The mad princess forces love upon him, and the aloof imperial advisor trembles every night.

Chu Qingyue raised an eyebrow: "Then does Prime Minister Pei have evidence to support his accusation that I cut off the manhood of all the descendants of your Pei family?"

"With a joint trial by the three judicial authorities, evidence will naturally emerge!"

"A joint trial by three judicial departments?" Chu Qingyue chuckled softly, as if she had heard something amusing.

"I am of royal birth, of noble lineage, and have military merits in conquering enemy countries and expanding our territory."

"You, a mere prime minister, dare to torture me?"

She stood up, walked up to Pei Wenzheng, and looked down at him:

"Prime Minister Pei... I think your mind is a direct descendant of your descendants, isn't it?"

"Otherwise, how come their minds stop working properly after losing their descendants?"

"You—!" Pei Wenzheng trembled with rage, and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Outrageous! The princess is simply making unfounded claims!"

Chu Qingyue leaned down and whispered in his ear, her voice only audible to the two of them:

"Prime Minister Pei, I will not only sever the roots of your Pei family, but I will also ensure that your Pei family is wiped out and your entire clan is executed."

"Do you believe it or not?"

Pei Wenzheng's eyes were bloodshot.

Chu Qingyue straightened up, her voice regaining its clarity: "Prime Minister Pei's words are nothing but joking and banter; he simply lacks evidence. But I do."

The Emperor of Chu said in a deep voice, "What evidence do you have? Show it to me. You must not wrong a loyal minister."

Chu Qingyue glanced at Emperor Chu.

She knew that he saw her as a knife, a knife to clean up the court and eliminate the Pei family.

But it doesn't matter.

This imperial court will ultimately belong to Chu Qingyue.

Helping him is like helping yourself.

She took out another sandalwood box from her bosom, opened it, and inside were three items:

A black iron token with the character "Pei" engraved on it;

A piece of scalp that had been gouged out, with faint blue lotus patterns visible on it;

There was also a stack of account books.

She picked up the token.

"Evidence 1: Last night, we found the Prime Minister's Mansion tokens on the bodies of the assassins—a total of forty-seven tokens."

"Evidence 2".

She used a handkerchief as a pad to pick up the piece of scalp.

"The Pei family's emblem, the 'Azure Lotus Pattern,' is engraved in the hair of all the assassins."

"Whether it is or not, please have Magistrate Cai of the Capital Prefecture bring the body here for an on-site examination."

She paused, then picked up the third item—an account book:

"Evidence three: Your Majesty, I have discovered that... Prime Minister Pei converted the embezzled military funds into gold, totaling three million taels, and hid it in a secret room in the Prime Minister's residence."

"As long as Father Emperor sends people to search, they will definitely find it."

Pei Wenzheng looked at the three items, his vision went black, and he completely fainted.

At that moment, the names of those who had been called out came from outside the hall:

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!!!"

Empress Pei strode in, adorned in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, exuding majesty.

As soon as she entered the hall, she saw her elder brother, Pei Wenzheng, lying unconscious on the ground with a pool of blood beneath him. Several officials were surrounding him, but no one dared to step forward to help him up.

The Pei family wields immense power in the court, with disciples and former officials scattered throughout the land. Even if a silver ingot falls in the capital, it's highly likely to belong to the Pei family.

When have I ever been so embarrassed?

The Empress looked at Chu Qingyue, and the urge to strangle her almost overwhelmed her reason.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her surging hatred, and stepped forward to bow to the Chu Emperor:

"Your Majesty, I have come to pay my respects."

The Emperor of Chu looked at her, his expression complex: "Rise. Empress, what brings you here?"

The Empress straightened up, her gaze like a knife piercing Chu Qingyue:

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask the Eldest Princess, what is your intention in so recklessly smearing the Pei family?"

"Is your intention to eliminate loyal officials and seize control of the court?"

Chu Qingyue chuckled, "The Pei family is already covered in filth; why would they need me to splash them with dirty water?"

"Your Majesty, I have no interest in using excrement to train dogs..."

"You!" The Empress was furious. "Qingyue, they are also your uncles and cousins! How can you be so heartless?!"

Chu Qingyue tilted her head, her eyes innocent:

"The country comes first, then the family. This is me sacrificing family ties for the greater good."

"I wonder if Her Majesty the Empress has come for public or private reasons?"

The Empress took a deep breath: "You insist that there is evidence of crimes and embezzled funds in the Prime Minister's residence."

"What if you search and find nothing?"

—She has already arranged for someone to check, and all the embezzled funds have already been transferred.

Since this slut is so shameless, then she'll send her down to see her lowly birth mother!

Chu Qingyue looked at her and suddenly smiled.

That smile was as radiant as peach blossoms in March, yet the words she spoke were as cold as ice in December:

"If there is no embezzled money in the Prime Minister's residence, I... will commit suicide to atone for my sins."

The entire hall erupted in uproar.

The Empress stared at her, emphasizing each word: "Is this true? Do you know that one must not speak recklessly in front of His Majesty and the officials!"

Chu Qingyue smiled, a smile as alluring as the red spider lily:

"certainly."

"I, Chu Qingyue, always keep my word."

"But if stolen money is found in the Prime Minister's residence, confirming the crime..."

She walked step by step toward the Empress, the two no more than three feet apart. "Does Your Majesty know what crime the Pei family has committed?"

Without waiting for the Empress's reply, she continued speaking, her voice so clear that everyone in the hall could hear her:

"Who made me so kind-hearted?"

"Just a friendly reminder to Mother—if there is embezzled money, and if the charges are substantiated, the Pei family will have committed four major crimes:"

"Firstly, the Pei family embezzled a huge amount of military funds, causing soldiers on the border to go hungry and cold, and to lose their lives in battle. According to military law, the entire family should be executed."

"Secondly, the Pei family has been secretly raising assassins with treacherous intentions and harbors rebellious thoughts. According to the law, the entire family should be executed."

"Thirdly, the Pei family, in collusion with many officials, slandered and defamed the current Princess. According to the law, the entire family should be executed."

Fourthly, the Pei family used assassins to kill the current first-rank princess. According to the law, their entire family should be executed.

She straightened up, her voice suddenly turning cold, echoing throughout the hall:

"Now let's add another clause—the Pei family has bewitched the Empress Dowager and interfered in state affairs. According to the law…"

She parted her red lips slightly and uttered four words:

"To be executed by slow slicing."

She glanced around the hall at the trembling people who had spoken up for Prime Minister Pei, smiled slightly, and added:

"My lords, do you agree with what I have said?"

The hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

The Chu Emperor looked at his daughter standing in the center of the hall—a woman in black robes with a golden phoenix design, her forehead dotted with cinnabar, and the domineering aura she exuded in her eyes that made him feel as if he were seeing his younger self.

No, it wasn't just him.

There was also the founding emperor.

This daughter inherited the best bloodline of the Chu family, but also the most deadly poison.

A flash of admiration crossed his eyes—this girl is intelligent, resourceful, capable, and eloquent; not bad.

(However, later, when he used this mental approach on himself, he didn't think that way anymore. But that's another story, so let's leave it at that.)

The Chu Emperor slowly spoke: "In that case, send people to search."

Chu Qingyue looked at the Empress and raised an eyebrow defiantly: "Your Majesty, I am willing to personally lead the search."

The Empress exclaimed urgently, "Am I sending you to search, or to frame someone?!"