The great hall finally fell silent.
A precious sword was held against Ye Qingtian's neck. Murong Chong looked down at him from above, speaking languidly.
"Ye Qingtian, shall we do a blood test to verify kinship?"
Only then did the people in the hall understand what had happened. It seemed Lord Ye had killed the Crown Prince and replaced him with his own son. But why did Lord Ye's son resemble the Crown Prince so much? Yet, who dared to say anything?
Yun Mo, standing beside him, was already indignant and spoke in a deep voice.
"Esteemed ministers, remember, the treacherous Ye Qingtian, at the time of the late emperor's demise, sent his subordinates to massacre the Eastern Palace and replaced the Crown Prince with his own son. Therefore, for the past four years, the Emperor has been a fake. That fake emperor, fearing his disguise would be exposed, targeted this king at every turn and also harmed Prime Minister Sima and the court officials whom the late emperor valued."
These words, like a stone cast into a deep sea, stirred up colossal waves.
The ministers stepped forward, surrounding Ye Qingtian, and berated him endlessly.
"You utterly heartless wretch!"
"How dare you frame the late emperor thus!"
In an instant, the hall was filled with clamorous noise. Just as the hall was in an uproar,
Outside the palace doors, a uniform sound of footsteps echoed. Prince Shangguan Lin, clad in a black brocade robe,
Appeared at the entrance. Upon seeing the Prince's arrival, everyone's conviction grew stronger. The Crown Prince was indeed this person before them, a scheme of deception by Ye Qingtian.
However, concerning the other part of this matter, no one dared to utter a single word.
As Shangguan Lin walked in, he cupped his fists respectfully. "Imperial Brother, the person has been brought, and indeed, Lord Lan is missing."
Murong Chong's gaze suddenly deepened like an abyss, cold and bloodthirsty.
"Ye Qingtian, quickly tell me Lan Qinglun's whereabouts, or this dog emperor, I will flay him inch by inch!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingtian's face turned pale. He struggled to speak, "He is imprisoned in the Ye Manor's dungeon."
Now they were all facing certain death, so they only wished for Jing Yi to die a swift death.
Upon hearing this, Murong Chong immediately ordered Zhuifeng, "Take men to the Ye Manor immediately. You must rescue Lan Qinglun."
"Yes, Master."
Zhuifeng departed swiftly.
At this moment, Yi Yuxuan also arrived with five thousand Imperial Guards. Accompanying him was the commander of the Imperial Guards, Xiao Yao. Both were injured, seemingly having engaged in a fight beforehand.
However, upon entering and observing the situation, Xiao Yao said no more, but respectfully knelt and said, "This humble subject greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
The Emperor had not yet ascended the throne, so he could only be addressed as Crown Prince.
The officials in the hall knelt together, their voices echoing through the hall: "We pay homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Murong Chong waved his long robe, speaking with arrogance and dominance, "Rise."
"Xiao Yao, immediately take two thousand men to seal off the inner palace."
"Yes, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince," Xiao Yao accepted the order and quickly left, mustering two thousand elite soldiers and heading straight for the inner palace.
Murong Chong began assigning tasks. "Prince Shangguan, immediately take two thousand men to seal the palace gates, allowing no one to exit."
"Yes."
Shangguan Lin accepted the order and swiftly departed to assemble his men, heading directly for the palace gates. Both the inner and outer palace gates were fully guarded.
Finally, Murong Chong looked at Yun Mo. "Prince Yun, with the remaining one thousand men, you shall take command. All the people inside and outside this hall must remain here. No one is allowed to leave, not even a step. Anyone who steps out will be killed without mercy. All necessities will be handled within the hall."
"Yes, Crown Prince."
"Yi Yuxuan, lead the members of the Divine Dragon Palace and escort Ye Qingtian and this villainous traitor to the side hall for confinement. This Prince will surely administer severe punishment."
Murong Chong's eyes suddenly filled with killing intent. Ye Qingtian, looking at this arrogant, flamboyant, and bloodthirsty man, trembled in fear and fainted. He realized this was the true Emperor.
With lightning speed, so fast that the thunderclap could not be heard, the court was controlled in the blink of an eye, leaving everyone immobile.
At this moment, the sun rose from the east. The sky was filled with red clouds that shot across the vast bluestone plaza outside the Guangming Hall. The ground was covered with corpses, blood spreading everywhere like blooming flowers of death, a sight that was shocking and soul-stirring.
The strong smell of blood caused the timid to gag.
Inner Palace.
Two thousand Imperial Guards clashed with the palace guards. The commander of the guards, Song Yuan, had no idea what was happening.
The commander of the Imperial Guards, Xiao Yao, led a group of men in and, without explanation, apprehended their men and sealed off various passages. He himself was captured during the scuffle.
At this moment, the vast imperial palace was completely locked down.
Murong Chong, leading a few subordinates, headed directly for Changxin Palace in the inner palace. Along the way, Imperial Guards repeatedly cupped their fists and said in a deep voice, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
His robes billowed, a fleeting shadow. There was no trace of anyone else.
His innate imperial demeanor, though beautiful, and his methods, his killing intent, his bloodthirsty cruelty, made him a force to be reckoned with.
Inside Changxin Palace.
The eunuchs and palace maids were all in a panic. Ping'an inquired and vaguely understood what had happened. She hurried into the sleeping quarters and shouted.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, the Crown Prince has stormed the palace!"
The Empress Dowager, who had been lying on the bed with no signs of life, suddenly opened her eyes. She extended her withered hand, grasped Ping'an tightly, and managed to utter a few words with difficulty. "What did you say?"
"The Crown Prince has stormed the palace."
Ping'an felt a pang of pity, but this fated calamity would eventually end. Her Highness had lived such a difficult life; she was too tired, too weary, barely holding on to her last breath.
"Your Highness."
Ping'an cried and knelt by the bedside. The Empress Dowager widened her eyes, gazing at the gauze canopy above. No one knew what she was thinking, but for a long time, she remained motionless.
Ping'an, startled, reached out to test her. There was still a faint breath, but seeing how hard she was struggling, Ping'an cried even louder. "Your Highness, Your Highness."
At this moment, footsteps were heard from outside the screen, steady and powerful, each step echoing. Ping'an and the Empress Dowager both turned their heads to stare at the person entering.
Clad in a white brocade robe, his features were so exquisite they were like a breathtaking painting. His narrow eyebrows, his pupils like cold stars of midnight, were now overflowing with a blood-red hue, his presence permeated with killing intent.
He seemed like a soul-reaping messenger from hell, waiting to take away damned souls.
The Empress Dowager panted, struggling, and gazed at him, her lips quivering.
"You have come. You have finally come. I should die."
"You should die. Dying ten, a hundred times would not be enough."
Murong Chong thought he could remain calm, but hatred filled his chest. Looking at her, his composure and self-control completely dissolved. If he had felt a shred of pity for her the first time, this time only hatred remained.
He wished he could kill her a thousand, ten thousand times to quell the hatred in his heart.
Tears welled up in the Empress Dowager's eyes. Her tears had long since dried up; what flowed now was only blood.
On her withered face, it was ferocious and terrifying.