At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

"Su Mu, you are making baseless accusations and fabricating charges!"

"I am the current Prime Minister, and His Highness the Crown Prince is the heir apparent!"

"We two hold high positions of power and have bright futures; how could we possibly collude with traitors, ruin our own futures, and plunge the court into chaos?"

"Don't you dare fabricate charges out of thin air to slander the Crown Prince and frame important officials!"

Li Yuan spoke with a hoarse voice and a sharp tone, attempting to use his high-ranking official status to suppress public opinion, reverse the passive situation, and force Su Mu to back down from his relentless pressure.

All eyes of the court officials were on him, awaiting Su Mu's response.

Faced with Li Yuan's forceful sophistry, Su Mu's white hair stood out against the wind, his expression was cold and indifferent, and there was not a ripple in his eyes. He only let out a cold snort, each word as sharp as a knife, piercing through all his falsehoods in front of everyone!

"The Prime Minister?"

"You dare call yourself the Prime Minister of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

"You previously coveted power and formed cliques, and the evidence against you is irrefutable. The real Emperor decreed that you be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison awaiting judgment. You are already a guilty and condemned official, destined for death!"

"Your current official position, authority, and status are all due to the actions of that traitorous imposter who impersonated the emperor, falsely issuing imperial edicts, granting unauthorized pardons, and forcibly restoring your status!"

"The emperor on the throne is a false one, and the imperial edicts are forgeries!"

"All decrees issued by the false emperor are hereby nullified!"

"Your reinstatement is nothing but a farce from beginning to end, and it doesn't count!"

His words were a wake-up call!

It instantly awakened everyone in the court!

Yes!

The one who pardoned Li Yuan and restored him to his position as prime minister was not the real emperor, but a treacherous traitor who usurped the throne and disrupted the court!

Such a pardon is nothing but a conspiracy by traitors and is by no means a legitimate decree of the imperial court!

In an instant, the officials in the hall were in an uproar again, and all their previous doubts were finally dispelled!

"So that's how it is! It was all a traitor's scheme!"

"No wonder the pardon came so inexplicably and illogically; it was clearly a case of treacherous officials wreaking havoc in the court and cultivating inside agents!"

"Li Yuan was a criminal destined for death, yet the fake emperor rescued him and gave him an important position; the two must have been in cahoots long ago!"

"No wonder the fake emperor targeted Elder Su and favored the Crown Prince at every turn; it turns out he was orchestrating this with Li Yuan's help!"

All fingers were once again firmly fixed on Li Yuan!

The Third Prince, Xiao Jingyu, suddenly turned cold. He stepped forward, his royal aura spreading out, his gaze sharp as a sword as he stared intently at the panicked Li Yuan, and demanded in a stern voice:

"Li Yuan! Now that the evidence is irrefutable, do you still dare to deny it!"

"Confess immediately and truthfully!"

"What are the origins of this fake emperor and fake eunuch? What powerful forces are behind them, plotting to seize our great Qianlong empire from within the palace?"

"If you confess all the details of the conspiracy, I might spare your life, considering that you may have been coerced or manipulated."

"If you insist on resisting and remain silent, I will punish you for the heinous crimes of colluding with traitors and plotting rebellion, and implicate your entire family!"

Using both threats and inducements!

If Li Yuan were to confess now, there would still be a sliver of breathing room for them.

But Li Yuan's face was ashen, his whole body trembled, and his heart was filled with endless despair and fear. He shook his head and roared repeatedly:

"Disgrace! This is all disgrace!"

"Your Highness, please understand, this humble official truly knows nothing, has never seen the traitor's true face, and has never harbored the slightest intention to conspire in treason!"

What he said was true and not a deliberate attempt to sophistry.

When he was imprisoned, the person who appeared to contact him at night concealed his figure and face from beginning to end. He only saw a blurry black shadow from beginning to end, and he could not even make out the outline of the other party's eyebrows and eyes. He had no way to confess the origin of the traitor or the forces behind him!

But this flustered and feeble explanation was seen by the court officials as nothing more than a desperate struggle and a refusal to admit guilt!

He knew that Li Yuan was just a pawn in the game and might not know about the conspiracy at the top, but this man formed cliques for personal gain, attached himself to evil, and suppressed the loyal and good, and his crimes were unforgivable!

Today, amidst the chaos and upheaval of the times, is the perfect opportunity to purge the court and eliminate treacherous officials. Such treacherous ministers who bring disaster to the country must not be allowed to live!

Su Mu's eyes flashed with killing intent. Without asking any more questions, he turned to look at Han You, the commander of the Imperial Guards, who was standing solemnly beside him. His voice was as cold as ice as he decisively gave the order!

"Commander-in-Chief Han, heed my command!"

"The wicked minister Li Yuan, burdened with grave crimes and imprisoned, shows no remorse but secretly colludes with traitors. His crimes are heinous. Seize him immediately, drag him out of the hall, and execute him on the spot!"

boom!

A decree of absolute execution fell, and the entire hall fell into deathly silence!

Li Yuan froze on the spot, his mind went blank, and his whole body felt ice-cold, as if he had fallen into an abyss of ice!

He never expected that Su Mu would be so decisive, sentencing him to death without asking for details or waiting for a review!

Extreme fear instantly swept over him, and Li Yuan broke down, screaming and protesting wildly:

"No! Su Mu, you have no right to kill me!"

"I am the current Prime Minister, a high-ranking official of the court!"

"The power of life and death rests solely with His Majesty! How dare you, a mere military officer, privately kill three high-ranking officials? This is an overreach of authority, an act of arbitrarily killing, and a disruption of the court!"

Su Mu coldly looked down at the disheveled and frenzied Li Yuan, his eyes filled with mockery and chilling killing intent. His words were resounding and echoed throughout the Dragon Court!

"So you also know that life and death rest in His Majesty's hands?"

"Back then, when I traveled far to the East China Sea, crossed the ocean to fight, shed blood on the battlefield, expanded the territory for the country, and risked my life to protect the land of my Great Qian!"

"You hold a high position in the court, yet instead of serving your country and caring for your soldiers, you fabricate charges and slander me in every way, plotting to kill this old man!"

"Now they are even relying on the false emperor, colluding with treacherous officials, wreaking havoc on the country, and putting the emperor in grave danger!"

"These treacherous officials and unscrupulous villains who bring disaster to the country deserve to be punished by everyone!"

"Today, I, this old man, will carry out the execution on behalf of Heaven, beheading you, you treacherous villain, to uphold justice and to comfort the loyal souls!"

Upon hearing this, Han You did not hesitate for a moment longer!

As the commander of the Imperial Guards, he had been loyal to the Great Qian Dynasty for generations. Although he only obeyed the emperor's orders, he had witnessed Su Mu's efforts to support the country, quell rebellions, and save the court. He was already filled with respect for this centenarian war god!

At this moment, the court is without a leader and treacherous officials have not been eliminated. He is willing to unconditionally obey Su Mu's orders to purge the traitors from the court!

Han You's eyes sharpened, and he shouted sternly:

"Guards! Seize the traitor Li Yuan!"

"Drag him out and execute him immediately!"

The imperial guards on duty outside the hall rushed in at the sound of the call, their steps swift and decisive, and they surrounded the area in an instant.

The cold, sharp longswords were instantly placed on either side of Li Yuan's neck, their chilling aura penetrating to the bone, locking his body firmly in place!

With a sharp blade at his side, he was on the verge of death!

Just moments ago, Prime Minister Li Yuan, who had been arrogantly arguing and held a high position, was instantly terrified, his legs went weak, and he lost all his composure as a powerful minister.

Extreme fear completely shattered his composure. He abruptly turned his head, staring intently at Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng in the direction of the Eastern Palace, his eyes bloodshot, and cried out desperately for help:

"Your Highness! Save me!"

"I am your man! Your Highness, please save me! I don't want to die! Your Highness, save me!"

He was the Crown Prince's most loyal right-hand man and most capable confidant. If he were to die today, the power of the Eastern Palace would be severely weakened and completely severed!

Seeing his most trusted right-hand man about to be killed on the spot, Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng could no longer stand idly by. He forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart, stepped forward, and, displaying the majesty of a crown prince, sternly rebuked him!

"Su Mu! How dare you be so insolent!"

"I, the Crown Prince, am here to oversee the court. How dare you, without a joint trial or imperial decree, publicly execute the Prime Minister!"

"This is utterly lawless! Stop immediately!"

The Crown Prince spoke sternly, attempting to intimidate Su Mu and force him to back down by using his status as Crown Prince.

Su Mu's expression remained icy, his gaze suddenly locking onto the Crown Prince, his aura overwhelming him, and he calmly retorted, each word piercing the heart!

"The current prime minister?"

"This man was already convicted and imprisoned by the late emperor; he is a criminal destined for death! How can a false edict from the pseudo-emperor absolve him of his heinous crimes? How can it be considered valid?"

"Today, the Crown Prince is determined to shield a criminal minister who colludes with traitors and forcibly protect treacherous officials in the court..."

"Could it be that you are also involved in this matter? Could it be that you have been secretly colluding with the false emperor and plotting something sinister?"

"Since that's the case, then today I will thoroughly investigate this matter and deal with His Highness the Crown Prince as well!"

With those words, murderous intent loomed over the Crown Prince!

Xiao Yunfeng froze, his face turning deathly pale. He instinctively took a half-step back, his imposing aura vanishing instantly!

The Second Prince, Xiao Yunshan, spoke up at the opportune moment, his tone calm and steady, subtly offering advice and warning:

"Brother, think twice before you act."

"Li Yuan was a criminal, and the false emperor's pardon was a traitor's conspiracy and cannot be taken as any evidence."

"Brother, your current attempt to forcibly protect a disgraced official will only backfire, arouse suspicion, and do nothing to harm the overall situation of the court!"

With two pressures pressing down on him at the same time, coupled with Su Mu's chilling killing intent locking onto him, the Crown Prince thoroughly weighed the pros and cons in his mind!

He knew perfectly well that Su Mu was determined to kill him today, his attitude was tough, his third uncle had his full support, the civil and military officials had tacitly approved, and the Imperial Guards were obeying his orders!

If he forcibly protects Li Yuan, not only will he fail to save him, but he will also be accused of colluding with traitors and protecting treacherous officials, which will implicate him and depose him from the position of crown prince!

After weighing the pros and cons, the struggle in Xiao Yunfeng's eyes completely disappeared. Filled with resentment and pain, he could only grit his teeth, close his eyes, turn his head away, and pretend not to see and silently agree!

He abandoned his most loyal ally!

Seeing that the Crown Prince had completely given in and dared not obstruct him, a cold glint flashed across Han You's lips. Without further hesitation, he shouted sharply:

"Execute him! Drag him out!"

Two imperial guards held the limp and powerless Li Yuan tightly, dragging his disheveled body as they strode out of the Golden Palace!

Throughout the journey, Li Yuan wept bitterly, wailed and begged for mercy, his cries filled with sorrow and utter humility.

"General Su, spare my life!"

"I know I was wrong! Please have mercy!"

"I'm willing to surrender all my possessions and live in seclusion forever! Please spare my life!"

"General Su, spare my life!"

The humble pleas for mercy echoed through the imperial city corridors, utterly pitiful.

Su Mu stood in the Golden Palace, his expression indifferent and unmoved.

Those who bring disaster to the country and are treacherous officials are unforgivable and should not be spared!

A moment later!

A clear and crisp sound of execution rang out from outside the hall!

Li Yuan, the prime minister of the court, a traitor who had sided with the crown prince and wreaked havoc on the court, was executed on the spot and his head was separated from his body!