Chapter 212 My family affairs, and even my uncle has to interfere?

Xiao Che's icy "Empress" was like a block of ice, suddenly crashing into the already frozen atmosphere in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Everyone's heart tightened at the sound of that rebuke.

The royalist officials looked on in despair, thinking that it was all over and His Majesty was going to sacrifice the Empress in public to preserve his imperial authority! Meanwhile, the Regent's faction members all had barely suppressed smiles on their faces, ready to enjoy a good show of the Emperor and Empress turning against each other.

Regent Xiao Yuan remained bowed, his eyes brimming with smugness and sneer.

He looked at his arrogant nephew, watching him turn his anger on his wife, and felt a surge of vengeful pleasure.

He wanted to see how the emperor and empress, who had just survived a life-or-death ordeal, would turn on each other in this desperate situation where national law and personal feelings clashed!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lin Wanwan made her move.

She slowly rose from her seat, her magnificent phoenix robe now seeming like a heavy burden, making her figure appear exceptionally frail. She didn't look at anyone, but instead gazed with her watery eyes, sorrowful yet pleading, at Xiao Che on the dragon throne.

She moved gracefully, step by step, down the high platform and walked to the center of the main hall.

Every step was so difficult and so frustrating.

Finally, under the amused gazes of the civil and military officials and the regent, she gracefully bowed in Xiao Che's direction, her whole being like a delicate flower ravaged by wind and rain, kneeling on the ground.

A clear, slightly trembling voice echoed softly within the hall.

"His Majesty……"

The two words, though simple, were already tinged with a heavy nasal tone, as if the speaker had suffered a great injustice but had no choice but to endure it.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty's relatives are guilty. As Empress, I failed in my duty to discipline them and am to blame." Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her voice was choked with sobs. "But... But please, Your Majesty, consider... consider the many days I have served you, and show leniency..."

These words caused an uproar in the audience!

This is hardly an apology; it's clearly an act of arrogance and a blatant attempt to use past favors to protect the bride's family and place them above the law!

That's absolutely... incredibly stupid!

Many officials secretly shook their heads. It seemed that although the Empress had made many remarkable achievements in the past, she was still a woman after all. Once her family's affairs were involved, she lost her sense of propriety and only knew how to make a fuss.

Xiao Che looked at Lin Wanwan kneeling below and listened to her "ignorant" remarks. His face instantly turned so gloomy it could drip water!

"Bang--!"

A deafening bang made everyone's eardrums ache!

Xiao Che suddenly slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne and stood up abruptly! The jade wine cup in front of him was shaken by the force, causing the fine wine inside to spill everywhere.

"A woman's view!"

The emperor's roar was like a muffled thunderclap from the heavens, filled with unquestionable majesty and boundless rage!

"The laws of the land are not child's play! The dignity of the royal family cannot be tarnished! As the Empress, instead of sharing my burdens and correcting my conduct, you plead for a criminal! Are you trying to make me a laughingstock to the world?!"

Every word he uttered was like an ice dagger, stabbing fiercely at Lin Wanwan.

That resolute and ruthless demeanor left no doubt to anyone that the emperor was truly enraged!

Lin Wanwan trembled at his roar. She slowly raised her head, her beautiful face already streaked with tears. She stared in disbelief at the furious man on the dragon throne, her eyes filled with hurt and disappointment.

"Your Majesty..." she cried, her voice filled with sorrow, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I just felt that they were, after all, my family... How could you be so heartless and ungrateful? Have you forgotten who shielded you from the poisoned arrow at the hunting grounds? Have you forgotten who fought alongside you on the night of the palace coup?"

These words only added fuel to the fire!

She actually brought up old grievances in front of all the civil and military officials, using them to blackmail the emperor!

"Shut up!" Xiao Che's anger seemed to have been completely ignited. He pointed at Lin Wanwan and rebuked her sharply, "What a fine way to say you're fighting side by side! Lin Wanwan, do you think that just because you've achieved some merit, you can control the court and interfere with the law? Let me tell you, the throne of this Great Liang belongs to the Xiao family! My family affairs are none of your business, you woman!"

"You..." Lin Wanwan trembled with anger at these heartless words. She pointed at Xiao Che, tears streaming down her face, "Xiao Che! You... how could you treat me like this..."

She cried her heart out, as if the man before her had ripped her heart to shreds.

What was originally a palace banquet full of political calculations has in the blink of an eye turned into a fierce quarrel between the emperor and empress and between husband and wife!

Xiao Che accused the Empress of being unreasonable, arrogant and domineering; the Empress, in turn, lamented that the Emperor was heartless, ungrateful and treacherous.

The two argued back and forth, completely forgetting all important state affairs.

Seeing this farcical scene unfold before them, the royalist officials were ashen-faced, feeling as if the sky were about to fall. Meanwhile, the "troubled" expression on Regent Xiao Yuan's face had vanished, replaced by an undisguised, smug smile.

It's done!

It's done!

His move not only put Xiao Che in a dilemma, but also unexpectedly ignited the long-standing discord between the Emperor and Empress!

Looking at his nephew who was raging on the dragon throne and the empress who was crying her eyes out on the ground, Xiao Yuan felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration!

An emperor who has lost his empress, his strongest ally, is nothing more than a tiger cub with its claws pulled out. What threat can he pose?

However, he did not see it.

As Lin Wanwan knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, a chilling mockery flashed deep within her tear-blurred eyes as she seemingly wiped away her tears with her wide sleeves.

Act it out.

Continue the performance.

Old fox, the happier you are now, the more gruesome your death will be later.

This "argument" finally came to an end with Xiao Che's angry roar filled with "disappointment" and "exhaustion".

"Enough!"

Xiao Che seemed exhausted from the noise. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his anger, and issued his final decree in an extremely cold and hard voice.

"Someone come here!"

Two guards immediately stepped forward.

Xiao Che didn't even glance at Lin Wanwan on the ground; his voice was devoid of any emotion.

"Issue my decree! Dismiss that distant relative of the Empress from his post, investigate him, confiscate his property, and bar his entire family from holding office for three generations! This matter will be jointly tried by the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice, and there will be absolutely no leniency!"

This decree was extremely harsh, leaving the Empress no room for leniency whatsoever!

"As for you..." Xiao Che finally lowered his head and looked at Lin Wanwan, who was slumped on the ground, with a look of utter disappointment, as if he were looking at a stranger.

He didn't say anything more, but simply flicked the sleeve of his dragon robe heavily!

Then, amidst the awe-inspiring yet complex gazes of everyone, the young emperor turned and left in anger without looking back!

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"

Lin Wanwan watched his resolute back and let out a shrill cry. Then, as if all her strength had been drained, her delicate body went limp and she collapsed completely onto the cold floor tiles.

Her eyes were lifeless, and tears continued to fall silently. She looked like a statue of utter despair.

The performance was flawless from beginning to end.

The Regent, seeing this scene before him, could no longer suppress the smile on his lips.

He knew that from this day forward, the world of the palace was about to change.

And he will be the biggest winner.