If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

Meng Qianshan knelt on the ground and pleaded again, "Your Majesty! This humble general is willing to guarantee with his life that we will wipe out these traitorous noble families in one fell swoop!"

Zhao Yu waved his hand, his tone indifferent.

"General Meng, do you think I am the kind of person who cares about saving face for a moment?"

Besides, why should I be angry about the Li family digging their own grave?

Meng Qianshan was stunned. He looked up, his face full of confusion.

"Your Majesty, this humble general does not understand..."

Zhao Yu did not offer any further explanation.

"You don't need to understand, you just need to know that I know what I'm doing."

"These powerful families have been entrenched for hundreds of years and are deeply rooted in the society. If we launch a direct attack, we will only end up hurting each other."

Meng Qianshan wanted to argue a few more words, but Zhao Yu raised his hand to stop him.

"Alright, I have no doubt about the fighting prowess of the Meng family's men, but now, I have my own plans."

"Step down."

The emperor's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable weight.

Although Meng Qianshan was unwilling, seeing Zhao Yu's calm and composed demeanor, he could only swallow back his words.

"This humble general obeys the order!"

He stood up and strode away.

As I reached the door, I couldn't help but look back one last time.

In his mind, His Majesty was a celestial being descended from heaven, possessing extraordinary abilities.

However, the Meng family had personally experienced the treacherous and cunning nature of those civil officials in the imperial court back then, and they were truly worried about them.

As soon as Meng Qianshan's figure disappeared through the doorway, Zhao Yu turned around and spoke to the person outside.

"Wei An, has Jia Liang arrived yet?"

Wei An's respectful response came immediately from outside the door.

"Your Majesty, Captain Jia is already waiting outside the palace."

Zhao Yu nodded.

"Let him in."

A moment later, a burly, travel-worn middle-aged man strode into the imperial study and knelt on one knee.

"Captain Jia Liang of the Royal Engineering Team greets Your Majesty!"

Zhao Yu gestured for him to stand up.

No need for formalities.

"I ask you, how is the construction of the cement road progressing?"

Jia Liang stood up straight and answered respectfully.

"Your Majesty, the second phase of the project has just been completed, connecting half of the cities of Daliang."

He paused, then added.

"At the current speed, if the best warhorses are used to deliver messages, half a day is enough to reach any city with a road."

Zhao Yu's face showed a satisfied expression, and he asked again.

"How's the progress on that loudspeaker thing we talked about last time?"

Jia Liang answered immediately.

"Your Majesty, two-thirds of the quantity has been prepared; the rest will require some more time."

"But Your Majesty, rest assured, the craftsmen are working day and night, and it will be completed in five days at most."

Zhao Yu tapped his fingers lightly on the table, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke.

"Today I will issue a decree to wrest the power of information transmission from the hands of powerful clans."

"First, get the infrastructure for those loudspeakers working in the cities where the cement roads have already been paved, and then continue working on the rest."

"Remember, speed is important, but quality cannot be compromised."

Jia Liang's expression turned solemn, and he clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

"Your humble servant obeys! I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust!"

After saying that, he respectfully withdrew.

A glint of light flashed in Zhao Yu's eyes. "I wonder if your aristocratic families can handle this second step."

Wei An quietly entered again and bowed.

"Your Majesty, the civil and military officials are already waiting in the Xuanzheng Hall. Shall we proceed with the court session?"

Zhao Yu straightened the collar of his dragon robe and uttered a single word.

"Go".

Wei An didn't understand the meaning of the word, but he was already used to the strange expressions His Majesty occasionally used. He immediately understood, turned around and shouted loudly towards the outside of the hall.

"Let's set off!"

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall, all the officials were gathered, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

The group of military officers, led by Meng Qianshan, stood ramrod straight, their eyes wide with anger, staring intently at the group of civil officials opposite them.

On the civil officials' side, apart from Prime Minister Wang Zhang, who had a solemn expression and remained silent, the rest of them all wore smug expressions.

Li Qiang, the Minister of War, in particular, stood tall and proud, looking confident and assured.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

As Wei An's sharp voice echoed throughout the hall, all the noise vanished instantly.

The entire court of civil and military officials knelt down in unison, amidst a thunderous roar.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhao Yu slowly walked up the nine steps, sat down on the dragon throne, and spoke calmly.

"Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Everyone then stood up, but the tense atmosphere in the hall only increased with the arrival of the emperor.

Zhao Yu glanced around, taking in the expressions of the officials below, and slowly began to speak.

"I have summoned you all today primarily for one matter—"

Before he could finish speaking, a figure eagerly stepped out from the ranks of civil officials.

Minister of War Li Qiang spoke first, his face bearing just the right amount of apology.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say!"

He bowed deeply before the dragon throne.

"The matter in Qinggang City was merely a matter of my Li family examining our own ranks and purging any scoundrels; we had absolutely no other intentions!"

"The Li family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, devoted to His Majesty and the people of Liang, which is why they made this painful decision! The rumors circulating in the markets are utter nonsense!"

"Your Majesty, I hereby assure you that the Li family has absolutely no intention of opposing you!"

After saying that, Li Qiang bowed and a slight smile crept onto his lips.

To seize the initiative from the outset.

He himself put the matter out in the open and made a good show of it. If the emperor still held onto it, he would appear petty and would be at a disadvantage.

However, Zhao Yu's voice turned cold as he questioned from the dragon throne:

"Minister Li, who told you that this was the matter I wanted to discuss today?"

"!!!"

"???"