Zhou Ming brought the revised laws into the palace.

Inside Qianyuan Hall, Empress Su Mingyue was reviewing memorials; seeing him enter, she set down her vermilion brush, took the book of laws, and flipped through it from beginning to end.

The only sounds in the hall were the rustling of paper and the tinkling of bronze bells swaying in the wind under the distant eaves.

After a long while, she closed the book and nodded, signifying her approval.

Raising her eyes to look at Zhou Ming, her gaze was solemn and profound: "Zhou Ming, the promulgation of the new laws will inevitably Face significant resistance. You must be prepared."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ming smiled indifferently.

"As long as Your Majesty supports me, there is no resistance for me. It is merely killing a few more people."

Empress Su Mingyue watched him say these words so nonchalantly and gave him a deep look.

In that look, there was scrutiny, gratification, and also a trace of faint unease.

It was not unease regarding Zhou Ming, but rather unease for the impending bloodshed.

Over these past few days, she had been deploying troops and generals, setting up contingency plans across the entire Youzhou territory to counter the backlash from the noble families, preparing for the worst-case scenario.

But she was also clear that whether the new laws could ultimately take root did not depend on how many troops she deployed.

Instead, it depended on whether this blade, Zhou Ming, was sharp enough.

"Since We have decided to implement the new laws, We will certainly support you; you can rest assured on this point."

"How about this: We promise you now that We will grant you five thousand troops to promote the new laws, and when necessary, you may also mobilize the troops outside the various cities."

Empress Su Mingyue sat behind the Dragon desk, hands folded over the book of laws that had just been closed, her gaze calmly watching Zhou Ming.

Her voice carried a tone of absolute certainty, as if to give Zhou Ming a reassurance, or perhaps as if to set a military order for herself.

"We have only one request: complete the implementation of the new laws as soon as possible."

She paused, raised her eyes to look at Zhou Ming, and in those phoenix eyes, there was no hesitation, only a determination that appeared unusually calm after being suppressed to the extreme:

"At tomorrow's morning court, you shall be the one to propose it. Be prepared."

Zhou Ming stood up from his chair, cupped his hands, and bowed.

His movements were unhurried, a faint smile on his Face, his tone composed:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this subject will not fight a battle without certainty."

Empress Su Mingyue looked at his confident appearance, nodded slightly, and waved her hand: "Mm, go and prepare."

Early the next morning, inside Taihe Hall.

The sound of the bell reverberated deeply from the bell tower; the civil and military officials filed in, lining up on both sides according to their rank.

Empress Su Mingyue sat upright on the Dragon throne, her black armor and silver spear still not removed, and the long sword stuck in the imperial steps before the Dragon throne gleamed with a cold, sharp light in the morning sun.

The officials kowtowed, shouting "Long live," and everything proceeded according to routine.

However, the gazes of the crowd drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward the position of the new Minister of Justice.

It had already been several days; other than appointing Zhou Ming as the Minister of Justice, Empress Su Mingyue had not appointed anyone else among all the civil and military officials to a position.

Not only did the others have no positions, but even the newly appointed Minister of Justice had not attended a single morning court until now; his seat had been empty for several days.

It was not until the kowtowing ceremony was finished that Zhou Ming arrived late, leading two guards.

He stepped over the high threshold of Taihe Hall unhurriedly.

His old navy-blue robe looked exceptionally conspicuous amidst the brand-new court attire throughout the hall, yet it made people afraid to underestimate him.

The two guards each carried a stack of books half a person's height, the books neatly tied with hemp twine.

The guards placed the books on the golden brick floor in the center of the hall, cupped their hands in a salute, turned, and retreated.

Zhou Ming walked to the front of the imperial steps, cupped his hands, bowed, and said in a clear, forceful voice: "Your Majesty, the new laws have been revised and completed. This subject requests that they be implemented as soon as possible."

Empress Su Mingyue sat upright on the Dragon throne, her expression still as calm as ever.

She tilted her head slightly and nodded toward Chunlan beside her: "Mm. Distribute the new laws and let the ministers take a look."

Her voice was not loud, but it suppressed all the rustling sounds of clothing friction within the hall.

"Let us put other matters of today's court aside for now; let us discuss this grand plan to strengthen the nation."

"Today, the Minister of Justice has proposed new laws to strengthen the nation; this is a grand plan for the country, and it requires unity from top to bottom."

Chunlan led a team of palace maids out from the side hall, distributing the books of new laws that Zhou Ming had brought to each of the civil and military officials.

The books still carried the fresh scent of ink, and the four characters "Great Ming New Laws" were neatly printed on the covers.

Some received them with both hands, some lifted them with one hand, and some had their brows already knotted before they even opened them.

However, when the laws had only been distributed halfway, an old official with gray hair stumbled out from the ranks.

He held the book, which he had not even finished flipping halfway through, in both hands, and fell to his knees with a thud beneath the imperial steps.

His voice trembled, his eye sockets turned red, as if he were holding a scorching hot iron: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... This must not be done! This... this is to dig up our Foundation! I implore Your Majesty to think thrice!"

"Your Majesty, this subject seconds this! I implore Your Majesty to think thrice!" Another old official knelt down.

"We second this! Your Majesty, think thrice!" As if they had agreed upon it in advance, a large group knelt down with a swoosh.

Gray heads bobbed up and down on the golden brick floor, and the mountain-shaking, sea-roaring cries of "Your Majesty, think thrice" resounded throughout Taihe Hall.

Empress Su Mingyue sat upright on the Dragon throne, calmly looking at the civil and military officials kneeling all over the floor at her feet, without speaking.

Her expression was identical to when she stood on Wild Wolf Slope overlooking the mountains of bones.

It was not indifference, but a form of restraint that far exceeded anger and sympathy, something deeper and more complex.

She was waiting, waiting for Zhou Ming to speak.

Zhou Ming indeed spoke.

His voice was unhurried: "Esteemed ministers, in the current trend of the world, only the new laws can strengthen the nation."

"First, reward agriculture to enrich the nation; second, reward military merit to strengthen the army; third, unify the power of governance to administer the state; fourth, change customs to rectify the people."

Before Zhou Ming had finished speaking, a middle-aged man dressed in purple court attire walked out from the ranks.

This person was named Gongsun Gu, the current head of the Gongsun Family; the Gongsun Family had operated in Youzhou for generations and was the oldest of the old noble families.

He walked to the center of the hall, performed a salute toward the imperial steps, and then turned around to Face Zhou Ming directly.

His tone sounded very polite, but the skepticism and disdain in his eyes were not concealed in the slightest: "Minister Zhou, the new dynasty has just been established; to revise the new laws now is truly too early."

"The laws currently used by the Great Ming follow the old laws of the Great Xia, which have long formed a deep and stable Legacy tradition."

"If you want to promote the new laws, you must first point out the accumulated ills of the Great Xia's old laws; otherwise, it will be impossible to convince the civil and military officials of the entire court."

Gongsun Gu's question was extremely tricky, effectively kicking the ball directly back to Zhou Ming's feet.

You say you want to reform the laws, then you first prove where the old laws are not good.

If you cannot prove it, do not blame everyone for not giving you Face.

But Gongsun Gu never expected that this seemingly sharp challenge would provide Zhou Ming with an excellent opportunity to explain the essence of the new laws in public.