"I have never been loyal to you, so how can you talk about betrayal?" Chen Lin's lips curled into a cold smile, a laugh that seemed to penetrate one's soul.

Without hesitation, he reached out and pushed hard, throwing Prime Minister Chu aside.

Immediately afterwards, he knelt down, straightened his spine, and stared straight ahead without fear.

In the solemn and majestic hall, Chen Lin began to recount the various crimes committed by Prime Minister Chu. Those unknown dark secrets poured out of his mouth like a flood bursting its banks.

Every word was like a sharp sword, piercing straight into Prime Minister Chu's heart.

Surprisingly, even Chu Xingyuan, the illegitimate grandson of Prime Minister Chu, bravely stepped forward at this moment.

His face was solemn, his eyes were firm, and he pointed at his grandfather, righteously accusing Prime Minister Chu and Consort Chu of disregarding human life and killing innocent people indiscriminately.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Tantai Tianming was both happy and surprised. He never dreamed that his newly recognized brother-in-law was actually a hidden master who had planted spies next to the old scoundrel Chu.

With the testimonies of Chen Lin and Chu Xingyuan, Prime Minister Chu and Consort Chu have no way to escape.

To completely silence public opinion, Chen Lin also ordered Tantai Tianming to send trusted people to dig up the remains of the victims in the abandoned gardens of the palace. The victims were either palace maids, eunuchs, or guards, all of whom were killed by Consort Chu.

Tantai Tianming believed Chen Lin was not lying, so he immediately sent Gao Wei with men to dig up the remains.

One hour later

Gao Wei dug up 103 skeletons in the abandoned courtyard, including two female corpses that were not completely decomposed.

Upon seeing this scene, Tantai Tianming could no longer contain himself and rushed towards Consort Chu, kicking her several times.

"You wicked woman, palace maids and eunuchs are human beings too. How could you bear to kill them?"

"You dog emperor, you have no right to lecture me. If you had made me empress from the beginning, I wouldn't have taken this risk." Consort Chu completely dropped her pretense. While complaining about Tantai Tianming, she also laughed loudly.

At this moment, Prime Minister Chu resigned himself to his fate. He knelt down and begged Tantai Tianming to spare his family, saying that he was the one who did everything and that his family had nothing to do with it.

Enraged, Tantai Tianming pardoned Chu Xingyuan and immediately ordered that Prime Minister Chu and Consort Chu be imprisoned in the imperial prison and executed on a later date.

Only the family and clansmen of Prime Minister Chu should be executed, and all those involved should be exiled to the northern wilderness.

Then, Tantai Tianming turned to look at Xiao Jingchuan, his eyes filled with gratitude and surprise.

"Jingchuan, thanks to you this time, I was able to uncover this shocking injustice. What reward do you want? Just say the word."

Xiao Jingchuan shook his head slightly, then stood up and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, I have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

With just a glance, Shen Yunsheng understood what Xiao Jingchuan wanted to do.

“Brother, my husband did not intend to hide it from you. He concealed his identity in order to collect evidence of Prime Minister Chu’s crimes.”

When his younger sister suddenly spoke, Tantai Tianming was completely bewildered.

"Yo yo, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Your Majesty, my Prime Minister is none other than the fearsome and enigmatic General Who Protects the Nation—Yun Guizhou!

When Shen Yunsheng uttered those words, the entire scene instantly fell into a deathly silence, before exploding like a powder keg that had been lit.

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, their faces filled with disbelief. Some stared wide-eyed, as if trying to see right through Shen Yunsheng; others gaped, speechless; still others shook their heads, as if it were utterly unbelievable. The once quiet and orderly court was now incredibly noisy, even the ramrod-straight guards couldn't help but glance sideways, wanting to see what was going on.

The emperor, seated on his high throne, paled instantly, nearly dropping the memorial he was clutching. He stared intently at Shen Yunsheng, his gaze sharp, as if trying to discern a clue from her face. However, Shen Yunsheng remained calm, her eyes resolute, showing not a trace of guilt.

Xiao Jingchuan and his wife smiled at each other. She understood him best. Anyway, the emperor would find out sooner or later, so confessing in advance would reduce some unnecessary trouble.

The retired emperor already knew his grandson-in-law's identity. Seeing that his grandson remained silent, he smiled and smoothed things over.

"Tianming! Jingchuan didn't mean to hide it from you. For Youyou's sake, let him make amends."

Helan Linfeng also seized the opportunity to interject: "Your Majesty, my Jingchuan had no choice but to conceal his identity. If you are willing to accept him, this old minister is willing to pass the throne to Youyou."

Since Helan Linfeng had already made his point, Tantai Tianming couldn't make things difficult for Xiao Jingchuan. Besides, Yun Guizhou was someone he had personally promoted, and he trusted his own judgment.

"Grandpa Helan, your throne still belongs to the Helan Crown Prince. I believe that under his leadership, your Helan family will prosper."

Helan Linfeng was increasingly satisfied with Tantai Tianming's performance. He glanced at the Emperor Emeritus and then said, "Your Majesty, although my son is the heir apparent, he is not talented enough to inherit the throne. I intend to pass the throne to Chuan'er."

Tantai Tianming also hoped that Helan Linfeng would pass the throne to Xiao Jingchuan, as he knew, of course, that Xiao Wenjing was not up to the task.

"Grandpa Helan is right. The talent of the Grand General who protects the country is obvious to all. It is a wise move for him to inherit the throne."

Tantai Tianming acknowledged Xiao Jingchuan's status as a general, and Xiao Jingchuan immediately expressed his gratitude.

When Tantai Tianming saw his mother giving him a meaningful look, he immediately changed the subject.

"General Protector of the Nation, there is something I must make clear to you beforehand: once you marry my sister, you cannot take a concubine."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!