Chapter 215 The Time Has Come 3

Desheng held the tray, his arm stiff.

Finally, Chen Sanyuan, panting heavily, stepped onto the top of the altar and stood before the tiger tally.

At such close range, the purplish-gold luster was almost dazzling.

Chen Sanyuan's eyes were fixed on the "Tiger Tally".

Appearance, size, tiger-like form...

It really does look very similar to what he remembers!

Pei Yan... really went to great lengths to fabricate this!

But Chen Sanyuan knew a secret known only to a very few high-ranking officials of the previous dynasty—the real tiger tally, besides being made of unique material, also had two extremely hidden micro-carved marks on its bottom and sides!

This was a method used by skilled craftsmen to secretly carve the inscription, commissioned by Emperor Taizu, to prevent counterfeiting!

On the bottom, you need to carefully rub it with your fingertips to feel an extremely tiny "庆" character line; on the side, use the same method to feel an almost imperceptible "虎" character line!

It is completely invisible to the naked eye; you can only perceive it by touching it!

Chen Sanyuan's index finger trembled as he touched the bottom of the tiger tally.

A perfectly smooth surface!

There is no uneven texture at all!

His heart sank suddenly, and his last shred of hope vanished!

Fake!

It's absolutely fake!

Pei Yan!

You traitor who deceives the world and steals fame!

You are not destined by fate at all!

You are a traitor who usurped the throne and stole the country!

You've deceived the world for ten years with fake talismans! And now, I, an old man, must use my own hands to whitewash the truth and deceive the people!

Overwhelmed by grief and humiliation, Chen Sanyuan's reason crumbled instantly!

His emaciated body trembled violently, and tears, which he could no longer hold back, rolled down his deeply lined cheeks!

"How is it, Minister Chen? Is my tiger tally still intact?"

Pei Yan's voice, carrying a clear threat, rang in his ears with a chilling intensity.

Those eyes were fixed on him!

Chen Sanyuan suddenly opened his eyes! His eyes were bloodshot and filled with despair!

He knew that even if he said the tiger tally was genuine, he would still be killed to silence him.

Pei Yan is that kind of person, but as long as he can protect his family...

He opened his mouth, and the words he was about to say against his will were almost out!

However, in that critical moment, his gaze subconsciously swept towards the dark mass of people below the altar.

Suddenly! His pupils contracted sharply!

On the edge of that bustling, restless crowd, in an inconspicuous corner!

A little boy, about five or six years old, wearing a light blue jacket and with his hair tied in a high ponytail, was being held tightly in a woman's arms!

The little boy seemed to see his grandfather on the altar as well, waving his little hand enthusiastically, his face full of excitement and smiles!

That was his youngest grandson! His most beloved youngest grandson! Chen Sanyuan's heart stopped beating instantly!

Immediately afterwards, his gaze swept across the area!

The woman holding her grandson is his daughter-in-law!

Beside him was his son, who should have been arrested by the Imperial Guards!

Next to him was his wife! And his daughter, son-in-law…they! They were all there!

They were all standing there unharmed!

Although they were simply dressed and inconspicuous in the crowd, their tense expressions showed no sign of fear or exhaustion from being imprisoned.

Your family members weren't arrested?! Or were they rescued?

Who was it? Who rescued his loved ones from the clutches of Pei Yan, that vicious tiger?!

Overwhelmed with the joy of surviving the ordeal, Chen Sanyuan trembled uncontrollably!

Pei Yan! Your chips are gone!

I have no more scruples!

At this moment, the greater good of the nation, the duty of a ruler and his subjects, loyalty to the founding emperor, and the humiliation and anger that had been suppressed for ten years erupted in Chen Sanyuan's chest like a volcano!

He turned around abruptly, no longer looking at Pei Yan, but facing the tens of thousands of expectant eyes below the altar!

His thin body stood ramrod straight, as if he had instantly regained the iron will he had when he spoke out for justice in the imperial court!

He roared with all his might:

"Fake--!"

"This is a fake talisman—!"

"The tiger tally has no micro-carvings on the bottom and no fine lines on the sides! This is a secret passed down by the founding emperor, and only genuine tallies have this feature! This item is a counterfeit that deceives the world and steals fame!"

"Pei Yan! You don't have the real Tiger Tally at all! You—you seized the throne illegitimately! You are a usurper and traitor—!"

The last four words crashed down on the silent altar!

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The music and rituals stopped.

All the noise, all the breathing, stopped.

Below the altar, tens of thousands of people stared in disbelief, as if they had been frozen in place!

"It's fake! Old Master Chen said it himself! It's fake!"

"My God! There really is no tiger tally! The rumors are true!"

"He usurped the throne! He usurped the throne!"

"Traitor! Traitor Pei Yan!"

The angry roar erupted like a volcano, instantly engulfing the entire altar!

The previous awe of the emperor vanished, replaced by a furious rage at being deceived!

"You...you old scoundrel! You're spouting nonsense! You're insane!"

Pei Yan was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning!

He stared in disbelief at Chen Sanyuan, who was pointing at him and cursing him as if he had gone mad, his mind completely blank!

That old bastard… how dare he?! His family is still in my hands!

Pei Yan suddenly turned his head, trying to find the Imperial Guard commander who was in charge of arresting people last night, wanting to question him with his eyes!

However, just as his gaze swept across the crowd below the altar, he saw it!

He saw the Chen family members in the crowd who should have been taken hostage by him, but were now safe and sound, staring at him with hateful eyes!

Boom!

It was as if I had been struck by a real bolt of lightning!

Pei Yan felt dizzy and disoriented!

It’s over!

Everything is over!

Who is it?! Who is pulling the strings behind all this?!

Pei Yan instantly lost his mind! He roared like a wild beast:

"Rebellion! They've all rebelled! Kill this old scoundrel who's spreading heresy! Kill him—!"

Upon hearing this, no one around Pei Yan moved. The commander of the Imperial Guards did not move, so the Imperial Guards did not move either. Even the ever-loyal Desheng stood silently in the distance, motionless.

His concubines, on the other hand, panicked and instinctively moved further away from him.

Pei Yan sensed something was wrong and turned around abruptly.

The commander of the Imperial Guards sneered at him, and even Desheng looked at him expressionlessly.

Have they all gone mad? He's the Emperor!

Before he could think any further, a commotion arose in the crowd.

"Waaaaah—!!!"

A powerful horn blast suddenly roared from the far end of the crowd without warning!

It instantly drowned out all the noise!

Immediately following was the sound of perfectly synchronized hooves!

It was as if a thousand horses were galloping, and the earth began to tremble slightly!

Everyone, including Pei Yan who had gone mad, was stunned by the sudden sound of horns and hooves, and instinctively looked in the direction of the sound!

At the end of the official road, dust billowed into the sky!

A huge battle flag fluttered wildly in the smoke and dust, standing proudly!

Under the battle flag, one horse takes the lead!

On the back of a black steed, a tall figure stood, clad in black armor and wearing a dark cloak.

Behind her stood a horde of cavalry, as menacing as a black torrent!

The armor clanged and clashed, radiating a suffocating killing intent!

"Pei Yan! If you do not possess the true Tiger Tally, how can you claim divinely granted military power? How can you speak of the eternal stability of the state?"

"Open your eyes and look! What is this!"