"This girl doesn't look much like you when you were little, but this boy does."

When Song Xibai was born, Song Xinian was already old enough to remember things and vaguely remembered what his younger sister looked like when she was little.

He had barely finished speaking when Zhao Yan, who was in the wet nurse's arms, suddenly started whimpering and kicking his little legs.

The wet nurse hurriedly apologized.

"Young master peed."

Song Xinian laughed heartily and pointed at Song Xibai.

"You really are just like you when you were a kid!"

Song Xibai's eyes twitched slightly, and she pushed him out.

Time has passed through the golden autumn of September and entered October.

The first day of the tenth lunar month is both the Grand Court Assembly and the Cold Clothes Festival.

On this day, ordinary people will worship their ancestors and burn winter clothes for them.

As the ruler of a country, he must also go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to worship his ancestors on such an important festival.

Therefore, before dawn, the palace gates opened, and a large contingent of imperial guards escorted the imperial carriage to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The civil and military officials were in attendance, all with solemn expressions.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the fake emperor, dressed in a black imperial robe, led his officials through the gate to the high platform outside the main hall.

The offerings had already been brought up, and the fake emperor faced the main hall, his wide sleeves gathered in front of him.

After he finished bowing, he glanced at the Minister of Rites.

According to custom, the Minister of Rites should present the sacrificial text at this time.

But the Minister of Rites seemed to have forgotten about it and stood still.

The fake emperor frowned and gestured to the person next to him to remind him.

At this moment, a man behind the Minister of Rites suddenly raised his head.

The fake emperor's expression changed instantly when he saw that person.

"you!"

He was greatly alarmed, and a chill ran through him.

Now, disregarding the interruption of the ancestral worship ceremony, the fake emperor gripped his sleeve and roared angrily.

"Guards! Protect the Emperor!"

The strings of beads hanging from the front and back of the crown swayed violently.

The Minister of Rites turned to the side, revealing an opening.

The person behind him slowly stepped forward and then removed his official hat.

The officials gasped in surprise.

"Your Highness?"

"His Highness the Crown Prince has come back to life?"

The fake emperor's expression changed several times, and before the crown prince could speak, he shouted angrily.

"How dare you! You dare impersonate the Crown Prince! Who exactly are you? Interrupting the Cold Clothes Ritual, what sinister intentions do you harbor? Quickly! Execute him on the spot!"

Clang clang clang!

The commander of the Imperial Guards rushed in with his men.

The crown prince remained expressionless, took a step forward, and shouted loudly.

"That's what I should be asking you! You've harmed loyal officials, trusted treacherous ministers, wreaked havoc in the court, and even killed my mother. You're not my father, so who are you?!"

The two locked eyes, their gazes filled with murderous intent.

The officials were in uproar.

Even those who had anticipated the Crown Prince's appearance did not expect it to turn out this way.

At most, they imagined the crown prince would stage a coup, or use the pretext of "purging the court of corrupt officials" to destroy the Shu family and suppress the other princes...

But I never expected that they would publicly accuse the other party of being fake?

How could the emperor be a fake?

This was everyone's first reaction.

But then, the older ministers looked serious and their minds started working quickly.

The emperor's temperament has indeed changed quite a bit over the years...

The fake emperor noticed the changes in these people's expressions and his mind went blank.

"Don't believe the words of this traitorous minister! I am the true Son of Heaven, the one ordained by Heaven!"

The prince smiled.

"Is that so? Then do you dare to have your blood tested for kinship with me in public?"

Blood test for kinship?

The fake emperor's eyes flickered, but he feigned composure.

"Why should I listen to you? I am the emperor!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the commander of the Imperial Guards and his men rushed in front of him. The fake emperor felt a slight sense of relief and pointed with his hand.

"Kill this scoundrel who spreads heresy!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards did not move.

The fake emperor's heart suddenly pounded, and he abruptly turned to look at the commander of the Imperial Guards.

But then the armored commander swiftly drew his sword from his waist, and then…

They've set their sights on the fake emperor!

"You dare betray me?"

The fake emperor had a sinister look on his face.

The man raised his head, but the face revealed was not that of the Imperial Guard Commander.

He is the deputy commander.

The fake emperor's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Chen Si! How dare you collude with the Crown Prince? You plotted a rebellion! I will exterminate your entire clan!"

In his haste, the fake emperor forgot to deny the crown prince's identity.

The Crown Prince had to put in a lot of effort to persuade the Deputy Commander.

Deputy Commander Chen Si was initially reluctant to get involved in the Crown Prince's affairs, but he made up his mind after learning that the emperor on the throne was a fake.

He believed that the Crown Prince would not dare to speak carelessly about such a significant matter, and must have sufficient evidence.

If that's the case, then let's give it a shot!

Chen Si waved his left hand, and the Imperial Guards who had come with him quickly swept away, surrounding the fake emperor.

The crown prince looked at the fake emperor's unpredictable face and slowly spoke.

“I knew you wouldn’t give up easily, so I brought the evidence.”

He raised his arm and clapped his hands.

Immediately afterwards, a number of people suddenly sprang out from behind the officials.

Two people were carrying an old skeleton, some were supporting white-haired or blind and disabled palace servants, and some were holding a thick stack of books. Upon closer inspection, they were all the emperor's medical records from recent years.

"Twelve years ago, my father was on a southern tour when he was attacked and almost all of his entourage was wiped out. His guards fought their way out and the few remaining guards protected my father as he fled southwest, but they disappeared when they passed through Shu."

"At that time, in order to stabilize the court, the Empress Dowager put you out as a substitute to temporarily replace the Emperor and stabilize the people's hearts. At the same time, she sent the Imperial Guards to search for the Emperor's whereabouts."

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