The Empress remarried, and I retaliated by wiping out the court.

The next day, at the Golden Palace.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

At a single command, all the civil and military officials bowed in unison, addressing Ye Wudao with a thunderous roar:

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The officials shouted, but not one of them knelt down!

Since the late emperor weakened, the throne had long become a symbol, and Xiao Linyuan had already abolished the kneeling ceremony!

Looking at the large group of people representing the highest power of the empire, Ye Wudao felt a surge of pride and pride!

If one day all officials submit to me, and I become the common ruler of the world, with all people shouting "Long live the Emperor!" what a magnificent sight that would be!

Forcibly suppressing his inner excitement, Ye Wudao calmly waved his hand: "My beloved subjects, rise!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

As the officials looked up, Ye Wudao finally noticed the power structure of the court.

Regent Xiao Linyuan was the biggest force behind the downfall of the late emperor and the de facto controller of the Imperial Guards, practically ruling the court with absolute power.

Li Juzheng, the Grand Secretary, was the head of the civil service. His students and former subordinates were all over the country. He had cultivated his influence in the government and the country for many years and was on par with the Regent.

Meanwhile, Prince Zhao Qingtian of Zhenbei, Prince Luo Jin of Dongping, Prince Liang Yan of Nanling, and Prince Ma Keyan of Xiliang commanded troops in all four directions, holding more than half of the court's military strength in their hands.

Add to Marquis Dingyuan Qin Xianda, Master Xie Wuwang of the Number One Manor Under Heaven, and Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Mo Jingyu—these nine people jointly control the Great Yan, and they don't even respect the imperial power!

These nine people at the head are none other than the nine most powerful ministers, who have all joined the cabinet!

Behind these nine people, civil and military officials were arranged in two rows, with the Ministers of the Six Ministries of Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works serving as the highest administrative officials.

On the other side were the major generals of the imperial court, a group of military officers who held military power.

now.

The entire vast Golden Palace remained silent, the atmosphere extremely tense!

Ye Wudao's actions last night have already reached the ears of all the officials. If things go wrong today, the person on the dragon throne might be replaced!

"Tyrant! Tyrant!"

The Imperial Censor Li Chongde, who was over fifty years old, let out a sorrowful cry and said with great grief:

"Last night, His Majesty massacred the palace, killing Liang Ze, the heir apparent of the Southern Ling Kingdom, and also wantonly slaughtered Zhong Ming, the eldest son of the Zhong family, and Fang Yan, the eldest son of the Fang family. A whole host of palace maids and eunuchs were also innocently killed! Such an outrageous act, which incurs the wrath of both Heaven and the people, is no different from that of a tyrant!"

Li Chongde's tone was indifferent, showing no regard for Ye Wudao whatsoever.

Not only him, but all the civil and military officials knew that Ye Wudao was just a puppet emperor pushed out by the nine powerful ministers.

If Ye Wudao were willing to be an obedient dog, he might live a few more years.

But if he disobeys, he will suffer the same fate as his dead father!

Now that he's leading the charge in making things difficult for Ye Wudao, not only will the other party be unable to punish him, but he might even receive a hefty reward from the Regent!

Ye Wudao sneered, slowly left the throne, and walked down the steps of the imperial court. He then kicked Li Chongde in the stomach!

Li Chongde was already old, how could he withstand Ye Wudao's powerful kick?

"Ouch!"

Li Chongde let out a miserable cry and immediately collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in pain.

"When did my handling of the harem become so lowly that you, a mere dog, could bark and howl here?"

The courtiers were shocked!

Everyone stared in horror at the once weak and easily bullied puppet emperor, as if they were seeing him for the first time.

No one would have expected that Ye Wudao would dare to kick the Imperial Censor in public.

He's a powerless puppet emperor, isn't he? Who gave you the courage?

Li Chongde was, after all, a former top scholar in the imperial examination, and was admired by many. How could he bear such a humiliating disgrace?

His face flushed red, and he pointed at Ye Wudao's nose, cursing:

"Tyrant! You are cruel and immoral, muddle-headed and incompetent! You dare to beat loyal ministers, you dare to insult officials, you dare to kick an old minister today, will you slaughter the entire court tomorrow?"

"How can such a tyrant be worthy of sitting on the throne of the supreme ruler!"

"Your Majesty, I request that the Emperor be deposed!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Wudao's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

He stared at the others and said, "Is that what you all think too?"

Minister of Revenue Wu Qingxun stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty has only been on the throne for three months, yet you have already committed such tyrannical acts. How will the people of the land view the court? How will they view the Emperor?"

Zhang Shouzhi, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward, his face filled with worry and indignation.

"Your Majesty! Rites are the foundation of the nation! What happened last night not only violated the laws of the land, but also defied human ethics! In my twenty years in charge of the Ministry of Rites, I have never seen such an absurd thing! If Your Majesty cannot give the people an explanation, I... I will have no choice but to resign and return to my hometown, as I have no face to face my ancestors!"

The officials... were outraged!

A young imperial censor rushed out of the queue, knelt down in front of the hall, and slammed his forehead heavily against the gold bricks, drawing blood.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to die to remonstrate with you! If Your Majesty does not repent, I will kill myself right here in this Golden Palace to uphold the name of a loyal subject!"

Another censor stepped forward: "Your Majesty has indiscriminately killed innocent people and publicly beaten officials, which has violated the virtues of an emperor! I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict of self-reproach to apologize to the people!"

"If Your Majesty does not abdicate, the world will surely descend into chaos!"

"Your Majesty, please abdicate and yield the throne to a more worthy successor!"

"Your Majesty, please abdicate!"

One after another, the cries of "abdicate!" echoed through the Golden Palace. Civil officials knelt down, their words earnest and their voices resounding through the heavens.

If someone unaware of the situation saw this, they would surely think it was a group of loyal ministers risking their lives to remonstrate with a foolish emperor, and would be moved by their unwavering loyalty.

Unfortunately, they were all lackeys of the Regent and his ilk. Their barking was merely a way of proving to the Regent who could bite the most.

This is now a blatant coup.

Before the nine powerful ministers could even speak, Ye Wudao was already forced into a corner with no way to resist!

Xiao Linyuan stroked his mustache, looking confident of victory.

He knew all too well what he was doing.

Ye Wudao is currently without soldiers or men; he is merely a puppet emperor whom he has put forward to appease the world.

If he hadn't worried that forcibly usurping the throne would lead to chaos, the throne would have been none of Ye Wudao's business!

Now that Ye Wudao is courting death, it just so happens to give him the opportunity!

"Hahaha!"

Ye Wudao suddenly looked up at the sky and laughed loudly. His laughter stirred up the wind and clouds, unrestrained and arrogant, and drowned out all other sounds.

"A tyrannical ruler, facing imminent death, what's with his arrogance?"

"What's so funny!"

Xiao Linyuan stepped forward, his eyes wide with fury: "You tyrant, your many evil deeds will surely lead to your downfall. Step down today and accept your punishment!"

"Have you finished speaking?" Ye Wudaoyuan's laughter stopped abruptly, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Since all of you ministers have finished speaking, then I, too, would like to say a few words."

He looked at Zhang Shouzhi, the Minister of Rites: "I ask you, was my Empress allowed to remarry last night?"

Zhang Shouzhi's body stiffened instantly, and he dared not reply.

Nine powerful ministers married off their daughters, sharing the power of the Great Yan Dynasty. This was an unspoken fact, so how dare he say it out loud?

Seeing that he remained silent, Ye Wudao continued, "The Book of Rites says that a woman should not serve two husbands, and the empress should be a model for the nation. But what did my empress do last night?"

He looked at Zuo Zongming, the Minister of Justice: "You answer this: What is the crime of a concubine having an affair with a man outside the palace?"

Zuo Zongming trembled: "This..."

Ye Wudao roared, "Speak!"

Zuo Zongming's forehead began to sweat: "According to the law... the lightest punishment is demotion and reduction to commoner status; the heaviest is slow slicing and execution, along with the extermination of three generations of one's family!"

Ye Wudao slammed his fist on the table, causing a stir throughout the court and the country.

"Very well! Since you all know! Then tell me, my Empress married nine men on my wedding day. Isn't that promiscuity in the harem?!"

"Is this tantamount to deceiving the emperor?!"

"Isn't it... punishable by death according to the law?!"