Reincarnated as the daughter of my mortal enemy, all I want is to ascend the throne.

The group of court officials arrived at the Hall of Diligent Governance even faster than Li Qingyan.

New and old officials alike were in an uproar over Li Qingyan's deployment of the Imperial Guards and the capture of the Duke of Xicheng and the Marquis of Ping'an.

"Your Highness, please don't go in now. It's making a lot of noise inside."

When the eunuchs saw Li Qingyan arrive, they quickly stepped forward to persuade her, as the noise inside was making their ears hurt.

Li Qingyan put her finger to her lips to signal them to be quiet, while she leaned against the door to listen to what was being said inside.

The eunuchs were completely clueless; who would dare to peek at the door when the emperor was holding meetings? Only this little tyrant would dare.

They could only turn away and pretend they hadn't seen her. The group even moved to block Li Qingyan's view.

The people from various factions in the Hall of Diligent Governance were arguing so loudly it was like a pot had been boiled over.

"The Third Princess's actions violated etiquette."

"Letting a three-year-old command troops is simply absurd."

"General Yan actually obeyed the order. Your Majesty, I doubt whether General Yan is still capable of leading the White Tiger Army."

"Duke Xicheng guarded the city gates and protected the people during the chaos of war, and he was a man who won the hearts of the people. How many years has it been since then that he is going to be imprisoned? Your Majesty has chilled the hearts of the old ministers."

"The Marquis of Ping'an fought alongside the Emperor Emeritus to establish the empire, and even took a knife for Your Majesty back then... This..."

Li Yan stood in front of the bookshelf, flipping through the books, completely ignoring them. Only after being questioned repeatedly did he slowly close the book.

"Today I thought of a saying: 'I cannot see a virtuous person, but it would be enough to see one who is consistent.'"

Suddenly, this irrelevant remark appeared, leaving the ministers exchanging bewildered glances, completely baffled.

Li Yan, seeing the bewildered expressions of his ministers, countered, "Do you all consider the two officials you speak of to be truly virtuous?"

"this……"

"We, your humble servants..."

Who dares to speak up?

Li Yan sat on the dragon throne, his eyes gleaming as he looked down at the bowing officials. He couldn't guarantee that the Duke of Xicheng and the Marquis of Ping'an were always good people, yet he dared to speak up for them, simply for his own selfish interests.

"If you all think that a three-year-old child mobilizing troops is against etiquette and national law, then why didn't any of you stand up when the case was being investigated?"

These people are even lower.

"Minister Lin, you are an old minister who has watched me and Yan Xu grow up. Why don't you tell me what Yan Xu did back then and why he was able to take command of the White Tiger Army?"

Lin Dong, whose name was mentioned, swallowed hard. He knew all too well what Li Yan and Yan Xu had done back then.

In particular, why could Yan Xu surpass all other military generals and directly take command of the army?

Lin Dong wiped the thin layer of sweat from his face. "When General Yan was sixteen years old, he led the old, weak, women and children in the city to defend it for fifteen days in the Battle of Baize City. Our army won a great victory in the Battle of Baize City."

Everyone remembers how brutal the Battle of Baize City was. At that time, Baize City was besieged by three forces. The defending general Lu Chen'an and his entire family were killed in battle, and even his youngest son, who was only twelve years old, did not survive. Of the three thousand soldiers defending the city, only five hundred remained, and more than three hundred of them were wounded.

Yan Xu was simply trapped in Baize City at the time. He took over the defense of the city after fulfilling Lu Chen'an's dying wish.

A seemingly inevitable death turned out, yet Yan Xu miraculously survived. Even after reviewing the events thousands of times, each time it still seemed destined for certain death.

"At the age of seventeen, he led ten men deep into enemy territory at the border to resolve the threat in the north."

"When I was eighteen..."

……

After listing all his achievements, Lin Dong's mouth went dry.

"Have you all been enjoying the good times for too long? Now you want to discard me after I've served my purpose?"

Li Yan's words sent chills down the spines of the ministers. This was not a question of discarding a useful tool after it has served its purpose, but rather an inquiry into whether they intended to seize control of the White Tiger Army.

Anyone who dares to utter a word of "yes" is considered to have a rebellious heart, and their intentions are worthy of punishment.

In unison, they all said, "We dare not."

Li Qingyan almost laughed when she heard this.

Does Yan Xu know that he is that donkey?

"Wasn't this guy supposed to be really crazy? Knowing his old ways, he probably wouldn't even bother talking to these people; he'd just drag them out and chop them up."

【Um…host, how should I explain this to you? People don't easily go crazy once they have something to care about.】

"Um? 』

Li Qingyan was a little dizzy, feeling that the Flying Fork program had broken down again and was giving irrelevant answers.

Hearing that the person inside had been intimidated, Li Qingyan's dark face relaxed and she withdrew her foot.

The eunuchs breathed a sigh of relief. They had seen the young prince about to kick the door, and they all closed their eyes and prayed that he wouldn't kick it.

Fortunately, His Highness wasn't impulsive.

However, the next second Li Qingyan pushed the door open.

The eunuchs outside closed their eyes. Were they really going to die today?

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Li Qingyan stepped forward and bowed to Li Yan. She then turned to look at the ministers who were bowing.

"What's wrong with you all?"

The question uttered in that small, soft voice felt like a slap in the face, a truly ironic statement.

Li Yan raised an eyebrow. He had just heard a noise at the door. He was only speaking to prevent the brat from kicking the door open. He had just suppressed the group when the brat jumped into the fire himself.

Not only do they jump, but they also add fuel to the fire.

Li Qingyan looked at them with his hands behind his back, "Father, I have returned today to say that the Duke of Xicheng and the Marquis of Ping'an have been imprisoned, and their residences have been surrounded."

The ministers' eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing this.

This has offended both the old and new aristocrats.

"Your Highness's actions are far too arrogant. Duke Xicheng is, after all, a high-ranking official of the state."

"Your Highness, the situation is still unclear, yet you've already started arresting people and surrounding the mansion. Are you trying to force them to their deaths?"

For nobles, besieging their mansions was an extremely shameful thing.

Li Qingyan didn't argue with them, but simply clapped her hands and said, "Su Xue, come in."

She had just asked Yan Xu to do something for her, which involved finding a few quick-handed assassins to copy some accounts.

Before the court officials could even comprehend what was happening, several sheets of paper were stuffed into their hands. Their eyes widened as they stared at the money and treasures depicted on them.

"What is this?"

Li Qingyan sat on the steps, resting her chin on her hand, looking tired. "This is the money you two embezzled while pleading for leniency. No, it should be called a transaction based on favoritism and corruption."

Upon hearing this, many people's legs went weak. The Duke of Xicheng and the Marquis of Ping'an had actually participated in favoritism and corruption for personal gain.

"This is only a part. There are many more that haven't been compiled and can't be shown to you. There are also some lists, as well as the list of candidates who were replaced back then. We are checking them today."

Why did Li Qingyan dare to say these things? Because she was telling these ministers that if they knew anything, they should quickly distance themselves to avoid being implicated.

Li Qingyan wanted to eliminate the corrupt officials all at once, but she also knew that many people would die in this case of favoritism and corruption. If she also dealt with those who were only slightly involved, then the court would not need to operate.

Besides, a cornered dog will jump over the wall; after hitting them with a stick, you have to give them a sweet treat to calm them down.

To prevent the old and new nobles from being pushed to the brink and uniting to challenge the imperial power.

Li Yan glanced at the accounts and realized that he had been prepared the moment he had concrete evidence, but he hadn't expected that he was still underprepared.

"Meng Kexun, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Yang Fu, Minister of Justice."

The two ministers who were called upon stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we are here."

"You will work with the Third Princess to gather this evidence and thoroughly investigate this case."

"Your Majesty, we obey."

The court officials who had come to question you left in a grand procession. Li Qingyan yawned, "Li Yan, you're too easy to bully. You actually let them come and question you."