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The Empress Dowager sat in the main seat, her face dark and cold, gripping a piece of information in her hand, emanating a chilling aura that filled the hall with unease. Below her, dozens of her loyal ministers were silent, heads bowed in fear.

The events that had unfolded on the streets of the Imperial Capital had already caused a huge stir throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, spreading rapidly across the capital. These officials had naturally received the news.

The Li family had been exterminated, all nine clans executed. But what was even more crucial was that the Empress Dowager had sent Chen Zhan, commander of the City Defense Force, to test the new emperor’s strength. Unexpectedly, Chen Zhan had been killed by the Emperor.

The Empress Dowager’s cold eyes swept across the dozens of ministers in the hall as she spoke in a frosty tone, “I truly didn’t expect that the new emperor would have a peak Great Power expert at his side, someone strong enough to kill Chen Zhan.”

“It seems we have underestimated the strength of the new emperor.”

From the Empress Dowager’s perspective, Chen Zhan, as the commander of the City Defense Force and a powerful figure at the seventh level of Great Power, should have been enough to test Gu Changsheng’s strength.

However, the outcome was beyond expectation. They had learned of Gu Changsheng’s hidden power, but in exchange, Chen Zhan had been killed by the Emperor’s great expert.

With Chen Zhan’s death, not only had the Empress Dowager lost a trusted ally, but also control over the City Defense Force.

“The mysterious elder who killed Chen Zhan possesses peak Great Power cultivation. Looking across all of Shen Zhou, such a figure wouldn’t go unnoticed.”

“But despite sending spies, we’ve found no trace of this expert.”

“If this strong man is the trump card left by the late emperor for the ninth prince, we can definitely find a clue.”

Liu Wu, the Right Prime Minister, said with a grim face, filled with apprehension.

Any cultivator who reached the Great Expert level would be a prominent figure in Shenzhou. Especially a peak Great Expert, who would be an undeniable force. It seemed impossible for such a person to appear out of nowhere.

If this mysterious expert were truly left behind by the late Emperor, there should have been some clue or record. Yet, they had found none.

Moreover, the same was true of the mysterious Royal Shadow Guards, who seemed to have appeared from thin air.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s beautiful eyes narrowed, and she began to suspect something. “According to what you’re saying, the mysterious expert and the Royal Shadow Guards behind the new emperor may not be left by the late emperor?”

“In that case, there might be a hidden power supporting the new emperor, one whose origins we can’t trace.” The Empress Dowager said with growing suspicion, her expression turning cold, laced with killing intent.

In her original plan, Gu Changsheng was to ascend the throne as a mere puppet under her control, completely at her mercy. But now, things had spiraled out of her control. They still hadn’t figured out the origins of the Royal Shadow Guards or the peak Great Expert behind Gu Changsheng. Until they uncovered these secrets, the Empress Dowager dared not act rashly.

“If the mysterious expert and the Royal Shadow Guards truly were the late Emperor’s secret forces, yet we’ve found no trace of them, then the late Emperor’s methods were far more terrifying than we imagined.” Liu Wu murmured with a furrowed brow, his voice filled with concern.

At these words, the Empress Dowager’s pupils shrank slightly, her face growing cold. She didn’t speak, but inwardly, she understood very well the extent of the late Emperor’s power.

Even though she herself was a former demonic queen of the Demon Sect, she had always feared the late Emperor, Gu Qiangu. Only he could have trained forces as formidable as the Royal Shadow Guards and the mysterious Great Expert.

In the Empress Dowager’s mind, it was clear that if Gu Qiangu had arranged for Gu Changsheng to ascend the throne, he would have left powerful means to ensure Gu Changsheng’s control. Thus, all the forces that had emerged behind Gu Changsheng were most likely left by the late Emperor.

The Empress Dowager shared her suspicions with her ministers. The dozens of loyal courtiers nodded in agreement. Gu Changsheng had kept a low profile for 18 years, enduring the scorn of others, revealing a depth of cunning beyond measure. Now, as soon as he ascended the throne, his first moves were enough to outmatch even the Empress Dowager.

The key problem, however, was that no one knew how many more cards the Emperor still had up his sleeve.

With Gu Changsheng’s current position, it seemed that the power struggle between him and the Empress Dowager would now tilt in his favor.

But just then, a cold smirk appeared on the Empress Dowager’s face. Her beautiful eyes gleamed with icy light, and she chuckled lightly, seemingly amused by a thought.

Even if the late Emperor had left cards for Gu Changsheng, they are far from enough to defeat her. If that were not the case, why would the Emperor allow her to continue wielding such overwhelming influence, overshadowing the entire court?

Relaxing into her chair, the Empress Dowager’s expression grew more languid, her eyes dismissive of Gu Changsheng. She had long prepared her own plans, using Gu Changsheng to seize control of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If she had wanted, she could have had him killed long ago.

…

At the same time, the news of Li Yang’s execution, along with the extermination of his entire clan, spread like wildfire across the Great Zhou Dynasty, causing an immense shockwave.

The court was shaken.

No one had expected that the Ninth Prince, newly ascended as emperor, would immediately unleash such ruthless measures. Not only had he removed Li Yang, the Minister of Revenue, but he had also eradicated the entire Li family.

In this first clash between the Empress Dowager and the new emperor, it was the Empress Dowager who suffered a significant defeat. The court officials, their minds filled with uncertainty, began to reflect on their own positions.

The new emperor had shown cunning and ruthlessness in his methods, outmaneuvering the Empress Dowager and eliminating Li Yang.

While the Emperor seemed to have the upper hand in this contest for power, the Empress Dowager’s influence remained vast, her hidden strength formidable.

It was clear that the battle between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager had only just begun.