The empress disliked my achievements for overshadowing her own, so she turned her attention to the N

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Nan swiftly drew his sword from his waist and placed it horizontally against Yang Sen's neck.

Yang Sen felt a cold sensation travel from his neck to his brain, and a layer of sweat poured out of his forehead.

His whole body trembled uncontrollably, and he stammered, "Your...Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"

"I was merely offering my suggestion. Does Your Highness truly intend to act arbitrarily and refuse to listen to advice?"

"Advice? You dare call yours advice?" Chen Nan said coldly.

The force in his hand gradually increased.

The sword slowly slid into his neck, and in an instant, a trickle of blood appeared on the blade.

The next second, Chen Nan lowered the tip of his sword even further.

tick...

tick...

Blood dripped from the sword tip onto the ground.

The already silent hall was further chilled to the bone by the sound of dripping blood.

At this moment, even Qin Qingmin, who usually didn't take Chen Nan seriously, didn't dare to say another word.

Yang Sen swallowed hard, his voice growing trembling: "Does Your Highness truly intend to execute me in the main hall today?"

"Your Highness, please don't forget that I am a third-rank official personally appointed by the late Emperor."

"According to the laws of the imperial court, the head of the Court of Judicial Review should be present during the interrogation of any official of the third rank or above."

"The abbot is not present in the court right now. Does Your Highness intend to break the laws of Northern Wei?"

Although Yang Sen was afraid, he knew that he must not back down at this moment, otherwise Chen Nan would really dare to make a move.

He originally thought that as long as he invoked the imperial law, the matter would be over.

But he didn't expect that Chen Nan seemed to have made up his mind.

Right after he finished speaking, the pressure from the sword at his neck increased even more.

Then Chen Nan's cold voice was heard: "Yang Fuku has remembered the Northern Wei laws at this time?"

"Does the imperial law tell you to abandon the cities of your own country?"

"Or does the imperial law tell Yang Fuku that he can refuse to open the treasury gates during wartime?"

With just a few simple words, Yang Sen was rendered speechless for a long time.

Just then, Changsun Du advised, "Your Highness, Yang Fuku is just expressing his opinion. Although his opinion may not be in line with Your Highness's wishes, is there any need to kill someone in the main hall?"

These words were quite clever, not only changing Yang Sen's reason for refusing to open the treasury door, but also subtly accusing Chen Nan of using his status as a prince to pressure the court officials.

Chen Nan did not expect that Changsun Du would be able to defend Yang Sen at this moment.

He squinted and glared at him: "What? Does Prime Minister Changsun also intend to stand on the same side as Yang Fuku?"

"I'm not afraid to tell you, you have to defend this city of Su whether you want to or not!"

"Anyone who dares to trip me up at this time will be in trouble when I come knocking on their door. Don't make up any more reasons or excuses."

Having said that, he sheathed his sword and stared at Yang Sen, saying in a cold voice, "Consider this a lesson for you. If you want a next time, you'd better prepare your coffin in advance."

It's not that Chen Nan didn't want to kill Yang Sen on the spot, but he couldn't possibly kill all the civil officials.

The vast Northern Wei Dynasty always needed some civil officials to maintain the operation of the country.

Today's events served as a lesson for him, and with Changsun Du chiming in, Chen Nan was willing to give him a chance.

However, after Yang Sen saw Chen Nan remove the sword from his neck, he stopped trembling.

The cold sweat on his forehead wasn't as much as before, and a hint of smugness appeared on his face again.

He thought Chen Nan was only restrained by the combined power of his civil officials.

At this moment, the authority that Chen Nan had painstakingly cultivated completely vanished from Yang Sen's heart.

He turned his head and glanced at Qin Qingmin.

Qin Qingmin happened to be looking at him.

When their eyes met, Qin Qingmin slowly shook his head, meaning to tell Yang Sen to take a step back and obey Chen Nan's orders.

Seeing this, Yang Sen's face showed a hint of smugness, and he nodded slightly.

With just this one movement, Qin Qingmin sensed something was amiss. His mouth opened slightly, and he was about to speak when...

From the main hall, Yang Sen's smug voice could be heard: "Your Highness, I'm afraid this matter in Su City isn't so simple, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Qingmin was first surprised, and then sighed.

He realized that it was a complete miracle that Yang Sen had survived until now.

Chen Nan's actions just now were so obvious.

Could Yang Sen really believe that Chen Nan was afraid to kill him because of the pressure from the civil officials?

Sure enough, upon hearing his voice, Chen Nan turned around abruptly: "What? Does the Prince have a different opinion on the strategy for Su City?"

Yang Sen snorted, took a step forward, and stood in front of Chen Nan, staring at him arrogantly: "Of course."

"As I just said, if Your Highness insists on defending Su City, then I will not open the gates of this treasury!"

Chen Nan sneered, "Since Yang Fuku is so eager to die, then I will grant your wish!"

While Yang Sen was still pondering the meaning of those words.

Chen Nan raised his knife and brought it down; the next second, Yang Sen felt a chill on his neck.

No one present saw clearly how Chen Nan drew his knife; they only blinked once and saw blood gushing from Yang Sen's neck.

Yang Sen also sensed something was wrong, and slowly raised his right hand, subconsciously reaching for his neck.

To his surprise, he didn't touch the originally smooth skin, but instead touched some viscous, warm liquid.

He could even picture what had just happened in his mind, but he was unwilling to admit it.

He only truly believed it when he placed his right hand in front of him and saw the blood dripping down his arm.

His right hand fell again, his eyes meeting Chen Nan's cold gaze, and his body gradually lost its warmth.

Until his death, he still didn't know why Chen Nan suddenly attacked. What's more, the attack was not only swift but also so sudden.

He wasn't even given time to consider or return.

Yang Sen seemed to understand why Qin Qingmin had shaken her head at him earlier.

It turns out that it didn't mean he should insist on not opening the treasury door, but rather that he should stop opposing Chen Nan.

He misunderstood Qin Qingmin's meaning at first, but now he understands what she means.

Unfortunately, he only understands now, which is indeed a bit too late. The consequence of misunderstanding is, of course, his life.

Yang Sen's body gradually collapsed.

With a loud thud, his body crashed heavily to the ground.

This loud noise not only struck everyone's hearts, but also broke the silence of the hall.