamboo curtain, the Empress rubbed her brow, a flicker of helplessness crossing her dewy almond eyes.

"This palace is truly exhausted — I cannot sit through one more day of court..."

Huaizhen Ward.

Chen Mo walked into Lin Siya's office, his mind still mulling over whether the Consort had been wearing trousers or not, when he ran headlong into Shen Shuqiu.

Seeing his eager look, Chen Mo asked curiously, "Where are you headed, my lord?"

Shen Shuqiu said with a smile, "Official business."

Chen Mo immediately lost interest, waving a hand: "Alright then, carry on. I'll go catch up on some sleep first."

After a night of fierce battle with that enchantress, his true qi had been drained to the last drop, and after the ups and downs at Hanxiao Palace, he was truly weary in both body and mind.

Shen Shuqiu nodded: "Fine, then sleep. I'll take the men to Zhou Fu to confiscate the estate first..."

Confiscate the estate?

That's my specialty!

Chen Mo was instantly energized, clearing his throat: "Since this is Lin Siya official business, it is my bounden duty — naturally I must accompany you, my lord."

"Not sleeping anymore, Centurion Chen?" Shen Shuqiu's expression was teasing.

"Why sleep more in life when eternal rest awaits in death? At my age, how could I possibly sleep?"

Chen Mo was utterly solemn.

Confiscating an estate was, in truth, about arresting people and searching for evidence of crimes.

But what exactly counted as evidence — well, that was for the Tianlin Guard to decide...

He recalled that night when his divine sense had scouted Zhou Fu, marking several spots — he had a feeling there'd be good stuff there...