giggled and hid behind her older brother, afraid that her mother would come looking for her.Tao Hongying had just been startled by her son. If it weren't for the fact that they hadn't seen each other...Jia Yin listened as he brought up old stories on his own. She didn't want to spoil his mood, so she thought about it and lay down as well.

During the day, the sun bakes the tiles until they are scorching hot. Even in the afternoon, they retain their warmth and are not cold at all. Lying down on them is very comfortable.

A gentle evening breeze rustled the willow branches, carrying their fragrance to both of them, refreshing their minds and spirits.

Before me lay a pure night sky, devoid of any stars. Only a disc-shaped, pale yellow moon hung high, lonely yet proud.

After a day of noisy cicadas, even they have taken a rest, replaced by the low buzz of unknown night insects gossiping merrily...

Jia Yin quietly watched and listened. She wanted to say something, but her eyelids gradually grew heavy...

Shuǐyún stood under the eaves, occasionally raising his head to listen for any movement.

Finally, the two people on the roof jumped down. To their surprise, the master was actually being held in someone's arms.

She immediately panicked, rushing forward only to hear Mu Xu whisper, "The princess is asleep!"

Waterclouds was unable to, so she could only bring the master back herself and send him back into the house...

Mu Xu touched his nose, awkwardly smiled, and disappeared into the darkness.

She awoke from a good night's sleep to the sound of birds chirping. She stretched lazily and then remembered what had happened before she went to bed last night, so she quickly sat up.

Water Spirit heard the noise and pushed the door open to bring in warm water for washing.

Jiayin probed a little timidly, “Was nothing much that happened last night”

"It's nothing, the palace is very quiet. But Caiyun just sent a message saying that the third princess wants you to go over for breakfast together."

Jia Yin let out a sigh of relief, happily picked out an ivory dress and paired it with a pink pearl headdress, then went to have dinner next door with a smile.

Rather than speaking of the usual joy and tranquility within Zhilan Palace, let me say that today's grand assembly was disrupted by a sudden turn of events, leaving everyone stunned and their souls scattered.

Originally, I thought that today would be like before, discussing a few things about the drought and ultimately nothing would come of it.

To their surprise, the emperor suddenly punished three officials.

Although these three officials were all fourth-rank officials, not high in rank or power, they were all practical and in charge of important duties.

For example, one was the head of the Ordnance Department...

Of course, the three were unwilling to accept this. They all knelt down together and cried out in protest.

"Your Majesty, although the ruler's command is absolute and one must obey, your loyal servant has dedicated many years to Heaven's Martial Empire and to Your Majesty. It would be unjust to punish him without cause. Such an action would surely chill the hearts of all loyal ministers."

Another person, also panicked and enraged, chimed in, "Yes, Your Majesty. I have always been diligent and conscientious, doing my best. Even if I haven't made any achievements, I have certainly suffered hardship. If you despise me, at least let me die with understanding."

The last man was even more indignant, "Your Majesty, I disagree! If you don't give me a reason today, I will die here!"

Although the civil and military officials thought the three were somewhat rude, they also felt a pang of sympathy for them. They didn't want to help the emperor fuel his anger at this time, otherwise wouldn't he treat them as cabbages, chopping off whoever he pleased!

Then, everyone fell silent.

The Emperor, with a smile on his face, looked down at the crowd from his dragon throne. He even opened his mouth to applaud them.

"Good, good. I never knew that the court officials and martial artists were so united. This is indeed a joyous occasion for our celestial martial empire and for the people!"

"However, you have probably wasted your energy today. As the sovereign of a nation, if I want to deal with someone, there must be solid evidence, otherwise how can I convince the people!"

Having said that, with a wave of his hand, Yi Zunguan hurried forward with the scroll and read it aloud.

The director of the Weapons Bureau, Ling Changrong, in March of Tianwu year eighty-seven, privately transported five hundred long swords and one thousand spears to Bei Man, receiving 30,000 taels of silver.

In the year 88 of Tianwu, during the sixth lunar month, he took out pledges and concealed them in storage. He privately kept ten chests of refined iron weighing a total of eight thousand jin…

One after another, there were over thirty charges listed, detailing all the crimes committed by the three treacherous officials from ancient times to the present day.

And every single crime is enough for them to wipe out their entire family!

Three people's cold sweat poured out like spring water, their faces pale as death, and their spines could no longer bear the weight, collapsing to the ground together.

It's not that they don't want to argue, it's just that the list of crimes is too detailed.

Even before the capital was moved to Jiangbei, they had already been under investigation.

Even the civil and military officials were shocked. They speculated that the three had done something dishonorable, but they never expected them to have committed such a grave crime as treason!

Not to mention that even the loyal ministers who still had a sliver of justice in their hearts, even their relatives and friends who originally wanted to plead for them silently retreated and hid among the crowd, afraid of being implicated...

The Emperor saw everything and let out a cold snort, saying, “Such treachery and unfaithfulness, selling one's country for glory, is simply an unforgivable crime. "

"Order the Dali Temple to conduct a thorough and rigorous investigation, deliver a verdict as soon as possible, and execute the entire clan at the Cai Shi Kou market by beheading them, serving as a warning to others."

Everyone gasped. To say that the Dali Temple would investigate this was just a formality, since the death penalty had already been decided. There was no need to even look into it!

Three courtiers panicked immediately. They had left home in fine attire that morning to go to court, but in the blink of an eye, they were unable to return.

Not only did he become a prisoner under the feet of his enemies, but also a doomed prisoner.

But they just can't accept this anyway.

At this point, someone “took a risk” and reminded them, “Is there anything else you need to explain Hurry up and say it, the Emperor might still spare your lives!”

Three people were a little stunned and hesitant.

Fortunately, he woke up in time and scrambled out of the ranks, shouting loudly, "Your Majesty, I am guilty, but everything I did was under the orders of someone behind me. Otherwise, how could I have had the audacity to put my personal gain above the interests of the country

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it was the Empress Dowager who instructed me to do this! Oh, I was momentarily confused, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

The Emperor's face was a mixture of astonishment and fury. He thundered, "Audacity! The Empress Dowager is my mother. How could she possibly orchestrate this collusion with the enemy nation! You must remember that the barbarians' invasion, forcing Tianwu to relocate its capital, was made possible because of these weapons!"

"If it was the Empress Dowager who instigated this, it would be a heinous crime! Even if she were my own mother, she would have to be punished! You are framing me, this is absolutely impossible!"

There are no fools in this world, especially those officials who have stood firm in the court for many years. They would rather have their hair strands as sharp and cunning as possible.

The Emperor was clearly impatient, and although he didn't explicitly say so, his words all hinted at punishing the Imperial Consort.

The other two officials did not hesitate any longer, quickly kneeling forward and crying out in innocence as well.

"Your Majesty, I am wronged! I increased taxes in Chuanzhou Prefecture because the Empress Dowager ordered me to. And all the silver collected was given to the Empress Dowager. I have evidence!"

"Indeed, Your Majesty, even if you gave me ten thousand guts, I wouldn't dare embezzle the disaster relief funds! It was all Empress Dowager's doing. I stayed in Kyoto to serve as an official because the Empress Dowager promised me!"

For a moment, the three of them scrambled to speak for their lives, each sentence a condemnation of the Empress Dowager.

I wish I could describe the Empress's words as unforgivable, and they are just poor souls forced to cooperate with the Empress's errand boy.

All the other civil and military officials hung their heads low, each one regretting a thousand times why they hadn't taken sick leave today.

As previously speculated, the deaths of General Chang and Grand Master Cai were not accidents at all. They were the first blows sounded by the Emperor as he began to cleanse the court!

Two updates today ~~s flooded into the courtyard of the dining hall and immediately fell in love with the small garden.Especially that large parasol, it's quite interesting.Upon entering, I joined the queue at the window...