Chương 415: In this world today, there is no such thing as an emperor.

Guo Jia, fanning himself with a feather fan, chuckled and said, "I reckon they're bored out of their minds, having nothing to do at home all day. They're trying to get you to hold court sessions, my lord, to make their presence felt. After all, these old ministers have lived their entire lives relying on court rules and the relationship between ruler and subject. If you cancel court sessions and prevent them from seeing His Majesty, it's like throwing away their rice bowl. How could they not be anxious?"

"Oh, I thought it was something important."

Liu Ce put down the chess piece, stretched, and laughed:

"Alright, let them wait in the council chamber. I'll be right there. I want to hear what these old men have to say."

By the time Liu Ce leisurely strolled into the council hall, Wang Yun and his group were already restless, pacing back and forth like ants on a hot plate.

Upon seeing Liu Ce enter, everyone immediately stopped in their tracks, quickly straightened their court robes, and bowed respectfully to Liu Ce: "Your subjects pay their respects to Your Highness, the Prince of Yan!"

"No need for formalities, please have a seat."

Liu Ce waved his hand, walked to the main seat, sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and casually said:

"You are all veteran officials of the court. You have come to my residence together today, surely not just to pay your respects? If you have something to say, just say it directly, don't beat around the bush."

The crowd looked at each other, and finally, Wang Yun, the boldest among them, was encouraged to speak first.

Wang Yun stepped forward, bowed to Liu Ce again, and began to speak in a refined manner:

"Your Highness, we have come here today with important matters to report. Since Your Highness quelled the rebellion of Dong Zhuo and entered Luoyang, the world has been at peace and the people are living in happiness. We are deeply grateful for Your Highness's benevolence."

"However... however, the court has not held a court assembly for more than a month. As Han officials, we have no way to participate in state affairs, and we are truly uneasy about it."

He paused, then continued, "Furthermore, we have not had an audience with Your Majesty for many days, and we are deeply concerned, unable to eat or sleep. Therefore, we have dared to come here to humbly request Your Highness to restore the court assembly system and allow us to have regular audiences with Your Majesty, so as to fulfill our duty as subjects."

After saying that, he bowed deeply to Liu Ce.

The crowd behind him rose and echoed, "We implore Your Highness to resume court assemblies and allow us to have an audience with His Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce not only wasn't angry, but instead burst out laughing.

He looked at the group of serious-looking old men and slowly asked:

"Gentlemen, let me ask you something first: what exactly is the purpose of this court assembly?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then looked at each other in bewilderment.

Huang Wan, forcing a smile, replied, "Your Highness, the court assembly is an ancestral institution of our Great Han Dynasty. It is the foundation for the emperor and his ministers to discuss state affairs and handle government matters, and it is the face of the court!"

"That settles it, doesn't it? The morning assembly is just a shell for handling government affairs; the core is getting things done, right?"

Liu Ce smiled and nodded, then asked:

"Then let me ask you again, in the ten provinces of my Great Han Dynasty—You, Ji, Bing, Liang, Sili, Jing, Yan, Yu, Xu, and Qing—which province or prefecture is in turmoil? Which people are starving or naked? Which banditry has not been eradicated? Or is it that a dike has collapsed or a natural disaster has occurred, and no one is taking care of it?"

After a barrage of questions, the old men looked at each other, mouths agape, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

They know it perfectly well.

Since Liu Ce came to power, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and others have managed government affairs clearly and efficiently, while Li Jing, Xu Da, and others have kept the borders firmly in place. The administration of each prefecture and county is clean and efficient, and the people live in peace and contentment.

Not to mention major disturbances, even petty theft has decreased significantly.

It's truly flawless.

Seeing their speechless expressions, Liu Ce added with a smile:

"Look, all the government affairs are handled perfectly, the country is at peace, and the people are safe and sound. So what difference does it make whether or not we hold court assemblies? Do you think you're handling state affairs by going to the palace every day, staring at a nine-year-old child, and spouting a bunch of useless nonsense?"

He paused, then said with a hint of teasing in his voice:

"When the warlords of Guandong were campaigning against Dong Zhuo, you all attended court every day, but what did you do to Dong Zhuo?"

These words made their faces turn red and white, and their heads were almost bowed to their chests.

The airs of a seasoned official that he had just displayed vanished instantly.

After a long silence, Yang Biao forced himself to raise his head again and changed his approach, his voice becoming much softer:

"Your Highness is right. But... but we are Han subjects, we are paid by the emperor and have a duty to serve him. We have not seen His Majesty for many days and we are truly missing him. We beg Your Highness to grant us a chance to see His Majesty."

"Oh, you want to see His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce leaned back in his chair, and the smile on his face slowly faded.

He picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then casually dropped a bombshell:

"Then I have something to tell you, so don't worry about it."

Everyone pricked up their ears.

Liu Ce put down his teacup and said, word by word:

"The previous emperor, now Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu, has come to me crying several times. He said he is too young, only nine years old, and cannot bear the burden of the world. He lives in fear every day and does not want to be the emperor anymore. I am his uncle, and seeing how pitiful the child is, I agreed. Empress Dowager He also nodded in approval."

He glanced at the stunned crowd and added, word by word:

"So, in this world now, there is no such thing as an emperor."

Upon hearing this, the entire council chamber fell into a deathly silence.

You could hear a pin drop.

Wang Yun, Yang Biao, and their fellow old men stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape, frozen in place, their minds blank, and they remained in shock for a long time.

They considered countless possibilities.

They had considered that Liu Ce might be perfunctory, reject them, or even scold them.

But to everyone's surprise, Liu Ce actually managed to get rid of the emperor!

Before they could recover from their shock, Liu Ce's expression suddenly changed.

That gaze, like a drawn steel blade, coldly swept over each of them.

The oppressive aura emanating from him instantly spread, making it difficult for them to even breathe.

The old men who had just been putting on airs of senior officials now felt a chill run down their spines, their legs cramped, and cold sweat poured down their foreheads.

Liu Ce asked in a deep voice, his voice not loud, but it made everyone's ears ring:

"Do you... understand... it... now?"

The sound was neither loud nor soft, but to their ears it was louder than thunder.

Every word felt like a hammer blow to their hearts.

The old men immediately chickened out.

The old minister's backbone and his confidence to demand an explanation vanished in an instant.

They were all trembling, their legs were cramping, and they quickly bowed down in unison, their heads almost touching the ground, shouting repeatedly:

"Understood! We understand!"

"Your Highness is wise! We will obey Your Highness's every command!"

"We understand! We have no further objections!"