Empress, please have some self-respect. I am not your husband.

"Your Majesty, spare your life! Your Majesty, spare your life!"

Upon hearing that he was to be flogged twenty times, Huang An was so terrified that he nearly lost his mind and kept begging for mercy.

But now, in order to appease Lu Feng, Ye Bingyun had no intention of letting him off the hook and ordered the guards to drag him away.

Watching Huang An being dragged away, Ye Bingyun then looked at Lu Feng, who seemed indifferent, and immediately felt a headache coming on. It was only the first day, and Lu Feng had already clashed with his superior.

It seems things won't be peaceful from now on.

Thinking of this, Ye Bingyun began to look forward again and said, "All of you, step back and do not approach. I have important matters to discuss with Lu Zhanshi."

"I will obey."

The minor officials of the Imperial Household Department immediately left, and the guards went outside the courtyard to wait.

"Lu Feng?" Ye Bingyun asked.

The latter raised an eyebrow: "What is it, Your Majesty?"

Her Majesty the Empress was immediately displeased, for this guy's attitude was not so casual when she had regained her female identity.

Every time I speak to him as the emperor, he becomes indifferent, which is really infuriating.

She composed herself and said, "There are quite a few people in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. I know you have a high level of cultivation, but you shouldn't meditate under these circumstances in the future."

Lu Feng became somewhat interested: "Your Majesty is also knowledgeable about martial artists' meditation and cultivation?"

Ye Bingyun lied without blushing: "It was my beloved concubine who talked to me about some martial arts matters."

Sure enough.

That damned emperor!

Lu Feng nodded: "I wonder what Your Majesty wishes to discuss?"

Ye Bingyun sat down in the nearest chair, paused for a moment, and then said, "This is your first day as an official. You're probably not familiar with the factions in the court yet."

“Not bad,” Lu Feng replied.

Ye Bingyun sighed inwardly and said softly, "Among the officials in the current court, King Chu Fangming of Zhenwang is the leader."

Lu Feng was not surprised at all, if he, the Crimson Flame War God, was previously the guardian deity of the Qian Kingdom.

Even further back, the pillar of the Qian Kingdom was Chu Fangming, as Ye Bingyun had mentioned.

King Chu Fangming, the only king of a different surname in the Qian Kingdom, controls the military power of two states. Keep in mind that the Qian Kingdom only has four states in total, which means that Chu Fangming alone controls half of the Qian Kingdom's military force!

It can be said that in the Qian Kingdom, he was truly second only to the emperor and above all others!

Thinking of something, Lu Feng looked at Ye Bingyun opposite him, his eyes filled with pity.

This young emperor only ascended the throne two years ago. Two years is simply not enough time for him to fully control the court, let alone face a powerful figure like Chu Fangming.

You can imagine how much psychological pressure they were under.

Then Ye Bingyun continued, "The King of Zhen is currently on military inspection and is not in the capital. Besides him, there are the six ministers. At present, Chu Fangming's faction is the most powerful in the entire court. Even the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works blindly follow him."

"The way of a ruler lies in governing his subordinates and maintaining checks and balances, but under such circumstances, my desire to maintain checks and balances on the Zhenwang lineage is nothing but wishful thinking."

Lu Feng frowned: "Your Majesty, you wouldn't be planning to send me to deal with Chu Fangming, would you?"

With a glint of expectation in her eyes, Ye Bingyun shook her head and smiled bitterly: "How could that be? Although you are powerful, you are still just a martial artist. The court is a murky place, and dragging you into this vortex is not good for you. I only hope that you can deter some petty villains in the court at the crucial moment."

Lu Feng chuckled: "That's for the best. After all, I don't have any real power base in the court. It would be difficult for me to fight against the King of Zhen."

Although his words were expected, Ye Bingyun was still a little disappointed to hear Lu Feng say them in person, and could only pretend not to care: "That's true, but it's always good for you to know something."

"Although you have the ability to be fearless of any court official, being an official is a different story."

“I am naturally aware of that,” Lu Feng nodded.

Ye Bingyun spoke again: "Apart from the faction of the Prince of Zhen, there are the direct subordinates of the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Rites. Basically, these two factions divide up 80% of the officials in the court."

"The rest should mostly be low-ranking officials and clerks with little power?" Lu Feng asked.

After all, if someone has a lot of power and a strong background, how could they possibly be ignored by the other two factions of officials?

Ye Bingyun nodded: "These officials are the ones I can control."

Lu Feng was filled with emotion upon hearing this. Perhaps this was what it meant to have a weak master and a strong servant. To put it bluntly, if King Chu Fangming of Zhen Kingdom wanted to rebel, the entire Qian Kingdom would probably fall apart overnight.

The imperial court is a murky place!

"I understand."

Seeing that he had taken it to heart, Ye Bingyun gave a slightly forced smile. Lu Feng was stunned for a moment, feeling that her wry smile was somewhat similar to that of the beautiful empress.

Damn it, could it be what they call a couple looking alike?

Thinking of that stunningly beautiful face, Lu Feng, who had initially felt some pity for the young emperor, now felt a pang of jealousy.

But he still offered a suggestion: "Your Majesty."

"What's wrong?" Ye Bingyun asked.

Lu Feng said casually, "Actually, if you want to control the court and protect the peace of Qian Kingdom, there is a place you can rely on."

Ye Bingyun was taken aback: "Where? How come I don't know about this place?"

For the past two years since she ascended the throne, she has been worried every day about how to protect the people of Qian Kingdom.

But the Qian Kingdom was far too weak, practically struggling to survive in the cracks. So when she heard Lu Feng say this, she was eager to know what place he was talking about.

"The number one city under heaven," Lu Feng said.

"The number one city under heaven? Why would they help me?" Ye Bingyun asked in confusion.

Lu Feng coughed and said, "It's very simple. Your Majesty, you can send, cough cough, that Empress to the First City Under Heaven."

Ye Bingyun's eyes turned strange. "You mean to say that my beloved concubine should go to the First City and become the most beautiful woman in the world?"

"Ahem, that's roughly the idea."

Lu Feng said, "The number one city under heaven, those who leave their mark will be the number one under heaven. As long as you gain the recognition of the number one city under heaven, you will be regarded as one of them, and it is not impossible for them to lend a helping hand to the Qian Kingdom."

Ye Bingyun said speechlessly, "What kind of terrible idea is this? She is my concubine after all. What kind of decorum is it for her to show her face in public? Not to mention that she will be judged by others. Besides!"

She paused, then said seemingly nonchalantly, "There are so many beautiful women in the world, how can Bingyun be the best?"

Lu Feng subconsciously replied, "Of course you can. At least in all these years, I have never seen any woman who can rival Your Majesty in appearance, not even be on par with her. You are naturally worthy of the title of the most beautiful woman in the world."

These words made Her Majesty the Empress slightly delighted.

After all, what woman doesn't like to hear praise, especially from a strong man like Lu Feng?

But she quickly realized something was wrong and looked at Lu Feng in surprise, saying, "How do you know so much about the First City?"