Chapter 114: The Empress’s Reality and Illusion

"Will Jing Tianlie request an audience with the Empress at tomorrow's morning court?" Princess Di Luoxi asked.

Long Chen nodded. "Jing Tianlie must be impatient. If he can take me down, he can seize control of the Ministry of Works. With five of the Six Ministries under his thumb, he will be able to cover the sky with one hand."

Eliminating Long Chen would not only secure the Ministry of Works but also serve as a warning to others, showing everyone that in the court of Eastern Zhou, Jing Tianlie called the shots. Anyone who dared to challenge him would face a dead end.

Di Luoxi sneered. "He thinks too highly of himself. The Great Zhou does not belong to the Jing family."

Zhang Qian suddenly asked, "I forgot to ask Xiang Ning, where did this secret letter come from?"

Long Chen replied, "No need to ask. It must have been sent by Feng He."

When Xiang Ning brought the letter in earlier, Long Chen had intended to ask, but after reading the contents, he was certain it had come from Feng He, so he let it be.

"Feng He—he said last time that he had sufficient evidence. Do you think he is credible?" Di Luoxi suddenly felt uneasy. If they failed to make Jing Tianlie admit his guilt tomorrow and were instead counter-attacked, it would be troublesome.

Long Chen shook his head slightly. "I don't know. Our goal this time is to shake the prestige of the Grand General's mansion and suppress his influence in the court. As for the army and the hidden guards he commands, that will take time."

The Grand General's mansion was deep-rooted. Jing Tianlie's status in Eastern Zhou was even higher than Long Ye's in Southern Liang; he could not be eradicated in one fell swoop.

Di Luoxi's expression was grave. She felt that tomorrow's interrogation would surely trigger a storm. "I must warn the Empress to be careful and order the troops outside the city to move in and station themselves within the capital."

Long Chen said, "Your Highness worries too much. His Majesty must have already made arrangements."

Still uneasy, Di Luoxi stood up and headed toward the Fengming Palace.

At the Fengming Palace, Ying Feng hurried into the study to report, "The troops outside the city are ready, the Shadow Guards have dispersed, and the Imperial Guards have been deployed."

The Shadow Guards were aware that Shui Han's corpse was arriving in the capital tomorrow, and the Empress had immediately ordered Ying Feng to arrange the defense of the city.

"Good. Once Jing Tianlie enters the palace, let the troops enter the city," the Empress nodded slightly.

The troops outside were merely prepared; they had not yet entered. The Empress was waiting for Jing Tianlie to arrive. Once he requested a public trial for the Shui Han case, she would authorize their entry. This was to prevent Jing Tianlie from feeling that the Empress was targeting him specifically.

Ying Feng expressed some concern. "Your Majesty, can Long Cheng'en handle Jing Tianlie?"

The Jing family was a distinguished military lineage in Eastern Zhou, and Jing Tianlie was the third-generation Grand General, deeply entrenched. Long Chen was merely an outsider and a eunuch; Ying Feng was highly skeptical of his ability to compete.

The Empress smiled faintly. "Besides Long Cheng'en, is there anyone else?"

Ying Feng was stunned. Though the court was full of civil and military officials, they all feared Jing Tianlie. Only Long Chen dared to go head-to-head with the Grand General's mansion.

At the door, Di Luoxi burst in and said, "Mother, Jing Tianlie may demand a trial for the Shui Han case tomorrow. We must be prepared."

The Empress chuckled. "Still so impulsive. You should learn from Long Cheng'en; keep your composure when handling matters."

Di Luoxi sat beside the Empress. "It is not that I am impulsive, Mother, but the situation is critical."

The Empress replied, "Everything is arranged. We are just waiting for Jing Tianlie to enter the palace."

A maid entered the room to report, "Your Majesty, the Grand General requests an audience."

The Empress smiled. "See? He has arrived."

Seeing that the Empress was prepared, Di Luoxi felt relieved. "I shall take my leave." She exited the Fengming Palace through a side door.

"Admit him!" The Empress composed her expression and picked up a memorial to read.

Jing Tianlie, dressed in his official robes, walked in and bowed. "Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty."

The Empress set aside the memorial and smiled. "Grand General, what brings you here?"

Jing Tianlie said, "Regarding the case of Shui Han, I should not have interfered, but because this matter concerns the stability of the morale of Great Zhou's soldiers, I have had General Shui Han's remains brought back to the capital. They are currently being examined at the Censorate, and we will have results by tonight."

"I request that Your Majesty hold a public trial in the marketplace tomorrow to provide answers to the people and soldiers of Great Zhou."

The Empress looked displeased, her voice tinged with anger. "General Shui Han has already been laid to rest. How could you disturb his grave?"

Jing Tianlie bowed hurriedly. "To uncover the truth of the case, the grave had to be opened. My actions were solely to ensure General Shui Han could rest in peace."

The Empress's lingering anger filled the study with an invisible pressure. Jing Tianlie could clearly feel the weight of it. It was a pressure that transcended ranks—the terrifying aura of the Imperial Realm.

Jing Tianlie’s heart skipped a beat: The rumors were false; the Empress's cultivation had not regressed. Thinking this, his back bent involuntarily. "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

The pressure in the study dissipated instantly, and the Empress's gloomy expression slowly faded. "Very well. Your intentions were for the sake of military stability."

"The public trial will be held in the marketplace tomorrow. Command all civil and military officials to attend, and permit the citizens of the capital to observe. Have the army enter the city to maintain order. Do not let any chaos ensue."

Ying Feng bowed. "I obey your decree."

Jing Tianlie bowed. "I thank Your Majesty for your grace."

The Empress sighed softly. "You may withdraw."

Jing Tianlie bowed and retreated respectfully from the Fengming Palace. Once outside the palace, he touched his back and found it soaked with sweat.

"The Empress's cultivation still exists." Jing Tianlie was secretly shocked. He did not understand why, if her cultivation was intact, she had been so accommodating to him all along. Was she bluffing?

On the battlefield, the art of war dictated that one should appear weak when strong and strong when weak. Jing Tianlie was well-versed in this. "I will know tomorrow." He mounted his horse and galloped away.

In the Fengming Palace study, Ying Feng immediately went to arrange for the troops to enter the city and issued the order for officials to attend the trial. The Empress entered a secret chamber, forbidding anyone from disturbing her.

Back at the Western Palace, Long Chen was waiting for Di Luoxi.

"How did it go?"

"You are incredible. Everything you guessed was spot on. Jing Tianlie was indeed with the Empress." Di Luoxi felt that Long Chen was a genius; his predictions were always accurate.

Back on the kang, Qing Yue helped Di Luoxi remove her outer robe.

"For Her Majesty to reach the Imperial Realm, her wisdom must be unparalleled in the world. How could she not have thought of what we could foresee?" Long Chen was not flattering her; he was speaking the truth.

The Empress was the first, and the only, Imperial Realm martial artist in the world. To reach such a level required a sharp mind; a fool could never become a master of that caliber.

"Oh, the first time I've heard you praise someone else." Di Luoxi wrapped one arm around Long Chen and pinched his pectoral muscle. "Why are you still like this? You don't look like a eunuch at all. Was it not cut off cleanly?"

Long Chen quickly said, "Clean, very clean."

Just as they were discussing serious matters, the mood suddenly turned improper.

"Feng He said he would provide evidence. When will he send it?" Zhang Qian was very worried they wouldn't be able to handle Jing Tianlie tomorrow.

Long Chen said, "I cannot contact Feng He. We must wait for him to act."

"If Feng He can produce key evidence, we can deal a heavy blow to Jing Tianlie. If he does not appear, we will take down Jing Heng and dismantle the Ministry of War."

This trial was a test for Feng He. If he appeared tomorrow, Long Chen would choose to cooperate with him and slowly build trust. If he did not appear, Long Chen would find a way to eliminate him, however troublesome it might be.

At that moment, a palace official from the Fengming Palace arrived with a message: the public trial would be held tomorrow, and Di Luoxi, Long Chen, and others were requested to attend.

Every official in the capital with a rank had received the notice. The marketplace had also posted proclamations, and everyone knew that a public trial would take place the following day. The entire capital waited for the dawn.