The Emperor, long accustomed to his high position, spoke angrily in a low voice, and everyone lowered their heads, not daring to utter a word. Several ministers exchanged glances privately, wondering if there was more to the assassination attempt than met the eye.

As his gaze swept over the crowd, only the Empress Dowager asked, "Your Majesty, what has happened?"

"Your body has not fully recovered yet. The imperial physician said that you must not get angry."

"Yes, Your Majesty, please have some tea." The Empress, who was standing beside him, picked up the teacup again and handed it to him.

Emperor Xiaoxuan merely touched the teacup and said, "The tea is cold."

With a single glance from the Empress, a palace maid immediately replaced the tea with a fresh cup of hot tea, which she then handed to the Emperor, but…

There has been no movement for a long time.

Shen Zhiyi stood beside her father and brother, secretly observing them.

His Majesty did not accept the teacup.

The tea was boiling hot, so hot that it burned the Empress's fingertips through the porcelain cup. She took a deep breath and said softly, "Your Majesty, please have some tea."

"Empress, Yuan Heng has been removed from the clan, stripped of his title, and imprisoned. Have you ever held a grudge against me?"

The Empress's expression remained unchanged, but her hand holding the hot tea trembled slightly.

“Your Majesty, why do you say that? Yuan Heng’s fate was entirely his own fault. You have already shown mercy by not implicating the others in his household. How could I possibly have any complaints?”

"really?"

“Of course.” The Queen smiled at him.

She was dignified and graceful, still possessing the air of an empress, and not a single flaw could be found on her face.

Emperor Xiaoxuan nodded and reached out to take the teacup.

The instant his fingers touched the teacup, he suddenly raised his hand—

The people with their heads down only heard the Empress shout. When they looked up instinctively, they saw that the teacup had been overturned, and the scalding tea had spilled all over her hands and clothes.

The teacup shattered, scalding her so badly that she completely lost control of her facial expressions.

Realizing she had acted improperly before the emperor, the empress immediately composed herself and knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty..."

"Is the Empress afraid?"

"Your Majesty, I have been disrespectful."

"Empress, you have been with me since before I ascended the throne. You should know that I despise deception more than anything else in my life, yet you dare to defy the world and even try to take my life!"

As Emperor Xiaoxuan was speaking, he suddenly stood up and kicked the Empress in the shoulder.

She swayed and fell to the ground. As she instinctively braced herself with her hands, shards of broken porcelain pierced her hand...

Blood gushed out instantly!

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? I don't understand!" The Empress exclaimed in shock.

"Emperor!" The Empress Dowager frowned and asked, "What are you saying?"

Emperor Xiaoxuan glanced at Gao Daban, and then a guard carried something into the hall. When it was opened, it contained a sharp sword and crossbows. "These were found in the Empress's palace, the same weapons used by the assassins who attempted to assassinate Your Majesty and the Regent..."

"Exactly the same!"

"Impossible!" The Empress scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain in her hands, and practically rushed into the palace. When she saw the weapons, her pupils dilated in shock.

She turned around and knelt down: "Your Majesty, someone must be slandering me!"

"Your Majesty, I truly do not know why these things have appeared in my palace."

"This must be a deliberate frame-up."

Zhou Xuance suddenly chuckled: "Sister-in-law, I don't understand what you're saying..."

"Finding things in my residence is treason, but in your hands it's framing?"

The Empress seemed to suddenly remember something, abruptly stood up, and glared angrily at Zhou Xuance: "You did it!"

What did I do?

"They framed me to clear their own name."

"evidence."

"What?"

“Your Majesty, you accuse me of slander. You must provide evidence. I have been under the supervision of the Dali Temple for some time now. How could I possibly hide something in your palace quietly in such a heavily guarded place?”

“You command a large army, you must have a plan!” the Empress said, looking at Emperor Xiaoxuan. “Your Majesty, I have been with you since I came of age. Don’t you know me well? I can’t even smell blood normally, so how could I possibly plan such a thing?”

"But has Your Majesty ever heard the saying, 'Women are inherently gentle, but become strong when they become mothers'?"

"Zhou Xuance, what exactly are you trying to say!"

"You must be furious that Zhou Yuanheng has been deposed. You must be blaming your brother, resenting me, and even hating my queen. After all, the third prince even went so far as to plan a heroic rescue in order to marry her, but the result was not as expected."

"You're talking nonsense!"

The Empress's expression was as if she had been struck on a sore spot. She gritted her teeth and angrily said, "Zhou Xuance, you assassinated His Majesty and then slandered the Empress?"

"Are you getting angry out of embarrassment?"

"you……"

Compared to the Empress's slightly exasperated appearance, Zhou Xuance's expression remained calm throughout.

Calm and composed, serene and unperturbed.

The feeling was like punching cotton, not even causing a ripple. The empress was even more furious and even wanted to remove his mask to see if the face beneath it was truly as calm as it seemed.

He really...

Even murder is described so casually?

But just as she took two steps closer and their eyes met, the Empress stopped abruptly, looking rather annoyed.

Because Zhou Xuance continued, "If my sister-in-law has no evidence, then let's see mine first..."

As soon as he finished speaking,

Kong Qing had already dragged someone into the hall.

Shen Zhiyi glanced at the person; it was an unfamiliar face, and she didn't recognize him. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the Empress, who had initially been only angry, was now clearly flustered.

shock,

Surprised,

His shock was palpable.

"Who are you?" Emperor Xiaoxuan frowned.

The Crown Prince hurriedly replied, "Father, this is the servant who reported my uncle."

His Majesty has been seriously ill, and the Crown Prince has taken over many affairs, which is why the Crown Prince knows this person.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!