Now was the best opportunity to bring down Princess Junwan; the ministers of the other imperial prince factions could no longer restrain themselves, and they imdiately reached an unspoken agreent.
No matter which prince's faction they belonged to, they agreed to first kick that woman out of the ga. She was too domineering; with her presence, the princes they supported found it difficult to rise to prominence.
Following the voices calling for the revocation of her title, even more ministers stepped forward.
"We beseech the Emperor to revoke Princess Junwan's title!"
"We beseech the Emperor to revoke Princess Junwan's title…"
…
Soon after, a large group kneeled in a rustling wave in the great hall.
Seeing this scene, Chai Jiliang realized the seriousness of the issue. He originally wanted to say sothing more, but at this mont, the Martial Emperor spoke up.
"Princess Junwan has abused her power, leading to the failure of the northern campaign. From this day forth, her title of Princess Junwan is revoked; she is to be confined to Green Cloud Palace and without my command, she shall not leave."
In Great Wu, "Princess Junwan" denotes the legitimate eldest daughter of a prince, who does not have the right to ddle in politics, whereas the title "Princess Junwan" requires an imperial decree, codifying substantial authority. Once titled, they could intervene in affairs of the court.
When the Martial Emperor pronounced these words, a thrill of excitent surged within the hearts of the court ministers of the imperial prince factions and those repulsed by the idea of won in politics; they had not expected this military defeat would eradicate the ominous cloud that lood over their heads.
The ministers also realized that the Martial Emperor had completely lost faith in Princess Junwan, oh no, she was now just Princess Junwan.
It would no longer be so easy for this woman to ddle in the court's affairs.
Not long after.
Wu Junwan, who was in Green Cloud Palace, received the news from the court.
At first, she scarcely could believe it, but when the imperial edict arrived, she realized that her father had thoroughly abandoned her.
With Great Wu's three hundred thousand-strong army annihilated, and even the possibility that Great Wu's main forces could suffer a setback, soone had to be made the scapegoat.
Though the war was initiated by her father, the Emperor could not be held responsible; the Emperor could do no wrong, so the fault must lie with soone else.
Therefore, the Martial Emperor planned to make her bear the bla.
As the eunuch finished reading the imperial edict, Wu Junwan slumped powerlessly onto the ornate couch, her gaze listless and wandering.
After a while, Wu Junwan snapped back to reality and hastily exclaid, "Fetch Pri Minister Chai for imdiately!"
No sooner had Wu Junwan spoken than the female guard at the door said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has already ordered the lockdown of Green Cloud Palace, and no outsiders are permitted to enter."
Upon hearing this, Wu Junwan was slightly stunned; she had been placed under house arrest.
She had never imagined there would co a day like this for her.
So ti passed before Wu Junwan collected herself and then said to the female guards inside the great hall, "Go and call Elder Pei!"
Pei Hong was her Protector, and if soone of the Grandmaster Realm like him spoke on her behalf, perhaps he could stabilize her father for the ti being.
However, as Wu Junwan was thinking this, suddenly a female guard entered the great hall, knelt tremblingly on the ground, and said, "Your Highness, Elder Pei has sent to give you a ssage. From today onwards, he will no longer be your Protector; he hopes that the princess will cultivate in peace within Green Cloud Palace and break through to the Grandmaster Realm as soon as possible."
Hearing this, Wu Junwan was struck as if by thunder; she had not expected Pei Hong, her Protector, to distance himself from her as well.
Thinking about it, it made sense; Pei Hong had been placed by her mother by her side since a young age, and so many years after her mother's death, it was likely that Pei Hong's loyalty to her had already waned. Plus, with everyone turning against her now that she had fallen, Pei Hong likely saw no future in following her and thus might have decided to switch allegiance to another prince.
Once the balance of power was broken, it was easy to tip completely. Back then, Pei Hong had been aligned with Wu Junwan's mother, which naturally put him on Wu Junwan's side as her Protector.
After the death of Wu Junwan's mother—the Empress—who had amassed a significant following, Pei Hong did not betray her imdiately, since the governing influence of his forr allegiance was considerable.
And Pei Hong, being of the Grandmaster Realm, also drew the Emperor's wariness. Considering the support from a Grandmaster behind Wu Junwan and the fact that the Emperor genuinely needed a formidable power backing him to strengthen his court presence, the Emperor then made Wu Junwan Princess Junwan.
Moreover, due to the Emperor designating Wu Junwan as Princess Junwan, Pei Hong, staying by her side, ended up acquiring more privileges, hence his continued presence.
The Emperor had long felt that his daughter's power was becoming too great, completely suppressing the developnt of the other princes, but there had been no way to deal with it; he dared not hastily depose her from her title as Princess Junwan because he was unsure of Pei Hong's loyal extent to her.
But this ti was different. The failed campaign against the North Country, with the loss of hundreds of thousands due to a lack of intelligence, provided the Emperor a justifiable reason to temporarily strip Wu Junwan of her title, and those of the Princess Junwan faction had nothing to say about it.
With Wu Junwan stripped of power, Pei Hong, the Grandmaster, had no reason to stay by her side any longer; he could ally with anyone, as soone of the Grandmaster Realm would be welcod by any party.
Wu Junwan losing her position caused a domino effect; with Pei Hong leaving Wu Junwan, those who had aligned with Junwan's faction for the sake of Pei Hong, the Grandmaster, would inevitably turn to others, leaving Wu Junwan's side quickly devoid of people.
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