Chapter 301: She Loves Going to Work, She Loves Morning Court

He looked for all the world like a father trying to defend his son after the boy had gotten into trouble.

Xiao Hong had arrived long ago. He was waiting by the gate, clad in a Second-Grade Official Robe. His posture was ramrod straight, his expression serious, and in his hands, he held a thick stack of scrolls.

Someone’s eyelid twitched. ‘This entrance… why does it feel so familiar?’

At Xiao Hong’s arrival, all eyes fell upon him.

After a moment of stunned silence, they immediately surged forward to question him. “Xiao Hong, speak up! How is Your Majesty? Why are you the only one who returned?”

“Where is Your Majesty? Where?!”

“Was there an accident?”

“Xiao Hong, say something! Are you mute?”

Holding the tray, Xiao Hong forcefully pushed through the crowd and knelt in the very center. “This servant has organized the lists and dossiers of all participants. I present them for Your Majesty’s inspection.”

“…”

The vast Jinluan Palace fell utterly silent in an instant.

CREAK… CRACK…

Necks turned with the sound of an old, creaking door.

Looking up, they saw that the empty Dragon Throne was now occupied.

Dressed in a Dragon Robe, beautiful beyond compare, with a commanding posture, she regarded them with a half-smile.

The sight was like seeing a ghost.

No, this was more terrifying than seeing a ghost.

The Emperor was alive!!! And she had returned!!!

Prince Jing watched the crowd mockingly, his hands on his hips in triumph. ‘Go on, speak. Why have you all gone quiet?’

‘You were all so high and mighty just a moment ago. Why the sudden silence?’

‘You interrogated me, didn’t you? You only know how to pick on the weak. Now that Her Majesty is here, why don’t you dare say a word?’

‘A bunch of trash! Ptooey!’

THUD!

Someone’s knees had eagerly kissed the floor tiles.

THUD! THUD!

A whole group of them, unable to control their own knees, scrambled to kneel.

“Your… Your Majesty…”

“We, your subjects, greet Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor, for ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!”

The courtiers knelt and roared in unison, their voices shaking Jinluan Palace.

Xiao Yang raised a hand, and Xiao Hong brought the tray before her.

Xiao Yang picked one up at random and casually opened it.

“While I was away, you all seem to have been very lively.”

“It has been a while. I have missed you all dearly. Since everyone is here today, let’s take attendance.”

As everyone knew, when the Emperor took attendance, it was like King Yama opening the Book of Life and Death—for each name called, one person would die.

That familiar tyrannical pressure descended upon them, and the more timid among them were already scared out of their wits.

“Your Majesty, have mercy!”

“We welcome Your Majesty’s return! We were simply worried about you…”

At this point, it was too late for words.

Xiao Yang had just dealt with that group in the Southern Domain and rushed back without stopping. She was exhausted from the journey; there was no way she would let these people off easily.

That day, more than thirty people were dragged out of Jinluan Palace, all of them members of the Xiao Family’s imperial clan.

Charge after charge was announced, and the thirty-odd people were beaten to death on the spot.

At the same time, she announced the dissolution of the Bian Bureau.

In recent years, the Bian Bureau was no longer the institution it had been at its inception.

Initially, they had seen themselves as the embodiment of fairness and justice. They reveled in the adoration they received, refusing to exploit the populace and viewing corrupt officials as mortal enemies.

But as time went on, power inevitably bred greed. Worshipped for too long, they grew numb.

Their divine aura vanished, and avaricious human nature took over.

They took bribes and lined their own pockets, feigned compliance while acting in defiance, and their ambitions swelled.

They even began to feel that the throne wasn’t the Emperor’s alone, but belonged to everyone in the Xiao Family.

Xiao Yang had no taste for petty squabbles, nor the patience to play a slow game of cat and mouse with them.

So she gave them an opportunity—an opportunity for their hubris to grow.

As expected, they were very obedient and walked right into her trap.

Now, she could dismantle the Bian Bureau directly, and she could also have them all killed.

Xiao Yang didn’t have their mouths gagged. The screams of those being beaten to death were incessant, and only when the last cry faded did the thick smell of blood drift in.

Everyone knew their deaths must have been gruesome.

And yet, several scrolls in the Emperor’s hands remained unopened.

The sword hanging over their heads was most terrifying when it was poised to fall, but didn’t.

In the imperial court, few could truly claim to have a clear conscience; nearly everyone had done something that couldn’t see the light of day.

They were terrified that their own name was written on a page in one of those scrolls, terrified they too would become a pile of mangled flesh beaten to death outside.

They remained prostrated on the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

Xiao Yang reached for another scroll, her fingers brushing it before she pulled her hand back.

“Enough. I am tired today.”

Everyone’s hearts were in their throats. Only after hearing these words could they finally breathe again.

This ordeal, it seemed, was over.

Xiao Yang leaned against the armrest of her throne, smiling as she looked down at them. “Was I too cruel?”

At a time like this, who would dare say Her Majesty was cruel?