Taiyi Dao Fruit

By 7 AM, the sky was already bright, and the officials at the early court were all present.

The early court of Great Zhou was not like in Jiang Li's previous ancient life, where one had to leave home before dawn; the world of cultivation naturally has its conveniences, reducing some unnecessary procedures. However, even in Great Zhou, around 7 AM, the early court was generally drawing to a close or even ending, with officials returning to their posts—some pretending to work, others genuinely doing so.

But today, by 7 AM, the officials were still standing quietly without a word.

This was because two key figures had not yet arrived.

— The Gongsun Family Master and the newly appointed Minister of Works.

Without these two, the early court could not truly begin.

From the current situation, it seemed the newly appointed Minister of Works was possibly trying to assert his authority.

But this assertion of authority was taking far too long.

The Princess sitting beside the Dragon Throne was becoming impatient and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Could it be that this master and disciple have really gotten caught up together?"

Though the Princess had initially nodded in agreement to set them up, she now somewhat disbelieved that the old rival started to pursue fresh targets. After all, that was Tianxuan.

Thinking this, she couldn't help but become curious to confirm how far Tianxuan and Jiang Li had progressed.

Time slowly ebbed away as they waited, and at 7:15 AM, a loud announcement could be heard from outside the hall.

"Minister Jiang has arrived."

He wasn't addressed by name, but by his position, a special privilege of being recognized without the need to bow. Even the Emperor would address him as "Minister of Works" instead of "Jiang Li." When Imperial power predominated, this was a sign of favor from the Emperor to a minister.

When Imperial power waned, it meant even the Emperor could not directly call a minister by his name, as the status of a minister somewhat caught up to that of the Emperor.

Therefore, essentially, being recognized without bowing was closely linked to being a powerful minister.

And not hurrying to court indicated that one could walk with long strides, not needing to deliberately control one's pace to show respect.

In front of the Ziwei Hall, Jiang Li wore the Nine Chapter Robe and was girded with a long sword, striding forward with a majestic presence that seemed to herald the arrival of a new era, causing the officials to look on apprehensively.

The wind of the court seemed to be changing.

Even King You and Meng Jun, who were seated at the base of the hall head, stared intensely at the figure entering the hall, their gaze lingering particularly long on the robes worn by Jiang Li.

The crimson robes bore the pattern of the Nine Chapters, representing the status of a Prince and the Three Dukes, yet different from the usual royal robes.

According to the Great Zhou protocols, the Emperor's robes carried twelve chapters representing the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragon, ancestral sacrificial vessel, flourishing insect, algae, fire, rice patties, multicolored designs, and the last chapter patterns; Princes and the Three Dukes ranked next, using the mountain and dragon nine chapters, followed by the Nine Ministers with seven chapters of the flourishing insect.

The difference between the Emperor and the princes lay in the chapters of the sun, moon, and stars.

However, Jiang Li's robes substituted the flourishing insect and rice patties with the sun and moon. This signified the position of the Jiang Family Master, representing power shared with Jiangshan Mountain, such that even members of the Royal Family outside the Emperor could not wear this attire.

Everyone present understood the significance of this Nine Chapter Robe, and Jiang Li's official entry into court in such attire seemed to signify a certain intent.

Under everyone's gaze, Jiang Li thus walked with large strides to the head of the hall, then turned around to survey the officials and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, thank you for waiting. My master is unwell, and before I left, she said that her will is my will, so I will assume the authority of the Gongsun Family Master on her behalf."

At these words, King You's brows twitched.

It was perfectly acceptable for the Jiang Family Master to claim a princedom and use the reference of 'I alone.' However, despite it being permissible, previous Jiang Family Masters had still slightly avoided such self-reference, mainly substituting it with an official position or other titles.

Most of the time, this kind of self-reference was exclusively used by members of the Ji Family.

And then there was Tianxuan authorizing Jiang Li to act on her behalf...

Such a blatant favoring of outsiders was clear without any pretense.

King You couldn't understand what kind of enchantment Jiang Li had cast on Tianxuan to garner such trust in this young member of the Jiang family.

Suddenly, a turmoil stirred in King You's heart, darkening his expression.

As he demonstrated his disapproval, the atmosphere in the hall swiftly turned heavy—a storm was on the horizon.

"Since the Gongsun Family Master has expressed her will in such a manner, then by the will of the Gongsun Family Master, let it be so."

The Princess, sensing a shift in the atmosphere, immediately spoke out in support of Jiang Li, saying, "Servants, bring a seat."

Someone promptly brought a chair and placed it in the highest position in the hall, right beside King You.

Then, the Princess continued, "Liangzhou Province has been secured, and the Taiping Sect has finally been destroyed. Minister Jiang has played a crucial role in this. My lords, what rewards do you think Minister Jiang deserves?"

"Not so fast."

After the Princess finished speaking, King You immediately responded, "I believe that before we discuss Minister Jiang's contributions, there is another matter that needs urgent attention."

He stood up, faced the Princess, and declared loudly, "When the Emperor was assassinated, he moved to the South Garden to recuperate. Meanwhile, the Taiping rebels caused chaos in the court. Fortunately, the Princess took the risky mandate, overseeing the nation and managing the court, which helped us survive the crisis. Now that the rebels are quelled, I believe it is time to welcome the Emperor back to the palace to regain control of the court."

His words rang out loud and clear, silencing the hall.

Immediately afterward, several court officials stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said, "We second the motion."

Officials from the faction of the Second Prince agreed en masse, indicating that it was time to bring the Emperor back to the palace.

Since the Emperor would return, naturally, the Princess would have to relinquish power.

Whether or not the Emperor could regain control over court politics after returning was a matter for the future to decide. For now, the focus was on having the Princess step down from ruling.

King You spoke, also addressing the two present Three Dukes, "Mr. Meng, Minister Jiang, what are your thoughts? The Princess is a woman after all, and there are proprieties to consider. During these days, there has been quite a bit of gossip within and outside Divine Capital, claiming that 'a hen crows at dawn' is not suitable. We must be cautious about this. Moreover, that Prince Consort..."

King You's statement was incomplete, but his implication was clear.

The gossip was manageable, but the situation with Feng Manlou was hard to explain.

This Ji Family's affiliated son-in-law had been exposed as a member of the Feng family and had been linked to the Great Venerable of the Demon God Sect, which was a significant vulnerability for the Princess. The Great Venerable had attempted to assassinate the Emperor; anyone associated with him was tainted. Even if they executed the Dragon King's son-in-law now, it wouldn't be considered excessive.

Jiang Li had seen this coming; the Yin Law Department had withheld action previously, choosing instead to make their move now.

When the crisis demanded a scapegoat, they remained silent, but once the crisis was over, they began to settle old scores. How could such vermin possibly restore the greatness of Great Zhou?

But Jiang Li couldn't deny that this was standard bureaucratic maneuvering—it was shameless but effective.

By seizing the flaw presented by Feng Manlou, even if the Princess wanted to object, it would be difficult for her to speak out. King You's action had effectively undermined the Princess's authority.

'What a pity...'

A hint of mockery flashed through Jiang Li's mind as he clapped his hands and said, "King You speaks well. Given the connection between the Prince Consort and the Great Venerable, we must indeed be cautious, and it is only reasonable and proper for the Princess to recuse herself."

King You: "?"

He had intended to let Meng Jun speak, to gauge the intentions of the Eldest Prince's faction since the Meng Family had already betrayed them once. However, he hadn't expected that rather than Meng Jun speaking, it was Jiang Li who agreed, effectively stabbing the Princess in the back.

King You pondered over the purpose of Jiang Li's words; he didn't believe that this junior member of the Jiang family would so kindly help him.

In the next moment, without needing further thought from King You, Jiang Li continued, "In my view, the Princess should indeed recuse herself. However, given that the Emperor's injuries have not yet fully healed, we shouldn't act recklessly to avoid worsening his condition. The only solution is to select a suitable candidate to oversee the nation and regency."

"This person must have great righteousness, capable of overseeing the court politics."

"This person must have great achievements, able to gain the public's trust."

"This person must have great virtue, able to make the Princess, the Gongsun Family Master, and all the officials agree to the transfer of regent powers."

As King You listened, he felt that something was amiss.

The person Jiang Li was describing, could it be himself?

Ji and Jiang, sharing the realm. Naturally, the Crown Prince is the primary successor only when the Emperor is near death. With the Crown Prince not yet appointed, the next person with great righteousness is not a prince but the Jiang Family Master.

Jiang Li, having recently quelled the Taiping Sect, was naturally unmatched in terms of great achievements.

As for so-called great virtue, it really meant having enough support, and with enough support comes the appearance of virtue. With the Princess, Gongsun Family, and Imperial College behind him, Jiang Li indeed had considerable virtue.

Thinking this, King You couldn't help but curse internally:

'Ambitious as a wolf! Truly, ambitious as a wolf! Earth Uncle was right; this Jiang family is indeed innately rebellious, all of them traitors and rebels.'