There is no need to speculate about what happened afterwards - the great crime of Empress Shen's family was so heinous that it implicated her entire clan, and Emperor Tuoba Hong, in response to the strong demands of the civil and military officials, brought Empress Shen's father, brothers, uncles, and cousins, all of whom were government officials, to justice.

  The commotion was almost as great as when Mu Wu Wang was killed. Lin Wan lived in the inner palace, and the shocking news from the imperial court still passed through the layers of palace walls - both chancellors and the six departments jointly discussed Shen's family crimes, listing eight major crimes: witchcraft, harming the crown prince, disrespecting the emperor, betraying the former emperor, forming cliques for personal gain, disrupting the imperial order, filling private pockets, and harboring different intentions. The officials jointly petitioned the emperor to punish Shen's family. The imperial court of Da Qin was always known for its fierce debates, but this time it was unusually unanimous in opinion, with even Chancellor Xiao and Minister of Revenue Shang not arguing as usual.

  Tuoba Hong had no objection to the proposal of his ministers and, in a fit of rage, immediately issued an edict to punish the Shen family. Shen's father, Minister of Works Shen Hua, was stripped of his position, his property confiscated, and beheaded on the same day; his uncle, Governor of Nanyang Shen Xiao, was also stripped of his position, investigated, and exiled to Ningguta; his eldest brother, First Rank Imperial Guard Shen Lian, was stripped of his position, investigated, and executed three days later; his second brother, Third Rank Imperial Guard Shen Xi, was also stripped of his position, investigated, and executed three days later. As for the rest of the Shen family, all males with official positions were stripped of their offices and sentenced to exile; those without official positions, along with the female members of the family, were all reduced to slave status. However, Shen's clan leader, the powerful and influential Grand Old Man Shen Linzhen, who was already 82 years old and had served as a regent for two emperors, was spared by Tuoba Hong, who stripped him of his position and confiscated his property but allowed him to retire to his ancestral home without suffering imprisonment.

  Just like that, the families of the victims were not forgiving. When Shen's father and brother were suppressed by the guards, Wu An Hou, Yao Daren, was the first to hit the dismissed Minister of Works on the head with his jade tablet, and then everyone attacked together. Even Yang Daren, a university scholar in the Hanlin Academy, who was known for his elegance, kicked someone fiercely in the chaos - it's not clear who he kicked. The wall fell and everyone pushed, without mentioning that Shen Yunrong was the only concubine with an imperial son in the palace, how many people envied her for being able to inherit the throne in the future. The Shen family had a reputation for being arrogant and distant from others as officials, they were high-handed and liked to frame others, and they often took advantage of their power for personal gain. Today, all the ministers' sons vented their anger.

  Inside the Mirror Moon Pavilion, Xiao Chengzi vividly described the events to Lin Yuan, his words filled with joy. It wasn't just the Mirror Moon Pavilion, but also other palace chambers that had a similar atmosphere of jubilation. Last night, when the Emperor personally sentenced Shen Shi to death, the consorts hadn't reacted so strongly, but today, as the fifteen poor women locked themselves in and wept, others felt a mix of shock and relief that the criminal Shen Shi had finally received her punishment, and they no longer had to worry about being secretly poisoned.

  This matter has caused unrest in the six palaces and stirred up a storm throughout the city, all because of Shen's heinous crimes that are too shocking to hear. Although other concubines have also harmed people and done despicable things, which one can compare to even a tenth of Shen's ruthlessness? If she were to be left alive for a few more years, Emperor Tuoba Hong's harem would become a nunnery.

  Thinking about Shen's virtuous and magnanimous appearance over the years, it makes one feel a chill run down their spine. They say that dogs that bite don't bark, but Shen Yunrong has ruined the lives of all the concubines and yet was still praised by others - what a remarkable skill! Among the concubines, there are those with deep thoughts, and upon careful consideration of Shen's character, one can't help but feel shocked. Shen's private creation of imperial robes and crowns must not have been a recent development! She has served the Emperor for over ten years, and throughout this time, she has presented herself as virtuous and kind, even surpassing Empress Xiao in this regard. She must have had her sights set on the throne from the very beginning!

  Moreover, it's not just the queen, but also the future empress! On one hand, she cultivates her virtues to make a good name for herself, on the other hand, she eliminates all competitors for the throne. Later, when Consort Shang and Ye gave birth, she even resorted to witchcraft to get rid of the two dragon babies, so that by the time the emperor reached middle age, there would only be one heir left, Zhao Wang, and he wouldn't have a choice but to make him the crown prince.

  Such a woman is simply a snake demon incarnate.

  Shen Yunrong's death made everyone rejoice, but Lin Yuan in the Mirror Moon Pavilion was not particularly happy. She discovered a very troublesome thing, that is, she couldn't guess through Tuoba Hong's mind more and more.

  In her expectation, Shen Shi would not die so early... Even if the emperor was going to take action against the powerful ministers who controlled the government after eliminating Mu Wu Wang, she should not be the first one to bear the brunt.

  Xiao family tree is big and the root is deep, it's hard to eradicate, can't move arbitrarily, so the first one won't be Xiao family. And Shangguan clan...... That is a military general family who holds the power of the army. Compared with Wen Chen Lin Zhen, Shangguan Yue, the pillar country great general, is the person who should be eliminated more.

  Moreover, several months earlier, Tuoba Hong had personally enfeoffed Shen's son as Prince of Zhao.

  At that time, no one could see the emperor's attitude towards Shen Yunrong.

  It seems that it's not hard to explain now, but the reason is that because of Emperor Wu of Northern Wei, Emperor Xiaozhao granted favors to the Crown Prince, in order to appease the Shen family and make them put in more effort during the Northern Palace Rebellion. However, even if Emperor Xiaozhao succeeded and abandoned the millstone after killing the donkey, others didn't expect him to torment the Shen family to such an extent, losing their status and power, not to mention that more than half of the clan members lost their lives.

  Tuoba Hong's methods were extremely cruel and ruthless.

  After the death of Shen, the balance of power in the palace was broken. If all goes as planned, Emperor Taizong's next move would be to rebuild a new balance. He will support someone to replace the deceased Shen, to counterbalance Empress Xiang and the Queen, but who will that person be?

  What method will Tuoba Hong take to achieve his goal?

  Lin Wan began to realize that this imperial palace was not as simple as she had imagined.

  What will happen next, no one can guess.

  Three days after the Shen family's house was searched, Emperor Taizong of Tang issued an imperial edict on the court, establishing the Military Affairs Bureau and appointing Yang Qi, a veteran official who had served in three dynasties and a deputy minister of the Grand Council, as "Chief Minister". He also appointed Xianyu Wang, Left Prime Minister Xiao Jingwen, Right Prime Minister Xiao Zhen, Governor of Huguang Chu Dake, and Hanlin Academy scholar Xu Shizong as military ministers. The Military Affairs Bureau was in charge of drafting imperial edicts, participating in policy discussions, and assisting the emperor, which seemed similar to the functions of the Secretariat during the Sui and Tang dynasties at first glance.

  However, after the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, institutions similar to the Secretariat were rarely established. The reason is that although the Grand Councilors did not have much real power, they were the people closest to the emperor, with the most sensitive ears and the longest hands. In other words, the Grand Council had no decision-making power but had tremendous knowledge of imperial affairs.

  As a result, there were often those sycophantic officials who took advantage of the Imperial Cabinet's status to gradually erode the emperor's power.

  However, this matter needs to be considered in different situations. If the emperor is young and inexperienced, or if the emperor's ears are soft, then the inner court would be a parasite of imperial power. If the emperor is strong... he would use the inner court to undermine the power of other officials, making the entire court dare not utter a word against the monarch, and it would be easy to issue a secret edict to assassinate the prime minister, leaving officials with no choice but to live in fear and dare not disobey.

  The Shen family's affairs are not over yet, and the establishment of the Military Machinery Bureau has shaken the Great Qin court again. The palace concubines cannot discuss state politics, but they, who come from noble families, always keep an eye on the front, watching the rise and fall of their own clan. This time, Tuoba Hong's move is quite shocking, and everyone can infer the importance of the Military Machinery Bureau. Yang Gong, who was already 80 years old and ready to retire, suddenly became popular again, and the officials who could enter the Military Machinery Bureau were seen as having a bright future.

  When Yang Gong and other military ministers entered the palace to thank the emperor for his grace, the emperor specially allowed Xiao Nei to meet with her daughter who was the empress. At that time, Empress Xiao was ill and lying in bed taking medicine.

  The Empress Xiao had not been in good spirits lately, and on that night when the witchcraft incident caused a big commotion, she was blown by the cold wind for an entire night and caught a chill. Originally it wasn't serious, but Xiao Yueyi's palace cold syndrome had lasted for more than eight years, it was an old stubborn illness. This time catching a cold just happened to trigger her old symptoms again, and she became bedridden like Lin Yuan in the Mirror Moon Pavilion.

  These days' morning self-reflection sessions have all been exempted.

  Xiao Chengxiang entered Changxin Palace and saw his own daughter looking listless.

  He stared at his daughter for a moment before kneeling down to pay his respects. The nanny beside him quickly helped him up, and Empress Xiao also hurriedly bowed her head and said, "Father, please dispense with the formalities."

  "What's wrong with you lately?" Xiao Chengxiang sighed slightly: "I heard that your body is not well? I finished my work in the Imperial Palace and asked the Emperor to come see you."

  Xiao Huanghou was not like an ordinary concubine, she was the empress, and her father was also a high-ranking official of the current dynasty. Tuoba Hong would allow her to meet with her family whenever he had the opportunity. Therefore, this time, unlike others who hadn't seen their parents for many years and would burst into tears upon meeting them, Xiao Huanghou listened to her father's words with a growing sense of anxiety, furrowing her brow as she said: "Father, please don't casually ask the emperor for favors anymore! Our family is not like it was before, where can we do whatever we want? Seeing that her father had even more white hair on his temples, Xiao Huanghou felt a pang in her heart and comforted him, saying: "Don't worry about me, Father. Although the emperor doesn't favor me, he always respects me. With Shen Concubine recently deceased, even Xiang Concubine wouldn't dare to surpass me."

  Xiao Chengxiang's face was somewhat somber, and he said coldly: "But it's just respect, you've been ill for over ten days, but the Emperor hasn't come to visit you..." He stopped himself, being cautious in the imperial palace, not daring to say more. "You haven't had any children all these years, this is the most important issue. I was worried when I heard that you had another bout of palace coldness, so I came to take a look. Fortunately, Shen Shi has passed away, and it's still unknown who will win the imperial heir dispute."