Puppet Emperor, the Empress Wields All Power and Calls a Deer a Horse

Chapter 9 The Royal Shadow Guards of the Great Zhou! The Minister of Revenue is dead!

What does His Majesty mean by saying this in the court?

Didn’t the Royal Shadow Guards just propose this in the court?

It hasn’t even started to be established yet.

Is His Majesty’s action this time just to make the entire court look foolish?

However, the next moment, the faces of the entire court turned astonished, their eyes wide with surprise, suddenly looking outside the hall.

At that moment, a sound of footsteps echoed outside the Taiji Hall.

Three men and one woman, wearing phoenix-winged helmets, dressed in flying fish robes, with embroidered spring knives at their waists, entered the great hall with an imposing presence.

Soon, the three men and one woman arrived at the center of the Taiji Hall, their expressions respectful. They slightly bent their waists and clasped their fists in salute to Gu Changsheng:

“The four great commanders of the Royal Shadow Guards: Qinglong, Zhuque, Xuanwu, and Baihu, pay their respects to Your Majesty!”

“No need for such formalities!”

“Convey my decree: the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang, has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor in the court, a crime that is unforgivable.”

“The Royal Shadow Guards shall immediately take down the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang!”

Gu Changsheng spoke coldly, his expression unchanging.

Watching the scene unfold in the court, Li Yang was utterly panic-stricken and completely at a loss.

The officials of the court felt even more puzzled, staring at the four Royal Shadow Guards who had appeared out of nowhere.

What is going on?

These three men and one woman, claiming to be the commanders of the Royal Shadow Guards, all possess the peak cultivation of the King Realm—where did they come from?

Had His Majesty already made preparations before proposing the establishment of the Royal Shadow Guards?

If that’s the case, then the Empress Dowager’s plan to insert powerful figures into the Royal Shadow Guards to control it for her own use has completely fallen through.

The Empress Dowager’s schemes have been directly shattered by the new emperor.

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Unexpectedly, in silence, the new emperor has already established the Royal Shadow Guards.

The entire court of officials felt a chill run through them.

The new emperor’s cunning was truly unfathomable; even the Empress Dowager had been outmaneuvered.

At this moment, the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang, turned pale, his body collapsing in the great hall, looking at the Empress Dowager with a pleading gaze.

He truly did not expect that, in the end, he would become a mere clown, with the new emperor exterminating his entire clan.

“Cough, cough.”

At this time, the Empress Dowager could no longer sit still. She lightly coughed, slightly turned her gaze to Gu Changsheng, and admonished:

“Your Majesty, the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang, has always been loyal to the Great Zhou Dynasty. Such treatment is, in my opinion, inappropriate.”

Although, in her eyes, Li Yang was merely a dispensable pawn, if she didn’t save him, this would undermine her prestige in the court.

It was highly likely that the officials would start to fawn over her outwardly while opposing her inwardly.

Most importantly, the position of Minister of Revenue must be firmly in her grasp and could not be taken away by Gu Changsheng.

Thus, she must save the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang.

However, as the Empress Dowager pleaded for mercy, the four great commanders of the Royal Shadow Guards completely ignored her, dragging the collapsed Li Yang out of the Taiji Hall.

Unless Gu Changsheng personally issued an order, they would not stop.

In their eyes, the Empress Dowager counted for nothing.

Watching this scene, Empress Dowager frowned deeply, enraged and embarrassed, deliberately emphasizing her tone to threaten:

“Your Majesty, do you truly wish to proceed like this?”

“Empress Dowager, the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang, has committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, a crime that is unforgivable.”

“If the Empress Dowager continues to plead for mercy, I shall regard you as an accomplice.”

Gu Changsheng’s face was contemptuous, disregarding the Empress Dowager’s threat as he coldly spoke:

Seeing the emperor treat her this way, Empress Dowager’s expression instantly turned to one of rage and embarrassment, wanting to say something.

“Empress Dowager, save me!”

However, before the Empress Dowager could speak, a tragic scream echoed from outside the Tai Ji Hall, reverberating through the court.

Hearing that sound, the faces of the entire court changed slightly, realizing that the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang, had been executed by the emperor.

“Damn it!”

The Empress Dowager cursed inwardly, gritting her teeth.

She had completely underestimated Gu Changsheng’s audacity.

She did not expect that Gu Changsheng would directly order the Royal Shadow Guards to execute the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang, outside the Tai Ji Hall.

At this moment!

After the death of the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang, a notification sound from the system echoed in Gu Changsheng’s mind.

[Ding! The Empress Dowager deceives the emperor, the host resolves the crisis, eliminates the treacherous minister, alters the plot, and gains 20,000 plot points!]

Not bad!

Unexpectedly, this move gave me 20,000 plot points directly.

Gu Changsheng maintained an expressionless face but couldn’t help but smile inside.

This time, the Royal Shadow Guards under his command caught the Empress Dowager off guard.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy to remove the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang.

“Your Majesty, Li Yang is dead. I wonder who among the ministers should take over the position of Minister of Revenue.”

The Empress Dowager forcibly suppressed her inner fury, her expression quickly returning to normal, not lingering on the matter of Li Yang.

The deceased Li Yang, in her eyes, had lost all value and was of no use anymore.

Now, her primary goal was to place her own confidant in the position of Minister of Revenue.

In this way, even if Li Yang was dead, it wouldn’t have much of an impact on her.

“Li Yang is dead. The position of Minister of Revenue shall be taken over by Deputy Minister of Revenue, Gao Yuan.”

Gu Changsheng smirked coldly, knowing the Empress Dowager’s intentions.

He didn’t give the Empress Dowager a chance to speak and directly appointed Gao Yuan as Minister of Revenue.

“Your Majesty, this action is inappropriate.”

“Deputy Minister Gao Yuan is quite advanced in age; he may find it difficult to take on the role of Minister of Revenue.”

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s expression changed slightly, and she quickly spoke up to dissuade.

Gao Yuan was a veteran of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the former Minister of Revenue.

She had previously tried multiple times to win him over, but had no success.

In the end, she resorted to schemes to frame Gao Yuan, allowing Li Yang to ascend to the position of Minister of Revenue.

Now, With Li Yang dead, Gao Yuan was reinstated.

He certainly would not side with her.

If that’s the case, she would lose control over the Ministry of Revenue, and her authority in the court would plummet.

“Your Majesty entrusts me with an important task; the old minister will surely dedicate himself wholeheartedly until death.”

Suddenly, at that moment, an elderly voice echoed in the hall.

The Deputy Minister of Revenue, Gao Yuan, stepped out from the ranks, his expression respectful as he looked at Gu Changsheng, cupping his hands and speaking in a powerful tone.

Earlier, in the court, he had spoken in support of the new emperor, offending the Empress Dowager, already resigned to his fate.

But he did not expect that luck would turn in his favor.

The new emperor, with his deep scheming and strategic planning, had outmaneuvered the Empress Dowager, removing the treacherous Minister of Revenue, Li Yang.

Gao Yuan understood very well that the new emperor’s actions were to take control of the Ministry of Revenue.

At this moment, he had to step forward to support His Majesty.

“Gao Yuan, I have high hopes for you, don’t disappoint me.”

Seeing Gao Yuan step forward, Gu Changsheng smiled, his words laden with meaning.

“Your Majesty, the old minister will certainly live up to your grace!”

Gao Yuan slightly nodded, affirmatively responding.

He clearly understood the hidden meaning behind the emperor’s words.

From now on, Gao Yuan would swear absolute loyalty to the emperor and never betray him.

“You don’t know what’s good for you!”

Watching Gao Yuan pledge allegiance to Gu Changsheng, the Empress Dowager frowned slightly, her expression displeased.

If it weren’t for the sudden appearance of the Royal Shadow Guards, which had left her momentarily unable to react, how could the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang, have been eliminated by Gu Changsheng?

Those three men and one woman, claiming to be the commanders of the Royal Shadow Guards, were all at the peak of the King realm, about to step into the Great Expert Realm.

Peak King, such powerful figures, how could they be loyal to Gu Changsheng, this useless emperor?

The Empress Dowager was full of doubt, utterly perplexed.

Could it be that these Royal Shadow Guards were the trump cards left by the late emperor for Gu Changsheng?

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager’s heart sank. Her beautiful eyes narrowed as she stared deeply at Gu Changsheng, as if trying to see through him completely.

Soon, under Gu Changsheng’s imperial decree, Gao Yuan was naturally reinstated to the position of Minister of Revenue for the Great Zhou Dynasty.

[Ding! The loyalty value of Minister of Revenue Gao Yuan reached 100, altering the plot, and gaining 10,000 plot points!]

At that moment, the system’s notification sounded.

Gu Changsheng was very satisfied.

After the struggle in the court, his plot points had reached a total of 60,000.

Taking advantage of the Empress Dowager’s weaknesses was indeed gratifying.

Most importantly, the loyalty value of Minister Gao Yuan had directly reached 100, meaning he had become a loyal supporter.

With the loss of the Ministry of Revenue, Empress Dowager’s control over the court weakened considerably.

However, Gu Changsheng did not let this make him overly complacent.

Knowing the plot well, he understood that the Empress Dowager’s true identity was the Demon Queen, backed by the Demon Sect and possessing countless powerful subordinates.

The forces he could currently control included only the Royal Shadow Guards and the Minister of Revenue, Gao Yuan.

This was still not enough to contend with the Empress Dowager.

Of course, Gu Changsheng believed that it wouldn’t be long before he could eliminate the Empress Dowager and truly take control of the Great Zhou.

“Dismiss the court!”

Gu Changsheng’s gaze was indifferent as he surveyed the entire court of officials, glancing at the Empress Dowager before standing up, waving his dragon robe, and turning to leave the Tai Ji Hall.

“We respectfully send off Your Majesty!”

The officials of the court slightly bent their bodies, lowering their heads and shouting loudly.

Once Gu Changsheng’s figure disappeared, the officials slowly stood up, their expressions still shocked, unable to regain their senses.

Today in the court, the new emperor’s ascension to the throne could be described as triumphant, with even the Empress Dowager defeated by him.

For a moment, many ministers had different thoughts, secretly contemplating their futures.

If there ever comes a day when the new emperor removes the Empress Dowager and seizes power, then they, as ministers, would need to plan ahead.

However, for now, they did not dare to openly betray the Empress Dowager or openly support Gu Changsheng.

Therefore, these ministers planned to wait and observe the situation before making any moves.

The expressions of the court officials were all noted by the Empress Dowager, her demeanor darkening and her expression icy.

Watching the direction in which Gu Changsheng had left, the Empress Dowager’s brows furrowed slightly, her gaze flickering with a chilling light, causing unease and fear.

For Gu Changsheng to wish to compete with her, he was simply courting death.