In the Chaoyang Palace, before the Emperor's morning audience, several officials gathered in groups, discussing matters. The entire hall was in an uproar.
Today, all officials were present except for the unconventional Cold King and Leng Jinyu, who had requested leave due to illness.
At this moment, Duke Lin and Prime Minister Qin, like two old foxes, stood at the front, unmoving. Their minds were preoccupied with finding a suitable method to rescue the Empress, while other officials buzzed with discussion.
"Is it true that the Empress was imprisoned by the Emperor last night?"
"Yes, it's true. I heard that the Emperor went to see the Empress last night and accidentally discovered she had gone mad, hence the order for her imprisonment."
"That's right, the information I received is the same."
"Do you believe it?"
"Not entirely. The Empress has always been in good health, how could she suddenly go mad? There must be some conspiracy involved."
Ye Yiheng, the Vice Minister of Rites, and Shen Yunliang, the Vice Minister of Justice, were whispering to each other.
A moment later, the Chief Eunuch, Eunuch Li, entered, shouting in a sharp, quacking voice, "His Majesty arrives!"
The officials below immediately held their ivory tablets and straightened their ranks.
Then, the Emperor, clad in a bright yellow dragon robe, strode in with steady steps and quickly ascended the dragon throne.
The civil and military officials below shouted in unison, "Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live Your Majesty!"
The Emperor waved his sleeve and declared loudly, "All my beloved ministers, rise!"
The civil and military officials once again cried in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Following this, all the officials stood up and arranged themselves in order.
After a few minutes, no one dared to speak first. The Emperor glanced at the officials below and closed his eyes slightly.
Eunuch Li instantly understood the Emperor's intention and, with a sharp, high-pitched voice, announced, "If there are matters to report, present them; if not, the court is dismissed!"
At this moment, Prime Minister Qin stepped forward, hesitated for a long time, and then slowly spoke, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this old minister wishes to inquire about the matter of the Empress falling ill and being imprisoned last night."
As he finished speaking, the Emperor’s piercing gaze swept over him. He had long known that Prime Minister Qin and Duke Lin were of the same faction, both great nuisances to the Tianwu Kingdom, and both supporters of the Empress.
"The Empress fell ill and was imprisoned by me last night, as I witnessed with my own eyes. Does Prime Minister Qin have any objections?"
The Emperor's tone was extremely cold as he spoke, his chiseled face devoid of emotion, and his piercing eyes unfathomable.
"Replying to Your Majesty, this old minister dare not object. This old minister merely fails to understand why the Empress, as the mother of the nation, falling ill, was not attended by any imperial physicians?" Prime Minister Qin asked aggressively.
"Qin Zhihong, what do you mean by those words? Do I need to report every matter within my imperial harem to you?" As soon as Prime Minister Qin finished speaking, the Emperor reprimanded him.
Seeing the Emperor's furious expression, Prime Minister Qin immediately knelt and kowtowed to admit his mistake, "No... no, Your Majesty, this old minister merely feels that if the mother of the nation is imprisoned so inexplicably, it will be a laughingstock of the world."
"Hmph! Qin Zhihong, are your ears not working properly? I just stated that the Empress was imprisoned by me because she fell ill. What do you mean by inexplicably imprisoning the Empress?"
The Emperor's fierce gaze bore down on Prime Minister Qin, his face dark.
"Yes, yes, yes, this old minister understands now," Prime Minister Qin replied, nodding hastily.
The Emperor's fury made him break out in a cold sweat. Duke Lin, who had been standing by and daring not to utter a word, also broke out in a cold sweat. As the Empress's own brother, he couldn't openly stand up for her in many matters and had to let Qin Zhihong take the lead, while he fanned the flames from the side.
Having served as an official for so many years, Qin Zhihong had figured out the Emperor's temperament almost completely. Although the Emperor usually seemed reasonable, he was actually quite suspicious, ruthless in his methods, and decisive in his actions. A careless word could easily attract the Emperor's attention.
Seeing that Qin Zhihong no longer dared to cause trouble, the Emperor turned to Duke Lin, the Empress's brother, and asked, "Duke Lin, do you also believe that the Empress was inexplicably imprisoned by me?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, this old minister now understands the reason for the Empress's imprisonment and has no further objections."
Although Duke Lin was filled with resentment, he dared not openly oppose the Emperor and could only suppress his anger.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor gave a cold smile and then asked, "All my beloved ministers, do you have any other matters to report?"
The officials below looked left and right. Finally, an official stepped forward to report to the Emperor about the severe famine and the large number of common people who had starved to death after the onset of winter.
This immediately caused the Emperor to frown deeply. In recent years, the Tianwu Kingdom had suffered from an increasing number of natural disasters. Harvests were poor every year, and the borders were frequently invaded by barbarians, leading to unrest and the need for troops to be stationed there. This also required a large supply of grain to feed the army. The court had collected as much as sixty percent of the already meager harvests from the common people, leaving them with very little grain at home. They couldn't even eat their fill, and it was even worse when winter snow fell. When the common people could not find wild vegetables or grass to satisfy their hunger, many would starve to death.
At this time every year, the Emperor would be troubled. Since the local governments did not have much stored grain, even if he ordered them to open their granaries to provide relief to the people, there was no grain.
At this moment, the Emperor scanned the officials below and slowly opened his mouth, "All my beloved ministers, do you have any good strategies for the annual winter famine?"
As he spoke, the civil and military officials looked at each other, none daring to speak, fearing trouble.
Seeing this scene, the Emperor was furious. These officials usually bickered endlessly in court over trivial matters, but now, when asked for suggestions on important issues, they all cowered like turtles, afraid to step forward.
"Prime Minister Qin, tell me, how should this annual winter famine be resolved?" The Emperor directly summoned him to speak.
"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that to solve this famine problem, the common people must be encouraged to grow more grain each year to address the fundamental issue," Qin Zhihong said slowly.
"Nonsense, do I need you to tell me that! I know that much," the Emperor said dismissively, casting a glance at Prime Minister Qin and reprimanding him in front of all the officials.
It seemed that Qin Zhihong was also a brainless fool.
"Is there anyone else who can offer a sound strategy for this annual winter famine?" the Emperor asked the officials below again.
After a long wait, none of the officials dared to step forward.
The Emperor slammed the table forcefully with his hand, stood up immediately, and left in a furious huff.
Following this, Eunuch Li's sharp voice cried out, "The court is dismissed!"
The civil and military officials then filed out of the Chaoyang Palace one after another.