On that aged face, a strange smile unexpectedly emerged.
Lin Yi was left standing there, his face a mix of frustration and helplessness.
Weeding in this scorching heat, isn't this bullying?
Moreover, he came here to learn how to dress and groom, not to pull weeds and do chores.
If he didn't escape from the Imperial Palace, he would definitely not stay here as a servant.
Of course, serving people is still something he could 'do'.
Whoosh...
Just as Lin Yi was frowning and contemplating whether to turn around and leave, he heard a whooshing sound of the wind.
Following that, a hoe surprisingly flew out of the room entered by the old eunuch.
Finally, with a Duang sound, it embedded itself into the big tree next to Lin Yi.
Seeing how it penetrated three parts into the wood, Lin Yi was startled by the force.
"I, I, holy shit! What kind of Immortal strength is this?"
...
Let us talk about the court at this moment.
The young Emperor sat atop the Dragon Chair, with civil and military officials standing to the left and right below him.
"Present your matters, if none, the court is dismissed..."
After this sentence was shouted by the grand eunuch in front of the hall, the entire court immediately fell into a silence where a pin drop could be heard.
The young Emperor's gaze coldly swept across the officials below, watching these people with an expression that seemed to be looking without seeing, his eyes unavoidably filled with helplessness.
This situation, of course, did not mean that the whole country was at peace, but rather, his role as the Emperor was almost entirely being marginalised.
Yes, the officials below were nearly split into two factions.
Don't think too much about it; one faction belonged to Prince Yong'an of the Fourth Prince, and the other belonged to Prince Yongding of the Sixth Prince.
Regarding the young Emperor, no one in court dared to support her openly.
These two factions were almost balanced in power, neither able to overpower the other.
The Fourth Prince had essentially garnered all the Ministers of the Six Ministries under his control, obtaining all the Chiefs of Staff in the court for his faction.
This gave him control over the upper echelons of You Country's power.
Not only that, beyond the Six Ministries, the 8,000 Right Martial Guards protecting the Imperial Palace were also under his control.
It could be said that all the guards within the palace listened to the Fourth Prince.
As for Prince Yongding of the Sixth Prince, though he did not control You Country's high officials, a majority of the country's officials were closely allied with him.
Moreover, Prince Yongding also held command over the 20,000 soldiers of the Imperial Camp, giving his words significant weight in the court.
This allowed both factions to balance each other in power, with neither able to overpower the other.
Of course, this also had a benefit for the young Emperor; under these circumstances, she was relatively safe.
After all, the two factions were restraining each other.
Everyone had the power to move against the young Emperor, but none dared to make a move.
If someone truly made a move on the young Emperor, they would be immediately blamed for conspiring to usurp the throne.
Additionally, the opposing faction would certainly seize the opportunity to eliminate the instigator under the banner of quelling rebellion.
Then, they could righteously and justly take over the throne of You Country.
Both the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince were acutely aware of this fact.
Thus, they tacitly chose to sideline the young Emperor instead of outright overthrowing her.
Some might ask, would the young Emperor not try to win over ministers and cultivate her own supporters?
The answer, indeed, was affirmative. She had done so.
After all, her position as the Emperor was rightfully inherited, so naturally, some people chose to follow her.
However, when those choosing to side with the young Emperor's camp started facing a series of unfortunate incidents, everyone understood the situation.
Eventually, it reached a point where merely revealing the intention to align with the Emperor's camp meant being immediately eliminated by the two princes.
This made everyone repress any thoughts of supporting the young Emperor.
Even the loyal subordinates of the previous Emperor quietly withdrew and dared not show any partiality.
Of course, there were also a few neutrals in the court.
They belonged neither to the young Emperor nor to the two princes.
Take, for instance, the father of the Empress whom the young Emperor was about to marry, General Mu, who was one such neutral party.
General Mu was one of the founding heroes of You Country and a capable subordinate of the former Emperor.
Although he currently did not hold much military power, only commanding a modest force of 5,000 from the Left Martial Guard of the Capital City...
His status in the military was still unshakeable.
Thus, both the Fourth Prince and Sixth Prince extended olive branches to him, seeking to incorporate him into their factions.
However, General Mu, who was highly principled and deeply loyal to the old Emperor, utterly scorned the wild ambitions of the two princes.
This directly angered both princes, leading them to start various tactics to suppress him.
The simplest example was the annual military salary of the Left Martial Guard, which never went through smoothly.
Of course, that was just a simple example.
This consequently caused General Mu to adopt a very passive stance in court, continuously facing exclusion and isolation.
Regarding why he did not choose to support the young Emperor under such circumstances?
This was also a concern for General Mu.
In that battle where the old Emperor perished, the young Emperor was directly appointed as the regent.
But no one expected the old Emperor to die on the battlefield.
When General Mu returned after repelling the rebels, he found that the situation in court had completely changed.
It was no longer something he could resolve.
The young Emperor, already sidelined, had no power left.
Looking at his own situation, he was also at a stage where he could hardly protect himself. If he had joined the young Emperor's camp, it would likely have only brought her trouble.
Thus, since his return from that battle, General Mu had, over the years, begun to claim illness and abstain from attending court.
Eventually, the two princes stopped bothering with him.
However, his sudden decision to marry his daughter to the Emperor once again enraged the two princes.
Both had already started plotting how to eliminate this old man!
Of course, saying all this does not mean that the current young Emperor was completely isolated and powerless.
Apart from the current court situation, the young Emperor did have some hidden pieces of her own.
Like the two white-robed women Lin Yi had previously encountered, they were under the young Emperor's command.
Although their number was small, each was highly skilled and agile...
…End of the chapter…