Great Chu Imperial Palace, Main Hall--

The civil and military officials attended the morning court, lined up in two small square formations, shouting "Long live the emperor!" in unison as they neatly knelt down.

"Rise."

On the dragon throne, Xiang Ning's expression was somewhat blank.

It had been over a month since her return to the country. The preparations for the grand ceremony to welcome the Empress were almost complete, only waiting for the envoys of the Han Emperor to arrive.

As for Lü Fubao, since the Imperial Noble Consort was not the principal wife like the Empress, there was no need for a grand welcoming ceremony. She only needed to be conferred her title in the inner palace.

"This one..." Xiang Ning was just about to speak when she stopped herself.

Fan Li had not attended court for over a month. For a time, she thought she would finally be able to govern on her own. But unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager had also moved a chair behind the dragon throne. She hung up a beaded curtain and started attending court along with her from then on.

Was this the legendary "listening to politics behind a lowered curtain"? Xiang Ning felt extremely vexed.

Since ancient times, only weak rulers and incompetent monarchs would lower themselves to allowing the inner palace to listen to politics behind a curtain. She couldn't bring herself to lose face like this. She had tactfully raised objections to the Empress Dowager before.

"You are young and ignorant, without any experience governing. Let this widow lend you a helping hand and remove Fan Li's party members and supporters from court, one by one. How can that not be good? Also, you are my own child, how could I, an empress dowager, compete with you for the throne?"

The Empress Dowager's reasons were very sound. At least Xiang Ning could not refute her.

She also admitted that ever since her ascension to the throne, the Empress Dowager had always been her strongest pillar of support.

The Empress Dowager commanded tremendous prestige in the State of Chu. As long as Fan Li did not attend court, she could surely intimidate all the officials!

There was also the Grand Preceptor Chen Gonggong who was utterly loyal to the Empress Dowager!

In the span of a month, the Empress Dowager listening to politics behind the curtain had continuously issued edicts in Xiang Ning's name. She had indeed dealt with quite a few officials belonging to Fan Li's faction.

At this moment, as Xiang Ning looked upon the mass of bowing ministers below the imperial dais, each and every one of them was deferentially obedient to her. It was as if Great Chu had never gone through a period of weak emperor, strong ministers before. But in Xiang Ning's heart, she was filled with an intense sense of surrealism.

"With Fan Li not attending court, why do I still feel like I'm nothing but a puppet emperor? Although the Empress Dowager has tightened control over the government, among the dismissed officials were several who were exceptionally talented and virtuous. It's too bad they were dismissed purely because they once served under Fan Li.

"Yet for the vacant positions left after the dismissals, the ones appointed by the Empress Dowager to fill them were decided without ever asking my opinion..."

Xiang Ning unconsciously looked back. Through the hazy, beaded curtain, she vaguely saw a golden phoenix crown shaking. But the Empress Dowager's graceful countenance was too blurred to clearly make out.

"His Majesty has an edict!"

The shrill voice of the effeminate Chen Gonggong pulled Xiang Ning's thoughts back to reality. She frowned slightly, forcibly suppressing the vexation in her heart.

His Majesty has an edict?

How funny. Even she herself did not know when there was a new edict. Clearly, this was the Empress Dowager's intention.

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The civil and military officials had just stood up, only to respectfully kneel down again.

"Grain Intendant Gongsun Ou and Chief Commandant of Cavalry Hu Guo Ling have held their positions for too long without any achievements to show for, their talents ordinary and mediocre. Immediately dismiss them from office and demote to commoners."

Xiang Ning felt like her ears were playing tricks on her!

More dismissals of officials!

Gongsun Ou was a high-ranking Nine Minister who was close to the Fan clan. Hu Guo Ling was a battle-hardened general of the imperial guards with outstanding military exploits!

‘Has the Empress Dowager gone too far? This is obviously a barefaced move targeting Fan Li.’ Xiang Ning kept feeling that something was off.

There must have been some reason for the Empress Dowager to become so aggressive, completely abandoning her previous restrained attitude.

"Your Majesty, this is a terrible injustice!"

The two dismissed civil and military officials were not accepting it. Still kneeling on the ground, they loudly proclaimed their grievances.

Gongsun Ou was a civil official and more mild-mannered. His eyes swam with hot tears.

"Your Majesty, ever since your subject assumed the office of Grain Intendant, I have been auditing the old accounts from the previous emperor's reign, making up for deficits in the state granaries. Our national treasury is now abundant in Great Chu, even if I do not have accomplishments, at least I have rendered bitter service. How can I be dismissed from my post for mediocrity?"

Hu Guo Ling's voice rang loud and clear instead. "Your Majesty, this lowly officer earned a promotion to Chief Commandant of Cavalry through military achievements. I ask you, from where does this assessment of ‘no achievements, mediocre talents’ come from? Do my years of training troops to campaign against bandits and personally beheading enemy chiefs not count as feats either?"

Xiang Ning listened and felt utterly awkward. Although she knew perfectly well that the two of them belonged to Fan Li's party, both possessed genuine talents and accomplishments. She often envied Fan Li for being able to gather such talents under him.

‘Why did the Empress Dowager not first discuss this with me beforehand? To outright dismiss them on grounds of incompetence is completely unjustifiable.; Xiang Ning was extremely vexed. She sat anxiously on the dragon throne, not knowing how to reply to the two ministers' questions at all.

"Empress Dowager?" Xiang Ning plucked up her courage and tentatively asked in a soft voice, "This matter concerning the two ministers, this one did not know. What do you..."

From behind the beaded curtain, the Empress Dowager merely gave a cold laugh through her nose, sounding displeased.

Xiang Ning did not know what to do, but Chen Gonggong took action instead. The old eunuch's figure moved as swift as lightning. In an instant, he arrived before the kneeling pair.

A tremendous crash resounded, accompanied by a burst of purple light!

Gongsun Ou did not even have time to summon his Protective Qi before he was struck in the chest. Like a snapped kite string, his body flew backwards, crashing out of the hall.

Hu Guo Ling's cultivation level was clearly higher than Gongsun Ou. He at least attempted to resist. Seeing that, the old eunuch merely gave a cold laugh.

Hu Guo Ling had hastily circulated his Protective Qi. In a flash, the qi had solidified into substance, only to be shattered in the next instant by the old eunuch's slap.

The next second, Chen Gonggong's right hand curved like a claw. It had already pierced into Hu Guo Ling's stomach, then gripped something and squeezed!

The officials present vaguely heard a muffled popping sound, as if something inside had been crushed!

They knew Hu Guo Ling was a Nascent Soul Stage expert. But now, the primordial infant he had condensed in his body was probably destroyed.

One of the Eight Commandants of the Imperial Guards with a salary of two thousand bushels, the Chief Commandant of Cavalry, had been crippled with one claw by an inner palace eunuch right in the palace hall!

Gongsun Ou, who had crashed outside the hall, was later found to have all his meridians shattered. He too had become crippled.

Chen Gonggong crippled two men in an instant!

In the hall, the civil and military officials belonging to Fan Li's faction were all cold sweating and dared not make a sound.

Xiang Ning had only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm. Seeing Hu Guo Ling, whose cultivation surpassed hers, become crippled, she subconsciously covered her own lower abdomen.

"Great Chu has its Legal Code. How can Chen Gonggong take action against ministers without going through the Ministry of Justice's interrogation!?" she thought, but lacked the courage to voice it.

Towards Minister Chen, or rather, towards the Empress Dowager who she served, Xiang Ning felt an inexplicable sense of distant fear. This feeling, she had never experienced even when facing Fan Li.

To prevent a tragedy from recurring, Xiang Ning mustered her courage and tentatively asked, "Mother, can we conclude the court session?"

By concluding the court session, she could protect the remaining officials, even those related to Fan Li.

Thinking she had earned this face, Xiang Ning heard the Empress Dowager coldly chuckle. "Conclude the court session? Your Majesty must be joking. Morning court has just begun, and there are still officials presenting their reports."

Xiang Ning felt extremely awkward.

Why did her mother give her no face?

Moreover, how did she know that there were officials with reports?

Could she read minds?

Lost in these thoughts, Xiang Ning saw Lu Bi, one of the Nine Ministers, stepping forward from the assembly of courtiers.

"I, the humble subject Li Bin, have matters to report."

Lu Bi was an official in charge of royal affairs, and Li Bin belonged to the maternal family of the Empress Dowager. By seniority, he should be considered Xiang Ning's uncle