Goddess Atlas, Starting from the Queen

Chapter 150 Mu Yongfeng Dismissed from Office
Upon hearing Wang Zhe's words, the ministers in the court were all extremely shocked.

Good heavens, they were only impeaching Mu Yongfeng for dereliction of duty, which allowed the evil spirits to find an opportunity to enter the capital.

As a result, Wang Zhe directly assumed that the evil spirit was deliberately released by Mu Yongfeng, and even accused him of harboring a bandit to enhance his own prestige.

Sure enough, ginger is still spicy.

Once this label is attached, they don't believe they can't get rid of Mu Yongfeng.

Upon hearing Wang Zhe's words, Wu Wanrong was momentarily stunned. After Wang Zhe finished speaking, Wu Wanrong coldly said, "Now that the evil spirit has not been found, removing Mu Yongfeng from the position of Spirit Suppressor is probably not a wise move."

As soon as Wu Wanrong finished speaking, the eldest prince Ji Ming took the initiative to say, "The Zhenling Guard has many capable people. As far as I know, there is more than one person whose cultivation level is the same as Mu Yongfeng's. Mu Yongfeng is not irreplaceable."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wanrong asked, "Oh? So, you already have someone in mind who can replace Mu Yongfeng?"

Ji Ming said without hesitation, "Your subject recommends Shen Hongfei, the deputy commander of the Zhenling Guard, to take charge of the Zhenling Guard."

When Ji Ming mentioned a specific name, people understood that Shen Hongfei was most likely one of the First Prince's men. It seemed that the First Prince was acting quite quickly. Previously, the entire Star Gazing Tower was Sikong Cheng's private territory, and Sikong Cheng made all the decisions. It was extremely difficult for other forces to get involved.

Unexpectedly, the eldest prince had already extended his reach into the Zhenling Guard.

Upon hearing this, Wu Wanrong did not refuse directly, because she could not make the decision regarding the Star Gazing Tower. At this moment, she glanced at the officials in the hall, and then her gaze fell on the four Heavenly Pivots.

"What are the opinions of the four Heavenly Pivots?"

Zheng Hongyun said, "Since there is someone who can replace Mu Yongfeng, let him give it a try."

Lu Yongwang then chimed in, "I agree."

Now that two of the Heavenly Pivots have spoken, and considering that Wang Zhe clearly wanted to replace Mu Yongfeng, the four Heavenly Pivots have already cast three votes, so the matter is basically settled.

However, Wu Wanrong did not immediately draft the imperial edict. Instead, she asked, "Is there anyone else suitable to serve as the Spirit Suppressor?"

Upon hearing this question, the ministers in the court looked at each other.

The main duty of the Zhenling Guard is to slay evil spirits. Although people in the court want to control this power, they have never extended their reach into the Zhenling Guard in the past, so they do not know who to choose to replace Mu Yongfeng.

If the selection is haphazard, the people they choose in the future will be unreliable, and those who made the selection will also be affected.

The Zhenling Guard is different from other organizations. Other organizations, such as the Qingyun Guard, can get by even without strength.

However, the Zhenling Guard requires real talent. If someone lacks ability, they will likely not be able to command respect and will soon be driven out by the Zhenling Guard's soldiers.

After all, evil spirits don't care about human relationships, and the guardian spirits can easily die when facing them.

Although the First Prince recommended someone first, seemingly indicating that the Zhenling Guard would be under his control from now on, no one present felt envious.

The reason is simple: the Crown Prince's recommendation of Shen Hongfei to replace Shen Hongfei was inherently risky. If Shen Hongfei proved unfit for the position, officials from other factions could then use this opportunity to attack the Crown Prince.

The most crucial point is that the Star Gazing Tower is within Sikong Cheng's sphere of influence. In the past, no one in the imperial court had ever dared to set their sights on it, not even the Zhou Emperor.

Now, the eldest prince has taken the lead in appointing his own people as the Spirit Guardian Spirit Envoys, which is tantamount to offending Sikong Cheng. People from other factions are eager to see what Sikong Cheng will do next.

This was a bold test. If Sikong Cheng ignored it, then other factions would have plenty of ways to replace Shen Hongfei as well.

After all, the same excuse for replacing Mu Yongfeng also applies to Shen Hongfei. Seeing that no one present recommended anyone else, Wu Wanrong looked at the four Tian Shu officials in front of her and said, "Since no one recommends anyone else, let the Tian Shu draft an edict after the court assembly."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhe and the other three frowned.

In the current imperial court, there are two places where imperial edicts can be issued: one is the Empress, and the other is the Tian Shu Hall.

Although the imperial edicts drafted by the Tian Shu Palace require the Empress's seal, once something has been collectively approved by the Tian Shu members, the Empress can hardly refute it, and the Empress's seal is merely a formality.

Wu Wanrong's decision to have the Tian Shu Palace draft the decree was clearly an attempt to shift the responsibility of this matter to the Tian Shu Palace. If Sikong Cheng were to be angered and cause trouble for the court, the first target would be the Tian Shu Palace, not her, the Empress.

At this moment, Wang Zhe immediately said, "Your Majesty, this matter..."

The Empress didn't want to take the blame, and neither did the other members of the Heavenly Pivot. Sikong Cheng was, after all, a half-immortal, and who knew what he would do if they angered him?

Everyone present wanted the benefits but didn't want to take the blame.

However, before Wang Zhe could finish speaking, Wu Wanrong interrupted him, saying, "After all, I am acting as regent on behalf of His Majesty, and I cannot make decisions on such matters of appointment and dismissal."

"Furthermore, if I were to interfere in the appointment and removal of officials of the Star Gazing Tower, the Director of the Imperial Workshops might think that this was the will of the Imperial Family."

This……

The four Heavenly Pivots were all taken aback, their brows furrowing.

Wu Wanrong has already brought up Emperor Zhou and the royal family, so it's clear that she has no intention of drafting an imperial edict at all.

She made her point very clear: in order not to offend Sikong Cheng, she was determined not to take the blame.

Are we just going to let it go like this?

This is the best chance to put your hand into the observatory. If you miss this opportunity, it won't be so easy to do so again.

After much deliberation, Wang Zhe and the other three ultimately chose to compromise.

After the decision to dismiss Mu Yongfeng was made, the court session ended immediately.

As soon as the court assembly ended, the Tian Shu Hall drafted an imperial edict, had the Empress affix her seal, and delivered the edict to the Mu family that afternoon.

Mu Yongfeng had just gotten up in the afternoon when he received the imperial edict dismissing him from his post. The edict came so suddenly that Mu Yongfeng was caught off guard.

Fortunately, he was only dismissed from his post, and there was no further investigation into his dereliction of duty in allowing evil spirits to enter the capital.

Upon receiving the imperial edict from the eunuch, Mu Yongfeng felt somewhat confused. When did the imperial court become able to interfere in the appointment and removal of officials at the Star Gazing Tower?
Even if the officials of the Star Gazing Tower were to be appointed or dismissed, that is a power reserved for the emperor. Now that the Zhou emperor is in seclusion, the empress is merely acting as regent on behalf of the emperor. How could she dismiss the Zhenling Envoy of the Zhenling Guard?

After receiving the imperial edict, Mu Yongfeng glanced at its contents and discovered that in addition to the imperial seal, the edict also bore the seal of the Tian Shu Palace, meaning that the edict was drafted by the Tian Shu Palace.

It turns out that it wasn't the Empress who wanted to dismiss him from his post, but Tian Shu who wanted to dismiss him.

Mu Yongfeng didn't plan to make a fuss. If he was to be dismissed from his post, so be it. He had been exhausted by the evil spirits massacring the village recently, so he could take a break.

(End of this chapter)