At this very moment.
The Great Qing Imperial Court was deathly silent. Everyone stood mute as cicadas in winter, trembling in fear.
"I just can't understand it. The people are clearly living and working in peace and contentment, so why are there always people bent on rebellion?" A dark-skinned middle-aged man wearing a crown stood before the throne, a longsword in hand.
"Your Majesty, they are merely ignorant fools, incited by others into rebelling," said an old minister, trembling.
"Good, good. Ignorant fools, is that it?" The middle-aged emperor laughed in fury. "And yet these fools wiped out thirty thousand troops first, then another sixty thousand!"
"Tell me, what kind of fools are those?"
One after another, the officials dropped to their knees, not daring to speak.
"Damn them! They all deserve to die!"
"A rebellion on such a scale, and no one reported it in advance? From top to bottom, every last one of you has rotted!"
"Minister of War!"
"This old minister is here." An Old Man crawled out, shaking.
The middle-aged emperor directly pressed his sword against the man's neck.
"You oversee the Ministry of War. How did you fail to get wind of such a large-scale rebellion in advance?"
"The grain stipends, Treasure Notes, and Salt Licenses I give you every year—were they all fed to dogs?"
The Minister of War collapsed to the ground, the stench of urine spreading from his lower body.
"Drag him out. Put him in a sack and beat him to death by dropping him!" the middle-aged emperor snarled. "I will lead the campaign myself!"
"Your Majesty, you must not lead the campaign in person!" Upon hearing this, the Minister of Rites immediately crawled forward and repeatedly kowtowed.
"Get out! Do you want to be dropped to death too?" the middle-aged