“There’s no need to invite the imperial physician to examine the bones. The He Wen family has been doctors for generations, and He Wenqing, as the most senior physician in the He Wen family, is currently in the palace. Whether it is as the Duke of Wei said, inviting He Wenqing to examine the bones is probably the most authoritative way.” As Tan Yonglin spoke, he saw an undisguised smugness in Yin Enci’s eyes.

"Alright, then please invite Mr. He Wenqing out." Tan Yonglin simply didn't believe that He Wenqing could say that Jiang Mi wasn't a child of the Jiang royal family.

The ministers seconded the motion and asked He Wenqing to examine the bones.

He Wenqing slowly walked from outside the main hall into the Golden Hall. The gazes of the crowd were filled with confusion or inquiry, but He Wenqing remained unperturbed, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance. He slowly walked towards Jiang Mi, who was standing in front of the main hall.

He was originally unwilling to show his face. The He Wen family had been out of the public eye for decades, and he didn't want to appear in public again. However, he still owed that little girl a favor, so even though he was reluctant, he still agreed.

He was also there to test the waters; he would know whether this Eighth Prince was really the Eighth Prince just by touching him.

The goods are genuine and of good quality.

He looked at the room full of court officials and slowly nodded. Shi Xiuqing, the opportunist, immediately knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" This shout came somewhat suddenly, as Jiang Mi was currently without any official title, and such a title was obviously inappropriate.

However, the faction of the Duke of Wei had already received the news and was determined to establish a new emperor today. Now that this person's identity has been confirmed as the eighth prince, they might as well kneel. A wise man submits to circumstances.

The call was met with overwhelming response, and the entire Hall of State Affairs was instantly filled with the sounds of people paying homage to the new emperor.

Tan Yonglin had never encountered such a chaotic scene before, and he almost couldn't help but curse. These people were simply insane and lawless!

Just then, the clanging sound of armor clashing rang out, and Yin Enci's smile immediately froze. Then, as a series of orderly footsteps approached, his smile gradually disappeared.

The ministers also heard the commotion and turned around to look. They all gasped in shock. What had happened?

A group of heavily armored soldiers, looking like black-faced demons, stormed in from outside and surrounded the entire hall.

"What's going on?!"

Weren't these people people he arranged first? He didn't give any signal, so how did they end up running in on their own? Even if he were an idiot, he should realize that something is wrong.

"Your Majesty the Empress, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"

A drawn-out, high-pitched voice rang out. Yin Enci wondered if he had misheard. He grabbed someone nearby and asked urgently, "Who's here?"

The man was grabbed by the collar and frantically tried to pry Yin Enci's hand off, but Yin Enci was a military general, and a civil official was no match for a seasoned military general.

Before he could answer, Shen Mingzhuang, dressed in a bright yellow phoenix robe, led Jiang Xuan, who was dressed in the crown prince's robes, and walked in slowly and calmly.

"How is this possible? Wasn't that little bastard dead? How could this be... how could this be!"

He rubbed his eyes, still unwilling to give up, and then shouted with an almost frantic look in his eyes, "This is an imposter! This is an imposter! Someone, come here right now and take him down!"

His voice made no sound in the vast auditorium; no one responded to him.

The heavily armored soldiers seemed not to hear at all, and not one of them paid any attention to Yin Enci's shouts.

"Save your breath."

Shen Mingzhuang looked at Yin Enci with a cold gaze, a mocking smile appearing on his lips, "Even now, Duke Wei still hasn't given up?"

Yin Enci stepped forward quickly, trying to grab Jiang Xuan. However, before his hand could even touch Jiang Xuan, Shen Mingzhuang slapped the back of his hand. In an instant, Yin Enci's hand went numb, and a flash of blood appeared. His eyes widened in horror as he stared at his hand, which had been cut in half, and he sat back down with a wail.

Shen Mingzhuang barely glanced at Yin Enci. How dare someone like that be arrogant in front of her? If anyone were to touch a single finger of her son today, she would disown her as Shen.

Everyone saw the severed hand lying on the ground, still twitching slightly due to the nerve endings, which looked quite terrifying.

Almost no one present saw how the Empress made her move, and then the Duke of Wei's severed hand fell to the ground.

Shen Mingzhuang stepped forward and grabbed Jiang Mi's wrist. Jiang Mi looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old, and was obviously frightened by the scene in front of him. When Shen Mingzhuang grabbed him, he subconsciously tried to dodge.

However, Shen Mingzhuang did not give him a chance to dodge. With a smile on his lips, he nodded slightly to him. Jiang Mi was a little dazed and actually followed Shen Mingzhuang forward.

When Yin Enci saw Shen Mingzhuang pull Jiang Mi away, he panicked. Ignoring his severed hand, he stepped forward to pull her back, but Shen Mingzhuang turned around and kicked Yin Enci squarely in the chest. Yin Enci spat out a mouthful of blood and fell flat on his face.

"Duke of Wei, you don't want your other hand anymore?"

Yin Enci choked on blood, his mouth tasted metallic and sweet, and he opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Wei has worked diligently for the country and its people all these years, enduring countless hardships on the frontier. He is, after all, a meritorious official of the nation. Your Majesty is the mother of the nation. Is this how you treat a meritorious official? Your Majesty may not know how many heroes have emerged from the Duke of Wei's family, but His Majesty does. To take a life like this, shouldn't Your Majesty give an explanation?"

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