After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

Three days later.

Cao Ji presented the evidence of the Chu prime minister's crimes in the court.

“Father, after these past few days of investigation, I have confirmed that Prime Minister Chu did indeed bring back a child with crippled legs from the battlefield, but he died of illness five years ago. I have already found the medical records from that year.”

Therefore, the Prime Minister of Chu should have known the identity of the Crown Prince of Shu long ago!

The emperor was furious. "You worthless wretch! Your crimes are utterly heinous!"

"Father, the Prime Minister of Chu has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. The evidence is conclusive, and he should be executed immediately with his property confiscated!"

"Your Majesty, I believe that Chancellor Chu has devoted half his life to the Great Wei and would not commit treason! There must be other hidden reasons behind this!"

Wang, the Vice Minister, defended the Prime Minister of Chu; he was the Prime Minister's protégé.

“Chu Yan is the crown prince of Shu. Who knows what he has learned after lurking in our Great Wei for so many years? We should eliminate this threat completely,” Cao Ji retorted.

"Your Majesty is wise! With so many years of merit, Prime Minister Chu would never do anything to betray the country and collude with the enemy!"

"They merely adopted a man from Shu as their godson; if the Crown Prince of Shu wanted to conceal his identity, it would be easy!"

"Your Majesty, please think again!"

"Your Majesty, we implore you to reconsider!"

The disciples of the Prime Minister of Chu spoke up in unison, and more than half of the officials knelt in the court.

"Report!"

"Urgent message from the border, delivered by the Marquis of Zhenbei!"

A soldier entered the palace.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Zhenbei has sent a letter stating that the Shu Kingdom is preparing to declare war on the Chen Kingdom."

This caused a stir in the imperial court.

"Why is Shu attacking Chen at this time?"

"Won't Chen Guo attack us after he's done fighting them?!"

"Father! Look at how Shu chose this time to wage war; someone must have tipped us off, knowing that the Shu crown prince is in our hands." Cao Ji pressed his advantage, adding fuel to the fire. "This is clearly a provocation!"

"If Your Highness truly believes that Prime Minister Chu has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, you should provide substantial evidence! This only proves that Prime Minister Chu has adopted a son. Who in the entire capital doesn't know that Prime Minister Chu frequently sponsors students, provides porridge to the people, and helps orphans when he is away from home?"

"Your Majesty, we believe that the Second Prince's judgment was flawed! We urge Your Majesty to reconsider!"

All of Chu's ministers knelt down in the court, pleading, "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

"Outrageous! Are you all plotting a rebellion?" The emperor was furious. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up angrily, and glared at the ministers in the court.

"A prime minister dares to take in a prince of Shu, and I even appointed him as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review! It's a laughing stock if word gets out!" The emperor's voice was deafening, filled with boundless anger and disappointment.

The Prime Minister of Chu and the Emperor grew up together and had served the Emperor diligently since his ascension to the throne. He was the Emperor's most trusted minister. Little did anyone know that he was hiding such a huge secret.

If the Prime Minister of Chu had mentioned it even once before, the Emperor wouldn't be so angry.

The emperor's anger burned ever brighter; his chest heaved violently, and his breathing became rapid. His dissatisfaction and disappointment with the Prime Minister of Chu had reached its peak, and he could no longer tolerate such a thing happening.

"This matter concerns the dignity of the royal family! Anyone who dares to plead for Prime Minister Chu again will be executed along with him!" The emperor's gaze swept over everyone in the court.

The imperial court was completely silent; no one dared to utter a sound. The ministers all lowered their heads, not daring to meet the emperor's gaze, for fear of angering his majesty.

At this moment, a tense and oppressive atmosphere permeated the court. Everyone knew that the emperor's mind was made up, and no one dared to challenge his authority.

The emperor rubbed his temples, feeling utterly exhausted.

Sitting on the dragon throne, he pondered for a long time before finally speaking, "Second Prince, I'll leave this matter to you. Don't ask me for my opinion anymore. Court adjourned!" With that, he waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave.

Cao Ji immediately stood up, bowed respectfully to the emperor, and said with tears of gratitude, "Thank you, Father Emperor!"

He secretly rejoiced that he had gained his father's trust and support.

Eunuch Wang shouted, "Court is adjourned!"

At a command, the officials knelt and kowtowed, then slowly withdrew from the court.

After the court session ended, the emperor reflected on whether he had gone too far, and his anger had indeed subsided considerably.

However, for the sake of royal dignity, we still have to teach Prime Minister Chu a lesson.

He sat alone in the pavilion in the Imperial Garden, drinking tea.

"Eunuch Wang, how are those ministers in Anzhou doing now?"

“Your Majesty, you’ve forgotten! Lord Liu just said in court that the two of them will be exiled tomorrow,” Eunuch Wang said, bowing.

The emperor nodded, his eyes cold. "Although they have committed countless evil deeds, I will spare their lives for the sake of Marquis Ping Le! As for whether they will be able to return alive after being exiled, that is uncertain."

"Your Majesty is merciful! I believe the Marquis of Pingle will also be grateful to Your Majesty!" Eunuch Wang smiled.

"Now that this matter is settled, Yuan'er and Fan Qing should be rewarded! Although Fan Qing is the son of Minister Fan, it is indeed a bit unfair that he has only been a minor official."

“He was appointed as a vice minister before because he felt he couldn’t handle the job. But this time it’s an opportunity.”

"Your Majesty said so!"

"As for Yuan'er!" The emperor fell into deep thought.

"I see you, Your Majesty!"

Hua Changzai stood outside the pavilion.

"Come, have a seat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Consort Hua walked lightly to sit on the stone bench next to the emperor.

"Has Your Majesty been in a bad mood lately? Your brows are all furrowed!" Consort Hua said softly.

"Hmm... I recently learned that the adopted son of the Prime Minister of Chu is not dead, and is even a prince of Shu!"

"Is the adopted son of the Prime Minister of Chu the former Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"

"Exactly!"

"I've heard of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review among the common people; he certainly has ruthless methods! But why doesn't he return to Shu and instead stay here as an ordinary official? He must really like our Great Wei!"

Why do you think that?

"Your Majesty, I am but a woman, and I only heard this from people from Shu before I entered the palace!"

"How do the people of Shu evaluate our Great Wei?" The emperor looked at her with great interest, stroking Hua Changzai's hand in his own.

Hua Changzai wiped his nose with a handkerchief. "They say that Shu is at war all year round, while Wei is peaceful, quiet, and leisurely!"

"Hahaha, my beloved concubine is right!"

The emperor embraced Consort Hua and said, “Wei and Shu are now keeping to themselves! We fought once a few years ago, but Shu was weak and lost, so it sent a hostage to us and paid tribute with treasures every year. In recent years, Shu has absorbed several small countries and is now on par with Wei!”

"Thanks to a wise ruler like His Majesty, we are able to live a good life!"

"My beloved concubine has such a sweet tongue!"

The emperor lightly grazed her nose.

"Your Majesty, I brought some homemade pastries. Please try them!"

"My beloved concubine is so thoughtful!"

The scene of the two being so affectionate was witnessed by a figure outside the pavilion.