All she heard was Prince An's pitiful cries.

"ah--!!!"

She saw only the emperor's back.

He stood there in front of her, completely blocking out all the view.

Only Prince An's screams could be heard from a few steps away.

Prince An clutched his stomach and retreated in panic, blood seeping continuously from his abdomen, which he could not cover with his hands.

He stared at the person in front of him with a look of horror and disbelief.

Qi Heng looked clear-headed and stood tall, showing no signs of serious injury or illness.

"You...you're alright? How is that possible?"

The emperor lowered his eyes and remained silent, immediately turning around to help Gu Jiangli up from the ground.

At that moment, the door was pushed open from the outside, and light instantly streamed into the room.

Prince An turned around in utter shock, his face turning even paler in an instant.

Outside the door, the Empress Dowager and more than a dozen ministers stood in neat rows.

Inside the door, the palace servants who had been lying on the ground as if they were lifeless shook their clothes and stood up steadily.

"How...how could you..."

Prince An stammered and couldn't utter a complete sentence.

The Empress Dowager held her prayer beads, not wanting to hear him say anything more, and coldly issued her orders.

"Prince An has committed treason and rebellion, and I, along with all the ministers, am a witness to this. Guards, seize him!"

"Wait..." Prince An was unable to argue and could only let the guards who rushed out from around him push him to the ground.

The guards moved too roughly, pulling at his wound and causing him to grimace and cry out, "It hurts! Let me go!"

The Empress Dowager looked disgusted, but before she could speak, the Emperor interrupted her.

"Let you go? You poisoned me, attempted to assassinate the emperor, and even tried to kill the concubines in the harem and incite conflict between the two countries. You could have ten heads and still not be enough to chop them off!"

Prince An let out a heavy breath, glanced at the Empress Dowager, then at the Emperor, and finally understood.

"Qi Heng! This was all your scheme!"

The emperor turned his head away, refusing to look at him, and coldly ordered the guards, "Drag him away and throw him into the imperial prison."