Chapter 1952

Wu Zhao stood alone by the railing, looking into the distance; the autumn wind was like a knife, rolling up the hem of her black dragon robe, rustling.

Her exquisite face was covered with a layer of frost, and deep in her phoenix eyes was surging anger.

"A country without Prime Minister Gao is like a house without a beam!"

"A country cannot go a day without Prime Minister Gao, may His Majesty see clearly!"

Outside Chengtian Gate, the sound wave that hit the palace wall like a tsunami came from afar, impacting her mind.

Wu Zhao's fair fists clenched, and her red lips were pressed tight.

In her heart, a monstrous anger surged.

"Forcing me, they are all forcing me!"

"The people are petitioning, feeling injustice for him!"

Wu Zhao's fair knuckles turned white from clenching, and her red lips were pressed into a cold straight line.

"Clearly he is the one who abandoned me! He trampled on my sincere intentions and completely denied my character! I... what mistake did I make?!"

"I was furious and said harsh words, but the decree hasn't been issued yet; isn't this clear enough? As long as he... even if he just offered a trace of a step, a trace of regret, I could put down the dignity of this dragon robe to accept it!"

"But what about him? Until this moment, his shadow is nowhere to be seen; where is there even half a position for me in his heart?!"

The more Wu Zhao spoke, the more the anger in her phoenix eyes grew.

These petitions were like a fierce slap in her eyes, hitting her face heavily.

Because the essence of the matter was never that she was forcing Gao Yang, but... Gao Yang didn't want her anymore.

In Wu Zhao's eyes, these people were like she was originally innocent, but they were forcing her to lower her head.

Ordinary people would feel aggrieved, so how much more so for an emperor?

"You people, don't ask him why he is heartless, but instead come to force me to lower my head?! I am the Son of Heaven! This world is my world!"

"I am clearly a victim, but I am treated as a perpetrator! Why?!"

Wu Zhao's voice was cold, carrying endless chill.

Aggrievance and anger intertwined, turning into a monstrous flame, burning her reason; if the petition object wasn't Gao Yang, she would have already ordered a bloody suppression.

"Where are Zhang Ping and Zhang Shou? Li Long is enough for Chengtian Gate, what use are these two pieces of trash? Summon them quickly!"

Wu Zhao's cold voice pierced through the cold wind, carrying unquestionable murderous aura.

The eunuch who delivered the decree flew away.

Zhang Ping and Zhang Shou heard the news, their hearts sinking to the bottom of the valley.

"Disaster!" Zhang Ping's face was pale, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard failed to monitor, causing this huge change; the hat of dereliction of duty and incompetence will be put on us, and our future will be destroyed! The Zhang family... is in danger!"

He knew well that the emperor was heartless, and incompetence was the original sin.

This time, they were indeed in danger.

"Big Brother, what should we do? Will His Majesty kill us in her fury?" Zhang Shou was a bit panicked and made a gesture of slitting his throat.

Zhang Ping glanced at him and said coldly, "I thought you were going to say you'd deal with them again!"

"Strength doesn't allow it, we can't deal with them!"

Zhang Ping: "..."

"Shut up, let me think."

Zhang Ping's eyes flickered, thinking of a way to escape.

Soon.

The two bit the bullet and climbed the city tower, kneeling behind Wu Zhao, their foreheads pressed against the cold floor tiles.

"Subject Zhang Ping pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"Subject Zhang Shou pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Wu Zhao turned back, her whole body carrying the thick majesty of an emperor.

At this moment, her anger erupted.

Her phoenix eyes were like electricity, sweeping toward the hurriedly arriving Zhang Ping and Zhang Shou, her voice ice-cold, carrying monstrous anger.

"My Embroidered Uniform Guard monitors the world and is the sharpest blade in my hand, but right now, at the foot of the imperial city, under my very eyes! Tens of thousands of people and scholars gathered, the noise shaking the heavens, reaching the palace gate! Are you deaf, or are you blind?!"

"Such dereliction of duty, such incompetence, what use do I have for you, it would be better to raise a watchdog!"

Wu Zhao's voice was like cold iron, every word piercing the heart.

This imperial anger was like a mountain collapse and sea tsunami, pressing Zhang Ping and Zhang Shou until they were almost suffocated, and cold sweat instantly soaked their flying-fish suit linings.

This anger was even more terrifying than Zhang Ping had imagined!

Zhang Shou's forehead oozed a trace of cold sweat, thinking of excuses.

The two of them had just taken office not long ago, and they had triggered this huge event; if they were labeled with dereliction of duty and incompetence.

Could this official position... could this life still be kept?

Zhang Shou was scared out of his wits by this unprecedented pressure, and the instinct for survival made his brain spin rapidly.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger, your subjects deserve death! But... but this matter is definitely not accidental, Your Majesty! Your subjects were not completely unaware, but the clues were too suspicious, your subjects... your subjects didn't dare to speak rashly!"

Wu Zhao's gaze swept over, her brows furrowed tight.

According to what Zhang Shou said, was there someone inciting this behind the scenes?

If this was the case, their hearts deserved to be punished!

"Speak! If there is half a lie, execute immediately!"

Wu Zhao's eyes carried a biting chill.

Zhang Shou seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw; he lowered his head and hurriedly said: "Just last night, Prime Minister Gao's brother, Gao Changwen, secretly carried a stack of bamboo paper and met with a Han Lin scholar named Wang Sheng in the west of Changancheng for a long time!"

"Your subjects thought it was just an ordinary interaction at the time and didn't investigate further; who would have thought... who would have thought that today it would... explode into a petition of the people..."

"Everything is too coincidental; Gao Changwen sneaked out of the mansion last night, and today this petition erupted; how can there be such a coincidence in the world?"

Zhang Ping cursed Zhang Shou for being reckless in his heart; this accusation was too far-fetched, although he also had suspicions, but who was Gao Yang? If you want to deal with Gao Yang, how can you not have iron-clad evidence, only relying on speculation?

But now that he had been put on the fire, he could only bite the bullet and supplement.

"Your Majesty, your subject has verified the location and time; Gao Changwen did visit the Han Lin scholar Wang Sheng at midnight last night with bamboo paper. Your subject didn't want to disturb the imperial hearing with such baseless matters, but... but the speed and scale of today's eruption far exceeded the ordinary."

"Prime Minister Gao, Your Majesty knows well, is best at observing human hearts and manipulating public opinion; your subject has to suspect that this is... this is Prime Minister Gao's plan of retreating to advance! Intending to force Your Majesty to lower your head!"

After Zhang Ping finished speaking, his forehead was pressed dead against the cold floor tiles.

Boom!

Wu Zhao's phoenix eyes tightened!

She chewed on these words carefully, anger surging in her phoenix eyes, mixed with a trace of stung shock.

Everything... is Gao Yang behind this?

Impossible!

This is absolutely impossible!

She said decisively, "Zhang Ping, is what you said true? Do you know the price of deceiving me?"

She narrowed her phoenix eyes, carrying a biting murderous intent.

"Your subject guarantees with his life, this matter is absolutely true!"

"Prime Minister Gao's ability is heaven-defying, so your subject has been sending people to watch the Duke's Prefecture; at midnight last night, Prime Minister Gao's brother, Gao Changwen, sneaked out of the Duke's Prefecture and went to a residence in the west of Changancheng. The owner of that residence is named Wang Sheng, a scholar in the Han Lin Academy, born in poverty. Gao Changwen carried a stack of bamboo paper and walked into his room, staying for about a quarter of an hour!"

"If Your Majesty doesn't believe it, you can verify it!"

Once these words were spoken.

Wu Zhao's body staggered back a few steps.