In ordinary situations, courtiers would typically call out, "Your Highness, Princess," as stipulated by Ling Yao.
She wore a veil of pearl-threaded tassels, her gaze, sharp enough to pierce one's heart, swept across the assembly before she stood beside Emperor Mingde.
The twenty-odd successful candidates were filled with excitement, never expecting to see the Divine Maiden of Great Jing at the Qionglin Banquet. Some might only enter the imperial palace once in their lifetime, thus feeling incredibly fortunate.
However, they would soon change their minds.
"Imperial sister, why have you come over?"
A flower appreciation banquet was being held concurrently today, and Imperial Sister did not favor such occasions; it was merely a customary imperial tradition. Her presence here now, did she have something to attend to?
Song Beiting, standing behind him, also gazed intently at Ling Yao.
"Imperial brother, this princess intends to handle some matters here today. May I?"
"Naturally."
Emperor Mingde found it rather strange. These new officials knew nothing; what matters would warrant Imperial Sister making a special trip?
"That is good then!"
Ling Yao gestured, and Yu Liu produced a stack of memorial documents, handing them over with both hands.
Emperor Mingde's pupils contracted, a rough guess forming in his mind.
Were those memorials those impeaching Xiao Shan...?
Before Emperor Mingde could finish his thought, he saw Ling Yao forcefully throw the memorials forward, striking the heads of several elder officials.
"Princess, forgive us!"
The men were nearly stunned by the impact. Instinctively, they knelt to beg for mercy, and the entire hall fell into a profound silence.
"Princess, please calm your anger!"
Given the princess's usual dignified and noble demeanor, the assembled officials were momentarily stunned. Once they recovered, they all knelt, and the top three candidates and other successful scholars followed suit, their hearts filled with apprehension.
This was the Qionglin Banquet. If the princess were to fly into a rage now, had they, the newcomers, displeased her?
However, what came next was even more shocking.
Ling Yao kicked the Minister of the Right. Of course, it was a kick delivered through the air.
Most people present, especially the scholars from this year's imperial examinations, had heard of the contents of "The Daily Life of the Divine Martial General and the Divine Maiden."
The Divine Martial General's martial arts were no match for the Divine Maiden's single move.
Today, they truly witnessed it.
This was not martial arts; it was immortal magic! To send someone flying from such a distance without physical contact, causing them to somersault several times before landing.
The Minister of the Right was over fifty years old. If the Divine Martial General could not withstand a single kick from the Divine Maiden, how could he, a civil official? He immediately spat out blood.
It was evident that the Divine Maiden showed no mercy!
In front of all the court officials, she directly struck down an elder official. This… this had never been done before!
Everyone's faces turned deathly pale.
"The late Emperor's benevolence has emboldened you. The new Emperor is kind and respects you old fellows, so you no longer recognize yourselves, do you? Relying on your age and seniority, scheming and plotting, while the Divine Martial General risks his head fighting foreign enemies, you impeach him behind his back? What are you?"
"I'm not afraid to tell you! And you lot, you useless wretches, you are of no use to Jing Country, no use to the court. We keep you only out of respect for the late Emperor! If you cannot find your proper place, then get out! Yu Liu, announce—"
Yu Liu produced another stack of documents and began to read: "Minister of the Right, Dong Yuhuai, Jinshi of the third year of Zhaohua. During his tenure as Magistrate of Heze County, he accepted bribes totaling one hundred thousand and three thousand taels of silver, encroached upon twenty qing of land belonging to gentry families, and handled numerous unjust cases. In the tenth year of Zhaohua, he killed a colleague due to a personal dispute, bribed the Prefect of Xuzhou to escape punishment. In the thirteenth year..." Last June, he indulged his son in forcibly abducting a common girl, leading to her suicide. The body was transported and disposed of in a mass grave in the dead of night."
As Yu Liu recited each charge, the Minister of the Right no longer felt the physical pain; he only felt a pervasive coldness, as if his entire body had gone numb.
He knew he was finished, utterly finished, and his entire family was finished!
He shouldn't have, shouldn't have impeached Xiao Shan.
He had been bewitched!
The court officials who had harbored thoughts of interceding now dared not speak a word, as they could barely protect themselves.
"Drag him away!"
Song Beiting directed the Imperial Guards to drag the near-death Minister of the Right away.
Ling Yao then struck the Minister of the Middle, directly knocking out the old man's teeth, which scattered onto the ground.
Apart from the groans, no one dared to make a sound. Those elder officials who had impeached Xiao Shan trembled, wishing they could disappear.
As proud as they had been moments ago, they were now utterly pathetic and miserable.
Because the next one would be them.
"Minister of the Middle, Fu Jingnian, second-place Jinshi in the sixth year of Zhaohua. He married Bai Die, the sole daughter of the Bai family, encroached upon his wife's family's assets, and after angering his father-in-law to death, divorced his wife on the grounds of having no heir. Since then, he bribed officials and climbed his way to his current position, with eleven lives on his hands..."
"Drag him away!"
At this moment, Ling Yao was not the Divine Maiden in their eyes, but a hellish judge come to claim their lives.
One old fellow, driven mad by fear, suddenly jumped up and tried to flee.
Ling Yao lifted him into the air.
"I am a military general, I have rendered meritorious service to Great Jing, you cannot kill me! You cannot kill me!" he yelled, his face turning purple.
"General Yunhui, Dong Cheng, martial champion in the thirteenth year of Zhaohua. He participated in the Battle of Lutian, led an army of 100,000, and repelled the enemy. However, to monopolize military credit, he murdered his副将 (fùjiàng - deputy general) Ji Min... He indulged his only son in causing trouble on the streets, riding his horse and trampling to death a vegetable vendor, threatening household servants to take the blame..."
How did she know? These things were unknown to anyone!
Dong Cheng's eyes bulged, his face contorted with purple from suffocation.
It was too terrifying. She possessed none of the late Emperor's or the current Emperor's mercy, and she cared nothing for the lives of court officials.
In her eyes, they were all useless wretches!
Ridiculous. Just moments ago, they had been discussing how the court was empty, and without them, the elder officials, it would be impossible to govern.
Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.
He looked at the terrified eyes of the elder officials below and closed his own eyes in unwilling resignation.
They would all die.
One by one.
The Qionglin Banquet today was well-executed. The newcomers would forever carry a shadow in their hearts, a warning to themselves not to err in the future. The elders who narrowly escaped would reflect deeply and never again dare to stir up trouble in the court.
A total of seven elder officials were dragged away, all of whom had impeached Xiao Shan.
By this time, who could not understand?
The bloodstains on the ground were quickly cleaned up by the Imperial Guards.
Ling Yao walked to the front of the Left Prime Minister, who was bowing his head and keeping a low profile. She looked at him quietly for a long while.
Xiao Shan had sent people to monitor the Left Prime Minister. Although no suspicious activity had been discovered yet, the impeachment incident was all instigated by him from behind the scenes, yet he himself had remained hidden, never showing his face.
Just as everyone was internally guessing, Ling Yao said nothing and turned to leave.
Song Beiting looked at the Left Prime Minister, his brow furrowed.
A deep, sinister glint flashed in the Left Prime Minister's eyes, and cold sweat beaded on his back.
His remaining power in court was gone...
In an instant.
The power behind her was far greater than he had imagined...
He would see about this matter now, and there should be news soon.
Ling Yao faced the newly appointed top three candidates and stated directly, "You three are the future pillars of Jing Country. Remember, learn to serve the people, and seek benefits for the people. Take these elder officials today as a warning. Cultivate yourselves strictly, use your power strictly, and discipline yourselves strictly, so that when you achieve success, you may help the world."
"We respectfully heed the Princess's teachings." The three said in unison.
However, while Fang Silin and Liu Donghuai's voices were firm and their gazes shone brightly, the second-place scholar Jia Fangcheng's voice trembled, and his face was pale.