"And you say she interfered in state affairs. In the four years she was there, besides the Imperial Women's Prison, what else did she do? Even if I placed my memorials in front of her, she wouldn't even glance at them. The thing she disliked most was the palace. In her eyes, sleeping and amassing wealth was far more important than participating in state affairs. If she had a choice, she would rather be a mountain bandit than enter the palace."

"How can my uncle say that such a person is trying to control me?"

Suppressing his anger and dark emotions, Shen Jinchen stared intently at Ji Changming, questioning him one question after another.

"How could she not control you? She's a hen that can't lay eggs, yet she lets you have three thousand concubines but she can't control you. Such a jealous woman, and she says she can't control you? Jue'er, you're confused."

Seeing how much Shen Jinchen hated him, Ji Changming felt like a trapped beast, unable to breathe, but he still believed that he was doing it for Shen Jinchen's own good.

"Haha! Father, that's hilarious! The Duke of Ji said that Mother is infertile, so how did I come into this world? I think he's just making excuses!"

Although Bei Ming Junrong's voice was childish, his eyes were incredibly imposing, unlike what one would expect from a child.

Upon hearing this, Ji Changming's gaze finally fell on the little dumpling sitting next to Shen Jinchen. He observed it carefully and found that it looked exactly like Shen Jinchen when he was a child.

My heart suddenly felt as if a sharp knife had been plunged into it, and I was filled with unbearable pain and regret.

He immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness:

"Your Majesty, this old minister is guilty. This old minister plotted to kill the Empress. I am willing to pay with my life. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, I am also guilty. Please grant me death."

Not only did the Duke of Ji see the little figure that Shen Jinchen was with, but the Duke of Shen also saw it. His face showed a pained expression, and he knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

He and the Duke of Ji initially shared the same opinion that the woman deserved to die, but now, upon seeing the young crown prince before him, his resolve crumbled instantly.

"Very well, very well indeed. You are all eager to die, then I will grant your wish!"

Seeing them plead guilty one by one, Shen Jinchen's dark and sharp eyes gleamed with fire. He immediately took off the sword hanging in front of the hall and walked towards the two culprits.

Reason told him that he couldn't kill these two, but the image of Cen Xi's death kept flashing through his mind, and at this moment, he couldn't care less about anything else.

Unexpectedly, the young prince Bei Ming Jun Rong ran up to Ji Changming at an extremely fast speed and blocked his way.

"Father, you cannot kill your maternal uncle and adoptive father who raised you since childhood. If anyone should be killed, it should be me, the Crown Prince. Otherwise, you will be condemned by the whole world."

Seeing the sword in his son's hand and the blood flowing from it, Shen Jinchen instantly sobered up and roared angrily:

"You brat, what are you doing? Don't you know a sword can hurt people?"

Shen Jinchen never expected that Bei Mingjunrong would want to hold his sword. He immediately threw down the sword, picked up his son, and shouted for the imperial physician outside. Then he searched around for something to bandage the brat.

"Father, although these two dukes deserve to die, they are also people who have done you a great favor. You cannot take action against them. If you want to avenge Mother, you must wait until I grow up. When I grow up, I will personally deal with my mother's killers. You can imprison them for ten years now, and after ten years, I, the Crown Prince, will personally send them a cup of poisoned wine to settle this matter."

Bei Ming Junrong tore at something, making a gesture of enduring pain, then looked intently at Shen Jinchen and tried to persuade him.

"Are you a three-year-old? Who taught you to say these things? Don't worry about adults, or you'll age too quickly."

As Shen Jinchen bandaged his wounds, he looked at him with a probing gaze. Such words were definitely not something a three-year-old child could say; it was probably his two tutors who had said them.

"Don't underestimate me. The Grand Tutor said that I am a once-in-a-century genius, able to learn anything and remember everything I see. If Father doesn't believe me, you can invite the two Grand Tutors over and ask them yourself."

Bei Ming Junrong looked at Shen Jinchen with a smug expression that said, "Don't underestimate me."

"Someone, take the Crown Prince away to treat his injuries."

Shen Jinchen glared at Bei Mingjunrong, then called out to the eunuchs in the hall.

"I'm not leaving. I want to see you handle the case..."

Bei Ming Junrong grabbed Shen Jinchen with his injured hand and wouldn't let go.

"I brought you here today to teach you the ways of a ruler, but it seems you are exceptionally intelligent and self-taught, so you don't need a teacher. Since the two tutors have taught you well, go back and continue to work hard."

Shen Jinchen glanced at him coldly, pulled him off his body, and ordered a eunuch to carry him away.

"No, I want to tell your mother in a dream that you bullied me."

Bei Ming Jun Rong kicked his legs and scratched the eunuch's face, showing no cooperation whatsoever.

However, his father was determined to make him leave. He used his acupoints to immobilize him from a distance and gave a signal to the eunuch. He was then forcibly carried out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The mischievous little fellow left, and Shen Jinchen covered his face, picked up the sword from the ground, looked at it for a long time, but in the end he still couldn't bear to deal with his uncle and adoptive father himself.

"Guards! The Duke of Ji and the Duke of Shen have committed insubordination and murdered the Empress. Effective immediately, they shall be stripped of their dukedom titles and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison for life."

"yes!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards responded with a "yes," and with a wave of his hand, several soldiers stepped forward and took Duke Ji and Duke Shen away.

Now that things have come to this, they both calmly and cooperatively surrendered. For His Majesty's reputation, this was the only way.

After dealing with the two dukes, Shen Jinchen, with a cold face, had Feng Qin bring in Physician Sun.

Physician Sun Heqian immediately knelt before Shen Jinchen upon entering, begging for mercy repeatedly:

"Your Majesty, I was not the one who wanted to kill the Empress. I was forced into this desperate measure. I beg Your Majesty to spare my life in consideration of my past diligence."

"Wasn't it you who recommended Su Nianniang to Duke Ji and Duke Shen?"

Shen Jinchen ignored his pleas for mercy and instead asked the question he wanted to ask.

“This… yes! That Lady Su used to work in the palace. Once, I unfortunately fell, and Lady Su took care of me meticulously for a period of time. I was very grateful and took her in as my goddaughter. It was Duke Ji who said he wanted to find a woman to replace the empress, so I recommended Lady Su to him.”

"I was forced to become an accomplice, so please... please Your Majesty show leniency."

With tears streaming down his face, Physician Sun stammered as he explained his relationship with Su Nianniang, then repeatedly kowtowed and begged for his life.

Looking at his timid face, and then recalling Cen Xi covered in blood, Shen Jinchen's eyes turned as cold as knives:

"Insolence! Your steward said something else entirely. He confessed that you were the one who offered Su Nianniang to the Duke of Ji. If you are so innocent, why didn't you surrender to me after knowing the truth?"

"Innocent? Accomplice? Who prescribed and prepared the medicine for that massive hemorrhage?"