Chapter 46: Forced Retirement

Emperor Ming’s change disappointed Lin Jiufeng.

But thinking about it carefully, there had been signs of this change long ago.

But no matter what, choosing a concubine or wanting to abolish the empress were Lin Tianyuan’s own family matters.

Lin Jiufeng did not need to participate in this as there were court officials to stop Lin Tianyuan from abolishing the empress.

At least in state affairs, he didn’t make any mistakes.

The Yuhua God Dynasty was still improving by the day.

Lin Jiufeng stayed in the Cold Palace peacefully as he proceeded to ignore Lin Tianyuan’s actions.

He had clearly said before that Lin Tianyuan would walk his own path in the future.

If he walked wrongly, that was the misfortune of the Yuhua God Dynasty.

At the crucial moment, Lin Jiufeng would save them.

But the Yuhua God Dynasty was still doing well.

These problems were only the result of Lin Tianyuan’s lust.

Lin Jiufeng couldn’t be bothered with him.

The more important matter for him right now was still improving his cultivation base.

In the Cold Palace, he slowly grasped the meaning of the Immortal Treasury stage in the Human God realm.

…

In the Forbidden City—Mei Niang—who had recently caused controversy was trying her best to please Lin Tianyuan.

She was beautiful and full of youthful charm.

She looked very pure and her smile was adorable.

She didn’t look seductive.

The path that she took was a different one.

A man’s first love!

Although there was a ‘Mei'[1] in her name and she was also addressed as Mei Niang, she had a face that no man could reject.

The first girl a man would fall in love with when he was young was someone like her.

It was also because of this appearance that she was able to establish herself in the palace. She was favored by the Emperor and her status continued to rise.

Now, she was already a threat to the Empress.

“Your Majesty. The court and public are currently in an uproar. They describe me as a vixen who seduced you, Your Majesty. If you insist on abolishing the Empress, then I really won’t be able to survive in such an environment.”

Mei Niang poured wine for Lin Tianyuan as she lamented.

She took the initiative to speak up for the Empress, expressing that she didn’t want the Empress to be abolished.

But these words didn’t sound right.

“When I married the Empress back then, it was because she was designated by Father to me. I have never liked her. All these years, she gave birth to two children for me. I am also grateful to her for that and therefore I granted her the title of Empress,” Lin Tianyuan said with an unhappy expression.

“But instead of managing the imperial harem properly and holding up the rear for me, she actually became jealous and poisoned you, my beloved concubine. How can this vicious woman become the mother of the God Dynasty?” Lin Tianyuan said angrily.

Not long ago, a eunuch by the Empress’s side secretly poisoned Consort Ming, which was Mei Niang.

If Lin Tianyuan didn’t visit her to spend that night with her together, he would’ve been too late to save her from death as she fell unconscious after drinking the poisoned beverage. If Mei Niang truly died, then Lin Tianyuan’s rage would’ve been uncontrollable.

As the Emperor, he inherited the wishes of his predecessors—to reform the world and change it for the better.

With one order from him, countless people would lose their lives.

But the woman he loved the most almost died because of jealousy.

This made Lin Tianyuan furious.

“Your Majesty, I am already lucky to be alive. What happened in the past is insignificant. Besides, the Empress also said that someone had framed her to get rid of us both. The aim is to harm both of us so that no one will emerge victorious between us.”

“Your Majesty, please don’t be angry…”

“I still believe in the Empress’s character,” Mei Niang said weakly.

She was just a teenage girl who didn’t have much cultivation base.

She was so fragile and weak.

Thus, she was very capable of arousing a man’s desire to protect her.

“Her character?” Lin Tianyuan laughed in disdain.

He pointed with his finger and said, “I’ve been married to her for 20 years. I thought that she was a woman who knew the big picture and knew when to advance and when to retreat…”

“But who would have thought that she would do such a thing?”

“I don’t even dare to say that I believe in her character. There’s no need for you to explain for her.”

“Your Majesty, don’t be angry. I won’t say anymore.” Mei Niang hurriedly used her soft and boneless-like hand to stroke Lin Tianyuan’s heart as she said with concern.

“My beloved concubine, don’t worry. I will definitely give you the best. I was even able to complete such a huge reform throughout the dynasty. I just want to promote the concubine that I like to become the Empress, yet I am being called a foolish ruler by those people…”

“This is simply preposterous!” Lin Tianyuan said with a cold expression.

He was very angry.

Not only was he angry at the Empress, but he was also angry at the group of court officials and the group of rotten scholars in the imperial court.

All they knew was to tell him to follow some etiquette and honor—that he shouldn’t abolish the Empress.

“Abolishing the Empress is my wish, no one can stop me.”

“Men! Go to the Empress’s palace and tell her that from today onwards, she will be stripped of her title as the Empress and will be demoted to being an Imperial Concubine.”

“She shall pray to Buddha every day and reflect on herself to not be jealous of others all day,” Lin Tianyuan said coldly.

He showed no mercy to the Empress at all.

“Your Majesty…” Mei Niang looked at Lin Tianyuan in surprise. She blinked her large eyes and a blush appeared on her youthful face. She looked especially charming.

This Consort Ming’s casual actions all carried a sense of seduction. But looking at her face, it was innocent and radiant. All those that saw her face would feel that she was a very kind person.

“My beloved concubine, wait a few months more, I will make you the Empress. Let’s stay together forever. I was too busy for the past 20 years. But now that the God Dynasty is stable and powerful, I can finally enjoy my life.” Lin Tianyuan looked lovingly at Mei Niang.

“I will accompany Your Majesty forever.”

Mei Niang was moved to tears as she threw herself into Lin Tianyuan’s arms.

…

The abolishing of the Empress became a reality.

The Empress that was praised by the court as virtuous was abolished and was demoted to an Imperial Concubine. She was ordered to reflect on her actions.

That night, every court official gathered in the Great Council Hall to persuade His Majesty to retract his order.

The Empress must not be abolished.

Her disappearance would cause chaos within the imperial harem.

If the imperial harem was in chaos, the God Dynasty would also be affected.

All sorts of theories about this decision emerged endlessly among the officials.

Lin Tianyuan’s face turned cold as he listened—his patience was slowly running out.

“Your Majesty, the root of the problem is that witch, Mei Niang!”

“Ever since she entered the palace, the imperial harem became wracked with internal strife…”

“This woman is a walking disaster. She is here to harm the Yuhua God Dynasty!”

“Your Majesty, please punish this woman to death!”

The Cabinet Chief, who was also Emperor Yuan’s teacher and had been serving three generations of Emperors, knelt down at this moment and shouted loudly.

Lin Tianyuan looked coldly at the Cabinet Chief.

“Is Old Sir teaching me how to do things?” Lin Tianyuan gritted his teeth and said angrily.

“Your Majesty, please consider! This is for the sake of the country and for the peace of the imperial harem.” The Cabinet Chief bitterly persuaded.

Lin Tianyuan would listen to his advice in the past.

Because at that time, Lin Tianyuan was still a humble emperor.

He wanted to achieve results.

But the current Lin Tianyuan already felt that he had contributed greatly, even more than the founding emperor of the Yuhua God Dynasty.

He couldn’t take such advice from him anymore. Especially when he had already heard about it for more than ten years and was already tired of it.

“Old Sir is already old, you don’t have to kneel here anymore. I will allow you to return to your hometown and live the rest of your life in comfort,” Lin Tianyuan said coldly.

The court officials were dumbfounded upon hearing this.

For the sake of a concubine, Lin Tianyuan forcefully retired the Cabinet Chief who had sacrificed his entire life for the God Dynasty?

The body of the Cabinet Chief also trembled.

Sorrow gushed out of his heart. He couldn’t help but speak up, “Your Majesty, it’s not a problem for me to return to my hometown, but I ask Your Majesty to consider the stability of the state and the imperial harem! Bestow death upon Mei Niang!”

“Your Majesty, please consider the stability of the state and the imperial harem! Bestow death upon Mei Niang!”

Your Majesty, please consider the stability of the state and the imperial harem! Bestow death upon Mei Niang!”

Your Majesty, please consider the stability of the state and the imperial harem! Bestow death upon Mei Niang!”

The court officials all knelt down and shouted loudly outside the Great Council Hall.

“All of you are rebelling…”

“Am I the Emperor, or are you all the Emperors?” Lin Tianyuan was enraged.

“All of you, return to your hometowns. The reforms have been completed. The God Dynasty will remember your contributions, but you lot have obviously never adapted to the new era.”

In his fury, Lin Tianyuan disbanded all the court officials left behind by his father, Emperor Yuan.

He dealt upon them their forceful retirement.

[1] Means seductive.