"No!" Looking at Prince Chen's current state, she was furious. Pointing at Prince Chen, she angrily said, "Tell me clearly how you knew this. Zhou Sai had just left the palace, and you came in to ask for permission. I'm curious. Prince Chen is in charge of the capital's city defense forces. When did these city defense forces penetrate so deeply into the palace that they know so much about everything there."

Hearing this, Jiang Muchen suddenly looked up, a sneer flashing across his icy face. He asked, "Isn't the Emperor planning to take possession of the Sparrow Talisman? If I hand over the Sparrow Talisman today, will the Emperor be satisfied?"

'Pah!' He slammed his palm hard onto the dragon table. His face flushed red with anger at Prince Chen, and he shouted, "Prince Chen, you are too presumptuous! When did I ever tell you to hand over the Sparrow Talisman? You've repeatedly defied me today. Do you really think I won't dare deal with you?"

“Hahahaha…” Unexpectedly, after hearing what Emperor Yugan said, King Chen actually threw his head back and laughed out loud. His laughter reached everyone’s hearts, shaking them slightly. They didn’t understand what was going on with King Chen?

But after laughing, Prince Chen suddenly stood up and angrily shouted to Emperor Yugan, "Isn't that what the Emperor is planning? That's why he dislikes us mother and son in every way. Now that my mother is seriously injured, I want to go and see the Emperor, but the Emperor won't let me. Isn't it because he wants to force me to hand over the Sparrow Talisman? It's just right that the Emperor has taken advantage of this incident to punish me severely, so that he won't dislike me again in the future and try to torture me and my mother."

As he spoke, Jiang Muchen stepped forward, his eyes as sharp as a knife, which made people feel chilled.

Zhang Lan saw that the dispute between the emperor and Prince Chen was getting more and more intense, and that Prince Chen was approaching Emperor Yugan step by step. He suddenly became alert. His right hand was already on the sword at his waist, and his eyes were fixed on the approaching Prince Chen, always paying attention to the situation in the hall.

Emperor Yugan was already furious at Prince Chen. He nodded heavily, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and suddenly spoke, "Okay, okay, I've tolerated you in every way, but I never expected that in your eyes, I'm a villain who can't tolerate you and your son. Prince Chen, you're so bold that you've misinterpreted my painstaking efforts to this extent, and even assumed that what I was thinking of was the Sparrow Talisman in your hand. You're really a good person. Come, give Prince Chen to me..."

"Your Majesty, I have something to say." Unexpectedly, Zhang Lan, who had been staring at Prince Chen, spoke at this time. He knelt on one knee and clasped his hands together to confirm that Emperor Yugan would listen to him.

"What? Do you want to join the rebellion too? I knew that you have been eyeing my throne since early on, and each of you wants to replace me. Prince Chen, since you have spoken so badly of me today, I want to see what you are capable of sitting on this throne. You killed the king and your brother, I want to see how you can bear this infamy, and I want to see how the people of Western Chu submit to you!" Emperor Yugan became more and more angry as he spoke, and he even drew out the sword that he usually put aside and threw it directly in front of Prince Chen, waiting for Prince Chen to kill him.

With a clang, the sword was thrown in front of King Chen, stopping him from moving forward.

Jiang Muchen lowered his head and glanced coldly at the sword at his feet. He saw the sword gleaming with an eerie cold light, and the coiled dragon carved on the sword was even more ferocious and arrogant. The look in Jiang Muchen's eyes instantly condensed into the coldest days of winter, and the coldness suddenly became like a sword. His steps were abruptly stopped by the sword in front of him. After a long while, he saw Prince Chen slowly kneel down, but his back was still straight, his face was stubborn, and his eyes were full of defiance. He said stubbornly, "Your humble servant requests permission to visit the Concubine Dowager at the Imperial Mausoleum."

The sharp sound of the sword hitting the ground not only stopped Prince Chen in his tracks, but also brought Emperor Yugan back to his senses from his fury. His dragon eyes swept over the submissive Prince Chen before him, then glanced at Zhang Lan, who had just interrupted their argument. His eyes half-closed as he pondered a thousand things. Like a wave that had settled after a violent storm, many questions gradually surfaced in his mind. After a moment, Emperor Yugan issued a cold decree, "Prince Chen has committed insubordination and deserves severe punishment. However, considering Prince Chen's unwavering filial piety, I will now punish him by making him kneel outside the Golden Throne Hall and reflect on his mistakes. Without my permission, he is not allowed to leave."

After saying this, Emperor Yugan didn't even glance at Prince Chen. He sat down and waved his hand, ordering the imperial guards who had rushed into the hall to escort Prince Chen out...

"Stand up and talk. Why did you stop me just now?" After Prince Chen disappeared outside the study, Emperor Yugan glanced coldly at Zhang Lan who was kneeling in the hall and spoke calmly.

"Your Majesty, I thank you." Zhang Lan stood up. Witnessing Emperor Yugan's punishment of Prince Chen, he knew the Emperor had regained his composure and wasn't letting Prince Chen lead him astray. But Zhang Lan pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, "Your Majesty, Concubine Yuande is currently in the Imperial Mausoleum. By keeping her under control, we can also restrain Prince Chen's private actions. If Prince Chen were to use this as an excuse to confront Concubine Yuande, I'm afraid..."

Emperor Yugan's brows furrowed, his expression sullen, yet he patiently listened to Zhang Lan's analysis. His fingers resting on the armrest lightly brushed over the carved dragon head, his mind already having made up its mind. "I understand. You go to the Golden Throne Hall and guard Prince Chen. I want to see what other tricks he has in mind."

"I obey your command." Zhang Lan took the order and left.

Emperor Yugan sat upright on the dragon throne, without speaking for a long time, his eyes looking straight ahead, into the rain curtain in the dark night, his dark pupils gleaming with a sharp light, as if he could see through all the tricks in the world.

It was raining heavily. Outside the solemn and magnificent Golden Throne Hall, Prince Chen was brought outside the hall and knelt down facing the hall. His crimson court robes had already been soaked by the rain. The cold rain hit the golden crown on his head, splashing tiny water droplets, which instantly merged into the heavy rain. The rain flowed rapidly down Prince Chen's jade-white face. His black hair was stuck to his face, but his eyes were still indifferent, without any embarrassment.

Zhang Lan stood under the eaves of the hall, holding a sword, and looked coldly at Prince Chen in front of him. He saw that he was still stern and proud in the rain, and the frosty look on his face did not loosen at all because of the emperor's punishment, which showed that he was determined and unshakable.

A silent night with only the sound of falling rain...

The faint white light penetrates the night sky and tears apart the darkness of the night, replacing the dark night and bringing light. A night passes and a new day comes.

"Good morning, everyone!" Before the morning court session, the ministers entered the palace and greeted each other.

In the heavy rain, everyone held an oil-paper umbrella in their hands and followed the eunuch who presided over the ceremony as they hurried towards the throne room...

In the hazy rain and fog, everyone only saw a tall figure kneeling in front of the hall, and looking at the color of the court robes worn by the man, everyone was stunned.

Chu Feiyang looked at the stubborn and unyielding figure, and a faint smile appeared on his thin lips, but it was like the rain without any warmth, warm and cold with a hint of interest.

"Your Highness, yesterday, Concubine Yuande was stabbed by an assassin in the imperial mausoleum. Prince Chen went to the palace overnight to ask for permission to go to the imperial mausoleum, but he didn't want to meet the emperor..." Qu Changqing walked forward and whispered a few words in Chu Feiyang's ear.

But before he could finish his words, Chu Feiyang raised his hand to stop him from continuing.

Qu Changqing glanced sideways and saw that Chu Feiyang had a smile on his face, but his eyes, as black as lacquer, were shining with a strange luster, and the faint smile at the corner of his mouth was like a blade with a chill. This made Qu Changqing immediately understand that this matter must be very serious, otherwise why would Prince Chen enter the palace at night and have another dispute with the emperor?

At this time, many ministers looked over here, as if trying to guess the expressions of the King of Chu and others, trying to guess the attitudes of several important ministers towards this matter.

"The prince is naturally worried about the injury of the concubine." Little did they know that Chu Feiyang just brushed the matter off with a casual remark, as if praising Prince Chen's filial piety, and instantly cleared all ties.

Qu Changqing understood and stopped talking, waiting quietly for the imperial decree to be announced and enter the hall.

When the ministers heard that the King of Chu had only said this one sentence, they were extremely disappointed and turned their attention to Han Che, Yun Xuanzhi and others. They saw that the two prime ministers were standing at the head of the ministers with calm expressions, as if they didn't see King Chen at all.

"Enter the hall!" A loud shout came from the hall, breaking through the rain curtain and reaching the ears of all the ministers.

All the ministers immediately lined up and followed Han Che, Yun Xuanzhi and others into the hall.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you. Long live the Emperor!" All the ministers bowed to the Emperor in the hall, performing the kneeling ceremony. Their voices were unified and powerful, and their movements were identical.

"My dear ministers, please stand up!" Emperor Yugan was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe. He had a face like a jade and a stern look as he sat on the throne. The feeling of supreme imperial power lingered from his whole body, which made people afraid.

"This heavy rain has been falling for five or six days. In just these five or six days, many places in the capital have been affected. Many people's homes have shown signs of flooding, and even the palace is not immune. It is conceivable that the people of Jiangnan have suffered a lot and endured hardships due to the floods. I calculated the days yesterday, and Rong Yunhe should have arrived in Jiangnan. I wonder what the situation is like in Jiangnan now?" Emperor Yugan spoke loudly, his tone unable to conceal his concern for the disaster in Jiangnan and his heartache for the people, so he asked about the Rong family's disaster relief.

"Your Majesty, Rong Yunhe has already arrived in Jiangnan and is now actively mobilizing the Rong family's rice shops in 32 cities in Jiangnan to provide relief to the victims. Now, the people in Tongzhou and other places have been properly arranged. The Rong family also transferred medicinal materials from nearby cities to distribute to the people. While providing disaster relief, they are also preventing the occurrence of disasters." Hearing Emperor Yugan's question, Chu Feiyang stood up and spoke in a clear voice, reporting one by one what the Rong family had done in recent days.

"That's great." When Emperor Yugan saw that it was Chu Feiyang who came out in person to explain the matter, his eyes dimmed slightly, but he still nodded slightly and did not mention anything else.

"Your Majesty, although the Rong family is providing disaster relief, the people's homes that have been eroded by the flood still need the court's help to repair them. It is said that there are many people fleeing from Jiangnan along the way, and many people have starved to death on the roadside due to hunger. The situation is really pitiful. If their homes are gone and the people have no home, I am afraid that the Rong family's assistance will only be a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution." Little did he know, Chu Feiyang immediately opened his mouth to raise other issues.