We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Leaving the Xuanzheng Hall where the solemn atmosphere still lingered, Li Che, accompanied by the core civil and military officials, slowly walked through the main halls of the imperial palace.

As he walked along, the scenes he saw made Li Che feel deeply moved.

During the reign of Emperor Qing, he was famous for his frugality. The palace was rarely decorated and most of the utensils were second-hand.

Emperor Wenchu ​​had been on the throne for only half a year and was a puppet with no control over his own affairs. Even if he wanted to be extravagant, he was unable to do so.

This made the palace, which should have been magnificent, not only lack luxury, but also appear a bit shabby.

The paintwork on many palaces has faded, and the imperial gardens are neglected, with the vegetation appearing a bit messy.

The furnishings inside the hall were even simpler, even somewhat empty, and many valuable ornaments had long disappeared.

Most likely, they were sold by his frugal father and exchanged for silver to fill the deficit in state finances.

In contrast, his own Fengtian Hall, although not extravagant, was also magnificent.

At least the hall displays rare treasures obtained from battles with Khitan, Japan, Goryeo and even Luzon in Southeast Asia, as well as furs and wild delicacies that are tributed by the northern tribes every year, and Li Che's souvenirs.

Thinking of this, Li Che couldn't help but sigh in his heart: This imperial capital only has the symbol of being the common ruler of the world, but it has been hollowed out inside.

He then went to the harem area and met with concubines from the previous dynasty.

The concubines had heard of Li Che's reputation and most of them were frightened and uneasy, like frightened birds.

But when they heard with their own ears that Li Che had made a clear statement that those who had homes could receive money to return to their hometowns, and that those who were homeless could also become monks, many of them cried for joy on the spot and knelt down to thank God for his grace.

Only after dealing with these trivial matters in the inner court did Li Che officially move into the palace and take over the imperial capital.

. . . . . .

The next day, Xuanzheng Hall.

The first official court meeting after Li Che ascended the throne was held here.

After a night of hasty cleanup, the bloodstains and traces of chaos in the hall had been largely cleared away.

All officials who remained in the imperial capital, regardless of their rank, were summoned to the palace.

All the civil and military officials of Feng State who followed Li Che in his campaigns, except those who were leading troops outside, gathered together.

Despite the large number of people, the hall was unusually quiet, with only the sound of light breathing being audible.

On both sides of the palace gate stood night watchmen dressed in pure white clothes and with hoods covering their faces.

Further out, there were the Jinyiwei holding the handle of the Xiuchun sword.

Although they did not move, the invisible murderous aura they carried made many civil servants in the hall feel uneasy.

Li Che sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes slowly sweeping over the dark crowd below.

No unnecessary small talk, straight to the point:

"Today's court meeting will only deal with three matters."

"First, all the nobles must return to their positions and work hard to restore order in the imperial capital."

"Appease the people, urge shops to open for business, lift martial law, and ensure that people's livelihoods return to normal as soon as possible. Anyone who slacks off or takes advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos will be severely punished!"

"We obey your order!" A voice of response came from below.

No matter whether they were sincere or not, no one dared to object at this moment and offend Li Che's majesty.

"Secondly," Li Che turned his gaze towards the ranks of military commanders, "From today on, the Fengtian Army will take over the inner and outer defenses of the imperial capital."

"My personal guards, the Imperial Guards, and the Eastern Depot have been stationed in the Imperial Palace, responsible for guarding the palace."

"Where is Xue Zhen?"

Xue Zhen, who was standing at the back of the queue, heard the voice and quickly stepped out: "I am here!"

"I promote you to the position of temporary commander-in-chief of the Imperial Capital Defense Force. You will be fully responsible for the daily defense and security of the Imperial Capital. Report directly to me if anything happens!"

Xue Zhen was stunned for a moment, then his body trembled uncontrollably, and he quickly thanked him:

"I...I thank Your Majesty for your grace! I will repay Your Majesty with my life!"

The merit of following the dragon is finally here!

He believed that he was not the top general in the Fengtian Army. From the garrison commander of Shanhaiguan to the defender of the imperial capital, his official position had not been promoted much.

But politically, it is of great significance.

After all, those who can control the military power in the imperial capital are all the emperor's most trusted confidants.

Li Che nodded slightly, signaling him to leave.

Then, his gaze became cold and sharp again, pressing towards the group of civil servants below, and his voice suddenly turned cold:

"The third thing!"

"Among you ministers, those who participated in forcing the emperor to abdicate on the day of his death..."

Li Che paused, and glanced down, clearly seeing the faces that were either pale, trying to remain calm, or lowering their heads to avoid the situation.

"Stand up yourself!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall instantly dropped to freezing point, and you could hear a pin drop.

The bodies of many officials stiffened visibly, and cold sweat instantly soaked their undershirts.

In contrast, the Fengtian Army's civil and military officers looked at them with stern expressions, ready to take action.

Time passed little by little, and the hall remained dead silent, with no one moving.

Li Che was a little impatient and continued, "Stand up now. I understand that you are confused for a moment, so please limit the crime to yourselves and don't implicate your families, wives, and children."

He changed the subject, his tone chilling:

"If I wait until I can personally pull you out, then things will be... different."

This last sentence was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

As soon as the words fell, four or five of the civil servants could no longer hold on and fell to their knees, wailing and begging for mercy with tears streaming down their cheeks:

"Your Majesty, please spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me! We were bewitched and deceived by the traitor Qin Huizhi..."

Li Che glanced at them indifferently, without any emotion.

"Take it."

At a command, the guards on both sides immediately stepped forward and dragged those officials out of the line without mercy.

"Forcing the emperor to abdicate and treason is an unforgivable crime. I will not spare your lives." Li Che's voice was firm, "But I have promised not to implicate my family."

Li Che waved his hand and ordered his guards: "Take them to the Heavenly Prison and execute them on a chosen day!"

When those people heard this, their faces turned pale.

Some people collapsed on the spot, some whimpered in despair, and were forcibly dragged out of the hall by the guards.

Seeing this, most of the other officials secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling lucky that they had escaped a disaster.

But it is inevitable that some people will feel sad and feel chilled.

However, just as the atmosphere eased slightly, Li Che spoke again:

"Feng Gong."

Feng Gong, the East Factory officer who had been standing at the foot of the imperial throne, immediately bowed and stepped out: "Your servant is here."

Li Che raised his hand and pointed at the officials below, and asked calmly:

"Are there any among these people who participated in the palace coup but never stood up?"

Feng Gong lowered his head slightly and replied in a shrill voice, "Your Majesty, yes."

Li Che sneered: "Find it out for me."

"Here."

Feng Gong then stood up and walked into the ranks of civil servants with an expressionless face.

Without the slightest hesitation, he pointed at a few of them, as if calling out to the Lord of Hell:

"You, you, and you..."

Every time someone was called out, the official whose name was called would feel like he was struck by lightning, and his face would instantly turn as pale as paper.

Some people's legs went weak and they collapsed to the ground, with feces and urine flowing out.

Someone wailed in a way that was not human, and knelt down and kowtowed to beg for mercy.

Some people even rolled their eyes and fainted on the spot.

Of course, even at this point, no one dared to resist.

Are you kidding? More than half of the Fengtian Army's fierce generals are standing in this hall. Even if we invite the King of Western Chu, we have to consider whether there are enough body parts for everyone to share.

Li Che looked at the officials below who were behaving in an ugly manner, and the coldness in his eyes could almost freeze the air.

I don’t know what these people were thinking. Du Fuchen was at the scene when the emperor forced the emperor to abdicate, and he had secretly taken note of the person. How could they possibly get away with it?

It was only because Li Che was concerned about Du Fuchen's reputation that he asked Feng Gong to point it out.

"I gave you a chance, but you were useless."

"In that case, don't blame me for being ruthless." He paused and issued the final verdict, "Confiscate the property of these people!"

"All his descendants and relatives who hold official positions or have achieved any honors will be dismissed!"

"Those without official positions will be strictly investigated by me, but those who commit crimes and oppress the good will be severely punished according to the law, with no leniency!"

This time, no one pleaded for them.

The guards stepped forward again and dragged away the officials who had completely collapsed. The shrill cries gradually faded away and finally disappeared outside the hall.

As Li Che said before, this trip to Beijing was mainly to appease, but it also involved shedding blood.

Most of the officials in the court are cunning and cannot be subdued without bloodshed.