726 Cruelty Starts from Today (1/2)

Everyone was silent in the hall and nobody answered Ning Que.

This does not mean that his words had no power. In fact, his words were like thunder exploding in the minds of the ministers, leaving everyone in a disconsolate state.

A minister stepped out and pointed his trembling finger at him, wanting to denounce his cold-blooded and shameless behavior.

Ning Que looked at the man quietly without a trace of emotion on his face. The minister's fingers dropped down weakly. His lips trembled with anger, but he still did not say a word.

Since the tampering of the edict came to light, the Tang Empire's court was divided into two factions. The Empire was about to collapse, so the separation and hostility were then forcibly suppressed.

Many ministers convinced themselves to ignore the edict for the time being, using the excuse that they should look at the big picture and prevent the Tang Empire from officially entering internal strife. However, who would have thought that Ning Que would...kill the Emperor after talking to him! Everyone thought that the situation was under control.

They were extremely frightened and angry. Then, these experienced ministers calmed down with unimaginable speed. They were shocked to find that what Ning Que had said would bring the best possible outcome.

After His Majesty was killed, the only bloodline left of the deceased Emperor was the Six Prince. What other options did the officials have besides helping him reign? These officials, soldiers and people who fought hard at the front line will eventually find out about the edict being tampered. They will no longer have to choose a faction, and the Tang Empire would not be split up.

Not having any choice was the best choice. In fact, everyone knew that, but not everyone can make this decision for the Tang Empire. Only Ning Que could do it because only he dared to do so.

Tampering with the edict of the deceased emperor was considered treason and everyone, even the new Emperor and Her Highness, cannot escape the judgment of the Tang laws. However, now that this had happened in reality, who would really dare to carry out the punishment?

Only Ning Que did not give Li Huiyuan any chance to plead for his life, nor did he give anyone time to think. He had cut off the head with his knife to punish the man.

This simple gesture of wielding his sword shows his extremely calm and even cold rational thinking. It represented the Academy's extreme disregard for the Tang's imperial power and it made people shudder.

What else could the ministers and generals do now? Ning Que's behavior might seem immoral, but it was written in the laws of the Tang Empire. Would anyone dare to say that he had assassinated the Emperor? The crux of the matter was that even if anyone thought so, who would dare to annoy the Academy, the back bone of the Tang Empire, in the current situation?

The officials looked at Ning Que, who stood beside the royal throne, and at the body of His Majesty in the pool of blood. The expressions on their faces were extremely complicated. There were anger, sadness, wariness and fear.

Still, no one replied to Ning Que and the silence continued. This was due to the wide swing in emotions and also because they found it very difficult to accept that the Tang Empire was suppressed by a cold-blooded bully like this.

The Academy was not allowed to interfere in the matters of the court. This was an iron-clad rule left by the Headmaster. So what is this now?

At this moment, the Empress led the Sixth Prince into the hall.

The officials in the hall were shocked once more. They all knew that the Empress and the Six Prince were stopped outside Chang' an by the Princess. When did she enter the city and the palace? Why were they not alerted to it?

The Empress was not dressed up and was still in plain clothes. She looked calm - She was the queen of this palace for almost 20 years, how could the city stop her? Why could she not enter the palace?

The Sixth Prince was also dressed in plain clothes, but he wore a bright yellow belt around his waist. He followed behind his mother. When he saw the gory image in the hall, his face grew extremely pale.

His legs grew weak and his hands began to tremble. However, his hand was held tightly in the queen's, and he didn't dare to slow his pace or show his intentions of retreating.

The queen brought the Sixth Prince into the hall toward the throne.

The officials in the hall only reacted then. Those loyal to the queen quickly knelt, their faces red with agitation.

Li Yu's faction gradually knelt with traces of anger on their faces.

The queen brought the Sixth Prince around the puddle of blood and the corpse in front of the throne.

Ning Que bowed slightly and moved to the side.

The queen glanced at Li Yu.

Li Yu was distracted by extreme grief and anger so she did not respond at all.

The queen then lifted the Sixth Prince onto the throne where he sat down.

Then, she looked to the ministers in the hall and said calmly, ”What are you waiting for? Or is the Tang Empire now the scene of a drama? Military Ministry, come up here and report the newest information on the war.”

Dozens of guards looked warily at the movements around them.