An hour ago, Ye Qingxue was still searching for Yun Zhuo's whereabouts outside. Even though she hadn't found anything in the past two days, she hadn't given up for a moment.

Just then, people from the palace rushed out to find her, panting.

She was told that someone had found Prince Jing's whereabouts and that she should come to the palace immediately, adding that it was the Emperor's will.

The man said that the emperor knew she had been searching for Yun Zhuo day and night without rest, so upon receiving the news, he immediately sent someone to inform her.

Ye Qingxue didn't even have time to change her clothes before she quickly rode into the palace. The rain only stopped completely when she arrived at the palace gate.

The sun shone through the clouds, and a rainbow quickly appeared on the horizon, a truly magnificent sight.

Moreover, the emperor arranged for his palace maids to greet her at the palace gate and guide her inside.

Ye Qingxue's heart raced, and she hurriedly asked the old woman, "Have you only found traces of Prince Jing, or have you already found him?"

The old woman replied, "We haven't seen anyone bring Prince Jing back. They must have only found traces of him. His Majesty will surely send more people to search, and we'll find out his whereabouts soon."

"His Majesty knows that you have deep feelings for Prince Jing and was worried that you would be anxious, so he invited you to the palace to tell you more details."

Just found traces...

They haven't found him yet!

Ye Qingxue's heart sank, but she kept encouraging herself, at least there was no bad news, right?

As they walked, Ye Qingxue suddenly stopped: "Granny, this is not the way to the Imperial Study."

The old woman smiled and said, "His Majesty has been suffering from a headache recently. Since the rain has stopped, he went to the Imperial Garden to relax and asked me to take you there."

As they approached the Imperial Garden, the nanny suddenly complained of abdominal pain and asked her to wait there for a while. Ye Qingxue was anxious to know Yun Zhuo's condition, so she tentatively walked towards the Imperial Garden.

If we could find the emperor in advance, that would be great.

However, before she could find the emperor, she noticed that the atmosphere in the warm pavilion was very strange.

After inspecting the area, she discovered that many palace servants were guarding the warm pavilion, and they dared not approach it. This made it clear that there must be some secret hidden inside the warm pavilion.

So she sneaked into the warm room and lay on the roof.

She arrived a little earlier than Yun Chi.

Seeing that it was Empress Shen and Liu Qinghe in the warm pavilion, she didn't think much of it and was about to leave when Yun Chi came in.

She continued to lie on the roof.

Now, she saw that after Yun Chi asked that question, Empress Shen fell silent, and time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Yun Chi's hands, resting on her lap, slowly tightened, and tightened even more.

Even from a distance, Ye Qingxue could sense his nervousness. In contrast, Empress Shen sat upright, as if she would remain unfazed even if Mount Tai collapsed before her.

Those who don't know the situation might think that Yun Chi is the one having an affair.

Empress Shen did not answer, so Yun Chi also stopped speaking, only breathing more and more lightly, his whole body like a string stretched to its limit.

At that moment, Ye Qingxue even had the illusion that she could hear ants crawling on the roof tiles.

"No!" Empress Shen finally spoke up.

Those two simple words shattered the tranquility of the entire room, and Yun Chi's taut string snapped completely.

Ye Qingxue: "!!!"

Yun Chi really isn't a prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty!

No wonder Empress Shen was so emotionless when she came to collect Yun Chi's body in her previous life!

At the time, she thought that the greatest sorrow was a broken heart, which was why Empress Shen behaved that way.

But later, when she saw Empress Shen admiring the painting of the young girl and even weeping over it, she began to have doubts again.

Now her doubts have finally been answered!

Yun Chi sat in the chair, his whole body seemingly frozen, not moving an inch, but his breathing gradually became heavier and heavier.

His face was deathly pale, his lips were trembling, and beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead.

From the day he was born, he was given the identity of "I am a prince of the Great Zhou". After the death of the first empress, Empress Shen was made empress, and he became the legitimate son of the empress, enjoying the utmost favor. How noble his status was!

Now they're telling him he's not a prince of the Great Zhou!

It's not that he's not the legitimate son, but rather that he's not a prince. How could he possibly bear that?

It turns out that what Ye Yabing said was not a rumor!

The thought that there were still people outside who knew he wasn't a prince made Yun Chi almost unable to sit still, and his body trembled violently.

He suddenly stood up, a dagger slipped from his sleeve into his hand, which he gripped tightly, the blade aimed at Empress Shen's throat!

"I don't believe you! I am the prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the legitimate son of the Empress. You are lying to me! You are lying to me! I order you to change your story, or I will kill you!"

Empress Shen slowly stood up from her chair, advancing instead of retreating, closing in on the dagger in Yun Chi's hand.

"Does it matter whether he is a prince of the Great Zhou or not? The throne of the Great Zhou will be yours no matter what." Empress Shen's voice was gentle but firm, as if the matter was already settled and she was simply stating a fact.

Yun Chi, however, found it absurd and thought she was joking!

If he wasn't even a prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, how could he sit on the dragon throne?

Who gave him permission to sit on it?

Once the news of Ye Ya's suspension is exposed, he will become a rat crossing the street, hated by everyone!

What's even more terrifying is that he doesn't know who's behind Ye Yabing!

“My son, killing your mother will do you no good. Since you were a child, your mother has been plotting for you, and it is still the same now.”

As she spoke, Empress Shen calmly reached out and gently pushed the dagger he was holding against her throat away, a little at a time, until it no longer posed a threat to her life.

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