Chapter 303 is about to descend into chaos.

Shen Qingci was taken aback, and her expression changed instantly.

Summon the imperial physician?

Someone is injured? Who is it?

It shouldn't be Huo Yunting and the late emperor, right? If it were them, there would be no need to summon the imperial physician.

Was it her arrangement for the bodyguards to impersonate her and go ahead to investigate?

Or is it Chu Yuening? Or perhaps... Chu Jichen?

Neither of them was what she wanted to see. Especially Chu Jichen…

Shen Qingci hurriedly lowered her head and turned around, instructing the guards: "Do you have any way to send a message to the guards inside the Huo residence, asking them to tell His Majesty that I am outside the Huo residence and whether the matter has been handled properly? If the matter has been handled properly, can I go in?"

"By the way, if I still can't go in, could I ask them who the injured person is?"

The guard responded in a low voice and hurriedly left to carry out his orders.

Shen Qingci lowered her head, her heart pounding with anxiety.

After a long while, the guard hurriedly came to report: "His Majesty said that the Empress should not take any rash actions for the time being."

“They said they were afraid that the late emperor’s former subordinates would retaliate to rescue them.”

Shen Qingci nodded, that's true.

If the late emperor truly faked his death for three years, then what he did during those three years is actually quite easy to guess.

Nine times out of ten, he felt that someone in the court harbored disloyal intentions and posed a certain threat, so he faked his death to avoid danger.

Incidentally, they would push Emperor Yongming forward to lure those with ulterior motives into action, then arrange for Chu Jichen to become regent, using Chu Jichen's hand to eliminate dissidents.

The late emperor secretly accumulated strength, waiting for the right opportunity to make his move.

This game of chess was quite a big one.

It's just that she might have discovered the clues and seized the opportunity before the game was fully set up.

However, the strength that the late emperor had accumulated over three years was certainly not weak.

Now that the late emperor has fallen into Chu Jichen's hands, those people he's hiding in the shadows will surely come to his rescue.

Chu Jichen was afraid that when they came to her rescue, she was also affected.

Chu Jichen's concerns were valid; since the late emperor dared to show himself at this time, he must have something to rely on.

Although they have been captured, even a centipede with a hundred legs does not die easily. Those assassins hiding in the shadows are like venomous snakes lurking in the grass, ready to strike at any moment.

Chu Jichen was protecting her.

but……

Shen Qingci frowned, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

If it were up to her, she should have just... killed Huo Yunting and that former emperor!

Cut the weeds and eliminate the roots to prevent future troubles!

Just like back then, she killed Emperor Yongming with her own hands!

With the two leaders dead, the remaining rabble will be like a pile of loose sand, nothing to fear.

Shen Qingci bit her lip and murmured softly, "Why...why not just kill them?"

Hearing Shen Qingci's mutterings, the guard looked at her in surprise: "Does Master wish me to relay your words back?"

Shen Qingci remained silent for a moment, then shook her head.

Chu Jichen must have had his reasons for choosing to capture him alive. Perhaps it was to extract more information about his accomplices, or perhaps it was to stabilize the court...

Although she didn't understand, she believed him.

"You still haven't told me who was injured?" Shen Qingci pressed.

The guard quickly replied, "The message coming from inside should be... the Sixth Princess."

Shen Qingci frowned. Chu Yuening? Why her?

She had considered many possibilities, but she never imagined it would be Chu Yuening.

Chu Yuening was merely bait, used to deceive the enemy. Huo Yunting and the late emperor's target was likely Chu Jichen, or perhaps her, the "Empress."

Shen Qingci's mind raced, but she had to admit that she did indeed have selfish motives.

Hearing that it wasn't Chu Jichen who was injured, she did feel a slight sense of relief.

Before long, there was also some commotion inside the Huo residence.

A group of Imperial Guards led the way as they came out from inside.

Next was Chu Jichen.

He was carrying a woman in his arms, her body draped in his outer robe, but the fabric around her abdomen was still stained crimson with blood. Although her face was obscured, her figure and clothing clearly identified her as Chu Yuening, disguised as her!

Chu Jichen's expression was cold and his steps were steady, but Shen Qingci still keenly caught a hint of anxiety deep in his eyes.

Behind them, Huo Yunting and a dignified old man, chained together, walked out under heavy guard.

Although the old man was imprisoned, he stood upright with a sinister gaze, and there was a hint of imperial aura in his eyes.

The late emperor!

Shen Qingci's gaze swept over the group, finally settling on Chu Jichen. Only after confirming that he was unharmed except for his slightly disheveled clothes did she let out a long sigh of relief.

Thankfully, he's alright.

but……

Chu Yuening was injured in the abdomen.

Shen Qingci's eyes were dark and brooding. Regardless of who did it, judging from the location of the attack, it couldn't be a coincidence. The news of her pregnancy must have leaked out.

When she was diagnosed with pregnancy, only Chu Jichen and her close friends were present.

The fact that the news still leaked out suggests that, perhaps, one of them had a spy hidden among their ranks.

After Chu Jichen carried Chu Yuening onto the carriage, the group departed in a grand procession.

Soon, the onlookers were in an uproar.

"My God, did you see that? Her Majesty the Empress seems to be injured!"

"Moreover, the one escorted out by the Imperial Guards is Huo Yunting? And there's an old man in front of Huo Yunting, who is he?"

"Is Huo Yunting a traitor? Didn't they say he faked his death and was actually working for His Majesty all along? How did he suddenly become a traitor? Did he do something to avenge his brother? But why? Didn't his brother want to kill him and take his place?"

"Is there not a single good person in the Huo family?"

Hearing the clamor of the crowd, Shen Qingci gave a wink to her guards and quietly left the crowd.

Back in the courtyard, Shen Qingci frowned.

"I never saw the late emperor. Was that old man who was escorted out by the Imperial Guards the late emperor? Was he using a disguised appearance or his true appearance at the time?"

Shen Qingci thought for a moment, then answered her own question, "It should be after disguise, right?"

After all, although the late emperor had been dead for three years, he still had many court officials who supported him. If the officials in the court were to find out that the late emperor was not dead at all, it would likely cause quite a bit of trouble.

The guard shook his head: "It is the appearance of the late emperor himself."

"What?" Shen Qingci exclaimed in surprise, "His true appearance?"

What is Chu Jichen trying to do?

By directly pushing the late emperor to the forefront, aren't you afraid of causing chaos throughout the land?

She frowned and paced back and forth in the room, trying to figure out Ji Chen's intentions.

After a long silence, he finally said, "Fine, let's wait and see."

As Shen Qingci had expected, the news that the old man Chu Jichen had brought out of the Huo residence was the "resurrected" late emperor spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

That very night, the Shen family's secret service brought news to Shen Qingci.