The Empress’s Blind Consort: Invincible in Secret

Chapter 10 – On the first day of being dismissed from office, the King of Longshang was subjected to Death by a Thousand Cuts

"Prime Minister, make sure everyone who has seen the Empress' Husband keeps their mouths shut. We cannot allow any information to leak," Dongfang Liuli whispered, her red lips barely moving.

Jiang Canghai folded his hands into his sleeves, gave Dongfang Liuli a deep look, and nodded silently.

Once Meng Qingzhou had packed his belongings and boarded the flying beast with Su Qingqiu, the Empress' imperial carriage took off, chasing the remnants of the sunset and disappearing into the horizon.

***

After a long while.

Jiang Canghai sighed in amazement:"The Empress' Husband must not interfere in state affairs. Moreover, there is a concern that his identity might be exploited by those with ill intentions.

Therefore, let him return under a different identity... With the Sage entering the court, chaos is sure to follow.

Your Majesty's methods are truly impressive!"

To avoid arousing Meng Qingzhou's suspicion, the group of flying beasts following the imperial carriage circled above the capital for a long time before slowly descending into the palace.

Sitting on the back of the flying beast, Meng Qingzhou took a deep breath of the palace air and murmured to himself:"This is indeed the supreme hall of power; even the air is filled with the scent of wealth and extravagance."

On the imperial carriage, Dongfang Liuli, who had been eavesdropping silently, pursed her lips at his words.

Su Qingqiu couldn't help but glance at Meng Qingzhou several times, wanting to speak but not daring to. What scent of wealth? We just circled around and came back.

The only difference was that the imperial carriage stopped at the Golden Throne Hall, not the rebuilt Taiji Hall (Present Village).

Present Village had been sealed off, and no one could enter without the Empress' decree.

"Meng Qingzhou, come here," the Empress stepped down from the imperial carriage and beckoned with her finger.

Meng Qingzhou took a step forward: "Your Majesty."

Dongfang Liuli looked at Meng Qingzhou, who had the demeanor of a bullied little wife, and couldn't help but feel a mix of pride and excitement. She chuckled lightly:"Meng Qingzhou, you are to change your name and identity. In the capital, you will be called... Meng Qin! Do you understand?"

Meng Qingzhou was puzzled: "Why must I change my name? Is my name unfit for others to know?"

Dongfang Liuli was speechless and simply threw out a sentence: "No means, there's no need for so many questions!"

Leaving Meng Qingzhou standing alone, bewildered in the wind.

What the hell, why do I have to hide my identity?!

And why did the Empress' tone have a hint of coquettishness?

"It's all messed up, completely messed up," Meng Qingzhou murmured to himself.

The interior of the Golden Throne Hall was not resplendent in gold but rather a grand and simple black!

The space inside was vast, extending hundreds of meters deep, and the materials used were the rarest of the rare, ten-thousand-year-old supreme spiritual jade. Even an ordinary person breathing in here would gain longevity.

Eighty-one deep black dragon columns lined the sides, leading straight to the Empress' throne at the highest point.

Hundreds of Imperial Guards at the peak of the Cloud Ascension Realm stood like statues, their cold eyes visible only through the slits in their helmets.

Majestic, towering, and supremely authoritative!

Below the throne, civil and military officials held jade tablets and stood in neat rows, having long awaited this moment.

Meng Qingzhou, dressed in black robes adorned with dragon patterns, his eyes covered by black silk, tapped the ground lightly with his cane, producing a crisp sound.

Under the watchful eyes of the officials, he slowly walked forward, stopping at the front and bowing:

"Minister Meng Qin pays respects to Your Majesty."

The throne was veiled by a red silk curtain. The Empress raised her hand and said calmly, "Rise."

The Empress, Dongfang Liuli, spoke indifferently:"Minister Meng, your talents are unparalleled and rare in this world! I have decided to promote you to Vice Minister of Rites. Any objections?"

Meng Qingzhou's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

Wow, what a high position! A direct leap to the top.

If the Minister is equivalent to a department head, then the Vice Minister is like a deputy head. The Minister is of the second rank, while the Vice Minister is of the third rank.

Jiang Canghai, standing at the forefront of the civil officials, glanced at the composed Meng Qingzhou and said nothing.

Indeed, the current Minister of Rites and Prime Minister was Jiang Canghai himself.

Jiang Canghai, one of the few who knew Meng Qingzhou's true identity, was not surprised and naturally had no objections.

However, few had seen the Empress' Husband's face. Among the officials present, only two had: Jiang Canghai and the leader of the Imperial Guard, Lin Lu.

The uninformed ministers, their tired eyes suddenly wide open, turned to look at Meng Qingzhou, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

A commoner with no official background, who had not achieved any merit, was directly promoted to the third rank Vice Minister on his first day in court.

Unbelievable!

Some even speculated that Meng Qingzhou might be the Empress' kept man.

Some young and strong military officers had a glint in their eyes. The Empress seemed to like blind men. Rumor had it that the Empress' Husband was blind, and now there was another one... Maybe if we blinded ourselves, we might catch the Empress' eye.

The ministers, feeling extremely unbalanced, erupted in protest:

"This is unacceptable, Your Majesty! You are disregarding the state's system. If this continues, who will still strive to build the nation?"

"Meng Qin? I have never heard of this person. He is neither a famous general nor a top scholar. Without any official background or achievements, how can he be directly promoted to the third rank?"

"A mere commoner, no matter how talented, a seventh-rank position would be more than enough."

"Where did this wild boy come from? Your Majesty, do not be deceived by him!"

***

Dongfang Liuli, smiling, leaned sideways, resting her face on one hand, not stopping the ministers' fervent protests.

Defying the Sage's will, this is your punishment, but also a test...

She had a look of anticipation in her eyes. If Meng Qingzhou could win the ministers' approval, it would be best.

Otherwise, he would be sent back to Present Village to live as a carefree blind live-in son-in-law.

Meng Qingzhou was furious, his words sharp, as if slapping the officials in the face.

He had no desire to get involved in court affairs and had only reluctantly agreed to come to the capital to give the Empress some face.

Meng Qingzhou hadn't even gotten angry yet, and a bunch of clowns were already looking down on him.

Meng Qingzhou frowned, turned to face the officials, and said:

"I am but a commoner, fortunate to have caught the Empress' attention, who went to great lengths to recruit me. I thought those who stood in this Golden Throne Hall were the best of the best...

Who would have thought they were just a bunch of arrogant fools!"

***

"Arrogant!"

"Presumptuous!"

"What skills do you have? Show us! If you're just a fame-seeker, don't blame me for cutting you down," a prince with a black beard, dressed in a four-clawed golden dragon robe, snorted coldly.

Meng Qingzhou followed the voice and 'looked' at the prince, asking:

"May I ask, who are you?"

"King of Longshang, third rank, surname Ouyang, given name Sheng," Ouyang Sheng sneered.

A blind man, and he wants to rise to the top and stand on equal footing with me?

Ridiculous!

Meng Qingzhou's brow tightened as he searched his memory, pondering for a long time.

Seeing this, Ouyang Sheng showed a look of satisfaction, convinced that Meng Qingzhou had no real skills.

Just as Ouyang Sheng was about to smile in victory, Meng Qingzhou's lips curled into a cold smile. He struck the ground with his cane, silencing the noise in the Golden Throne Hall, and then spoke:"Though my eyes are blind, I can see through the secrets of heaven. Just now, I calculated your life destiny and glimpsed a hidden corner."

Ouyang Sheng, hands behind his back, squinted his eyes, mocking as if watching a clown perform.

"Ouyang Sheng, from Longshang County in Cyan State, born into poverty, joined the army, and through a series of military achievements, defied fate to become a third-rank prince."

"These are all well-known facts. Are you proud to say that?" Ouyang Sheng laughed.

Only Jiang Canghai and the leader of the Imperial Guard, Lin Lu, were secretly alarmed, exchanging glances, knowing what Meng Qingzhou was doing.

The Sage's prophecy!

Meng Qingzhou ignored him and continued:"Mid-year before last, ten counties in Cyan State, nearly a hundred thousand people, died from a strange poison. This shocking disaster never found its source and ended without resolution."

At this point, Meng Qingzhou paused, his expression darkening, filled with murderous intent:"The truth is, Prince Ouyang Sheng of Longshang, to break through to the Mountain Moving Realm, practiced a forbidden technique, sacrificing and poisoning a hundred thousand people! A heinous crime, unforgivable!"

Ouyang Sheng's expression changed slightly, his pupils contracting, and he shouted: "How dare you slander me! Do you believe I won't cut you down!"

Meng Qingzhou, leaning on his cane, took step after step towards Ouyang Sheng, coldly saying:"Do you also want evidence? Fine, I'll give you evidence!"

With that, Meng Qingzhou murmured a string of obscure and awkward incantations.

In the next moment, the once elegant Prince of Longshang let out a painful roar, his pupils turning pitch black, his spine rising like a blade.

The ministers were shocked, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"This is an ancient demon-summoning incantation! How did the Prince of Longshang fall into the demonic path!?"

"The Vice Minister of Rites was not lying. Ouyang Sheng, this traitor, is indeed the culprit behind the disaster in Cyan State two years ago!"

"He sacrificed a hundred thousand people just like that, such cruelty!"

***

The civil and military officials, masters of shifting with the wind, immediately jumped out to criticize, seeing that Ouyang Sheng had fallen into the demonic path and was undoubtedly the mastermind behind the Cyan State disaster.

The Empress waved her hand and said sternly: "Take him away and execute him by a thousand cuts! Use the blood and flesh of the Prince of Longshang to honor the hundred thousand souls who died unjustly in Cyan State. Minister Meng, continue."

These words made everyone present tremble.

Meng Qingzhou smiled, thinking: The Empress understands me.

"Those who doubted me earlier, step forward and line up. I'll demonstrate to each of you," Meng Qingzhou said with a warm smile.

The crowd looked at each other, but no one moved for a long time.

"Move," Dongfang Liuli said calmly.

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