Facing the morning sun, Empress stepped out of the Gate of Heaven Influence.
Those who left with Empress were the officials of Tensei Province who were qualified to attend court meetings. The others waited outside and went up to greet the Manor Head as soon as he came out.
After everyone bowed, Xue Yuanjing said in a low voice, "Your Highness, there was some trouble at the Gate of Heaven Influence. The Imperial Tooth General was summoned away and the Eldest Prince led his subordinates to give them a lecture."
They were still not convinced that Li Jiancheng was the Crown Prince and still called him the Eldest Prince in private.
Empress nodded slightly. "Eldest Brother has started to take action. He wants to control the inner palace."
Wei Zheng recounted what happened in front of the Golden Hall. When the officials heard that Sun Lang had done something big again, they all frowned with strange expressions. Yu Shinan said, "With Sun Lang's support, it's not difficult to do this. If the Eldest Prince controls the inner palace, with his status as regent, he can take over the Imperial City and prevent the imperial edict from leaving the palace …"
After all, he was a scholar and spoke more tactfully.
Not only did the imperial edict not leave the palace, but Li Jiancheng and Sun Lang were in cahoots and controlled the inner palace. This was equivalent to holding the Emperor in the palm of their hands. With Sun Lang's audacity and unscrupulous methods, it would be normal for an abdication edict to appear one day.
Yu Shinan hesitated and advised again, "Your Highness, you can't rely on luck. Sun Lang and Jiancheng have gained power. Once they gain a foothold, they will attack Your Highness. For now, it's better to act now."
"Although Sun Lang has gained the upper hand this time, he has roared at the court and disrespected Empress. He has already shown his domineering attitude, and the ministers must be wary of him. Moreover, the current His Majesty hates Sun Lang deeply. Jiancheng was able to become the Crown Prince because of His Majesty's grace, but he colluded with Sun Lang. This is truly a disobedient and cruel act. As the saying goes, 'Adversity reveals one's sincerity'. If Your Highness can raise your arm and call for help at this time and fight against Sun Lang, His Majesty will definitely be gratified in his eyes …"
"At that time, it is still unknown who will inherit the throne …"
Many people showed signs of agreement.
This was the normal operation.
After all, Sun Lang and Empress were already like fire and water due to the incident at the Great Desolate Mountain. There was no possibility of reconciliation. As the saying goes, if you stick your head out, you'll still be stabbed. Therefore, it was better to step forward bravely and have a vigorous fight with Sun Lang. After all, there was no way back.
It was still unknown who would emerge victorious.
But when Empress heard these words, she had a different feeling in her heart.
These loyal and devoted subordinates and subjects did not know that she had already broken off relations with the Emperor. Just based on what she had seen and experienced that night, she would not have any expectations or hope for the Emperor.
She could feel the twisted evil thoughts coming from the other party's heart.
What was this evil thought? What did the Emperor want to do to her? What kind of gaze did this sovereign, who was supported and revered by all the subjects, use to size up his most beloved daughter … She did not want to think about all of this in detail, or perhaps it was better to say that she did not dare to think too much about it.
Because once she thought about it, she would feel both psychological and physical discomfort.
How could she hope that the Emperor would change his mind and set up a new Crown Prince?
Besides … she already had a new plan.
"Brother Yu, there is something you do not know," Wei Zheng said. "Sun Lang may have other plans."
Yu Shinan raised an eyebrow. "Plans?"
Wei Zheng did not speak and turned to look at Empress.
Empress was silent for a moment and then said, "Sun Lang wants to make the first move to gain the upper hand and force the Emperor to accept it. Eldest Brother has instructed him to control the inner palace and imperial court, and we … will go to the Imperial Treasury."
After a moment of silence, there was a rise and fall of cries of surprise.
The Imperial Treasury was the private property of the royal family and the source of the palace treasury. It collected all the rare treasures in the world and managed the property and finances for the royal family. It was the royal family's money bag and the Emperor's confidence to speak loudly to the foreign subjects. Most importantly, the Sacred Implement Bureau it managed was the only department in the Empire that could create, maintain, and manage the Imperial Army.
Its importance could be imagined.
And now, Sun Lang had actually given this large piece of cake to Her Highness Empress?
Everyone's gazes became very strange for a moment. It was a subtle feeling as if the boss and goddess had been taken by the same pig a second time. Their gazes revealed the same meaning — when did you all get together again?
Zhangsun Wuji was the first to jump out. He said loudly, "There must be something strange about this!
How could Sun Lang be so kind?
This must be his scheme! "
Yuwen Fuji said calmly, "I have thought about it again and again, but I can't think of any scheme … But one thing is certain. Even if this piece of candy is mixed with poison, we have to try to eat it."
Because the benefits here were too great.
Regardless of just how valuable the wealth, talents, technology, and network of connections the imperial cavalier palace had accumulated over hundreds of years, just the Sacred Artifact Supervisor alone was enough for Heavenly Policy Palace to fight for it with all their might. Everyone could see its value, and everyone understood just how great its strategic significance was.
No one could refuse such benefits.
Even the Heavenly Strategy Sages, who had been on the battlefield for a long time and were cautious and meticulous, were no exception.
But they were still worried about another thing.
Why could Sun Lang give it up so easily?
Someone tried to explain, "Sun Lang is now in the limelight in the imperial court, and he has already attracted the vigilance and hostility of many big shots. The reason why many of them are restraining themselves is because they all hope that he will charge and break through the enemy lines and meet the imperial power. The big shots don't mind giving way to Sun Lang, and they don't mind sharing the cake with him. But if Sun Lang shows the bearing of a fierce and ambitious person who can overturn the imperial court and the common people, and shows excessive greed, it will inevitably lead to the counterattack of many forces … So he doesn't dare to reach out to the Ministry of Finance."
"Because if he controls the Sacred Implement Bureau, he will cross the line that the big shots have drawn for him."
For various reasons, Zhangsun Wuji was very hostile to Sun Lang. He asked bluntly, "But he won't give the Imperial Treasury to us!
There must be some trap in this! "
Du Keming said, "Lord Zhangsun, I understand your feelings, but this is a matter of the country. It's best not to mix in personal feelings. You said that there is a trap in this, then I dare to ask, with Sun Lang's ability, what kind of trap will he bury in the Imperial Treasury for us to step into?"
Zhangsun Wuji was tongue-tied and couldn't say anything.
Fang Qiao also said, "I can roughly guess Sun Lang's thoughts. He doesn't trust the First Prince, Jiancheng, and is holding back. By giving the Imperial Treasury to us, he wants to use this opportunity to beat and weaken the First Prince. After all, without the Imperial Treasury as a backing, the Emperor won't have the confidence to speak and do things … He intends to balance the power."
Yuwen Shiji nodded and said, "I think so too … Then, what should we do?"
The Wise Men looked at each other and smiled. "Of course, we should take down the Imperial Treasury first."
Then everyone looked at Empress, waiting for her to give the order.
Admiral Tensei was silent.
Her gaze was somewhat complicated, and she even felt that it was somewhat ironic and funny — in terms of wisdom and strategy, Fang Qiao and the others were all better than the young Zhangsun Wuji. But even as smart and capable as they were, they couldn't guess Sun Lang's motive and reason for giving the Imperial Treasury to them.
The only one who sensed that something was wrong was Zhangsun Wuji. His suspicion came from his prejudice against Sun Lang.
But he was the one who was right.
Sun Lang indeed didn't have good intentions.
The value of the Imperial Treasury wasn't as great as everyone imagined. As for the Sacred Implement Supervisor that everyone went crazy for, it became a hot potato of little value.
The reason why Sun Lang let her take over the Imperial Treasury was because he wanted her to keep and control this secret.
But she couldn't say anything about all this.
She couldn't even refuse Sun Lang's suggestion … If this secret was discovered by outsiders, it would inevitably cause huge waves, and even lead to the turmoil and destruction of this country.
So, only she could control the Imperial Treasury, only she could suppress the Sacred Implement Supervisor.
Even if it was a bitter fruit, she could only force herself to swallow it.
This should be … retribution, right?
She knew the truth, but she couldn't say it. She could only continue to do what she should do based on an inexplicable belief. She couldn't see the future, and she didn't know the result.
Sun Lang had already predicted everything.
He was taking revenge, and he was taking revenge bit by bit. He would never give up, and he wouldn't stop.
This revenge had started early in the Great Barren Mountain.
The Sacred Implement Supervisor, the most valuable and valued most in the Imperial Treasury, had actually lost its most important function. There was a problem with the production line of the Imperial Army, and the last and most important link had collapsed more than two years ago. Because in the Great Barren Mountain, Sun Lang, who had lost control, almost destroyed the Houtu Divine Sword.
Since then, the Extraterritorial Divine Sword obtained from the Ancestor Sky Demon had lost the ability to create the Imperial Army.
Sun Lang, who had done this, had committed the most serious crime in history, even more serious than killing the monarch. By killing the monarch, he had only buried the life of an Emperor, but by destroying the Houtu Divine Sword, he had destroyed the powerful cornerstone of this country, and the entire future of this country.
Once this news leaked out, the entire Empire would be in turmoil, and the wind and rain would sway.
And Sun Lang would be nailed to the pillar of shame in history forever, and his name would go down in infamy for thousands of years.
It should have been like this.
But the Emperor had been silent, and so had she.
Just now, Sun Lang had said that he and the Emperor had the button to destroy each other.
He also said that what the Emperor was doing was even more excessive.
Was this a bluff, or was it true?
What did he know?
It had to be said that Sun Lang's last whisper in the golden palace had aroused Empress' curiosity.
Now that she and the Emperor had broken off their relationship, the once close relationship between father and daughter had become cold and indifferent. Looking back on the past, there were doubts everywhere, and there were suspicions everywhere. She had raised many defenses against the Emperor, and what she wanted to know the most was his motives and plans.
If the father and daughter's unity these years had been lies and deceit, then her ambitious, talented, and bold father must have done many things behind her back, and he must have other plans.
She wanted to understand all of this … very much.
"We will go to the Ministry of Imperial Finances now," she said. "Gather people and make the first move."
Hmph, Father … let me see what you want to do.
"The one who encroached on the Ministry of Imperial Finances was her, Empress Tensei. The one who entered the palace was him, His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince. Even if you want to scold traitors, you should scold those two. What does it have to do with me, Sun Lang?"
Sun Lang picked at his nose and looked at the eunuch in front of him. He said neither yin nor yang, "The empress dowager has become muddle-headed from reading too much scripture. The one who tried to poach your imperialism was clearly someone from your old Li family."
After the morning court, Empress, who had heard politics for the first time, had excitedly come and angrily left. After all, the Shentse general was very brave and threw a dozen nails at the mother of the nation. She, who had suffered a great loss, ran back to the palace and wantonly beat and cursed for a while. Then she ran to the empress dowager to complain.
When the empress dowager heard Empress' tearful complaints, she was very surprised. It seemed that in her mind, Sun Lang was a good child who understood the big picture. Why did he become so ruthless in Empress's mouth?
Before she could figure out what was going on, explosive news came one after another.
First, His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince met with the leaders and consecrators of the palace guards and gave clear instructions on how to build the new era of the Imperial Guards. He repeatedly reiterated the mission of the Imperial Guards and criticized the mistakes they made in the case of the Emperor's assassination. In addition, he started the accountability process in his capacity as regent. He wanted everyone to atone for their mistakes and serve as a warning to others. Then he sent out his retainers to supervise and guide the work.
After that, Empress Tensei came to the Ministry of Imperial Finances. After the Emperor's assassination, she was recommended by the court officials to be responsible for the important task of apprehending the assassins. Now, she had traced all the way to the Ministry of Imperial Finances and ordered all the officials of the Ministry of Imperial Finances to be investigated. During this time, the Ministry of Imperial Finances was handed over to Tensei Province to take over until the officials proved their innocence. Only then could they return to their posts and take back their power.
It was a big show.
The Empress Dowager was very shocked. On one hand, she sent people to stop the Crown Prince and Empress Concubine. On the other hand, she sent people to reprimand Sun Lang. Who knew that Sun Lang acted as if it had nothing to do with him and pushed all of his responsibilities away.
Just as the eunuch was about to speak, Sun Lang dug out a piece of booger and casually flicked it. The secretion from the hair follicle of his nostrils whizzed out at a very high speed, brushing past the eunuch's hat and rushing into the distance, setting off a mournful scream. "Shut up. Did I say you could speak?"
He then earnestly advised, "The Emperor has raised such a child. He has to reflect on his failure as a parent. He has to reflect on whether he was too busy with state affairs and neglected the education of his children. Or perhaps his son has done too many bad things and set a bad example for his children. This old man repaid kindness with enmity and abandoned the bow after the birds are gone. Don't blame his son for not doing anything. From this point of view, the Empress Dowager can't escape the blame. She didn't teach her son well, which led to this result …"
After General Shentse finished speaking, he said gently, "Do you understand?"
The eunuch trembled and said, "I … I understand?"
"Then how do you want to report it?"
The eunuch swallowed and replied, "General Shentse said that this is the Emperor's family matter. As a foreign official, it is inconvenient for him to comment. Besides, His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince and Empress are loyal to their duties and didn't do anything wrong …"
Sun Lang nodded and said, "Good. You can go."
The eunuch left in a hurry. His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince came out from the corner behind Sun Lang.
Sun Lang didn't turn his head and said, "Have you sent people to keep an eye on them?"
The Crown Prince said in a low voice, "Yes."
"After Empress goes back, she will definitely not be able to hold back … or rather, the Emperor won't be able to hold back."
General Shentse's voice became gloomy. "According to the script, there is a high probability that a wild person with special powers will appear and then heal the Emperor's injury … This is our next enemy."