Chapter 1 Deep Winter in the Imperial Capital

Deep winter, the Imperial Capital.

The usually solemn Imperial City was adorned with festive lanterns, and the people on the streets all wore smiles, rejoicing for the Grand Concubine’s birthday.

For this grand occasion, the current Emperor had specially issued an edict, granting amnesty to the world and additionally exempting them from a year's worth of land taxes, saving their impoverished farmers a lot of money. When the New Year came, they could also buy some things for their families.

They were all grateful for such profound benevolence.

The Hall of Golden Chimes.

Members of the royal family, ministers, and envoys from abroad were all seated together, offering birthday congratulations.

Those Jiedushi (military governors) who had not been to the capital for several years also came upon hearing the edict, using the pretext of Grand Concubine Lu's birthday to present generous gifts to Jiang Chen.

As seasoned veterans who had been floating in the official sea for many years, they had their own channels of information and had been secretly paying attention to the movements of the Imperial Capital.

Knowing that the Zhenhai Jiedushi (Pacifying Sea military governor) had touched the imperial court's bottom line and that it was likely to affect their colleagues, they all secretly prepared a lot of money and food to present, using this to subtly express their loyalty to the Emperor.

"We congratulate Your Majesty on ten thousand years, ten thousand years, and Empress Dowager, a thousand years, a thousand years!"

"May the Great Wei Dynasty be forever solidified and enjoy a thousand years of prosperity!"

Jiang Chen, wearing a black dragon robe, sat at the head of the main hall, looking down at his ministers.

And everyone who came into contact with his gaze, whether they were generals with illustrious military exploits, Jiedushi (military governors) in charge of one side, or feudal lords occupying several cities, all humbly lowered their heads.

Not daring to overstep even a little!

Scanning around, remembering the appearances of these powerful figures of Great Wei, Jiang Chen finally turned his attention to Cheng Yu, the Zhenhai Jiedushi (Pacifying Sea military governor), not far away!

Although he was nearly fifty years old, Cheng Yu did not show any signs of aging. He was still well-built, with sharp eyes, and exuded an invisible pressure.

With just one glance, one could determine that this person was definitely not someone who would remain in the pond!

What a pity, such a talent, yet he insists on opposing Us.

Jiang Chen retracted his gaze, sighing with regret in his heart.

Compared to wolves with rebellious bones behind their heads, he still preferred obedient dogs.

"Gentlemen, please rise."

"This Grand Concubine’s birthday is a joyous occasion, so let us omit the formalities. Tonight, let us, ruler and subjects, rejoice together!"

As soon as he finished speaking, praises immediately rang out in the hall, praising Jiang Chen as a wise ruler who cared for his ministers, expressing their loyalty in various ways.

However, although they appeared grateful and tearful on the surface, none of these ministers, who had been in the official sea for a long time, took the polite words seriously, and they still maintained a respectful attitude.

They were afraid that something would not be done properly and that their political enemies would seize the opportunity.

Just as the atmosphere was heating up, Duke Dingguo (Pacifying the Nation Duke), who had been silent for a long time, suddenly stood up and said solemnly, "Your Majesty is benevolent and cares for us ministers, but the Zhenhai Jiedushi (Pacifying Sea military governor) has taken advantage of this tolerance to develop thoughts that he should not have, disregarding Your Majesty and the authority of the imperial court!"

"This matter, this humble minister cannot tolerate!"

"This time, I came to the capital not only to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday, but also to impeach the Zhenhai Jiedushi (Pacifying Sea military governor) and remove a major scourge for the imperial court!"

The short two sentences fell like a thunderclap, causing everyone present's scalps to tingle.

Within the hall, all the feudal lords and ministers who held heavy troops showed surprise, and their eyes towards Duke Dingguo (Pacifying the Nation Duke) revealed a complex emotion.

Why did this old fox suddenly attack the Zhenhai Jiedushi (Pacifying Sea military governor)? Could it be that he has completely surrendered to the imperial court?!

They were not fools. The Zhenhai Jiedushi (Pacifying Sea military governor) offended the Emperor one moment, and the next moment, Duke Dingguo (Pacifying the Nation Duke) impeached him for 'great disrespect' to the imperial court. The trickery in this could be understood even with one's feet. It must be His Majesty's intention!

As the Son of Heaven, if he directly fell out with the regional officials, it would easily cause the Jiedushi (military governors) and feudal lords to feel a sense of crisis. However, having Duke Dingguo (Pacifying the Nation Duke) come forward to attack could avoid this problem.

Duke Dingguo (Pacifying the Nation Duke) was also a member of the powerful ministers. If he stood up to impeach, it would be an internal problem and would not arouse the powerful ministers to form a group.

Thinking of this, the expressions of the ministers in the hall suddenly became complicated.

Looking at the Emperor sitting steadily on the dragon throne above, unmoved by the wind, a deep sense of dread arose in their hearts.

Bang!

The muffled sound of knees touching the ground brought everyone's attention back.

They saw that the Zhenhai Jiedushi (Pacifying Sea military governor), who had been sitting behind the table, had somehow walked to the center of the hall and knelt directly in front of Jiang Chen.

With a look of fear, he kowtowed and defended himself, "Your Majesty, I am wronged!"

"I have been guarding the South for the imperial court for many years and have never dared to disobey the Emperor's orders. All the edicts issued by you and the late Emperor are still enshrined in my home. How could I despise you and the authority of the imperial court?"

"Not to mention anything else, since receiving the order for this birthday celebration, I immediately set off, and even the government affairs were handled by writing letters on the road, just to get to the Imperial Capital as quickly as possible to celebrate for the Grand Concubine and Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, please do not listen to some people's slanders against me!"

Jiang Chen smiled, but his eyes were extremely cold as he looked down and said, "Oh, so according to what you mean, Duke Dingguo (Pacifying the Nation Duke) is falsely accusing you?"

"Cheng Qing (Minister Cheng), it's not that We don't want to believe you, but Duke Dingguo (Pacifying the Nation Duke) is a veteran of two dynasties and has fought for the imperial court for many years. Why wouldn't such a loyal minister impeach others, but instead impeach you?"

"Before shouting injustice, shouldn't you reflect on yourself? After all, the crime of deceiving the Emperor is punishable by beheading!"

The few casual words caused the atmosphere in the hall to almost freeze.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on Cheng Yu, watching how he would deal with this killing trap carefully set by the Emperor.

Feeling the gazes coming from all directions, Cheng Yu silently clenched his fists, calming his violently beating heart.

Don't panic, stay calm!

With the support of so many aristocratic families in the South, the Emperor would not dare to kill him. He must stay calm!

After a few moments of silence, Cheng Yu took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, I did have... As your subject, I should not have been involved with the Jiangzuo Prince, let alone write a letter requesting marriage!"

After saying that, he kowtowed several times, repenting with tears streaming down his face, "Your Majesty, when I wrote the letter to marry my daughter to the Jiangzuo Prince, I did not know that he had rebellious ambitions. I only thought that when the late Emperor was still alive, he had said that he would bestow a marriage upon him and my youngest daughter... I was wrong in this matter, but please, for the sake of the late Emperor, grant me an opportunity to make amends!"

"I was also deceived and boarded a pirate ship by mistake. I have absolutely no rebellious intentions!"

Looking at Cheng Yu in the center of the hall, some soft-hearted ministers showed expressions of intolerance.

No matter what, Cheng Yu was also a regional official, but now he was being publicly reprimanded for a small mistake, completely losing face. It was really a bit cruel.

And the ministers who had vested interests with Cheng Yu even directly stepped forward to speak, constantly shirking responsibility, trying to divert Jiang Chen's anger.

"Your Majesty, I believe that this matter should be a conspiracy by the Jiangzuo Prince, in order to provoke discord among the ministers and disrupt the Great Wei Dynasty. You must not be fooled!"

"This statement is reasonable. Duke Dingguo (Pacifying the Nation Duke) has always only been in charge of fighting and has never interfered in politics. This sudden impeachment of a colleague must be a deliberate scheme by someone!"

The crowd spoke one after another, acting loyal and selfless, thinking that Jiang Chen could not see through their little plans...