Zhu Keyu collapsed, his face ashen, a single thought echoing in his mind: he was finished.
"Young Master Yan, are you sure?" Xue Wenjie asked, his voice chillingly flat.
A potent aura enveloped the space, making it difficult to breathe.
Yan Zhao looked up, his face a mask of extreme displeasure. His eyes, sharp and sinister, shot towards him like blades.
"Yes," he said, lowering his gaze and bowing.
"Good. Very good." Xue Wenjie spat out the words between clenched teeth.
Yan Zhao knew that from this moment on, he would no longer be trusted by the Regent.
The Empress had killed two birds with one stone.
He had truly not expected this.
"Imperial Uncle, anyone who has shared my imperial bed is my person. They are unsuitable to continue as Minister of Justice," the young girl added another blow.
Xue Wenjie turned to face the smiling girl, his gaze hardening to an extreme coldness, radiating a thousand years of frost and a chilling, sinister intent.
The girl met his eyes without flinching, smiling instead, as bright as the morning sun.
Her lips parted slightly. "Feng Yin, escort Zhu Keyu back to the palace. Tomorrow, I will issue an imperial decree bestowing the title of Duke Zhu."
Zhu Keyu tumbled from his chair onto the floor, his face pale as he looked at Xue Wenjie, shaking his head. He didn't want to enter the palace. He was the Minister of Justice, a proud official of the third rank.
"For a court official to enter the palace is unprecedented. Is Your Majesty setting a new precedent?" Xue Wenjie looked at the girl, his gaze so cold it felt like a barrage of blades.
The air suddenly solidified, growing thin, as if an invisible hand had gripped her neck and was slowly tightening its hold.
She felt her breath falter, a suffocating sensation overwhelming her.
With great effort, she slowly lifted her head, meeting Xue Wenjie's gaze. She curved her lips into a smile. "I am the Son of Heaven. I do as I please."
Xue Wenjie's eyes turned icy, and a fierce chill swept over her, carrying with it a hidden murderous intent.
At that moment, he wanted to kill her.
She couldn't help but take a step back, the intense, piercing killing intent too much to bear.
Suddenly, she bumped into a wall. Or rather, it wasn't a wall, for it lacked that hardness. She turned and collided with a pair of eyes, black as a starless night, so dark it was like an abyss.
There was no end, no shore, not even a glimmer of light.
Only despair.
Looking at this seemingly endless path, she knew it was a journey she had to undertake, alone.
"I want Minister Zhu. Does the Regent object?"
These simple words, yet the girl stood there, looking down at everyone.
At this moment, the girl was as proud as a god high above, looking down upon the ants below.
Noble and aloof, unassailable by any.
Her aura radiated an irrefutable, kingly authority that none dared to defy.
Xue Wenjie's gaze was cold enough to freeze, releasing an icy aura, accompanied by a strong killing intent.
This time, he truly wanted to kill this Empress.
Never before had he regretted so deeply, letting her grow so large, so strong that she could now oppose him.
"Your Highness..." Yan Zhao spoke suddenly.
Xue Wenjie looked up, his gaze cold as he looked at him. Yan Zhao said calmly, "Your Highness, Minister Zhu is no longer suitable to be the Minister of Justice."
Xue Wenjie sneered, "Young Master Yan, you meddle in a great deal."
He had never known that Yan Zhao was working against him. If he had, he would never have sent him to the palace.
"Your Highness, what is the difference between the palace and the imperial court?" Yan Zhao looked calmly at Xue Wenjie.
Xue Wenjie was momentarily stunned. If Zhu Keyu were to enter the palace, he would become one of the Empress's people.
In that sense, he wasn't at a complete loss, but he still felt a lingering dissatisfaction.
"Your Majesty, someone is beating the Dengwen drum outside," a yamen runner reported.
"Who is it?" Xue Zining asked.
The yamen runner replied, "He claims to be the head of the Hua family."
Everyone was shocked.
Upon hearing this, Xue Zining's eyes lit up. She quickly said, "Quickly, let him in..."
"Yes." The yamen runner hurried out.
"Feng Yu, you go too," Xue Zining commanded.
Xue Wenjie's expression turned extremely ugly, and his look towards Zhu Keyu was now murderous.
Zhu Keyu quickly lowered his eyes, his heart filled with dread. The head of the Hua family had truly arrived. Would the Regent spare him?
He was certain he wouldn't.
Never before had he so intensely disliked being someone within the imperial harem, which had now become his lifeline.
Soon, an old man with white hair walked in. His complexion was ruddy, and he radiated a vibrant energy.
Hua Yunjin gradually focused his gaze on the old man.
Xue Zining turned to Hua Yunjin and asked, "Prime Minister, is this person the head of the Hua family?"
Hua Yunjin nodded, "Yes, he is the head of the Hua family."
Upon hearing Hua Yunjin's voice, Hua Zhengxian snorted disdainfully, clearly displeased.
Hua Yunjin's gaze turned cold. "Where have you been?"
Hua Zhengxian sneered, unashamedly mocking him. "Anywhere is better than staying in your Hua manor."
If not for the substantial benefits that person had provided his Hua family, he would not have stepped forward. Such an ungrateful person deserved to die.
Hua Yunjin's expression became even more displeased.
Seeing this, Xue Zining intervened, "Head of the Hua family, I am in charge here. You can recount what happened that day in detail."
Hua Zhengxian looked up, his eyes widening in surprise as he looked at the young girl. "You... you are the Empress?"
"Audacious..." Hua Yunjin said coldly.
"It's alright, I am," Xue Zining replied.
Hua Zhengxian knew that the Emperor of Huangze was an Empress, but he had not expected her to be so delicate and slender.
He had heard that the Regent held the reins of power.
He had assumed she would be a mediocre ruler, but looking at the girl before him, her eyes clear and bright, he knew she was no ordinary person and would undoubtedly achieve great things in the future.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject was almost murdered. Fortunately, I hid behind the screen and escaped," Hua Zhengxian said.
"So, you saw the killer's appearance?" Xue Zining asked.
Hua Zhengxian shook his head. "This humble subject did not see. I only saw a shadowy figure."
"Good."
Xue Zining nodded. She looked at Xue Wenjie and said, "Regent, this is a misunderstanding."
Xue Wenjie knew that with the appearance of the Hua family head, everything was settled.
"Yes, Your Majesty is wise!" Xue Wenjie could only force the words out between his teeth.
"Hua Yunjin has been wrongly accused," Xue Zining stated, word by word.
Xue Wenjie gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, it was my dereliction of duty, allowing loopholes to be exploited. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
"This time, I was here. Next time, it may not be. Regent, you must be more diligent."
"Yes," Xue Wenjie said through gritted teeth.
"I am tired. I am returning to the palace." Xue Zining turned to leave. After a few steps, she looked in a certain direction and said, "Zhu Keyu, you will accompany me."