"Indeed, indeed, this is the root of chaos in the court."
...
Listening to the ministers' repeated remonstrations, the Emperor was suddenly touched. It was worth his years of diligent service.
"You all worry too much. I simply favor General Ouyang and wish to abdicate the throne to him." The Emperor forced himself to speak against his heart, suppressing his heartache.
Seeing that the ministers were still incessant with their pleas, Ouyang Chenxi couldn't help but step forward a few paces, looking down upon them. "The Emperor's decree has already been written. Having spoken of abdication before you, what else do you want?"
"You are a traitor and a rebel! Speak, did you employ some underhanded tactic against the Emperor to force him to yield the throne to you?" The Marquis of Anguo, the maternal uncle of the First Prince, was the first to jump out, loudly questioning.
"So what if I did? So what if I didn't? I am the Emperor now. If you have doubts, you may resign your official posts and return home." Ouyang Chenxi said dismissively. These old fools thought they could control him; they were too naive.
"We are old. The court no longer needs us. We shall lay down our arms and return to our fields," the Minister of War said mournfully.
"Granted."
He paused, understanding what Ouyang Chenxi had said, and then cursed, "You young whelp! Do you know how important the Minister of War is? Without me, when foreign tribes invade..."
"Stop!" Ouyang Chenxi interrupted him directly, asking somewhat puzzled, "Wasn't it you who wanted to resign? No matter how important the Minister of War's position is, if the elder minister feels unwell and is unable to fulfill his duties, I can only select someone from the Ministry of War to be promoted."
"You..."
Ouyang Chenxi no longer looked at his exasperated face and loudly asked, "Is there anyone else who is not convinced? You may voice it now."
"This minister wishes to resign."
Lord Zhou, though reluctant to leave the officialdom and the power it held, knew things were dire when he saw Ouyang Chenxi. After much hesitation, he finally resolved to step forward. Ouyang Chenxi granted his request without even looking at him, sneering inwardly. If they thought resigning would allow them to escape his retribution, he advised them not to bother. They were Weiwei's mission targets.
When everyone remained silent, the elder minister of the Censorate stepped forward in grief. "This official is a disciple of the Son of Heaven, promoted by the former Emperor. I am a loyalist of the Wu family. I cannot oppose you with force, but I can spill my blood here to show my loyalty to the Wu family."
"My lord, no." Hearing a voice, the elder minister looked back and saw that his entire family had, at some unknown time, arrived at the main hall entrance.
"Father, I beg you to consider us. Your showing loyalty here is one thing, but how shall we survive?" His son looked at him with disapproval, thinking his father was foolish. Even the princes and kings weren't stepping forward; why should he, a high-ranking official of the Censorate, take such a risk? Offending the new Emperor today would mean his descendants would never rise again.
"You are despicable! This is all my doing, it has nothing to do with my family." The elder minister looked at him indignantly.
"I forgot to mention, everyone, that as soon as you entered the palace, I gathered your families." Ouyang Chenxi, too lazy to pay attention to the elder minister, looked at them malevolently.
Those who had been stirring up trouble were now completely resigned. Everyone had their own selfish interests. If they lost their entire family's lives for the sake of the court, they would not only be sinners to their families but also fools in the eyes of others.
The Emperor, seeing his ministers fighting for him, was quite moved. Who knew that Ouyang Chenxi, with his cunning schemes, would involve their families? The ministers immediately became well-behaved, and he was disappointed.
Amidst everyone's unwillingness, Ouyang Chenxi ascended the throne. To consolidate his power and prevent any trouble, he dispersed all his disciples and brought in an army of eighty thousand to replace the Imperial Guards and the palace security.
"Master, I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime. I never expected to meet you so soon. If I had known you were here to do great things, I would have insisted on coming with you back then." The leader of this eighty-thousand-strong army was none other than Liu Daniu.
It turned out that when Wu Caiwei saw the situation turn sour, she had already contacted the governor of the prefecture, who, being a good fellow, directly dispatched eighty thousand soldiers, led by Liu Daniu.
That night, there was indeed some minor commotion in the capital, but it was all within controllable limits and was quickly suppressed.
For the past month, Ouyang Chenxi had been engaged in a battle of wits and strategy with these old fools, dealing with the deliberately difficult questions they posed each day. If the real Ouyang Chenxi were here, he would have been stumped, but for him, who had been an emperor for many years, it was as easy as picking up a stone. Gradually, everyone was convinced.
This time, he and Wu Caiwei ascended to the highest position, ushering in a prosperous era. When he was slightly older, he abdicated the throne to Liu Yi, Wu Caiwei's disciple, and spent the rest of his time accompanying her. Sudan Novel Network.
It is worth mentioning that when he had free time to deal with the Zhou family, he discovered that Zhou Jiayang had already disappeared. Lord Zhou had dispatched all his household servants to search for him to no avail.
Ouyang Chenxi found the former Emperor, who was now a prince of leisure. Following his hints, he discovered Zhou Jiayang in a secret chamber within the imperial palace. By this time, Zhou Jiayang had been blinded and had his hands severed by the former Emperor in his rage.
Sometimes, living is more painful than dying. Ouyang Chenxi did not make things difficult for him further and sent someone to escort him back to the Zhou family. Upon seeing him, Lord Zhou and Madam Zhou fainted on the spot. He was their only son.
Subsequently, under the Emperor's intentional or unintentional suppression, the Zhou family gradually declined. Within just two years, the three of them were forced to live on the streets. How could they, accustomed to a life of luxury, endure such hardship? Madam Zhou directly abandoned them and remarried into another family.
The man she remarried had children from his previous marriage whom he wished to care for. She not only had to serve the entire household but also frequently suffered malice from her stepchildren, enduring immense suffering.
Lord Zhou, after so many blows, fell ill and had no one to care for him. With no money to see a doctor, he quietly passed away on a rainy night. Zhou Jiayang, now crippled, had nothing to eat and starved to death.
As for the Ouyang family, after Ouyang Chenxi became Emperor, their fortunes ironically worsened. The people in the court were shrewd. Upon discovering that the Emperor not only lacked affection for the Ouyang family but even harbored a trace of disgust, everyone came forward to step on them. They could only live cautiously.
Madam Ouyang was extremely aggrieved. She had originally suppressed Ouyang Chenxi for the sake of the Ouyang family's resources, hoping her own son would rise to prominence. She never expected her stepson to become Emperor while her own son's future was ruined.
As long as they lived poorly, the original host would feel comforted. Wu Caiwei and Ouyang Chenxi's missions would be completed even better.
When Wu Caiwei returned to that translucent space again, she found the golden water in the bottle was almost full, which made her extremely panicked.