SWDnovel Chapter 16: The Empress of Li Yang's Hands! Killing 5 Kings in One Day!
Chapter 16: The Empress of Li Yang's Hands! Killing 5 Kings in One Day!
A smile flashed in Qin Mu's eyes as he looked at the kneeling officials filling the hall.
These officials may have their own selfish motives, or they may be divided into factions, but at least at this moment, they are genuinely expressing their gratitude to the people.
Those who did not care about the people were dealt with by him, either openly or covertly.
As a time traveler, Qin Mu deeply understands the importance of the common people.
This is the foundation of the nation, and we must never mistreat the people.
Otherwise, if he loses the hearts of the people, even if he is invincible, he will not be able to hold onto the throne.
"And the third thing?" he asked.
Li Si slowly straightened up, his white beard trembling slightly in the morning light.
He took a deep breath, and an unprecedented solemnity appeared in his eyes:
"The third matter concerns the Li Yang Dynasty."
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the Golden Palace suddenly became solemn.
The Li Yang Dynasty, the overlord of the Eastern Continent, faces the Great Qin Dynasty across the river and is the most unique of the five major powers in the Divine Continent.
Not only because it excelled in both civil administration and military affairs, but also because its emperor was a woman.
Zhao Qingxue, the first female emperor in Kyushu in a century.
"Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang has been on the throne for five years."
Li Si's voice echoed throughout the hall, each word striking a chord in the hearts of the officials.
"Five years ago, she ascended the throne at the age of twenty, which caused much discontent in the court. At the beginning of her reign, she used swift and decisive measures to suppress three princes who intended to rebel, and then used a policy of appeasement to win over civil and military officials, thus securing her position on the throne."
"In the past five years, the strength of Liyang has not declined but increased. Under the Empress's command are the three pillars of Liyang: General Gu Jiantang, Prime Minister Zhang Julu, and martial arts master Li Chunfeng. All three pillars are experts of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, especially the Sword God Li Chunfeng, who reached the peak of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm thirty years ago and is said to be trying to break through to the Land Immortal Realm."
Liston paused, then took out a sealed letter with sealing wax overlay from his sleeve and presented it with both hands:
"Yesterday, our spies who had infiltrated Liyang sent us the latest intelligence—the Empress is up to something big again."
Yunluan stepped forward, took the secret letter, and presented it to the emperor's desk.
Qin Mu didn't rush to open it, his fingers gently tracing the sealing wax on the sealed letter: "Prime Minister, please speak frankly, what major move is it?"
Li Si's expression was solemn as he spoke slowly and deliberately:
"During her five-year reign, the Empress stabilized the court, but military power in Liyang remained dispersed among five princes who guarded various regions. These five princes were all either the late Emperor's younger brothers or elder members of the imperial clan. They held considerable military power and, although they did not openly rebel, they obeyed orders but not summons, which was a major concern for the Empress."
"Now," Li Si took a deep breath, "this hidden danger has been completely eliminated."
"boom--"
A collective gasp filled the hall.
Minister of War Wang Ben exclaimed, "Purge them? How can we purge them? Those five princes, each wielding considerable military power, have cultivated deep ties in their fiefdoms for decades!"
"It is precisely because of these deep-rooted ties that the Empress endured for five years," Li Si said in a deep voice. "During these five years, she secretly collected evidence of the five princes embezzling military funds, illegally expanding their armies, and engaging in clandestine dealings with neighboring countries. Every single case was irrefutable, and every single one was enough to warrant the stripping of their titles and execution."
He surveyed the assembled officials, his voice lowering even further:
"A month ago, the Empress summoned the five princes to the capital under the pretext of discussing a grand plan to conquer the Northern Barbarians. Although the five princes had their doubts, they relied on their command of a large army and the Empress's tolerance towards them over the past five years, so they only brought their personal guards to the capital."
"A banquet was held at the Star Gazing Platform, with fine wine and delicacies, and singing and dancing. After several rounds of drinks, the Empress suddenly put down her wine cup and presented the evidence of the five princes' crimes to the public."
Li Si described it vividly, as if he had seen it with his own eyes:
"It is said that the observatory was brightly lit at the time, and the Empress sat in the main seat, wearing a black robe with gold phoenixes and a nine-phoenix crown. She was extremely beautiful, but when her phoenix eyes swept over, even the prince who had been through many battles felt a chill."
She unfolded the five volumes of evidence one by one, her voice calm: "My dear uncles, over the years, you have embezzled a total of 37 million taels of military funds, illegally expanded your army by 200,000 men beyond the allotted quota, and secretly exchanged 17 letters with Xiliang and Beimang. According to the laws of Liyang, any one of these offenses is enough to strip you of your titles, execute you, and confiscate the property of your entire family."
The hall was completely silent.
The officials imagined the scene.
On the high platform, amidst the dazzling stars and fine wine, lay a trap—a banquet turned out to be a trap.
"What were the five princes' reactions at the time?" Qin Mu asked, his interest growing even stronger.
"Prince Zhao Honglie of Zhennan flew into a rage on the spot, slamming his fist on the table and shouting: 'Zhao Qingxue! How dare you, a mere woman, slander a senior member of the imperial clan!'"
Li Si imitated the prince's angry shout, then changed his tone:
The Empress smiled. Her smile was very faint, and she only said one sentence: "If Uncle Wang believes it is slander, would you be willing to let the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate conduct a joint trial?"
Zhao Honglie was speechless. He knew that the evidence against him was conclusive and that a joint trial by the three judicial authorities would only lead to a more miserable death. So he gritted his teeth, suddenly sprang up, and pounced on the Empress with lightning speed, intending to take her hostage and force her to destroy the evidence.
Wang Ben's pupils contracted: "Zhao Honglie is a renowned martial arts master in Liyang, having reached the Finger Profound Realm thirty years ago. If he suddenly attacks, will the Empress's guards have enough time to react?"
"It's too late," Li Si shook his head. "But the Empress doesn't need any guards."
He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:
When Zhao Honglie lunged to within three feet of the Empress, she merely raised her eyes. With that single glance, Zhao Honglie abruptly stopped, as if he had struck an invisible wall of energy, unable to advance any further.
"Then, the Empress extended a finger and pointed it in the air."
Li Si made a slight movement:
"Just a slight distance away, a bloody hole appeared between Zhao Honglie's eyebrows, and he collapsed to the ground, dead. From beginning to end, the Empress never even left her seat."
Dead silence.
There was a deathly silence inside the Golden Palace.
Even their breathing could be heard clearly.
With a single finger pointing from afar, can one kill a Finger Profound Realm expert?
What level of cultivation is this?!
A hint of surprise flashed in Qin Mu's eyes, which then turned into a deeper smile: "Interesting. It seems this Empress is quite adept at hiding her true nature."
Li Si continued, "With Zhao Honglie dead, the other four kings turned ashen-faced. Zhao Guang, the King of Donghai, still wanted to fight like a cornered beast, and turned to flee. He had barely rushed out of the observatory when he was riddled with arrows by three thousand crossbowmen lying in ambush outside. Before he died, he roared with wide eyes, 'Zhao Qingxue, you will die a horrible death!'"
"Upon hearing this, the Empress simply said, 'Drag him away and feed him to the dogs.'"
"The remaining three princes," Li Si said in a low voice, "knelt down on the spot and begged for mercy, handed over their military seals, and promised to return to their fiefdoms and never interfere in court affairs again."
Qin Mu asked, "Did the Empress agree?"
"I've agreed," Li Si nodded, "but only superficially. The secret report says that after the three princes left the capital, they were each attacked by bandits on their way back, suddenly fell ill, and accidentally fell into the water, all dying in accidents. Their children are all young, their fiefdoms have been revoked by the court, and their property has been confiscated."
Another collective gasp filled the hall.
What a ruthless means!
To kill someone, you must first destroy their spirit; to nip the weeds in the bud, you must eliminate them completely!
"So now,"
Li Si raised his head, his eyes filled with worry.
"All the troops in Liyang are now under the control of the Empress. The five princes originally each commanded between 100,000 and 200,000 troops. With the addition of the 300,000 Imperial Guards in the Central Army, the Empress commands nearly a million troops. Moreover, her orders are unified and there are no longer any obstacles."
He took a deep breath:
"Your Majesty, Li Yang and my Great Qin are separated by a river and have a long history of conflict. During the reign of the late emperor, the two countries fought a three-year war at Luoyan Plain, and finally signed a peace treaty, dividing the country along the river. However, the emperors of Li Yang throughout history have all had the ambition to annex Zhongzhou, but they have been hampered by internal instability and dare not act rashly."
"Now that the Empress has completely consolidated the military power of the court and taken back the military authority of the remaining princes, she will likely be able to free up her resources completely—"
Li Si spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice heavy:
"To deal with the Qin Dynasty."
Minister of War Wang Ben stepped forward: "What the Prime Minister says is absolutely right. When I received the military report from the western border, I also received a secret report from the eastern border. The Liyang navy has been frequently conducting drills on the river recently, and the number of warships has increased by 30%. The Liyang border garrison on the opposite bank of the river has also increased from 100,000 to 200,000."
He paused, his voice growing deeper: "All indications suggest that Li Yang is preparing for war."
Minister of Revenue Zhang Yannian's face turned pale: "If Li Yang really launches a major offensive, can the eastern border defense line... hold?"
Wang Ben remained silent for a moment, then walked to the map of the Nine Provinces hanging in the hall and pointed to the border between the Central Continent and the Eastern Continent:
"The two countries are bordered by the Lancang River, which is wide and, even at its narrowest point, is three li wide, with a rapid current. If Li Yang wants to attack our Great Qin, he must first cross the river."
"Crossing the river is the easiest way to launch an attack while the enemy is halfway across. Therefore, if Liyang wants to attack, it must first control the river with its navy and then force a crossing with its main force. Our Great Qin's eastern defense line stretches for eight hundred miles, with seven important towns along the river and a total of 150,000 troops."
Wang Ben traced his finger across the map: "150,000 troops are stationed in seven towns, each with no more than 20,000 men. If Liyang concentrates its forces to attack one point, it will be very difficult to hold it."
Li Si said in a deep voice, "Therefore, we must reinforce the eastern border."
"Reinforcements?" Zhang Yannian smiled wryly.
"Where will the money come from? Where will the food come from? The war in the west is not over, we need to guard against the Northern Barbarians in the north, and the central army needs to protect the capital. Troops are needed everywhere, and food and supplies are needed everywhere. The national treasury only has so much money; we can't just conjure it up."
Silence fell over the hall.
The sunlight gradually rose higher, moving across the ground through the windowpanes.
Qin Mu remained silent.
He leaned back on the dragon throne, one hand supporting his chin, his gaze fixed on the winding Lancang River on the map, his expression serene.
"Your Majesty," Li Si couldn't help but speak up, "this matter concerns the fate of the nation and a decision must be made as soon as possible."
Qin Mu then raised his eyes and looked down at the civil and military officials below.
Faces, some worried, some anxious, some bewildered, were clearly visible in the morning light.
He suddenly laughed.
The laughter was soft, yet it instantly silenced the hall.
"My esteemed ministers," Qin Mu began, his voice calm, "why do you think Empress Li Yang would choose this time to completely consolidate military power?"