Having many handsome men means no worries; pampering them all keeps me in good spirits.

Chapter 137 Usurping the Throne

Mo Ting quickly went to Jiang Qingyan's side, put his arm around her shoulder and comforted her, "Husband, don't worry, the palace is heavily guarded, Prince Yun won't be able to break in so easily."

Yuan Lie quickly said, "You don't know yet, he has already cooperated with the Empress Dowager of your Da'an!"

Jiang Qingyan's expression froze upon hearing this. Had that old hag gone mad... that she would actually collude with an enemy country and cooperate with her rival's son...

Fearing unforeseen changes in the court, Lu Nian and Yi Luo hurriedly led their army to the palace.

Now, as Jiang Qingyan's man, Yuan Lie has also led his Yuan army to help her.

Jiang Qingyan, along with Mo Ting, Shen Yuan, and Xuan Ye, used their lightness skills to leave first.

Inside the Da'an Imperial Palace, Yu Ying's human skin mask had already been removed, and he and Xia Meier were tied up together, their mouths stuffed with rags, and thrown into the center of the Taihe Hall.

Gulimi suffered multiple knife wounds while protecting the two of them, and her clothes were already soaked with blood.

Finally, exhausted from the fight, he stumbled and was knocked unconscious from behind by Prince Yun's personal guard, who then ripped off the human skin mask.

Empress Dowager Rui stood on the platform and loudly proclaimed to the civil and military officials: "The guilty concubine Gulimi, harboring resentment towards the Emperor for recovering the southern border, colluded with outsiders to impersonate the Emperor and Empress, attempting to seize control of the court and destroy Da'an. Her crimes are unforgivable!"

The audience erupted in uproar. The Emperor and Empress were actually imposters, a collaboration between Consort Shun and outsiders…

At this moment, Lin Zhijie asked anxiously, "Empress Dowager, where is the Emperor now?"

Empress Dowager Rui glanced at Lin Zhijie, then immediately feigned a heartbroken expression, "Alas... my son... has been murdered by these treacherous villains..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhijie's heart skipped a beat, and he shook his head repeatedly, "Impossible...impossible...how could the Emperor have been suddenly killed..."

Empress Dowager Rui coughed lightly and gave Prince Yun a wink, signaling that it was his turn to make his move.

Prince Yun understood, strode onto the stage, glanced at the ministers below, and said loudly, "Fortunately, the Empress Dowager had already noticed and sent a message to me by carrier pigeon. That's why I hurriedly led troops into the palace to rescue her. Otherwise, all of you ministers would have been killed by these three traitors by now!"

Lin Zhijie calmed down and carefully considered the matter, but something still felt off.

If the Empress Dowager had already noticed, why didn't she directly order the Imperial Guards to eliminate the person, instead sending a message by carrier pigeon to Prince Yun, whom she once wished to kill?

He questioned, "We need to see the Emperor alive or dead. The Empress Dowager and Prince Yun keep saying that the Emperor is dead. May I ask where the Emperor's body is now?"

Prince Yun squinted at Lin Zhijie and said coldly, "What right do you, a mere Minister of Rites, have to see the Emperor's corpse?"

Fearing that further entanglement with Lin Zhijie would expose their relationship, Empress Dowager Rui quickly spoke up: "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Prince Yun, Jiang Mingsi, has rendered meritorious service in protecting Da'an and is also the eldest son of the late emperor. He is the best candidate for the throne. I hereby declare... Prince Yun... to ascend the throne immediately!"

The ministers below the stage exchanged bewildered glances, momentarily speechless...

The Emperor is dead?

Prince Yun ascends the throne?

what's the situation?

At this moment, Lord Ning stepped forward, knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets the new emperor, long live the emperor!"

Although the other ministers still had doubts, they saw that Lord Ning had already accepted the facts, so they all knelt down and paid their respects.

Only Lin Zhijie remained standing, resolutely refusing to believe that the Emperor was dead.

The Emperor is so intelligent and wise, how could he possibly die so easily...?

There must be something wrong with this...

Jiang Mingsi stared at Lin Zhijie below the stage, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Lin Zhijie, what do you mean? Are you planning a rebellion?"

Lin Zhijie met Jiang Mingsi's eyes with neither humility nor arrogance, and said coldly, "Rebellion? Your humble servant dares not, but Prince Yun's current eagerness makes him seem more like a plot to usurp the throne."

Empress Dowager Rui could no longer sit still. She suddenly stood up, her eyebrows dancing with excitement, and said, "Minister Lin, stop talking nonsense! You say that Prince Yun is plotting to usurp the throne. Does that mean I am also colluding with Prince Yun to push my own son off the throne?"

Lin Zhijie snorted coldly, "I had already heard about what the Empress Dowager had done to the Emperor. But I never expected that she would go to such lengths. It has truly broadened my horizons!"

Empress Dowager Rui trembled with rage, pointing at Lin Zhijie and shouting, "How dare you! How dare you defy your superiors! Guards! Drag Lin Zhijie away and execute him immediately!"

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. How could Lin Zhijie, an official of the imperial court, be killed so easily?

Given the Empress Dowager's tyranny, what Lin Zhijie just said must be true...

Seeing that no one dared to arrest Lin Zhijie, Empress Dowager Rui directly ordered Minister Ning, "Minister Ning, you shall personally deal with this traitor!"

Lord Ning immediately bowed and accepted the order. He stood up and walked to a guard's side, drew the sword from his waist, and slowly walked to Lin Zhijie.

Lin Zhijie frowned slightly. "Lord Ning, do you also believe what they say?"

Lord Ning smiled dismissively, "This old minister has always followed the Empress Dowager's lead, and naturally believes what the Empress Dowager says."

Lin Zhijie said in disbelief, "So you were one of their accomplices too... You've been plotting a rebellion for a long time..."

Lord Ning sneered, "A wise man submits to circumstances. Since you don't know how to be appreciative, don't blame this old minister for being ruthless and heartless..."

With that, he raised his long sword and slashed down at Lin Zhijie…

Just as the long sword was about to fall, it was suddenly hit by a pebble and bounced far away.

Jiang Qingyan said coldly, "Which bastard is cursing me to be dead?"

The group then strode into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, shielding Lin Zhijie behind them.

The civil and military officials inside the hall were once again stunned...

They immediately knelt down in unison, shouting, "Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

what's the situation?

The Emperor is still alive, isn't he?

Could it be that the Empress Dowager and Prince Yun are really plotting a rebellion?

Jiang Qingyan rolled her eyes at them and said unhappily, "I call you 'my dear minister' every day, so how come you just casually welcomed this traitor to the throne?"

All the ministers lowered their heads in shame and remained silent, their faces full of embarrassment.

It's all Lord Ning's fault for leading them astray...

Empress Dowager Rui was quite surprised by Jiang Qingyan's sudden return to the palace, even though her spies in the palace had reported that the Emperor had secretly gone to Zhangping County with the Empress and two concubines...

You've only been gone for two days, how come you're back so soon?

Moreover, the palace is heavily guarded. She had already instructed the guards to prevent the emperor from returning to the palace. How could he easily enter the Hall of Supreme Harmony?

Jiang Mingsi clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and pointed at Jiang Qingyan and the others, saying, "Fake...they're fake too...have you forgotten about the fake emperor and fake empress from earlier? They're all fake! They're all in disguise!"

Jiang Qingyan raised an eyebrow and looked around the main hall before spotting Gulimi, covered in blood and unconscious, lying on the ground in a corner.

Her legs buckled and she almost fell, but luckily Mo Ting caught her in time…

How did her Gulimi get hurt like this?

Jiang Qingyan quickly ran over, hugged Gulimi in her arms, and softly called his name.