TNIBFT -Chapter 102 The War Goddess Empress Qin Fengyi

The moment the voice sounded—

Everyone in the Hall of Diligent Governance froze on the spot. The usually unflappable, fox-like officials all turned pale with terror, their expressions filled with shock.

Before anyone could react—

Thud!
Thud!

Several people immediately collapsed to the ground in fright, prostrating themselves fully and kowtowing toward the golden gauze curtain.

A few elderly ministers with white beards lay flat on the ground, crying out: “Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty has truly awakened! Heaven has blessed us—this is the fortune of Great Zhou!”

“Long live Your Majesty! Long live! Long live ten thousand years!”

The entire hall echoed with shouts of loyalty. Only Zhao Ziliang remained standing beside Imperial Physician Lin.

He turned his head in disbelief toward the gauze curtain.

A gentle breeze stirred it, the golden veil rippling like waves. Through the thin fabric, Zhao Ziliang vaguely saw several figures dressed in magnificent attire.

The gleam of jade and jewels reflected a faint, eerie light, shaking him to his core.

Could it be…

Could it really be that Her Majesty had awakened?

Who was Qin Fengyi?

She was the number one female war god of Great Zhou. At fifteen, she donned armor and took command, never suffering a single defeat in her life. Five years ago, she personally led thirty thousand soldiers, charging in and out of the Liang army camp three times—thirty thousand against two hundred thousand—and utterly crushed the enemy.

After that battle, the armies of Great Zhou nearly pushed all the way to the capital of Liang.

The entire nation celebrated, and Qin Fengyi’s name became as revered as that of a deity.

Zhao Ziliang’s face turned deathly pale, his whole body trembling like a sieve. With a clang, he collapsed to the ground, stiff and ice-cold.

He had been too arrogant.

For five years, the Emperor had been unconscious. The regent ministers had formed their own factions. Having just secured a position by his teacher’s side, he had intended to make a name for himself—using this opportunity to humiliate Imperial Physician Lin and embarrass the Left Chancellor. That was why he had dared to speak so recklessly.

“Your servant… deserves death… death a thousand times!”

Zhao Ziliang lay prostrate, trembling uncontrollably. “This humble servant deserves death! I beg Your Majesty for mercy, I…”

He stammered, on the verge of fainting from fear.

The atmosphere in the hall grew suffocating.

All the officials knelt on the ground, none daring to raise their heads. Zhao Ziliang’s desperate, tearful voice echoed through the vast hall.

Some with guilty consciences felt their hearts pound, secretly relieved that they were not the ones who had stepped forward today.

One breath.

Two breaths.

From behind the golden curtain came the faint rustling of movement. Several elegantly dressed female attendants slowly drew the curtain aside.

A subtle, refined fragrance drifted outward in soft waves.

Hearing footsteps—

Zhao Ziliang, drenched in cold sweat, dared to lift his head slightly, clinging to a sliver of hope.

Inside the inner chamber, with pearl curtains and ornate carvings, surrounded by gold, jade, and precious artifacts, sat a woman wearing a crown. Her skin was like jade, her nose delicate, her lips red as vermilion. One hand rested on a golden dragon head, the other supported her cheek, as if she were half-asleep.

The natural aura of an emperor emanating from her struck straight into the heart. Zhao Ziliang was so frightened that he immediately lowered his head again, lying flat on the ground, sweat pouring down.

“If it is a capital offense, then grant him death.”

Qin Fengyi did not even open her eyes. Her red lips parted slightly, as if she were speaking in a dream.

The hall fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard.

As domineering as ever—this was still the Empress from five years ago. Who would dare oppose her words?

Everyone in the hall remained silent as cicadas in winter.

“Your Majesty, this humble servant was concerned for Your Majesty’s sacred health! I have always been loyal to Great Zhou…”

Zhao Ziliang wailed, kowtowing desperately with utmost sincerity.

Bang!

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

The dull sound of heads striking the ground echoed one after another.

Qin Fengyi suddenly opened her eyes, fury blazing within them like boundless thunder. She stared directly at Zhao Ziliang, who lay prostrate on the ground.

“Are you daring to defy my imperial decree?”

“Guards—execute him on the spot!”

When the Son of Heaven is enraged, it is like the wrath of thunder.

Everyone in the hall lay flat on the ground, not daring to even breathe.

A mere Assistant Minister, yet he dared to use concern for the Emperor as a pretext to flaunt borrowed authority?

At Qin Fengyi’s command, armored guards immediately stepped forward, seizing Zhao Ziliang from both sides and dragging him away.

“Your Majesty!”

“Spare me, Your Majesty!”

“I know my mistake! For the sake of my loyal service to Great Zhou, please spare me this once!”

Qin Fengyi remained expressionless as she waved her hand, then glanced at the kneeling officials.

“Arrogance born of merit—his crime is aggravated. After confiscating the Zhao family’s assets, all relatives are to be exiled.”

“Yes!”

The armored guards acknowledged and withdrew, Zhao Ziliang’s wails piercing the sky.

Those kneeling in the hall all lowered their heads, their backs drenched in cold sweat.

The winds in Great Zhou were about to change.

“Do any of you still have matters to report?” Qin Fengyi asked calmly. Her gaze shifted like a flowing galaxy—her beauty was enough to topple nations, yet not a single man dared to look at her directly, as if even one glance would be an affront to imperial majesty.

“No matters.”

“None…”

Several stammered.

Qin Fengyi let out a cold snort and turned to enter the inner chamber.

Two female officials immediately lowered the yellow veil. Only then did the ministers in the hall scramble away on weak knees, supporting themselves against the walls.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Hall of Diligent Governance finally fell silent.

Qin Fengyi sat upon the broad dragon throne, her jade-like hand lightly pounding her leg. As she read the memorials, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Beside her stood a female official dressed in a green round-collared robe, her black hair neatly tied up and secured with a simple vermilion hairpin—clean and efficient in appearance.

“Your Majesty…”

Shangguan Ning’er hesitated before speaking. Seeing Qin Fengyi repeatedly striking her leg, she frowned.

“Your Majesty must not rush. You have been bedridden for five years—recovery cannot happen overnight. With Imperial Physician Lin here, you will surely recover fully within two or three months.”

“Two or three months?”

Qin Fengyi closed the memorial, her gaze drifting into emptiness. The once imposing, heaven-defying expression on her face now carried a trace of sorrow.

“Others may wait—but they have already waited five years.”

Her emotions surged. Her pale, slender arm slammed heavily onto the desk.

“My children—how have they lived these past five years?”

“Where exactly are they?”

“With so many people in Great Zhou, is there not a single capable person? Not even able to find three five-year-old children?”

“I rule over all under heaven—if I cannot even protect my own children, wouldn’t that make this throne a joke?”

Seeing the tears shimmering in Qin Fengyi’s eyes, Shangguan Ning’er found herself at a loss for words.

As a mother, the Emperor’s pain and longing—day after day, night after night—she had witnessed it all.

But as the ruler of a nation, just as Shangguan Ning’er was about to advise caution, Qin Fengyi coldly interrupted: “Didn’t you say the children are in Sifang City?”

“Pass down my order—summon the Grand Marshal. I will personally lead the army and break Great Liang!”

“Your Majesty!”

At these words, Shangguan Ning’er and several trusted female officials immediately prostrated themselves.

Shangguan Ning’er said urgently, “Your Majesty, you have only just awakened after five years. The Grand Marshal has already retired, and military power has been split in two. If you move to deploy troops and reclaim authority now, what will those old foxes think?”

“The situation is unstable. For the sake of the young masters, Your Majesty must remain calm—stabilize the court internally and resist external threats. Only then can you become their true support.”

Having followed Qin Fengyi for over a decade, Shangguan Ning’er had never seen her so impulsive.

Once, she had been a peerless war goddess—valiant and heroic, her spear able to pierce the heavens.

But now, in the sorrow and longing reflected in her eyes, there was no trace of that former brilliance.

At this moment, she was simply a mother desperate to find her children.