Feng Jinlu hesitated, her eyes darting towards Consort Shu, wanting to speak but stopping, seemingly in a dilemma.

Jiang Chen frowned even more at the sight.

For Feng Jin, the chief eunuch, to be in such a quandary, it must be something extraordinary!

He gave Consort Shu a reassuring look, then strode out the door, gesturing for Feng Jin to follow.

In the long corridor, Jiang Chen waved away the surrounding attendants, his face grave as he said, "What happened to Xu Changqing?"

Feng Jin bit his teeth, not daring to look at Jiang Chen, his voice trembling, "General Xu... he... he smashed the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

After saying that, he knelt down with a thud, his whole body shaking like a sieve, not daring to look at the emperor's expression.

The Imperial Ancestral Temple housed the ancestral tablets of the emperors of the Great Wei Dynasty, His Majesty's own father and grandfather!

This Xu Changqing was truly audacious, daring to commit such an unforgivable crime! Even saying it made him feel like he was committing a taboo!

Jiang Chen's face turned ashen, his mind reeling, as if struck by a heavy hammer.

He took a deep breath, barely managing to control his emotions, and said sternly, "Go, notify Xu Mu, immediately seal off the Imperial Ancestral Temple, arrest all those who know about this and the palace servants on duty nearby, and keep them under strict guard!"

Feng Jin hurriedly responded and ran off, so anxious that he almost missed a step.

Jiang Chen had no time to worry about that now; his eyes were burning with rage, as if he wanted to devour someone!

That dog Xu Changqing actually caused trouble at such a critical moment. What kind of place was the Imperial Ancestral Temple? It was the foundation of the nation!

If this matter wasn't handled properly, not to mention Xu Changqing himself, the entire Xu family of hundreds of people would have to pay for his life...

The northeast corner of the imperial palace, the Imperial Ancestral Temple!

This place housed the ancestral tablets of the emperors of the Great Wei Dynasty and was the most strictly regulated place in the palace.

Except for the annual sacrifices and when the emperor came to pray before making important decisions, it was closed at all other times.

Without the emperor's permission, anyone who approached it would be executed without exception!

When Jiang Chen arrived, the entire Imperial Ancestral Temple was already surrounded by layers upon layers of imperial guards, sealed off so tightly that not even a fly could escape.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen's expression eased slightly, but the anger in his heart did not diminish by half; in fact, it grew even more intense!

His ancestral tombs had been smashed, yet he couldn't punish the culprit; he even had to hold his nose and clean up the mess for the 'culprit'. This feeling of suffocation made Jiang Chen want to vomit blood!

He pushed open the door and stepped into the main hall where the ancestral tablets were enshrined.

Xu Changqing was kneeling on the ground, surrounded by ancestral tablets broken into three pieces.

His eyes were dull, the color completely drained from his face, as if he couldn't believe what had happened.

It wasn't until he saw Jiang Chen that his expression changed, revealing deep shame and helplessness.

"Your Majesty, this subject... this subject deserves to die!"

He stammered, his straight back gradually bending, his once-bright eyes turning red as he looked at the ground, seemingly ashamed to the extreme, unable to face Jiang Chen.

At this moment, the eyes of Jiang Chen's entourage were already looking elsewhere, not daring to glance at the ground.

Such an act of disrespect was simply a royal disgrace!

Hearing Xu Changqing's confession, Jiang Chen sneered, the anger that had been building up all the way was ignited, and he kicked out!

'Thump!'

A loud sound echoed in everyone's ears.

Xu Changqing, a general who was eight feet tall, was kicked straight out by Jiang Chen and slid several meters on the ground!

Everyone's eyelids twitched as they heard it, but Jiang Chen didn't flinch, his handsome face as cold as frost. "Deserves to die? You do deserve to die!"

"But, it's not a pity for you to die, but my Yun'er, and the entire Xu family, will also be implicated by you and lose their lives! I will never allow this to happen!"

Xu Changqing's eyes flashed with extreme guilt upon hearing this. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled to Jiang Chen's feet.

He pleaded, "Your Majesty, this matter was committed by this subject and has nothing to do with Consort Shu or the Xu family!"

"I alone will bear the responsibility! You can punish me however you want, I have no complaints, but please spare..."

Jiang Chen was unwilling to listen any further!

He coldly interrupted, "Bear it yourself?"

"The crime of disrespecting the Imperial Ancestral Temple is equivalent to treason. Do you think that offering your own life will quell the situation? Ridiculous!"

As he said that, Jiang Chen shook his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, walked up to Xu Changqing, and gritted his teeth, "Do you know how much effort I put into supporting your Xu family? How did you get the position of general? Do you remember? You, is this how you repay me?!"

As he said that, Jiang Chen raised his foot again to kick.

But after seeing the blood seeping from the corner of Xu Changqing's mouth, he took a deep breath and suppressed the thought.

Something was very wrong with this matter. If something really happened to Xu Changqing, it would only benefit those behind the scenes, causing grief to loved ones and satisfaction to enemies! He couldn't be impulsive!

Not knowing Jiang Chen's inner struggle, Xu Changqing was already too ashamed to speak.

Looking at the messy Imperial Ancestral Temple, he felt utterly despondent!

Having committed such an act of transgression... he, he was letting down the family that raised him, and even more so the emperor who promoted him!

Jiang Chen had regained some rationality at this time.

Looking at Xu Changqing's despairing appearance, he felt another wave of annoyance in his heart.

He simply turned a blind eye and roared at the imperial guards behind him, "Lock this dog, this criminal, Xu Changqing, into the imperial prison! Without my order, no one is allowed to visit!"

"Also, all the palace servants who came into contact with him today will be arrested!"

"No one is allowed to reveal this matter. If I hear any rumors, you can go to the Department of Justice to receive your punishment!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's hearts trembled!

They had seen the emperor's methods before, and thinking of the fate of those palace servants who had been purged a few days ago, they all shuddered.

Just as Jiang Chen was controlling the situation with thunderous means, rumors gradually spread outside the palace.

Almost all officials above the fourth rank received the news of this matter.

By late at night, the news that Xu Changqing had broken into the Imperial Ancestral Temple and disturbed the peace of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong was known to all families with any means, and everyone was discussing it.

Jiang Chen's forehead throbbed with anger at this and cursed the imperial guard commander Xu Mu, "Are you taking my words as wind in your ears?"

"I told you to block the news, but now it's known throughout the city! Are you rebelling?!"

Xu Mu was so frightened that his heart was pounding wildly, and he stammered in panic, "Your Majesty, this subject, this subject has no such intention! Yesterday, this subject had already sealed off the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and all the relevant people were also imprisoned. It stands to reason that this, this situation is impossible!"

Jiang Chen's face changed from anger to gloom, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

This matter was very strange.

After receiving the news, he had some guesses in his heart, but he couldn't be completely sure.

But now, the news that should have been blocked was known to everyone. If he still didn't understand, he would be too stupid.

A cold smile appeared on the corner of Jiang Chen's mouth...