"Your Majesty, it is truly wonderful to see you again," said Xie An, the Minister of War, his face filled with emotion.
The Empress, intrigued, asked, "Xie An, what do you mean by that?"
"You have seen me often before, and I never saw you so agitated."
Xie An wiped the sweat from his brow and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, you have no idea how much gossip has been circulating in Twin Moon City since you left."
"Fortunately, it has all vanished into thin air."
"With Your Majesty back to oversee everything, the disloyal will naturally be no match for us."
Hearing this, the Empress's expression became curious. "Xie An, I am quite interested in what you are saying."
"I just wonder where these people are now. I was only away for a dozen days, has the Yun Yue Kingdom's sky truly changed so drastically?"
At these words, the faces of the ministers grew somewhat grim.
"Your Majesty, this matter must be told from the beginning," said Meng Yuan, the Minister of Works.
The Empress nodded, looking quite amused. "Minister of Works, then tell me, what interesting events have transpired during my absence?"
The Empress seemed unfazed by the previous events, her demeanor inspiring awe in those present.
Meng Yuan, the Minister of Works, gathered his thoughts and began, "Your Majesty, since your departure, there have been rumors that Your Majesty met with misfortune in the Wei Kingdom."
"Furthermore, the Zhao Kingdom has gained an advantage in its conflict with the Yan Kingdom and has stationed troops on the border, creating significant pressure on our Yun Yue Kingdom."
"These two incidents have been a considerable blow to our Yun Yue Kingdom."
"Fortunately, Prime Minister Chu made a decisive move, recommending over a dozen individuals from the Old God of War's command to Her Highness the Princess."
"These individuals led troops to ambush the border between our Yun Yue Kingdom and the Zhao and Wei Kingdoms."
"After a fierce struggle, our forces achieved a great victory, thwarting the ambitious and arrogant designs of Zhao and Wei."
The Empress nodded upon hearing this and looked at Chu Chen with a look of approval. "Chu Chen, you have done exceptionally well this time."
"Your Majesty, I have a different opinion on this matter."
A voice interrupted the Empress, who frowned slightly. She looked in the direction of the voice and then smiled and nodded.
"Ah, it is the Minister of Rites. Do you have something to say? Please proceed."
Wu Sheng hesitated before continuing, "Your Majesty, the outcome of this great battle is still uncertain."
"Is it not a bit too hasty to commend Chu Chen now?"
The Empress was taken aback. "What, has this great battle not yet been decided?"
Wu Sheng, the Minister of Rites, smiled and shook his head. "Your Majesty, this is rather amusing. The battle has been raging for nearly a month."
"And the victory reports have been received for nearly half a month."
"Yet, the victorious troops have not returned until now?"
"Your Majesty, do you not find this highly suspicious?"
"After a great victory, they should have returned as quickly as possible to receive their rewards."
"Why are they delaying for so long? There is only one possibility, and that is that they have lost."
Hearing this, the Empress looked at Chu Chen, a playful smile on her face.
"Chu Chen, do you have anything to refute Wu Sheng's words?"
Everyone looked at Chu Chen, eager to hear his response.
"Your Majesty, I believe there is nothing to refute."
"The two armies will soon return in triumph, and before they returned, they accomplished a great deed."
"I believe it is necessary to share this great deed with everyone here."
The Empress knew what Chu Chen intended to say and was not surprised.
However, the ministers present wore expressions of mockery.
In their view, Chu Chen was now like a cornered beast.
Sun Mo, the Minister of Personnel, stepped forward. "Prime Minister Chu, I would like to ask you, is it necessary to persist like this?"
"It was merely a lost battle. Besides, you did not personally lose it, so why be so sensitive?"
Wu Sheng, the Minister of Rites, chuckled. "Minister Sun, you do not understand."
"Our Prime Minister Chu believes himself to be omnipotent in matters of military strategy and governance."
"To say that he would lose a battle would be to insult him."
Upon hearing this, Sun Mo quickly shook his head. "Of course not. I merely believe that even the most skilled general cannot win a battle that is destined to be lost."
"Where is a battle that is destined to be lost?"
"When Prime Minister Chu takes action, even if he does not fight himself, he is always victorious and invincible."
Wang Zhe, the Minister of Justice, said with a smile to the assembled officials.
Although he appeared to be praising Chu Chen, everyone could tell that his words were meant to mock him.
"Prime Minister Chu, this is not right. Since we have lost, we should lose with integrity. We will not truly depose you."
"Yes, Prime Minister Chu. Even if we lose this time, it is due to many factors, and it is absolutely not something that you alone could have caused."
Almost all the prominent ministers were openly mocking Chu Chen, which surprised him somewhat.
Old God of War Huo Qing, standing nearby, could not bear it any longer. "I say, can you fellows not be more reserved? You are mocking someone before the truth has been revealed!"
"How can you be so certain that both armies have lost?"
Wu Sheng, however, sneered and shook his head. "Old God of War, have you forgotten that the two messengers were captured and confessed?"
"Moreover, the army's delayed return, does that not speak volumes?"
The Old God of War snorted dismissively, showing no regard for Wu Sheng.
These individuals were solely concerned with internal power struggles, their eyes blinded by the lust for power.
He turned and bowed to the Empress. "Your Majesty, from what I understand, the two armies have reached the villages and towns outside Twin Moon City and are currently engaged in a full-scale encirclement and annihilation of the Zhao rebel forces. I believe they will return within half a day."
The ministers were stunned and exclaimed, "Zhao rebel forces? Where are Zhao rebel forces around Twin Moon City?"
"This old man must be spreading fear and deliberately trying to scare us."
"Could it be that the Zhao army has reached the outskirts of Twin Moon City? If so, is Twin Moon City not in great danger? Should we prepare to flee?"
"In this light, it is highly possible that the two armies have indeed been defeated, otherwise, how could they have been pushed to our doorstep?"
"It is time to discuss how to deal with Prime Minister Chu."