Qin Mo and his men were about to speak as well, and the two sides were poised to engage in a heated debate at any moment. Lan Qin frowned and spoke first, saying to the old minister, "I wonder what you mean by these words, sir?"

Before the old minister could speak, a man stepped forward from behind him, his expression indignant and righteously indignant. He stared directly at Lan Qin and said, "The Empress, the mother of the nation, has been imprisoned in Jingren Palace by you, a mere concubine, and you even claimed to the public that the Empress was unwell. Even if the Empress is unwell, it's none of your business." This man's tone was one of accusation, but Lan Qin remained unperturbed, waiting for him to finish. "Today, we must see the Empress no matter what, and have her personally testify against your crimes. The Empress is the mother of the nation. Not only did you imprison her without her consent, but you also forced her to smell such foul-smelling substances. This is utterly immoral and she should have been deposed long ago!"

Lanqin listened without panicking. She knew that such a coup was all pre-arranged, and everyone had their own role to play. Lanqin couldn't interrupt him, so she just let him talk.

Before the minister could say anything more, Qin Mo, who had long since lost his temper, stepped forward to argue with him. "The Imperial Concubine Xi was appointed by the Emperor himself with an edict. How dare you openly say that you want to depose her? You are simply disrespecting the Emperor. How can you talk about upholding orthodoxy and the rites with such behavior?"

The minister was immediately taken aback, never expecting that his words would be seen as openly defying the emperor's will. Seeing that things were not going well, the old minister stepped forward to defuse the situation.

The old minister snorted coldly and said, "We are upholding the rules of our ancestors. If anyone tries to do evil in the harem, we must step forward to uphold the orthodoxy. Now that the Emperor is away and cannot attend to the harem, someone dares to disrespect the Empress. As important officials of the court, we cannot turn a blind eye!"

The minister's words were loaded with meaning, not merely a accusation against the imprisonment of the Empress. Lanqin knew they must have heard some rumors again, so she loudly addressed the crowd, "Ministers, please do not be hasty. I know you are eager to uphold legitimacy, but the Empress you should be protecting is rightfully the Empress Consort. The Empress currently in Jingren Palace is not the Empress Consort; she is unworthy of the title." Lanqin had seen all sorts of situations in the palace over the years; a mere dozen or so ministers trying to force her to abdicate could not intimidate her.

As soon as Lanqin uttered these domineering words, the ministers began to murmur among themselves. The old minister said excitedly, "The Emperor and Empress are husband and wife who have been together for over thirty years. How can you, a mere favored concubine, say that they are not worthy?" It was clear from his words that the old minister was truly furious. If anger could be seen, one could certainly see two balls of fire emanating from his nostrils.

Lanqin felt that it was not appropriate for her to personally intervene in the matter of speaking out against the Empress, so she nodded to Cui Niang.

Cui Niang immediately understood Lan Qin's meaning, so she stepped forward and began to state the Empress's crimes. Her words were powerful and clear, and she spoke with certainty, not as if she were making things up, which surprised the ministers.

"If there is even the slightest falsehood in what you have said, I am willing to accept any punishment, whether it be being struck by lightning or suffering a terrible death!" After making such a solemn vow, Cui Niang remained expressionless.