In the short span of two years, the other three nations in the Beichen Galaxy—the Southern Cross Star Kingdom, the Ximanielli Federation, and the East Tianyuan God Country—had fallen one after another.
The Imperial Family of the Beichen Empire had likewise suffered a string of deaths. The Grand Prince died, the Second Princess died, and then the Emperor died as well...
Later, several heirs in the line of succession to the Throne also died.
Now only the Empress remained, locked in a struggle with the Cabinet and refusing to let the Emperor's illegitimate child, Tantai Yugui, ascend the Throne.
She insisted that her daughter was still alive and wanted to find her, believing that only a child born to herself and the Emperor possessed the true right of inheritance!
For the time being, the Cabinet could not overcome the Empress's obstinacy, so the two sides remained deadlocked.
Those attending Emperor Tantai Hongyuan's funeral High Mass today included not only every member of the Imperial Family, but also important members from the Four Great Dukes, thirty Marquis families, sixty Count families, and ninety Viscount families.
There were heads of every major Cabinet department, the Military's Five Chief of Staff, the Speakers of the Senate's Upper and Lower Houses, as well as the governors of every Habitable Planet, senior officials from the Governor's Office, and their families.
In short, every high-ranking figure in the Imperial Government was present.
The main hall of the Holy Church Headquarters was packed to capacity.
However, Chief Inspector of Special Security Bureau Huo Yushen had not come. His two Right-Hand Men, Kang Shanxing and Meng Guanghui, had come in his place.
They gave no reason, and no one asked them for one.
Before the New Emperor ascended the Throne, no one wanted to see the Special Security