FID – Chapter 738

Chapter 738: Losing All Sense of Honor

After that outburst, Liu Yusheng once again witnessed a one-man show.

On one hand, he was cursing himself, and on the other, he was beating himself. If she didn’t know the reason behind it, anyone would have thought the man was a monster.

Rubbing her forehead, Liu Yusheng helplessly watched as the “‘two people’ played their little game. “Heilian, take it easy, it’s still your body.”

Xue Qinglian finally started to return to normal, wiping his nosebleed. “This bastard, every time he relies on his better skills to bully me! I can’t even kill him!”

Liu Yusheng could only stare blankly. “…” What else could I say?

The face in front of her was almost unrecognizable. Despite being the same person, how could he create such an internal conflict?

“You can hear Heilian when he speaks to me here, does that mean you know what he’s doing outside?”

“Sometimes I know, sometimes I don’t,” Xue Qinglian replied.

“How can it be like this?”

“If he knocks me out, I won’t know what he does during the time I’m unconscious.”

“…” Liu Yusheng pinched the space between her eyebrows. “Do you know that Heilian is Gong Ling, the leader of the Cangying Pavilion?”

Xue Qinglian’s gaze flickered slightly. Just as he was about to say he didn’t know, his expression turned cold. “He knows.”

The two of them exchanged glances.

Xue Qinglian said, “That last sentence wasn’t me speaking.”

Liu Yusheng nodded. “I know, Heilian was telling the truth.”

“…” Xue Qinglian was about to lose it. This way, they could never have a proper conversation! “Forget it, Nannan. I’m leaving.”

With that, he stood up and began walking out. If that bastard kept interrupting, he wouldn’t be able to act like a proper person.

When he reached the doorframe, he lifted his foot but couldn’t move it. His body followed its own momentum and he stumbled forward.

With a loud ‘bang,’ Liu Yusheng winced from the back, feeling the pain. He had crashed face-first onto the floor.

“Xue Honglian—!”

The presence of a man with split personalities in the King’s Manor made this day full of unexpected events.

Feng Qingbai hardly had the time to deal with these.

He worked late into the night in the imperial study, and after returning, he took a short nap with his little girl in his arms. In the blink of an eye, it was time for the morning court.

Liu Yusheng rubbed her eyes and forced herself to stay awake as she saw him off.

“This is your first morning court after the mission. It won’t be smooth, be careful with everything,” she reminded him.

Feng Qingbai smiled, tousled the girl’s hair, and said, “I’ll come back for dinner tonight.”

“Okay.”

The man left as the first light of dawn broke across the sky, striding forward. Liu Yusheng stood behind him, her lips tightly pressed.

With Feng Qingbai attending the morning court, another hard battle awaited him.

First, he needed to clear Elder Yang and her elder brother’s names, and then, he would officially start a political battle with Prime Minister Zuo.

Besides Prime Minister Zuo, there was also Qin Xiao, whose stance had always been unclear.

The changing winds of fortune, only he alone would bear the weight, and all she could do for him was stand in place and wait for his return.

After the emperor’s absence from the morning court for over a month, he finally appeared.

The reasons behind his absence were unspoken but well understood by the officials in court.

With the emperor absent, the Empress Dowager took charge of state affairs. Although some ministers criticized this behavior, their voices were eventually suppressed by Prime Minister Zuo’s faction.

During that period, the emperor had practically become a puppet, while Prime Minister Zuo’s power grew rapidly.

This was all made possible because the King had been absent from court, allowing him to take advantage of the situation.

Now that the King had returned, things were bound to take a different turn.

At the start of the court session, Feng Qingbai was the first to speak.

“Yesterday, upon my return to the capital, I was shocked to learn that His Majesty has not attended court for several days and has been claiming illness at Qiande Hall. Has anyone here gone to visit His Majesty’s illness?”

His sharp gaze swept over the officials, the chill in his eyes piercing.

None of the ministers dared to speak.

None of them had visited the emperor.

Whether the emperor was truly ill or feigning illness, everyone present knew it well. The Empress Dowager had sent guards to watch over him, and the palace’s Imperial Guard was under Grand General Qin Xiao’s command. With these two forces blocking the way, even if someone had the intention to investigate, they wouldn’t have the courage to do so.

“With that said, if someone were to rise in rebellion within the palace and imprison His Majesty, the entire court wouldn’t even know. Since when has the emperor’s guard been so weak in our Nanling Kingdom?”

“Your Majesty, forgive us! Your Highness, forgive us!” The officials quickly knelt and begged for forgiveness.

After they had apologized, Prime Minister Zuo straightened up and looked at Feng Qingbai. “Your Highness, your words are too serious. Our Nanling Kingdom has a vast military force, one that can be considered a strong nation, all thanks to the leadership of both His Majesty and Your Highness. Who would dare to be so bold as to rise in rebellion within the palace?”

“I too would like to know who is so bold.” Feng Qingbai’s gaze passed over him and swept across the officials in court. “I didn’t expect that in just a few short months of my absence, so many great events would occur in court. His Majesty cannot attend court, loyal ministers have been accused of treason and thrown into prison, yet none of His Majesty’s officials have spoken up! The way of governance is to protect oneself wisely, but for this reason, you’ve even lost your integrity! How can you call yourselves officials when you cannot remain loyal to your sovereign? All of you should go home and be nothing but pests!”

This was the first time since the new emperor’s ascension that the Prince Regent had erupted in anger in the court.

His words left many with flushed faces, feeling ashamed.

With the Empress Dowager and Prime Minister Zuo working together, and General Qin Xiao’s support, this powerful alliance made it nearly impossible for anyone to oppose them.

“Your Highness, please calm down. The matter of Yang Shuzhong and Liu Zhixia being thrown into prison is not that we have wronged them. Since we dared to arrest them, we naturally have evidence. Your Highness, your anger on behalf of these two is perhaps due to being deceived by them.” Prime Minister Zuo cupped his hands in salute, “I will have the evidence presented immediately. After Your Majesty and Your Highness review it, you will know whether my words are true or false. Our loyalty to His Majesty has never wavered.”

“Evidence? Well, as it happens, I also have some evidence to present to show to the emperor and the officials. Perhaps Minister Zuo would like to wait for a moment?”

Prime Minister Zuo’s brow twitched slightly, but he bowed, “I will, of course, listen to Your Highness.”

“Bring forth the evidence! Also, send someone to bring the Empress Dowager here—she hasn’t arrived for a while, and I fear she might have gotten lost on the way.” Feng Qingbai lightly instructed his attendant, then turned to Prime Minister Zuo. “As for the matter of Yang Shuzhong and Liu Zhixia being labeled as traitors, the person who played the largest role in that is yourself, Minister Zuo. If those two are truly traitors, then I have nothing to say. But if the accusations are exaggerated, you will have set a bad example for the other officials.”

“I dare not. I act only in a way that satisfies my conscience.”

“Good, ‘a clear conscience’!” Feng Qingbai smiled, and the sound of beaded curtains swaying behind him signaled the arrival of the Empress Dowager.

She sat on a small platform behind the dragon throne, with beaded curtains hanging around to block the view.

At this moment, everyone in the hall was filled with unease, not knowing what trick the King was about to play.

What exactly was the so-called ‘evidence’ he had? What did they point to?

With many doubts in their minds, the King’s personal guards entered, holding a stack of letters, and respectfully handed them over to Feng Qingbai.