I woke up as the Villainous Empress

166 Confrontation.

Main Palace Hall.

As the Crown Prince and the temporary sovereign of the Empire, Zheng Liang was heading the afternoon royal court session in the absence of His Majesty.

He was in the middle of the meeting and discussing the pending cases with the ministers when Gu Lan came to him and whispered something in his ears.

“Yang Ning did that?” After hearing the report given by Gu Lan, Zheng Liang was surprised that Yang Ning would do something like that.

After ordering the guards to not allow anyone inside His Majesty’s chamber, he asked Gu Lan to keep an eye on the situation and update him about the slightest movement of everyone.

However, he was surprised when Gu Lan informed him about what happened in front of His Majesty’s chamber a while ago. He was not expecting Yang Ning to support him behind his back and help him deal with the Empress.

She not only successfully stopped the Empress from entering His Majesty’s chamber without creating much drama but also sent the incense stick and natural oil given by the Empress to Master Jiang without her knowing.

This makes it clear that she suspects the Empress of His Majesty’s condition. If she had been on Yang Luoyang and Yang Lingxin’s side, she would have never attempted to do that.

The slightest suspicion that he had about her vanished because of her actions and he could not be happier than this about the whole situation.

.....

“Alright. Get on with your work now.” Zheng Liang asked Gu Lan to go back to his work upon noticing everyone’s curious gazes on him.

After Gu Lan returned to his position, Zheng Liang faced everyone and continued with the court session and pointed to one of the Ministers to lead the following case, “Minister Lao, what was the next case about?”

All of the minister’s expressions became stiff and it was obvious that they were itching to say something to him.

Zheng Liang pursed his lips as he could sense why they were acting like this. He was expecting this situation to occur sooner or later. But he was surprised that it was happening so soon.

“What is it? Is there something that I should be aware of?” He asked solemnly.

The ministers cleared their throats awkwardly when Zheng Liang suddenly asked them a question. Everyone exchanged meaningful glances and was hoping for one another to speak up about the matter in front of Zheng Liang.

“Minister Lao, I asked you a question. Is there something that you would like to talk about?” Zheng Liang asked coldly when no one responded to his question. They do not hesitate to show their reluctance towards him but they become tight-lipped when it comes to speaking and owning up to their responsibilities.

Minister Lao who was standing in the first row of the ministers pursed his lips when Zheng Liang asked him the question and put him in a tight spot. He looked at everyone in hesitance and glanced at Minister Yang Luoyang who was standing in the corner before saying, “Your Highness, it has been a few weeks since His Majesty has been unwell and could not attend the royal court sessions.”

“Everyone in the court is worried about his health and wondering how he is doing now.” He spoke up.

Zheng Liang understood their worries and assured everyone, “His Majesty is doing fine now. Master Jiang has been treating him and after a few days of rest, he will resume court duties when he feels better.”

The ministers pursed their lips and exchanged glances with each other as they were not satisfied with Zheng Liang’s response. This was not the only thing that they were worried about.

Yang Luoyang, who was standing in the corner, shook his head in disappointment at the cowardice of Minister Lao and decided to take things into his hands. He stepped ahead and raised another query, “Your Highness, we got to know that you have banned everyone from meeting His Majesty and entering his chamber, including Her Majesty. How can you make this decision without discussing it with your cabinet of ministers?”

“Do you not believe in us or do you think you can do anything since you have become the temporary sovereign of the Empire?” Yang Luoyang asked coldly without circling his words like Minister Lao did earlier.

He was enraged when Yang Lingxin told him about the new orders given by Zheng Liang and was shouting at him for not doing anything about it. How can he know about it when no one knew about such orders?

He is just a temporary ruler who is filling the seat of His Majesty for a while. How dare he think that he has the right to go against them and make independent decisions?

If he thinks that they will accept him as their Emperor just because he is the Crown Prince, then he is wrong. There are many instances where the Crown Prince does not become the Emperor and Zheng Liang’s case will be one of them.

He will make sure of that. If Zheng Liang dares to go against him, he will not hesitate to throw him out of the palace.

__

The other ministers were surprised by the bold question of Minister Yang and were secretly admiring him for being vocal and confident about his claims. These questions were in everyone’s heads but they were reluctant to speak up in front of Zheng Liang.

They were also surprised how Zheng Liang announced this order without discussing it with them beforehand. Does he not respect the cabinet of ministers at all?

However, as always Yang Luoyang didn’t disappoint them with his bold and brazen question to the royal authority.

While the ministers were glad that Yang Luoyang confronted the Crown Prince, Zheng Liang couldn’t help but admire how shameless Yang Luoyang could be. Does he think that this boldness of his would intimidate him?

Zheng Liang raised his brows and looked at Yang Luoyang with a smirk on his face, “Minister Yang, I think you are forgetting that the responsibility of the cabinet of ministers is to support the King and make sure that the orders are being executed perfectly.”

“The king can choose to discuss his decisions with the cabinet of ministers but he does not need to do this in every single situation. As a crucial member of the cabinet of ministers, you should be responsible and make sure that everyone follows this order without any fail rather than questioning my intention.” He told him off coldly in front of everyone.

Yang Luoyang frowned and clenched his fists before speaking up, “His Highness is right. We support His Majesty to rule the Empire and carry out his orders. However, His Highness is still the Crown Prince of the Empire and doesn’t have the status to control the cabinet of ministers. In that case, you should discuss it with us before releasing any order.”

“If you are ignoring our status as ministers of the cabinet, then we would be forced to assume that His Highness is not doing all of this for the sake of the Empire but himself.” He said loudly to show the mirror of reality to Zheng Liang.

Someone needs to question his authority to make him realize that he is just a puppet of the minister’s schemes and nothing else.

He is still the Crown Prince and hasn’t become the Emperor of the Empire. How dare he act as if he has the right to lead the cabinet of ministers.

Zheng Liang wasn’t surprised by Yang Luoyang’s hostile behavior towards him and said, “I think you still do not know what is going on in the royal court. Yesterday, His Majesty gave me the right to lead the royal court and make decisions without needing to discuss them with anyone. As the temporary sovereign of this royal throne, I have every right and authority to decide for the betterment of the royal court and do not need to explain my actions to anyone.”

“If you think that what I did was inappropriate and should have asked you before making that decision, then I will have no choice but to assume that Minister Yang does not respect His Majesty’s decisions and wishes to go against his choices. Minister Yang, are you telling me that you wish to go against the royal order when you should be supporting me instead?” Zheng Liang asked coldly and did not hesitate to put him in his position.

If he dares to question him in front of everyone, then there is no reason for him to stay silent about his matter either.

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