"Cheng Ming, are you trying to rebel by bringing so many ministers?"

"Hiss!"

When Dai Li emerged from Zhu Qingque's bedchamber, the night wind hit him head-on, making him shiver, especially at the top of his head, which felt a bit chilly. "The night wind is a bit cold tonight..."

He subconsciously touched his left cheek, where the stinging sensation of the slap Zhu Qingque had delivered still lingered, along with the numb, dull ache from when he had slapped her back.

Thinking of the look in Zhu Qingque's eyes earlier, a wave of guilt surged in Dai Li's heart, but then he thought of the Dai Family...

In the end, he merely stood on the steps outside the bedchamber, glanced back at the tightly shut palace doors behind him, then flicked his sleeves and strode toward his own quarters with long, hurried steps.

Dai Li walked quickly, as if he could leave those images and sounds behind him if only he moved fast enough.

He even comforted himself in his heart, Qingque will come to understand eventually!

She is a smart woman; she knows the current situation... and she should know that I had no other choice!

Yet, the more he thought this way, the deeper the gloom in his heart became.

To think of him.

The dignified Emperor of Star Luo, the supreme ruler.

Now, he had actually been reduced to having to personally deliver his own Empress to an eighteen-year-old junior just to keep his throne.

It was simply...

A humiliating disgrace!

I will remember this grudge!

You had better pray that your Seven Kill Sect never faces a decline or a shortage of successors!

Dai Li clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain.

"Hoo..."

Soon.

Dai Li returned to the entrance of his own bedchamber and let out a long breath, forcing himself to steady his nerves. Just as he pushed the door open, his foot, about to step inside, suddenly froze.

In the moonlight shining into the opened bedchamber, he vaguely caught sight of a dozen figures.

Dai Li's pupils contracted sharply.

Each was dressed in official robes and appeared to be a court minister, but the fluctuations of soul power radiating from every one of them made the hair on the back of Dai Li's neck stand on end.

Over a dozen Soul Saints!

The lowest among them was at least level 71, and the person standing at the very front possessed soul power fluctuations that reached the peak of level 79—just one step away from becoming a Soul Douluo!

Noticing this, Dai Li's heart sank. Are they... really that impatient?

The ministers in the court generally had soul power around level 60; only the ancestors behind them were level 80 Soul Douluos or level 79 Soul Saints.

Generally speaking, the civil and military officials appearing in the imperial court would not include powerhouses at the Soul Saint level.

So...

Were these people representatives of the various noble families who had been enfeoffed?

Dai Li stood where he was, his gaze locked onto this group of uninvited ministers.

In the middle of the night, with over a dozen Soul Saints waiting in his bedchamber, and not a single report sent ahead of time.

Could this really be a visit to pay respects?

Dai Li took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the suspicion and unease in his heart, and walked forward with a dark expression. "What is the meaning of this?"

His voice echoed through the empty palace corridor, carrying the majesty of the supreme ruler.

However.

The dozen or so ministers remained motionless, and not one of them stepped aside.

The man at the head stepped forward, bowed to Dai Li, his attitude respectful but his tone exceptionally firm. "Your Majesty."

Dai Li narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at the leader, and rebuked him in a deep voice, "Cheng Ming."

"You bring so many ministers to hide in my bedchamber in the middle of the night—are you trying to commit treason?"