This woman looked every bit a true leader. The moment she turned, the moment she looked at Emperor Tianhui, everyone present immediately turned to look at him too!

Only then did everyone notice just how disheveled Emperor Tianhui looked at this moment.

His crown lay shattered on the ground, his once neatly bound long hair now falling loose and disheveled everywhere, his once solemn and dignified face now filled entirely with panic. If not for the bright yellow imperial robe he wore, he could easily have been mistaken for a madman or a beggar—no one would have believed this was the sovereign ruler of Da Zhou.

His mind had gone completely blank, his heart pounding with terror, all because of that single phrase Han Ziqing had just uttered: “raising an army in my husband’s stead, overthrowing this dynasty.”

In the power struggles of the previous generation, he had been the lowest-profile, most falsely modest of all the contenders, carefully surviving amid the fierce, hidden battles between the various princes!

Amid that succession struggle, many had died, many had been wounded. The former emperor, moved by his apparent lack of ambition and his filial devotion, had ultimately passed the throne to him.

From the very moment he ascended to the throne, everything he did had a single guiding purpose—to hold onto this position!

For over twenty years, Da Zhou had occupied the most fertile land on the continent of Longyuan, yet had grown weaker and weaker, for no other reason than this: this particular ruler had never once done anything for the sake of the realm or its people.

Years ago, when Xichu raised its armies, when the northern frontier rose in rebellion, when Xijing struck amid the chaos—if not for Jun Beiyue, Da Zhou would surely have already fallen.

And even so, his mind remained entirely consumed by his throne, a throne he would allow no one else to touch!

Though no army had yet been raised, the current situation was already no different from an armed coup pressing at the palace gates.

Emperor Tianhui had utterly panicked now, thrown into complete confusion, not knowing what to do, too terrified to even look at Ziqing.

Not only Emperor Tianhui, but everyone present was startled as well, unable to guess exactly what lay hidden behind Ziqing’s cold gaze at this moment.

Suddenly, Ziqing took a step forward!

At once, everyone tensed—what more could she possibly be planning to do? With so many troops under her command, both inside and out, more than enough to overturn the entire Court of Judicial Review, what else could she possibly want besides seizing the throne itself?

“No… you mustn’t… Beiyue… my son… Beiyue!”

Emperor Tianhui sat there restlessly, flustered and at a loss, murmuring to himself—ironically, the person he found himself thinking of at this moment was none other than Jun Beiyue himself!

No one dared make a sound. Every heartbeat in the room followed the rhythm of Ziqing’s footsteps—slow, yet each one landing with such weight it seemed almost too heavy to keep beating.

But just then, the Tenth Prince, Jun Beishen, suddenly darted out from the side, spreading his arms wide to block Emperor Tianhui, and said earnestly, “Fourth Sister-in-law, what are you trying to do?”

Looking at Jun Beishen’s clean, earnest face, Ziqing’s heart trembled slightly, and she finally stopped in her tracks. “I’m not trying to do anything. I simply wanted to ask Father Emperor whether this case can now be formally closed and sentences handed down?”

These words worked like a reassuring balm, instantly calming the anxious Emperor Tianhui. Yet many of those around them grew alarmed instead.

Closing the case and passing sentence!

If Jun Beiyue and Han Ziqing were innocent, then who exactly was guilty, and what punishment should be handed down?

“Tenth Brother, someone framed Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law, and now the truth has fully come to light—shouldn’t sentences be passed and the case closed?” Ziqing asked earnestly.

Of the entire Da Zhou imperial family, Jun Beishen was perhaps the only truly pure, innocent soul among them all.

She had no wish to hurt him, didn’t even want to be harsh with him.

“That’s exactly right! Father Emperor, you must see justice done for Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law!” the Tenth Prince immediately turned and reported earnestly.

Emperor Tianhui dared not delay for even a moment, nodding repeatedly. “Of course, absolutely! Lord Huang, why haven’t you passed sentence yet!”

Lord Huang, who had already retreated to a safe distance, hurried forward at once, letting out a great sigh of relief just like Emperor Tianhui. As Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, he certainly wasn’t blind to the current situation, and he spoke quickly, “Han Xi’er framed her own sister, destroying her reputation—this crime deserves execution. Prime Minister Han knew of it and concealed it, fabricated evidence, framed Prince Yao, and falsely accused the Seventh Prince—these crimes are utterly heinous and warrant execution of his entire clan to the ninth degree!”

The moment these words left his mouth, Prime Minister Han and Han Xi’er immediately collapsed to the ground, begging desperately for mercy.

“Mercy, Your Majesty, mercy, princess consort!”

Prime Minister Han clutched at the hem of Ziqing’s robe, pleading over and over, “Ziqing, this father was wrong, this father had no choice—for the sake of the Han bloodline that still runs through you, please spare the entire Han household!”

Han Xi’er too scrambled forward, clutching Ziqing’s leg, sobbing and pleading, “Little sister, your elder sister was wrong, elder sister shouldn’t have framed you, please forgive us, we’ll never do it again, never again!”

Only now did they come crawling forward claiming kinship—and just moments ago, hadn’t it been this very woman who had so coldly and mercilessly accused her in front of everyone, demanding her chastity be inspected before the entire court?

Ziqing wasn’t the kind of person who could be won over by a single “sorry” after being struck across the face.

As for the House of National Beauty affair, she had already chosen not to pursue the matter against the Han household further. And yet this father and daughter still hadn’t learned to appreciate their good fortune. If she forgave them again now, that wouldn’t be kindness—it would simply be foolishness.

She didn’t even spare Prime Minister Han and his daughter another glance, saying coldly, “Who put you up to this?”

Prime Minister Han froze in shock. Han Xi’er was just about to blurt something out, but Prime Minister Han quickly cut her off. “No, it was entirely our own fault. We beg the princess consort for mercy, we beg Your Majesty for mercy!”

The person behind all of this was clearly none other than Emperor Tianhui and Jun Beiyao!

That Han Huaimo wouldn’t name Emperor Tianhui was understandable—but that he would even conceal Jun Beiyao’s involvement was not something Ziqing could be fooled by so easily.

“Is that so? Well, in that case, Lord Huang’s sentence isn’t excessive at all. Someone, drag them out and execute their entire clan to the ninth degree, as a warning to the realm!” Ziqing said coldly.

“No!” Han Xi’er cried out in alarm, abruptly scrambling to her feet. “It wasn’t us, it was—”

But before she could finish, Prime Minister Han suddenly snatched a nearby guard’s blade and plunged it straight into Han Xi’er’s abdomen.

Han Xi’er stared, stunned, blood immediately gushing from her mouth, the words caught in her throat, unable to come out no matter how hard she tried.

“Han Huaimo, what are you doing!” Ziqing shouted furiously.

“An unworthy daughter, vicious and jealous at heart—if not for her, none of this would have happened. It’s she who has ruined the entire Han household. If this old man doesn’t kill her with his own hands, how could he ever quell the resentment in his heart! How else could he atone for failing to teach her properly!”

Prime Minister Han choked out these words, then yanked the blade free with brutal force, and Han Xi’er immediately collapsed to the ground, blood splattering everywhere!

A trace of fury flickered in Ziqing’s eyes. What a man, this Han Huaimo—willing to kill his own daughter with his own hands, willing to see his entire household executed, rather than expose Jun Beiyao!

His loyalty to Emperor Tianhui truly ran deep!

Once the Han prime minister’s household fell, Emperor Tianhui would be left entirely isolated. Within the court and the palace alike, the only one left who could still help him reclaim his standing was Jun Beiyao alone.

And yet, Prime Minister Han didn’t even look toward Emperor Tianhui—instead, he turned to look at Jun Beiyao, a meaningful glance passing between them, as if reminding him of something. Then he raised the blade and, with brutal force, plunged it into his own abdomen!

“Ahh…”

A wave of screams erupted at once, many people panicking and trying to flee. But the doorway had already been blocked—as long as Ziqing didn’t leave, no one else could either.

Ziqing didn’t even spare him a glance, coldly asking instead, “Lord Huang, what should be done about the other accomplices?”

Accomplices?