Qin Yi gave a lazy nod toward Qin Ling, his version of a formal greeting.
Qin Yu couldn’t help but feel a surge of indignation.
Even though Qin Yi was her father’s brother, Qin Ling was the Emperor.
In the middle of the imperial court, how could he be so dismissive of etiquette?
She felt the dignity of the royal family was being trampled.
As a member of that family, it felt like a direct slap to her face!
However, Qin Ling merely nodded back slightly without showing the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.
This pushed Qin Yu’s anger to its limit.
Qin Yi had brought a private army into the court and entered the hall wearing his sword and boots.
These were crimes punishable by death.
Why was her father being so indulgent?
After finishing his half-hearted greeting, Qin Yi sat down in his chair with a slouch, acting like he owned the place.
He glanced sideways at Qin Yu, his arrogance and insolence on full display.
Luo Shangyu noticed that Qin Yu’s breathing had become heavy.
She knew that Qin Yu was truly furious.
Under the table, she gently pressed her hand against Qin Yu’s thigh to prevent her from doing anything impulsive.
Qin Yu covered Luo Shangyu’s hand with her own and took a deep breath to suppress her agitation.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, “I won’t do anything rash.”
Luo Shangyu turned her hand over to grip Qin Yu’s and whispered into her ear, “Do not fall out with Qin Yi yet. We need to discuss a strategy and plan this out carefully.”
Qin Yu didn’t know what other outrageous stunts Qin Yi might pull next, so she found it difficult to promise Luo Shangyu that she wouldn’t lose her temper right then and there.
She didn’t want to make a promise she couldn’t keep, so she simply replied in a low voice, “I’ll be careful.”
Opposite Qin Yu, Qin Yi remained insufferable, acting as if he were the true Emperor.
In the dark corners along the walls of the hall, guards stood holding axes and halberds.
They should have been the ones to stop Qin Yi’s transgressive behavior, but they just stood there, motionless.
Qin Yu looked closer and realized that many of the soldiers were unfamiliar faces.
She didn’t recognize any of them.
‘This is strange…’ Qin Yu thought, her mind filling with doubt.
Although these men belonged to the Imperial Guard—a force of over 1,000 men responsible for patrolling and guarding the palace—only about 100 were qualified to stand inside Weiyang Hall.
Qin Yu had participated in court sessions for years.
Even if these guards rotated shifts during the sessions, she should have seen all of them at some point.
Even if she couldn’t remember their names, she should at least recognize their faces.
But now, Qin Yu didn’t recognize a single one.
She was almost certain that the guards standing in the hall were definitely not the same people as before.
Qin Yu turned and asked the Supervisor of the East Palace, “Where are the previous guards? Why do the ones on duty today look like new recruits?”
The Supervisor leaned down and whispered into Qin Yu’s ear, “These men are from the army Qin Yi brought. He has already replaced the Imperial Guard in the palace with his own soldiers.”
‘No wonder…’ Qin Yu scanned the soldiers in the hall again.
She didn’t recognize a single face.
The palace guards had been replaced.
Qin Yi had moved with a speed that Qin Yu never could have imagined.
She felt as though Qin Yi had silently cast a massive net, surrounding her completely.
“This is a serious matter,” Luo Shangyu whispered, having overheard the conversation.
“We must recruit a new guard immediately, or our safety will be at risk!”
“You’re right.” Qin Yu nodded.
This was the only solution she could think of for the moment.
She planned to mobilize some of the Capital City’s garrison forces to be stationed at the East Palace just in case.
But considering the size of the army Qin Yi had brought into the city, Qin Yu felt that even that might not be enough…
While she was deep in thought, a loud, heavy bell resonated throughout Weiyang Hall.
This was the signal for the start of the court session.
The heavy doors of the hall were opened by eunuchs, and sunlight from outside illuminated the entrance.
On the vast square outside the hall, the civil and military officials had been waiting for a long time.
Led by Xu Feng, the Director of the Department of State Affairs, the officials marched into the main hall of Weiyang Hall in unison.
They stood holding their tablets, most remaining silent.
Only the ministers of the Six Ministries would say a few words when it was their turn to report.
Among these people, many had already defected to Qin Yi’s camp.
Qin Yu studied their faces, hoping to discern who had betrayed her.
But every face wore a solemn expression.
It made sense; Qin Yi had entered Yong’an City with an aggressive military force.
Everyone was terrified, fearing that a coup might break out and catch them in the crossfire.
In this atmosphere of widespread fear, everyone was acting as cautiously as possible to avoid being executed.
However, many people still stole curious glances at Qin Yu.
The news of Qin Yu’s gender change had already spread like wildfire through the streets, and they were intensely curious.
Now that they could see her with their own eyes, none of them wanted to miss the opportunity.
The routine court session mostly consisted of officials reporting the previous day’s work from their respective departments.
The Emperor would then propose drafts for new policies and ask for opinions.
Qin Ling ignored state affairs and hadn’t thought about creating any new policies, so the session consisted only of the reporting phase.
Qin Yu found the whole thing incredibly boring.
Bored out of her mind, Qin Yu stared at the wood grain on the table in front of her.
Finally, after everyone had finished their reports, Qin Ling spoke, “The Crown Prince returned from the campaign yesterday. Qin Yu, give us a summary of the expedition.”
As for the details of the combat, Qin Yu didn’t need to say much.
Everyone had already learned the general situation through the battle reports she had sent back earlier.
They only wanted to know what had happened after Zhu Xun declared her “missing,” and how she had ended up returning with the enemy’s commander-in-chief.
Qin Yu weighed her words carefully.
Mixing truth with fiction, she told them how she had been defeated by Luo Shangyu during a sneak attack and how she had eventually convinced Luo Shangyu to join the Chengji Empire.
To preserve her glorious image, Qin Yu glossed over the parts where she was forced to drink the Transformation Potion, her punishment at the hands of Luo Shangyu, and the experience of wearing the Magic Collar.
Listening to Qin Yu’s almost entirely fabricated “heroic deeds,” Luo Shangyu had to use all her strength to keep from laughing out loud.
When Qin Yu finished her story, the officials remained silent.
No one spoke.
On the dragon throne, Qin Ling nodded; he had already heard the full account from Yin An and knew what Qin Yu had gone through.
Seeing that no one else was speaking, Qin Yu thought she might avoid being impeached for her defeat and capture.
But then, Qin Yi suddenly spoke up, “Qin Yu, let’s talk about you,” Qin Yi said, his tone arrogant and condescending.
“It’s one thing to lose a battle, but why did you go and change your gender?”
Hearing this, Qin Yu felt her vision go dark.
He was intentionally picking a fight!
She thought to herself: ‘Am I supposed to say that I drank too much potion by mistake while trying to avoid capture, resulting in a Permanent Transformation, only to be caught by Luo Shangyu anyway?’
That was impossible!
For a moment, Qin Yu couldn’t think of an explanation at all.
She sat there for a long time, unable to say a single word.
“Stay calm!” Luo Shangyu whispered in her ear, “You don’t have to answer his question directly…”
Luo Shangyu’s words were cryptic, but Qin Yu caught the meaning almost instantly…