Novel Lived
Chapter 25 - Execution of the Empress Dowager’s Personal Eunuch!
Chapter 25 Execution of the Empress Dowager’s Personal Eunuch!
Time passed.
The next day, early morning.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, at the Tai Chi Hall.
The court officials, all dressed in their official robes, stood in two lines according to their ranks.
Gu Changsheng, clad in his imperial dragon robe and crowned with a ceremonial headdress, sat solemnly on the dragon throne. His expression was indifferent, yet his aura was overwhelming, exuding an imposing presence as he gazed down upon the hall.
Beside him, the head eunuch, Han Wudao, shouted loudly:
“Commence the court!”
“We greet Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!”
All the officials slightly bowed, paying their respects in unison.
“Rise.”
Gu Changsheng spoke coldly.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
The officials straightened and thanked the Emperor.
Han Wudao, scanning the assembly, then shouted loudly, “Present your petitions, or court is adjourned!”
“Your Majesty, I have something to report!”
Stepping out of the ranks was the commander of the Royal Shadow Guards, Qing Long, who bowed slightly to Gu Changsheng and said loudly.
Gu Changsheng, still expressionless, responded:
“Oh? What is it that Commander Qing Long wishes to report?”
“Your Majesty, I accuse the head eunuch of the Cining Palace, Feng Yu, of committing crimes in broad daylight at the foot of the imperial city walls—burning, looting, and abducting women!”
“Feng Yu has already been apprehended by the Royal Shadow Guards and imprisoned. I ask Your Majesty for judgment!”
Qing Long’s voice echoed through the hall.
Upon hearing this!
Suddenly!
The Tai Chi Hall fell into complete silence.
All the officials looked shocked, their eyes wide as they gazed at Gu Changsheng on the dragon throne, feeling a rising sense of danger.
Feng Yu, the head eunuch of Cining Palace, was a trusted confidant of the Empress Dowager!
The Emperor planned to remove Feng Yu—did he not fear offending the Empress Dowager?
The officials speculated in their hearts, feeling a bad premonition rise.
“How bold.”
“A mere eunuch dares to ignore the laws of the Great Zhou, committing murder and tyranny at the foot of the imperial city!”
“If he is not severely punished, what will become of the law and order?”
“Pass my decree: Feng Yu is to be executed immediately!”
Gu Changsheng’s tone was icy, his expression stern as he scanned the assembly with murderous intent.
With that declaration, the officials knew something was wrong.
It was clear that the Emperor intended to use this incident to make a big move and eliminate Feng Yu!
Surely, the Empress Dowager would intervene.
And indeed, the next moment…
A cold voice echoed through the hall.
“Wait, Your Majesty!”
“Feng Yu has been with me for many years. He has always been diligent and loyal, and how could he possibly commit such heinous crimes under the imperial city walls?”
“This matter requires further investigation before any decisions are made!”
“What do the ministers think?”
The Empress Dowager furrowed her brows, anger rising in her heart, as she spoke coldly to the officials.
With her words, the officials looked helpless, sighing internally.
The struggle between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor…
It was like gods fighting, and they were the mortals caught in between!
Her words were a thinly veiled threat, forcing the officials to take sides.
These officials were all seasoned politicians, and they could easily grasp her meaning. They began weighing their options.
Recently, the new emperor had risen to power, making bold moves. He had eliminated the Minister of Revenue with swift action and executed Chen Zhan, the commander of the city defense force.
This had dealt a significant blow to the Empress Dowager, causing her to lose two of her most trusted subordinates.
However, the Empress Dowager’s influence remained deeply rooted in the court, and the Emperor was still not strong enough to be a match for her.
Considering this, aside from the neutral officials, nearly seventy percent of the ministers had already made up their minds. They stepped forward and echoed:
“The Empress Dowager is right!”
“The matter of Feng Yu needs to be thoroughly investigated before a decision is made!”
“Please, Your Majesty, investigate the truth before deciding.”
Seeing the ministers’ response, the Empress Dowager nodded slightly in satisfaction.
Although Gu Changsheng had ascended to the throne and wielded the power of the Great Zhou Dynasty, his methods had instilled fear in many ministers, causing them to grow rebellious at heart.
But as it stood, none of the ministers dared to betray her.
As for Feng Yu’s life, the Empress Dowager didn’t care. She only intervened to prevent his death from strengthening the Emperor’s prestige.
“Your Majesty, everything should be based on evidence.”
“In my opinion, it would be better to release Feng Yu from the dungeon first and investigate the matter thoroughly before making any decisions.”
The Empress Dowager’s expression was cold as she looked at Gu Changsheng, her tone mocking.
If the new emperor wanted to eliminate Feng Yu, it wouldn’t happen without her permission.
Gu Changsheng remained indifferent, as though he had anticipated her actions. He responded meaningfully:
“The Empress Dowager is correct—everything must be based on evidence. I would never wrong a loyal minister of the Great Zhou!”
“Commander Qing Long, you accused Feng Yu of committing crimes at the foot of the imperial city walls. Do you have evidence?”
“Your Majesty, the Royal Shadow Guards has collected evidence of Feng Yu’s crimes. I was just about to submit it to you!”
Qing Long stepped forward, holding a memorial, and responded loudly.
“Read it aloud.”
Gu Changsheng ordered coldly.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Qing Long nodded, unfurling the memorial, and began reading aloud in the hall:
“Three months ago, Feng Yu, head eunuch of Cining Palace, violated numerous laws of the Great Zhou by causing havoc on the streets of the imperial city, resulting in three deaths and dozens of injuries…”
“Two months ago, Feng Yu took a fancy to the daughter of Mr. Chen of the Chen household. When the girl refused him, the entire Chen family was massacred. After investigation by the Royal Shadow Guards, it was confirmed that Feng Yu was responsible…”
“Half a month ago…”
Qing Long continued reading, listing multiple heinous crimes committed by Feng Yu over the past few months, including the deaths of dozens and injuries to hundreds.
All of it had been confirmed by the Royal Shadow Guards, leaving no room for doubt.
Instantly, the Tai Chi Hall fell into dead silence.
The officials wore heavy expressions, silent, their heads bowed.
As for the evidence presented by the Royal Shadow Guards, the ministers were well aware of Feng Yu’s deeds. They could not refute the truth.
Not only Feng Yu, but many of these ministers also had skeletons in their closets that could not withstand investigation by the Royal Shadow Guards.
With the evidence irrefutable, even the Empress Dowager couldn’t ignore the laws of the Great Zhou and plead for Feng Yu’s life.
Feng Yu is doomed.
Realizing this, the ministers who had sided with the Empress Dowager began to feel uneasy, fearing that Gu Changsheng might soon turn his attention to them.
“How dare he!”
“I never expected a mere eunuch to dare to take the lives of hundreds of innocents.”
“Royal Shadow Guards, take Feng Yu to the execution grounds immediately and execute him!”
Gu Changsheng slammed his hand on the dragon throne, his face filled with fury. A terrifying imperial pressure exploded from him, sweeping across the entire hall.
In an instant!
The officials trembled, their faces pale with fear:
“Your Majesty, please calm down!”
“Your Majesty, please calm down!”
…
Seeing the ministers trembling in fear, the Empress Dowager’s face stiffened. She spoke, her voice tinged with frustration:
“Your Majesty, I believe there may be some misunderstanding in this matter…”
“Empress Dowager, the evidence is conclusive. Are you still trying to plead for Feng Yu?”
Before the Empress Dowager could finish speaking, Gu Changsheng interrupted her sharply.
Witnessing this exchange, the ministers felt cold sweat running down their backs, their hearts pounding with fear.
Whenever the Empress Dowager and the new emperor clashed in court, it was always the ministers who suffered.
Truly, their lives were miserable!
Seeing Gu Changsheng dare to interrupt her, the Empress Dowager suppressed her anger and gritted her teeth, saying in a low voice:
“Since the evidence is conclusive, then I leave the matter in Your Majesty’s hands.”
The Empress Dowager knew that at this point, Gu Changsheng was determined to remove Feng Yu.
And to her, Feng Yu was just a pawn, not worth much.
There was no need to continue arguing with Gu Changsheng over him.
Seeing the Empress Dowager relent, Gu Changsheng remained expressionless, though inwardly he was laughing.
With the evidence irrefutable, even if the Empress Dowager wanted to exonerate Feng Yu, she had no way to do so.
And the reason he had gone to such lengths to eliminate Feng Yu was, of course, for the plot points.
In the original storyline, although Feng Yu was just a eunuch, as the Empress Dowager’s confidant, he held immense power, and no one in the court dared to challenge him.
It wasn’t until the previous emperor, Gu Qiangu, broke through to the Saint realm that Feng Yu was finally removed.
Now, by eliminating Feng Yu ahead of time, he was sure to earn plot points!
[Ding! The host takes action in advance to eliminate Feng Yu, the confidant of the Empress Dowager, and changes the plot, and gets 10,000 plot points! ].Sure enough.
After a while, the system prompt sounded.
10,000 plot points received!
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