They chorused loudly, "May Your Majesty not neglect such rumours that are harmful to the dynasty and the monarch."

Su Li looked at all the officials who were playing in tune with Prince Xi and felt the oncoming of another headache. 

She really didn't want to fight these petty fights for power with all these people.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Firstly, because she wasn't interested in their power plays.

Secondly, she was even more afraid that if her gender was ever disclosed to these people who rigorously followed the teaching of sages and prophets, she would be lynched in public and wouldn't even be left with an intact corpse. 

So, she simply wanted to keep to herself, do the things required of her as the ruler of the dynasty and be done with it.

However, the premise was that these people kept their vying for power between themselves and didn't drag her or her people into the murky water. 

But since these people were so adamant on testing her patience and wanted to create chaos for her, she would play till the very end with them. 

When the courtiers saw the monarch not deigning to give the knelt officials any response and simply looked at them like a giant looked at an ant, everyone could guess what would happen next.

Another 'beloved official' speech was about to start!

As most of them had guessed, the emperor pointed to a kneeling official and questioned, "Beloved official, who is the ruler of this dynasty?" 

The official cursed his bad luck for having accompanied Prince Xi in his heart and stuttered, "It's...It's Your Majesty." 

Su Li gave a non-committal hum at his answer and then pointed at another official, "Beloved official, pray tell, what is your position in this court?" 

The official tried not to show his fear when the monarch looked at him with his merciless eyes and replied, "This lowly one is the courtier of the Imperial Court." 

Su Li gave a snort at those words and then drawled, "Beloved official, you are wrong." 

Everyone was puzzled by the monarch's words. 

What did he mean that the official was wrong?

It didn't take long for them to get their answers.

The monarch looked up with a slow smile, and those few officials - whether civil or military,  who had any sense of situational awareness felt a small s.h.i.+ver of worry slide over their spines. 

Meanwhile, Ning Fu felt increasing respect for the monarch. 

In a situation where he knew his own subordinate/friend was being set-up to take a fall, the monarch didn't lose his composure. 

King Fu's eyebrows quivered in interest. 

The main point was that the monarch was just fourteen summers old when he was enthroned less than half a year ago and he had spent all his life as a hostage in another kingdom. 

For such a man to keep his calm when almost everyone was vying for his position was truly remarkable. 

Ning Fu could understand how difficult this situation must be for the monarch but the young man never acted churlish towards his subjects and dealt with it with an uncommonly seen ease.

So far, he was comporting himself and dealing with politics with more grace and poise than even the old foxes who had spent their entire careers in the Imperial Court. 

The monarch's eyes roamed over the gathered officials - the ones who were kneeling at the centre of the hall, the ones who waited to watch a good drama unfold and the ones who really wanted to help the commoners and serve the country with all their might. 

Everywhere the monarch looked, the officials could see the simmering anger the other person was trying to keep at bay and they instinctively froze into the silent stillness of prey that did not want to be hunted.

Su Li said in a deceptively soft voice, "Zhen is your superior." 

At everyone's nod of agreement, he pointed to another kneeling official and queried, "Beloved official, tell Zhen, what is the opposite of superior?" 

"It's subordinate, Your Majesty." 

At his words, the monarch laughed a belly-aching laugh and many officials felt their scalp going numb from fear. 

Su Li sneered, "No, Zhen thinks the opposite of superior isn't subordinate." 

Then she abruptly looked at Prince Xi and questioned, "Imperial Brother, can you guess what word Zhen has in mind?" 

Prince Xi shook his head in denial and calmly responded, "This prince doesn't dare to pry into the monarch's thoughts." 

The response to his words was a sardonic smile that graced the emperor's face and his enunciated words, "Well, Zhen thinks it's good that Imperial Brother doesn't know what Zhen thinks. Otherwise, it would have been too painful for Imperial Brother. But since you care so much about the dignity of the Imperial family and my position, Zhen will inform you." 

"Zhen has always felt that the opposite of superior is inferior." 

There was a sharp intake of breath at the monarch's callous words.

The rampant thoughts that had been running in most Imperial official's minds were brought you a grinding halt at those words. 

What?

What did the monarch mean by those words? 

When those words encircled their brains a few more times - some more than others, many of them felt weak in their knees. 

The callous words from the monarch were simply not giving any face to the First Prince. 

However, it seems that Su Li was really incensed this time because she didn't stop there and had even more words to say to all these old geezers who couldn't simply keep to their jobs and were always running helter-skelter for a few crumbs of benefits.