Thunderous Methods, Kill Without Mercy

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the air seemed to solidify into an iron slab, pressing down until it was hard to breathe.

The moment Lin Hanzhou's three earth-shattering political decrees were announced, they were met with a volcanic eruption of fierce opposition from the ministers.

"Your Majesty, this must not be! This is a move that will shake the very foundations of the nation!"

"We implore Your Majesty to retract the order! The laws of our ancestors must not be discarded!"

"If you force these wicked policies through, the world will surely fall into chaos. Once the fires of war ignite everywhere, it will be too late for regrets!"

Led by the Minister of Personnel and the Secretariat Chancellor, dozens of officials from aristocratic families knelt on the ground, one after another offering their remonstrations.

They cited classics and historical precedents, laying out the stakes, attempting to use ancestral rites and the safety of the realm to force this young new emperor to compromise.

Several veterans who had served three reigns, relying on their prestigious status, even presumed upon their seniority.

Pointing at Lin Hanzhou on the dragon throne, they accused him with voices sharp and severe.

"Your Majesty, having just ascended the throne, your priority should be to stabilize the hearts of the people. You must not act recklessly out of a moment of impulse!"

"We old ministers are all thinking of the Great Sui and the security of the state. We hope Your Majesty will accept our counsel!"

The entire hall buzzed with noise, resembling a clamorous vegetable market.

On the dragon throne, Lin Hanzhou's face was as dark as water, his body radiating a bone-chilling intent to kill.

He had not expected these ministers to hold him in such low regard.

It seemed it was time to kill the chicken to scare the monkey.

But at that moment, the Minister of Personnel, Wang Duan, slammed his head against the floor and cried out in grief and indignation.

"If Your Majesty will not retract the order, this old minister shall stain this place with his blood to prove his resolve with death!"

Seeing this, a curve formed at the corner of Lin Hanzhou's mouth.

"Very well. Since you are willing to prove your resolve with death, Beloved Subject, let Me send you on your way."

As he spoke, he slowly raised a hand.

The clamor in the entire hall instantly fell silent.

Everyone's gaze subconsciously focused on that slender, powerful hand.

"Xuan Ya."

Lin Hanzhou uttered the two words softly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

No sooner had the words fallen than several black, ghostly figures quietly emerged from the shadows of the hall.

These were the Shadow Guard who had appeared in the plaza yesterday.

The leader was none other than that commander of the third stage of the Innate Realm, Xuan Ya!

Their appearance made not a sound, as if they had always belonged to this darkness.

A cold, murderous aura descended with them, instantly shrouding the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony!

When had the civil and military officials of the court ever seen such a formation?

One by one, they turned deathly pale, trembling like cicadas in winter.

Only now did they remember that the new emperor before them had climbed over the corpses of his own two brothers, killing his way to the throne in a single night!

"Drag the Minister of Personnel Wang Duan, the Secretariat Chancellor Chen Jingzhi, the Censor-in-Chief Li Jiancheng... out."

Lin Hanzhou's gaze swept coldly over the kneeling crowd below, naming seven or eight people in succession.

Every one of these men was among those who had been clamoring the loudest.

"Your Majesty... what... what are you doing?"

Wang Duan's face changed drastically, his voice trembling.

He did not understand why things had developed this way; shouldn't the new emperor be stopping him from dying for his cause?

Lin Hanzhou did not answer him, instead issuing his own command.

"Forget it, just behead them right here. It will be more convenient."

Boom!

These words were more shocking than all three political decrees combined.

"No! Your Majesty! You cannot do this!"

"I am a veteran of three reigns! How dare you kill me?!"

"Tyrant! You are a tyrant!"

The ministers who had been named instantly snapped out of their shock, beginning to struggle and curse wildly.

They could never have dreamed that the new emperor would dare to slaughter high-ranking officials right here in the Hall of Supreme Harmony on his very first day of reign!

However, the movements of the Shadow Guard were far faster than their curses.

Like men hauling chickens, the Shadow Guard dragged those ministers, who were accustomed to a life of luxury, to the center of the hall.

Under their terrified and desperate gazes, cold blades were raised high.

"Stop! You mustn't!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Please, calm your anger!"

The remaining officials were also terrified, scrambling to plead for mercy.

But it was all too late.

"Puchi!"

"Puchi!"

Several flashes of cold light streaked across the center of the hall simultaneously.

Heads rolled onto the floor, blood gushing out and instantly staining the mirror-smooth golden brick floor crimson!

Those ministers who had been speaking with such fervor only a moment ago were now nothing more than headless corpses.

The bodies collapsed into the pool of blood, still twitching slightly.

A thick, pungent scent of blood spread rapidly, stinging everyone's nostrils.

The entire Hall of Supreme Harmony fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was completely stunned by this bloody, brutal, and uncompromising scene.

They stared blankly at the corpses and blood on the floor, feeling as if their own hearts had stopped beating.

He killed... he actually killed them!

Without trial, without deliberation, right here in the Hall of Supreme Harmony—he killed them just like that!

How overbearing! How cruel!

Lin Hanzhou slowly rose from the dragon throne, looking down from on high at the faces twisted with fear below.

He spoke in a cold voice, enunciating every word.

"I shall say this one last time."

"From this day forth, the new policies I have decreed are the national policy of Great Sui! They are heavenly law! They are ironclad rules!"

"My mind is made up; those who obstruct these great policies shall be executed without mercy!"

"Executed—without—mercy!"

The final three words echoed through the vast hall like a cold wind blowing from the depths of the Nine Serenities, piercing into the marrow of everyone present.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

It was unclear who started it, but all the officials in the hall, whether they had previously opposed the policies or remained neutral, all knelt down in unison.

Their bodies trembled like chaff in the wind, their heads buried deep against the floor, not daring to even draw a full breath.

"We... obey your decree!"

"We... shall strictly follow Your Majesty's teachings and swear to implement the new policies to the death!"

"The new policies implemented by Your Majesty are for the benefit of the people in every way; Your Majesty is truly a wise and virtuous monarch!"

The trembling, fearful voices of the ministers converged, no longer holding a shred of opposition.

They were clearly shaken by Lin Hanzhou's thunderous methods just now.

It was no joke; when this man said he would kill, he truly meant it.

With Wang Duan, the Minister of Personnel and head of the Six Ministries, already dead, how could they dare to defy him?

At this moment, the imperial court was completely suppressed by an unprecedented iron-fisted approach.

Lin Hanzhou cast a cold glance at the submissive ministers at his feet and slowly sat back down on the dragon throne.

He knew this was only the beginning.

The submission bought by slaughter now was merely superficial.

The real storm was only just beginning to brew outside the palace walls.

Those deeply entrenched aristocratic families would certainly find every possible way to obstruct the implementation of his new policies.

An undercurrent destined to sweep across the entire Great Sui was about to become even more turbulent.