“My children will not easily betray me. Do you see? They are all standing in front of me!”

"The people the bereaved family intended to choose were not them. Do you think you killed all your brothers?"

The Empress Dowager gave a chilling laugh, a sinister glint appearing in her withered eyes.

"I foresaw this long ago. With your ruthless cunning, you would surely kill all your own brothers to ensure that your position is not threatened in the slightest!"

"Therefore, as soon as my last child was born, I made up my mind that even if I never saw him again in this life, I would never let him be exposed to your eyes. If you discover that child, he will certainly not survive!"

"What? Does the Empress Dowager mean that there are still descendants of the late Emperor in this world? Where is he?"

Upon hearing this, even the Crown Prince and Prince Rui showed a hint of surprise.

"Do we still have our royal uncle alive in this world?"

"Do you really think I'm a three-year-old child, easily frightened by empty words? Empress Dowager, where is your so-called descendant of the late king? Bring him out; I'd like to see what my own brother looks like."

Li Shengyuan's eyes gleamed with mockery as he pointed at the burlap sack on the ground.

"Could he be hiding in there?"

Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn to the sack.

Even though Mi Shan was hiding inside and couldn't see what was happening outside, she could still sense that the atmosphere had suddenly changed.

All eyes were on them.

This made her quite uncomfortable, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

“Amitabha, no, no.”

At this moment, the abbot of Tongji University, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly put his hands together and slowly began to speak.

"What's inside this bag isn't the bloodline of the former king, but irrefutable evidence that will let the world see the truth and make you, the emperor, realize just how foolish and incompetent you have been—"

"Your beloved concubine, the fox spirit!"

Instantly, shock crossed Li Shengyuan's face. He was so angry that his robes bulged, and with a clang, he drew out a huge iron sword that was half the height of a man.

"How dare you harm my beloved concubine!"

"Your Majesty! Even now, you remain so stubborn!" The Sixth Prince also drew his sword, blocking his path. "Do you dare open your eyes and see the truth!"

"This fox demon, disguised in human form, harbors treacherous intentions and has been bewitching you. If it weren't for her standing between you and the court, wreaking havoc on the country, how could my nephew and I have come to this point, facing each other on the battlefield!"

"Whether my beloved concubine is human or demon is none of your business. Even if she is a demon, I am willing to be bewitched by her! You will all die!"

"Oh no! Has the Emperor gone mad? Has he been bewitched by a demon and gone mad?"

"Is that vixen really a fox spirit in disguise? Master, quickly open the sack and let us see her true face!"

"Yes, quickly take her in and restore our emperor to normal!"

Seeing that the emperor and the six princes were about to fight, the civil and military officials were so anxious that they scattered and fled in panic, losing their composure and shouting in a fluster.

"Amitabha. This old monk will now chant incantations to summon heavenly lightning to strike this fox demon, so you can see her true form!"

Tongji dragged a sack outside, his Zen staff pointing straight to the sky.

A strong sense of unease welled up in Li Changyu's heart.

His intuition told him that he absolutely could not let the old monk do that.

Just as he was about to step forward—

"stop!"

A boy's clear voice rang out from below the steps.

It is emptiness and forgetting.

He did come, just as expected.

The Tongji University host's eyes lit up.

The Empress Dowager and the Sixth Prince, among others, felt as if they had seen a glimmer of hope.

At first, Tongji said he had a way to get Kongwang to come back on his own, but they couldn't believe it.

In retrospect, Tongji's prediction was correct.

It was only then that everyone noticed that the guards below the steps were escorting rows of monks in robes, with gleaming daggers held to their necks.

Kong Wang clenched a piece of yellow paper in his hand, his handsome face filled with anger.

"You told me to come, and I'm here on time!"

"Release them, don't hurt anyone!" His gaze swept over the monks, finally settling on the sack in front of him. "And who's inside this?"

"Master, I can hardly believe you used such despicable means to force me out!"

It turned out that Tongji University had ordered the imprisonment of all the monks and posted notices to the public.

If he doesn't come by dawn tomorrow, he will kill these monks.

He'll definitely soften his heart if he bets on Kong Wang.

Kong Wang never expected that his respected teacher would be so cruel and inhumane, taking his fellow disciples hostage.

"I had no choice but to do this. I know you, I knew you would come, so none of the monks of Yunyin Temple will be injured or killed."

Seeing this, the crowd realized that there was now another monk.

They were all quite surprised.

"He is Kong Wang."

"Didn't His Majesty order his execution?"

"Kong Wang! You're still alive!" Li Shengyuan was also furious, his sharp eyes fixed on him.

Seeing the chaos in the court, Kong Wang opened his mouth, unsure how to answer, when suddenly the Empress Dowager grabbed his arm.

She pulled him close, tears welling in her eyes, and cried out in desperation.

"Yes, he's still alive!"

"Your Majesty, you didn't expect this, did you? He is the last bloodline left by the late Emperor, and also my own son!"