Chapter 7: Good News! The council hall has been ransacked!

The old emperor was seen with two almost transparent pieces of white clothing hanging from his hefty chest, with a small peach-colored bell dangling between them.

The thick hair on his chest stubbornly poked through the gaps in the sheer fabric, gently swaying in the late summer breeze.

The intricately designed shorts were adorned with all sorts of peculiar decorations, and beneath the white veil, a dense thicket was faintly visible, with a hint of a… needle hidden below.

The entire court was so shocked that their jaws nearly dropped to the ground.

Although this old emperor was foolish and incompetent, often wrongfully executing loyal ministers and generals, he usually presented himself with a dignified appearance, exuding the aura of a ruler.

Who would have thought that privately he was a lace-loving cross-dresser, standing at the forefront of fashion?!

The ministers were stifling their laughter to the point of pain, their faces shifting from green to red to purple, resembling a color palette.

This scene was simply explosive. From now on, just seeing the old emperor would make them want to laugh, making it impossible to focus on discussing national affairs!

The old emperor realized what was happening and hurriedly covered his key parts. His eyes rolled back in anger, and he sounded like a blower, “Hmph, hmph, hmph,” for a long time before he managed to catch his breath.

“Scoundrel! Scoundrel! How dare you humiliate the supreme ruler in court! Feather Guard! Feather Guard! Capture… capture…”

Prime Minister Su quickly stepped forward, taking off his official robe and draping it over the old emperor, blocking him with big strides.

“Your Majesty, please calm down. This must be the scheme of those Southern Qi brats! Their goal is to embarrass you in court and demoralize our great Qian!”

“Now that the Feather Guard has taken action, they will surely apprehend those scoundrels and execute them, restoring the dignity of our great Qian!”

His passionate words moved the old emperor to tears, and the ministers felt an overwhelming sense of shame.

This is why Su Bingsheng is the prime minister! While the other ministers were lost in their thoughts, he was the first to rush out to defend the emperor.

With just a few words, he expressed loyalty and deftly blamed the enemy for today’s farce, casually glossing over the cross-dressing issue.

The old emperor’s eyes glistened with moisture as he gently patted Prime Minister Su’s hand.

“Indeed, it is Prime Minister Su who understands me best; no one in the court can match your loyalty!”

Prime Minister Su looked back at the old emperor with equal determination. His teary eyes carried three parts passion, three parts loyalty, three parts grievance, and a hint of hidden merit and fame, creating just the right atmosphere.

At that moment, there was another “whoosh—” sound.

The Feather Guard had just searched every corner of the hall and found no one. Now, inexplicably, countless white papers floated down from the ceiling, immediately covering the old emperor’s face.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Su was still kneeling on the ground, tears in his eyes, pledging his loyalty, while secretly hoping that the emperor, in his excitement, might reward him with a title.

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty, do not fear; my loyalty can be witnessed by the sun and moon. Even if I sacrifice my worthless life, I will ensure your safety!”

Hearing this, the emperor felt warmth in his heart but was also annoyed by the elusive thief. His brows knitted tightly as he pulled the letters that were hitting his face and took a look.

Upon seeing them, his blood surged, and with a roll of his eyes, he spat out a mouthful of old blood.

These papers were all evidence of Prime Minister Su’s corruption and bribery, which Su Qingning had found in the prime minister’s study.

All the ministers present clearly saw the contents above, trembling in fear and retreating several steps back. They never expected Prime Minister Su’s acting skills to be so exceptional; while he appeared righteous, he secretly accepted so many bribes!

However, Prime Minister Su was too engrossed in his performance to notice the strange atmosphere in the hall, still kneeling before the old emperor and crying out.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! What’s happening to you?! Summon the imperial physician! Quickly summon…”

Before he could finish, the old emperor, finally regaining his composure, glared fiercely at him and slapped him hard!

“Get out, get out! All of you, get out! Eunuch Fu! Drag this dog thief Su Bingsheng out! Order the Dali Temple to thoroughly investigate Su’s bribery case!”

The hall fell silent as the ministers internally felt like they were going to burst into laughter.

Everyone was privately aware that the treachery of the Warlord’s Estate was all instigated by the old emperor, and the crown prince and Prime Minister Su were acting together.

Who would have known that in just the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, both the murderer and the victim would be captured together?

It truly was like lifting a stone to smash one’s own foot—a timeless joke!

Thinking of this, the ministers involuntarily shrank back again. The unseen force behind this was indeed formidable! It could throw the council hall into chaos! They hoped that the deity wouldn’t notice them, lest they also find themselves facing a similar fate of confiscation and exile.

Prime Minister Su was just raising his head to express his unyielding loyalty when the emperor’s decree felt like a bucket of cold water poured over him.

As he looked closely at the contents of the letter, his eyes nearly popped out in shock. Without enough time to think, he rushed forward to plead.

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty… I am wronged!”

“Get out!”

The old emperor kicked him far away. His chest hurt so bad he quickly ordered,

“Little Fuzi! Head to the Qiankun Palace!”

“Your… Your Majesty… the Qiankun Palace has been ransacked; now it’s just an empty shell…”

“How… how is that possible?!”

The old emperor patted his chest, struggling for breath for quite a while before calming down.

“Forget about that for now… head… head to the Fengkun Palace… I need to lie down…”

“Your… Your Majesty… the Fengkun Palace was also ransacked. It’s even worse than the Qiankun Palace; the walls and the flooring have all been stripped away…”

Eunuch Fu’s voice grew smaller as he spoke, nearly burying his head in the ground from fear.

The emperor was infuriated, nearly fainting from rage.

“Enough! Enough! Very well! We won’t go to the Fengkun Palace; bring me a soft couch. Summon… summon the imperial physician…”

Before the eunuch with the couch could return, suddenly someone came to report.

“Your… Your Majesty… the… the Imperial Medical Institute has also been completely ransacked…”

“The royal kitchen is empty…”

“The granary… the granary… is empty too!!”

As if to corroborate the reporting eunuch’s words, in the next instant, the splendid council hall was suddenly emptied as well.

Empty?

Looking around, the ministers were stunned, their worldview shattered.

This grand council hall was completely damn empty!!!