The intensity of the disputes among the various factions in the imperial court the following day surpassed even that of a bustling farmers' market.

Following the customary morning obeisance to His Majesty, a profound silence descended, reminiscent of a forest holding its breath just before the rain.

This was not surprising; there is always a suffocating stillness preceding a storm...

Even His Majesty the Emperor, gazing upon the dozen or so conspicuously empty seats and the towering stack of impeachment memorials against Jun Zhantian before him, felt a momentary shock. While expected, the extent was far beyond anticipation—this was excessive, surely?!

Although he had received news and vented his anger the previous night, it had only been names on a piece of paper. Now, seeing nearly half the court empty... the feeling was intensely visceral!

To draw an analogy: imagine a classroom of one hundred students. Hearing that thirty have dropped out or transferred overnight causes little reaction. But facing an empty room the next day... that ratio was not far from the current situation in the Tianxiang Kingdom's court.

The events of the previous night, sparked by the Princess’s assassination attempt and the elder Mr. Jun’s offensive, had unleashed carnage across Tianxiang City—flames and murderous intent everywhere. Over ten high-ranking court officials had lost their heads, and many of them were known to have sworn undying enmity toward the Jun family...

Beyond that shared trait, the other commonality was that these deceased officials had all recently aligned themselves with one of the three princes. This fact was known to everyone but unspoken; at this juncture, speaking carelessly was tantamount to courting death.

Of those who perished last night and were qualified to stand here, precisely twelve were present, divided equally among the three princely factions, four for each. This tally included one Vice Minister of Personnel, two Vice Ministers of the Ministry of State Appointments, one Director, three officials from the Ministry of Rites, one from the Ministry of Revenue, three Censors—and, oh yes, two Grand Academicians. And that was just among those visible; how many more were out of sight?

Collectively, their demise should have caused an immense tremor throughout the court and perhaps even jeopardized the foundations of the state. Yet, through the covert machinations of certain powerful figures, the crisis seemed to have been managed, despite the fact that the architect of this operation was currently seething, his eyes nearly turning blue with fury...

Other perceptive, well-informed, and meticulously observant ministers noticed, either intentionally or coincidentally, a significant number of unfamiliar faces present in the palace for this morning's session. Most of the familiar—even deeply familiar—visages were gone. Take, for instance, Murong Qianjun, the former Captain of the Imperial Bodyguards, whose promotions had been dizzyingly rapid, a truly rare ascent. Yet, this "exceptionally rare" rising star of the Murong clan was now nowhere to be seen...

It appeared the bloodshed inside the palace was hardly less than what occurred outside. A profound unease settled upon many hearts.

"What exactly transpired last night? Why are so many absent today? Can someone inform me!?" His Majesty the Emperor, a master among masters in the 'Politburo,' closed his eyes briefly, then shot a fierce, sidelong glance at Jun Zhantian, who was peacefully meditating nearby. Old Lord Jun looked exhausted from the previous night; that much was evident on his face. Otherwise, how could he appear so listless in court? He looked ready to start snoring...

The Emperor's question, masking clear knowledge with feigned ignorance, signaled the opening salvo of the courtly attack. Immediately, a great number of figures dropped to their knees in unison.

"Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for us!" A mass of ministers, tears welling in their eyes, bowed their heads repeatedly like pounding garlic, a picture of tragic grievance.

"My esteemed ministers, speak your grievances plainly. You may all rise," the Emperor said, frowning with an air of genuine puzzlement.

At these words, dozens of ministers unleashed their full fury upon Old Lord Jun Zhantian. Some accused him of presuming on his merits, flouting military law, and deploying troops for personal vendettas; others condemned him for disregarding imperial statutes and royal authority, acting with utter impunity. Still others charged him with illegally raiding ministers' residences, inciting his subordinates to vandalism—crimes beyond measure. The most audacious even suggested he harbored ambitions of rebellion by maintaining private armies... In total, a relentless barrage of thirty to forty specific charges was leveled, delivered with such conviction and apparent evidence that they seemed utterly true!

This escalated quickly into bold proposals: Jun Zhantian should be stripped of his rank and investigated, executed by slow slicing, his entire family executed, and his nine generations exterminated... The hall erupted into unprecedented turmoil.

Every face was flushed crimson, every person filled with righteous indignation, until the debate reached the historical pinnacle of "Without executing Jun Zhantian, the sovereign cannot be cleansed; without killing Jun Zhantian, the people's wrath cannot be appeased."

Jun Zhantian stood tall, his eyes slightly closed, watching the performance of the court officials. His mind was on his grandson’s injuries, calculating how to ask the Emperor later to release the best head physicians to his home...

"Jun Zhantian! You old wretch, are you truly so audacious? Do you have anything to say for yourself?" The Emperor’s voice was stern, threatening to erupt in rage!

"Your Majesty, I beg to report. Yesterday, I learned that the Princess was attacked on the main thoroughfare outside the Imperial Palace. Although the Princess was blessed with great fortune and escaped unharmed, the sheer madness and brazen disrespect for the Royal dignity shown by the culprits enraged me beyond measure! Furthermore, intelligence suggested the assassins might be planning subsequent actions, specifically targeting members of the Imperial Family and high court officials in a major operation. Fearing delay would result in catastrophe, I rashly mobilized the army to surround and eliminate the assassins without first seeking Your Majesty's approval. On this point, I admit to a grave error of impetuosity. I humbly request Your Majesty's discernment and just punishment!"

The Emperor’s mouth twitched, forcing restraint. You’ve laid out your reasoning so clearly, what in heaven’s name am I supposed to discern?! You’ve painted yourself as the ultimate patriot; if I punish you now, I’ll look like a fool of a monarch! How am I supposed to follow up on this?!

"Continue," the Emperor commanded, knitting his brow, seemingly displeased. Without this follow-up, he genuinely had no idea how to proceed!

"Yes. Deeply concerned, I rushed to the drill grounds late at night without time to change attire, flying there on horseback. Although the troop deployment was swift, the assassins were prepared, and chaos erupted within the city. I bravely led the charge, fighting desperately amidst a hail of assassin blades, finally containing the disaster and slaying every last one of the attackers! These assassins numbered in the hundreds; their corpses now hang at the city gates as a warning. However, I dare not claim merit, for there remains a regret: despite my utmost efforts, dozens of officials could not be reached in time, and they were brutally murdered by the assassins! This entire tragedy is due to my slowness. I willingly accept the guilt of this oversight."

Old Lord Jun sighed deeply, his voice thick with feigned sorrow. "They were, after all, the pillars of our Tianxiang Kingdom." He rubbed his eyes, appearing deeply moved, though in truth, he was beginning to feel sleepy...

Hearing Lord Jun's account, the ministers in the hall exchanged bewildered glances: What? Accept blame for oversight? Accept blame for what, exactly? Look at what you've just said—you are the great hero who saved the entire Tianxiang Kingdom! You acted decisively to pull the nation back from the brink, the very pillar upholding the sinking foundation; moreover, you are the ultimate loyal subject who defended the Royal dignity! It seems if you weren't heavily rewarded, it would be an injustice—yet you ask for punishment?!

Besides, which person present didn't know that the black-clad figures from yesterday were entirely Jun family men? Assassins? What a farce! What is twisting black and white, what is confusing right and wrong? This is it! One has seen shamelessness, but never to this degree. To equate murder with capturing thieves, and confiscation with meritorious service—this is an achievement of a transcendental level!

Awe filled them!

As for the mass of unjustly executed corpses hanging at the city gates, if the jail warden from the Ministry of Justice were asked to identify them, he would surely recognize every single one: they were all death row inmates, whom Grand Marshal Jun had merely preemptively executed...