The aftershocks of the Demons Run Amok case gradually melted away like the last snowfall of spring, disappearing completely before anyone noticed.
After Zhang Jie was demoted and sent out of the capital, with Ding Huai dead as well, the voices opposing Emperor Jing at court suddenly grew much weaker.
The officials who had once wavered between the two sides flocked to Emperor Jing after seeing the Martial Suppression Bureau purge dozens of officials from the Empress Dowager's faction with thunderous force.
The elderly Grand Tutor Qin Yan took charge of the civil officials once more. His former students and subordinates began entering key departments such as the Six Ministries, the Censorate, and the Directorate of Communications. Once Emperor Jing issued an order, no one dared obey in public while defying it in private or secretly obstructing its implementation.
Emperor Jing's prestige reached its highest point since his accession.
After morning court that day, Emperor Jing instructed Li Cheng'en to summon Zhao Feng to the Imperial Study, saying he wanted to discuss the war at the front. By the time Zhao Feng arrived, Emperor Jing had already been standing before the enormous map on the wall for quite some time. Red ink marked the army's advance, blue ink marked the territories controlled by the various Northern Barbarian tribes, and black ink marked the cities and strongholds the Yan army had captured. Dense lines and symbols intertwined, forming a complex picture of a war still in motion.
"Zhao Feng, come and look." Emperor Jing did not turn around, merely beckoning behind him.
Zhao Feng approached the map, his gaze settling on the vast desert north of You Province. The two hundred thousand soldiers led by Military Supervisor Sun Chenzong had already pushed deep into the southern desert and occupied several important