I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon-Chapter 856 - 320: Empress: Chen Mo Must Be Appointed as Qianhu. Who Approves? Who Opposes? (2)

If it weren't for the exceptional circumstances now, they would have long since started to make a big fuss, and even if they couldn't shake Ding Yi's position, it would have been quite troubling for him!

Assistant Minister of Rites Feng Jinyu silently took two steps back to distance himself from Ding Yi.

Meanwhile, Mei Zhong, who also stepped forward to refute the Crown Prince, lowered his head in silence, feigning indifference.

Ding Yi remained in a posture of kowtowing on the ground, as immovable as a rock.

After a moment, the Empress spoke up, "The Emperor's intentions are unfathomable, difficult to discern. Mr. Ding is concerned for the Earth God, so it's understandable that he mistook it for a good omen. There's no need to make a big fuss... You may rise, Mr. Ding."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Ding Yi stood up, returned to his position amongst the ranks, his official robe already soaked with sweat.

Though he anticipated that the Eastern Royal Palace would seize the opportunity to reshuffle, he didn't expect to be nearly the first target...

"Back to the main topic, Eunuch Jin, brief the ministers on the current situation," said the Empress.

"Yes."

Eunuch Jin stepped forward, unrolled the document in his hand, and his voice echoed through the hall:

"In this turmoil, two hundred thirty-five members of the Imperial Army sacrificed themselves, and fifteen ministers passed away..."

"From Jinglan Street to the South City Gate district, everything was destroyed, countless houses collapsed, and in the Capital City, the civilian deaths and injuries exceeded ten thousand..."

The ministers' expressions gradually became grave.

The losses incurred by the court during this turmoil were incalculable.

These losses weren't only in terms of property but also public trust... If even under the Emperor's feet isn't safe, how can the Jiu Zhou realm be considered stable?

"The urgent task is to carry out the aftermath work properly."

"Displaced victims and the injured have been temporarily settled at a temporary site in the South Suburbs. The Ministry of Construction and Jingzhao Mansion must assess the damages and commence rebuilding work swiftly."

"Additionally, the fallen Imperial Army members, officials, and the civilians implicated in the city will all receive the highest level of compensation."

"These matters must be settled within this month, without any errors."

The Empress methodically stated.

"We obey, Your Majesty!"

The ministers responded in unison.

The Empress tapped her finger on the armrest and continued, "Apart from this, the mastermind behind this turmoil has been identified..."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback!

"What?!"

"So quickly they found the culprit?"

"Who exactly did it?"

The Empress replied indifferently, "Luo Qianshi, please explain."

Dressed in a black official robe, Luo Huaijin stepped forward and stated, "Upon thorough investigation by the Sky Scale Guard, a secret passage was discovered beneath the Prince Yu Mansion. Though it was sealed with concrete, the earthquake-induced fissures revealed its approximate path, leading directly to the South Suburb Temple where the Intense Burning Powder detonated..."

As Luo Huaijin recounted the case, Eunuch Jin placed a stack of documents on the Imperial Desk.

The nearby glass mirror glowed magnificently, projecting the contents of the documents into the air, word for word.

Including evidence such as Prince Yu Mansion's massive recruitment of labor over the years, obtaining city defense maps from Zhu Qiming, the Jingzhao Mansion official, and correspondence with Zhou Jing'an... The details were thoroughly comprehensive.

At this point, the entire event's thread was extremely clear.

"The Prince Yu Mansion has been planning this for years."

Luo Huaijin said solemnly, "First under the guise of renovating the mansion, they excavated tunnels, then instructed the Zhou Family to extract Red Sand with the intent to overthrow Great Yuan's regime. The evidence is irrefutable!"

The court was silent for a moment, then it erupted in chaos!

The ministers knew Chu Heng's actions were dishonest, but they didn't expect him to be so corrupt!

This was outright treason!

With such dire consequences, not even a member of the Imperial Family could be shown any leniency!

"Wait..."

Yu Huai from the Ministry of Personnel mused, "So basically, Chen Mo's judgment was correct from the start, and the mastermind behind the Zhou Family Case was indeed Chu Heng? Before the incident, they had already apprehended the real culprit?"

"Haha, I recall many people once doubted this, clamoring about the 'Eight Trials' system, obstructing Deputy Households Commander Chen from handling the case."

"If from the start we had fully cooperated with Chen Mo and thoroughly investigated the Prince Yu Mansion, this disaster could perhaps have been entirely avoided!"

The ministers who previously impeached Chen Mo wore very unpleasant expressions; the louder they were at the time, the more anxious they felt now.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince did not pursue the matter but instead asked, "Where is Chu Heng now?"

Luo Huaijin replied, "Your Highness, on the day of the ceremony, a large-scale jail break occurred in the Imperial Prison. The guards reacted swiftly, quelling the situation immediately, but Chu Heng managed to escape amidst the chaos and fled the Capital City with the help of Lin Junxian, the East City Commander."

"Escaped?!"

Before the ministers could react, Luo Huaijin continued, "Thankfully, Chen Mo arrived in time and eliminated Chu Heng and the Prince Mansion's Honored Guest accompanying him on the spot, preventing future troubles... However, Prince Yu is still missing and remains under continuous investigation..."

The Crown Prince tilted his head and spoke with a childish tone, "So, Chen Mo solved the case, saved the Emperor, and slew the mastermind? Does it seem like Chen Mo, just by himself, is more effective than all of you combined?"

"..."

Everyone's faces turned bright red.

These words were akin to a slap in the face, yet for a moment they didn't know how to refute.

"Ahem."

Lv Huaiyu cleared his throat, voice like a bell, "While the Crown Prince's words may be somewhat biased, there is truth to them... Chen Mo's extraordinary achievements deserve to be recorded in history and must be heavily rewarded."

Behind the bamboo curtain, the Empress glanced at him with surprise.

The events of today were actually just procedural, intended to gain benefits for Chen Mo, but she hadn't expected Lv Huaiyu to speak proactively, which indeed was somewhat unexpected.