Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

"Rise, my lords." The king's voice was young and slightly deep. After taking his seat, his gaze swept across the hall, finally pausing for a moment in Xi Yue Li's direction.

"There are two matters to discuss at today's court assembly. First, the newly appointed Imperial Preceptor, Yue Li, officially takes office today, receiving the Imperial Preceptor's seal and regalia, and assuming authority over the astronomy and calendar of the Northern Shuo, sacrificial rites, and border affairs. Second..."

She paused, tapping her fingertips lightly on the armrest. "I have approved the memorial submitted by the Regent the other day regarding the allocation of this year's winter grain in the three northern towns. The Ministry of Revenue is to make the allocations according to the memorial."

A low murmur of response rang out from inside the hall.

Xi Yueli knew that the king had deliberately put the appointment of the national advisor and the allocation of winter grain together, hiding the more troublesome matter under ordinary official documents. However, Tuoba Lie would not let her get away with it so easily.

No sooner had the king finished speaking than the man in the dark red python robe standing at the head of the military officers' ranks took a step forward.

Today, Tuoba Lie was three parts more restrained than when he pushed Xi Yueli outside the palace last time. He bowed and greeted her, but his burly figure blocked half of the sunlight when he stood in the center of the palace.

"Your Majesty, I have a question."

The king pursed his lips almost imperceptibly: "Regent, please speak."

Tuoba Lie turned around and faced Xi Yueli, staring directly at her across half the distance of the hall. His gaze was even more oppressive than the day he pushed her.

"The new Grand Preceptor's entry into the royal court was recommended by the Left Prime Minister and approved by His Majesty. Naturally, I dare not have any objections." He first made his position clear, then paused before changing the subject.

"But I would like to know—what is this Imperial Preceptor's name, where is he from, who is his teacher, when did he enter Beishuo, and by what right does he carry on the legacy of Imperial Preceptor Fuyuan?"

Tuoba Lie's voice echoed in the empty hall. As he spoke, his gaze never left Xi Yue Li's face, like a beast scrutinizing its prey, weighing the best angle to strike.

"Nameless, without status, and of unknown origin. The Grand Preceptor Fu Yuan served in Bei Shuo for thirteen years, formulating border strategies, analyzing celestial phenomena, and averting three famines. And this young lady? How many days has she been in Bei Shuo? What can she possibly do? To sit in the position of Grand Preceptor with just words—when did the Grand Preceptor of Bei Shuo become so worthless?"

A murmur of agreement rippled through the hall. Several military officers behind Tuoba Lie nodded in unison, while two or three civil officials exchanged glances. The eyes of the imperial family members all fell on Xi Yueli, as if waiting to see how she would respond.

Xi Yueli sat in a rosewood armchair, her face hidden at the boundary between shadow and light, half of her face slightly illuminated and the other half hidden in darkness.

The king's fingers tightened on the armrest.

The Left Prime Minister stood at the head of the civil officials' line, expressionless, but the hem of his robe behind him twitched, as if he was preparing to step out of the line.

Xi Yueli spoke before he could take a step, "Has the Regent finished asking his questions?"

That clear, crisp voice pierced through the empty hall, carrying a calm, penetrating power that drew all eyes from Tuoba Lie to her.

Xi Yueli remained seated in the chair, only slightly tilting her head. At that moment, the sunlight shifted slightly, falling directly on the center of her face.

Those almond-shaped eyes were as clear and bright as black jade in the light, and beneath them lay a layer of unwavering determination honed by thirteen years of court life under Fu Yuan.

"What was written in Fu Yuan's last secret letter? Should the Regent read it aloud to everyone?"

Tuoba Lie's brow twitched suddenly, and the hall fell silent for a moment. Someone in the civil official's row gasped.

The secret letter was presented to the king by the Left Chancellor after Fu Yuan's "death." The contents were sealed with wax, and only the king had seen it. However, Tuoba Lie had been cultivating his influence in the court for many years, and the details of the day the Left Chancellor presented the letter had already been passed on to him.

"What do you mean by that, Grand Preceptor?" Tuoba Lie's voice deepened by half a degree. "Grand Preceptor Fuyuan's last letter was opened by His Majesty himself. I have never seen it, so how can I read it aloud in public?"

Xi Yueli slightly curved the corners of her mouth, and when Tuoba Lie saw it, a chill suddenly ran down his spine.

"The Regent has never seen the letter, but he must have seen the sentence attached to it." Xi Yueli tapped her fingers lightly on her knee, took out the opened letter from her sleeve, and unfolded it.

"In the letter that Grand Preceptor Fu Yuan wrote to me, besides his instructions to the King, there was also a separate sentence: 'The new Grand Preceptor will take over all my secret agents. If the Regent has any objections, ask me about the three iron tokens I left behind.'"

When she finished speaking, the breathing in the entire Hall of Diligent Governance simultaneously subsided.

Tuoba Lie's burly figure froze for a moment in the sunlight. His fingers, gripping the gold buckle at his waist, tightened slightly, and the skin between his thumb and forefinger taut.

The phrase "three iron tokens" signifies an old story in the court of the Northern Shuo royal family.

When the late king was on the throne, he bestowed upon Fu Yuan an iron token with a wolf's head, granting her the authority to "act as she sees fit and to mobilize the three armies."

That was a protective charm given to her by the late king, and she was also the only national advisor in the history of Beishuo to have the real power to mobilize the border garrison.

Later, Fu Yuan forged two more deputy tokens. The three iron tokens together formed the biggest trump card in the hands of the Northern Shuo National Preceptor.

Tuoba Lie stood in the center of the hall, the sunlight casting flickering light on half of his face. The military officers behind him began to shift their feet uneasily, while the civil officials who had just exchanged glances all lowered their eyes, and the imperial clan fell completely silent.

"Where is the iron order?" Tuoba Lie's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, and it was half a degree hoarseer than before.

Xi Yueli folded the letter and put it back in her sleeve. She walked from the rosewood armchair to the center of the hall and stood three feet in front of Tuoba Lie, separated by the golden line cut out by the sunlight.

She held the three iron tokens side by side in her palm, displaying them precisely before the assembled officials. The black iron tokens gleamed with a dull, matte sheen in the sunlight, the wolf head patterns clearly discernible, and the edges of each token were repeatedly rubbed until they shone slightly.

The hall was initially deathly silent. The last time the scene of three iron tokens being issued simultaneously appeared in this hall was six years ago, when Fu Yuan was ordered to mobilize the three armies to quell the rebellion of the northern tribes.

"The late king bestowed upon the National Preceptor Fu Yuan the Iron Order with a Wolf's Head, granting her the authority to act as she sees fit and to mobilize the three armies." Every word Xi Yue Li uttered was clearly heard beneath the empty palace dome.

"Fu Yuan forged two deputy orders, combining the three orders into one, which can be used to command any battalion of the three armies of Bei Shuo. If the Regent King feels that I am without a title, without a clear origin, and unfit to carry on Fu Yuan's legacy—"

She tilted her head slightly, and the sunlight fell from the side on the contours of her brow bone and nose, making her thin face appear sharply defined.

"Your Majesty, you might as well ask these three iron tokens in my hand whether they recognize me as their master."

Tuoba Lie stood three feet in front of Xi Yueli. He was almost a head taller than Xi Yueli, and his imposing figure cast a large shadow in the sunlight.

But Xi Yueli stood in that shadow, looking up at him, her hand holding the three iron tokens motionless.

Her fingers were actually trembling slightly. Her body was already struggling to support the weight of the three iron tokens, but she suppressed the trembling, and there was no trace of it on her face.

Tuoba Lie looked down at the three black iron tokens, his Adam's apple bobbed, and then he took half a step back and lowered his gaze.

"...Since the late king has given the imperial decree, it is only right and proper for the Grand Preceptor to carry on Fu Yuan's legacy." He cupped his hands in a slight bow, a bow less deep than the one he had given to the king at the palace gate, but the gesture of yielding was clearly made.