After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

Many people still remember Zhou Shan's incredibly powerful physical combat skills back then, and the ferocious scene of him tearing apart the bodies of savage beasts with his bare hands.

Even after thirty years, the sheer aura of killing still sends chills down one's spine.

Moreover, the Zhou family has been renowned for its physical cultivation for generations, and their physical combat strength far surpasses that of cultivators of the same level. Zhou Shan has been in seclusion for thirty years, and no one knows just how terrifying his current realm is.

The Golden Core Great Perfection realm is a level of cultivation that places one at the very top of the pyramid within the Phoenix Cry Kingdom.

"What should we do..." an elderly man who looked like a civil official murmured softly, his white-haired and beard face full of worry.

"Lord Zhou has many former subordinates and disciples in the army. If we anger him, the capital may be in jeopardy..."

"Lin Fengmian has only recently entered the palace, and his position is not yet secure. If the Empress offends the Zhou family for his sake..."

"Hush! Watch your words! How dare you and I presume to know what the Empress is doing?"

The ministers had different expressions and their eyes flickered, but no one dared to speak loudly. They could only communicate with their eyes, and a tense atmosphere with undercurrents permeated the hall.

Su Miaoyun sat on the phoenix throne, her exquisite face remaining calm and composed. Her snow-white robe sleeves drooped gently, her fingertips resting on the armrests. Her posture was so relaxed that it seemed as if she were listening to a trivial matter.

Her gaze fell calmly on the kneeling eunuch, her clear voice carrying a hint of doubt, yet inexplicably sending a chill down the spines of everyone in the hall:

"Just for this?"

The eunuchs and courtiers were all stunned.

The Empress's reaction was completely different from what everyone had expected.

No one expected that, faced with the overwhelming rage of a veteran powerhouse like Marquis Zhou Shan of Zhenyuan, Su Miaoyun would remain calm and collected, as if it were nothing.

Su Miaoyun continued speaking softly, her voice not loud, yet clearly carrying to every corner of the hall, each word like an ice pearl falling onto a jade plate:

"As I said yesterday, Zhou Ye trespassed into the forbidden area of ​​the inner palace, disturbing my husband's quiet contemplation, and uttered arrogant words, challenging me to a life-or-death duel. My husband honored the challenge and killed him. What is wrong with this?"

"His Majesty!"

The eunuch was so anxious that he kept slapping his thigh, disregarding all etiquette and hierarchy, almost shouting as he spoke, his eyes red with worry:

"You...you have no idea about Zhou Shan's temperament and power! He was a great cultivator in the late stage of the Golden Core realm back then. He secluded himself for thirty years. Who knows what level he reached?"

He has many former subordinates in the army and countless disciples and former officials. The Zhou family's body cultivator is the best in Fengming. He himself is known for his fierce combat power and domineering protectiveness!

If we don't give him an explanation, it might incite a mutiny and unrest in the capital! Your Majesty, please reconsider!

"Explain?"

Su Miaoyun repeated the two words, her tone carrying a hint of ambiguous amusement, as if the two words themselves were a joke.

Then, she slowly got up.

In that instant, an indescribable, icy pressure emanated from her body as if it were a tangible force!

The oppressive aura was invisible and intangible, yet it was as heavy as a mountain suddenly pressing down, causing the air in the entire hall to freeze.

The candlelight in the hall dimmed, flickering violently. Several civil officials with lower cultivation levels turned pale and involuntarily took a half step back, feeling a tightness in their chests.

The hall was completely silent.

Su Miaoyun stood with her hands behind her back, her gaze sweeping over the crowd below. In her eyes, clear as an icy lake, there was neither fear nor anger, only a bottomless calm.

It's like a still, icy pool at the bottom of a bottomless abyss.

Her gaze finally settled on the open doors of the main hall.

That vast expanse of sky, bathed in the golden light of the afternoon sun...

A faint smile curved her lips, her voice as cold as frost, yet carrying an unyielding, domineering air of supreme authority.

"If he wants to explain, let him come to see me in person."

She paused, her gaze suddenly turning serious, and said, word by word:

"I want to see who really calls the shots in Phoenix Cry Kingdom."

Immediately afterwards, Su Miaoyun slowly stood up, her phoenix eyes surging with anger, and her aura spread out like a tide, causing the air in the entire hall to freeze.

"Besides, why should I need to explain myself to him?"

"Leaving aside Zhou Ye, who disregarded palace rules and trespassed into the inner palace, disturbing my husband, he deserved to die."

She paused, her phoenix eyes sweeping across the room, her voice growing even clearer:

"Not to mention that when his Zhou family was on the verge of extinction, it was because I remembered that his ancestors had some merits that I supported him and bestowed upon him the title of Marquis of Zhenyuan, allowing him to guard a region and enjoy all the glory and wealth."

Now they are not ambitious and ungrateful. After their grandson committed a capital crime, they shamelessly gathered their old troops, turned against each other with swords, stormed the palace, and threatened the safety of my husband.

Su Miaoyun slammed her hand on the armrest of the dragon throne. The crisp sound was like a thunderclap, making the hearts of all the court officials tremble.

Her phoenix eyes swept over the entire room with disdain, and her voice suddenly rose:

"I'd like to ask you a question—who gave them the audacity?!"

The assembled officials below immediately fell silent, trembling with fear.

Those eloquent and scheming ministers of the past now all hung their heads in sullen silence.

They didn't dare to even breathe loudly, as if the place swept by that phoenix eye was a bottomless abyss.

Just as the hall fell silent and the atmosphere became extremely heavy, a white-haired, highly respected old minister slowly stepped forward.

Although his body was hunched over, his cloudy old eyes now blazed with a fierce light, and his voice was loud and clear, filled with barely suppressed anger:

"Your Majesty is absolutely right! This old minister just suddenly remembered something."

Back then, Zhou Shan was supposed to go to guard the Demon Abyss and serve as a member of the Demon Suppression Guard.

The Zhou family claimed their ancestor had passed away on the spot, and that's how the matter was dropped! Now that he's reappeared, alive and kicking, this old minister has suddenly remembered this old grudge!

The old minister became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his white beard trembling and his hair standing on end:

"This responsibility, which should have been borne by the Zhou family, has been entirely shirked by them and passed on to other loyal and virtuous people!"

Their behavior is truly despicable, and their hearts deserve to be punished!

Now that spiritual energy has fully recovered and the overall situation is still uncertain, it's one thing for him not to think about serving his country, but he even dares to raise an army and defy the heavens for the death of a single unruly disciple.

Such behavior is utterly disrespectful, corrupt, and unforgivable!

Upon hearing this, the ministers below the stage seemed to have been ignited, and they all stepped forward to echo his sentiments.

"Lord Wang is right! The Zhou family's actions are truly ungrateful and utterly arrogant!"

"Your Majesty must not tolerate such arrogant and domineering individuals continuing to wreak havoc on the court!"

"Your Majesty, I second that proposal! I urge Your Majesty to severely punish the Zhou family to uphold the law!"

The court officials were immediately outraged, and their words were vehement. Among them, some certainly wanted to use this opportunity to bring down the Zhou family for their own personal gain.

Some people wanted to use this incident to test the Empress's trump card and attitude, but at this moment, Su Miaoyun made no attempt to hide her fury.