"I dare anyone to dare?!"
Pei Yunyi smiled faintly, and with a sudden twist of his wrist holding the long sword, he ripped through the huge barrier behind him, splitting the curtain that originally reflected the Buddha's thoughts in two.
He then channeled his inner energy, mixing all the broken pieces of wood with cloth and shoving them forward. The horde of soldiers were thrown back several steps by his powerful internal force.
Immediately afterwards, everyone saw Pei Yunyi use his light footwork to stand on the top of the altar pillar with a light touch of his toes, all his movements were as smooth as flowing water.
The flames on the altar cast their light upon him, outlining his silhouette and illuminating him with a soft yellow glow.
In an instant, all was silent, and everyone looked up at the figure standing high on the altar pillar.
Pei Yunyi's face now held a sense of holiness and majesty, as if the Buddha who had just vanished was now one with him.
Pei Yunyi's powerful voice, infused with inner strength, reached everyone's ears: "Your Majesty, what did Buddha say to you in your dream last night?"
The Empress Dowager also looked up, gazing at Pei Yunyi's unapproachable and noble aura, and feeling the change in everyone's gazes, her heart gradually sank.
Then the Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and spoke, her voice shrill: "Buddha said you raped and murdered the guardian deity of the Great Khan, said you angered your father to death, said you have countless lives on your hands, and are abhorrent to both gods and men!"
"Buddha, having reached his limit of patience, entered my dream and said that the recent floods, plagues, and earthquakes were all caused by you!"
"Your crimes are too numerous to count, and everyone has the right to kill you. Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as the common people. Everyone witnessed you killing Song Xizhi. No matter how you try to deny it, this is an indisputable fact!"
Only after hearing the Empress Dowager recount Pei Yunyi's crimes did the officials and common people come to their senses.
They ignored Pei Yunyi's alluring face and whispered indignantly, "Yes, I saw Lord Song die by his blade, his clothes disheveled!"
"Lord Song was such a good person. She not only helped treat patients, but also opened a pharmacy, held free clinics, and took over the refuge of the Marquis of Zhongzhen. Yet she died in the daytime at the Marquis of Zhongzhen's residence, under the butcher's knife of that lecherous scoundrel!"
Upon hearing this, the other commoners also spat out a curse, regretting that they had been misled by Pei Yunyi's imposing manner: "The Crown Prince deserves to die! What shameless things are he saying here!"
"Such a good man as Lord Song was killed by him! He has no remorse and is still so arrogant!"
Upon hearing this, all the people, filled with righteous indignation, kowtowed towards the Empress Dowager, demanding that the Crown Prince be severely punished: "Since Buddha has explained all this and entrusted Your Majesty the Empress Dowager with the handling of state affairs, then please, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, punish the true culprit!"
"The Crown Prince deserves to die! We beg Your Majesty to punish the true culprit!"
He Jingyan, tears streaming down his face, knelt on one knee and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please punish the real culprit! Give my wife justice!"
The people's voices of pleading grew louder and louder, and only then did the Empress Dowager raise the corners of her mouth triumphantly: "Archers, prepare!"
Before the archers could even get ready, Pei Yunyi merely raised his brow meaningfully: "What if Song Xizhi hadn't died?"
"Does that prove that your claim of Buddha appearing in your dream is false?"
"Can you prove that the power granted to you by Buddha is nothing but your wolfish ambition and empty boasting? Can you prove that your ambition for the throne has never been a deception or a malicious scheme?"
Pei Yunyi stood taller, and his voice was much louder than the Empress Dowager's. At this moment, his voice reached everyone's ears, including the Empress Dowager's, causing her eyelids to twitch.
Hearing Pei Yunyi's confident words, she swallowed slightly, then looked in He Jingyan's direction with some uncertainty.
He Jingyan was kneeling directly in front of the Empress Dowager and could clearly feel her gaze.
Recalling the assassins reaching the bottom of the cliff and seeing the shattered skeleton, although the skeleton was no longer recognizable and its features could not be pieced together, the clothes it was wearing were undeniably proof that it belonged to Song Xizhi.
Thinking of this, He Jingyan nodded firmly in the direction of the Empress Dowager.
Feeling reassured by He Jingyan's affirmation, the Empress Dowager finally shrugged and spoke decisively to Pei Yunyi:
"Song Xizhi was raped and murdered by you in full view of everyone. The people of the land and the officials in the court can all be witnesses. How could she possibly come back to life? How could her death be faked?"
The Empress Dowager had just finished speaking.
Immediately, a clear voice rang out from below the altar. Although the voice was not loud, it touched the hearts of everyone present.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I really did escape death."
As the woman spoke, she slowly removed the straw hat from her head, and everyone finally saw her familiar face.
The woman has lost a lot of weight recently, and her once rosy complexion has become somewhat pale.
She slowly turned her head and bowed to all the people around her: "Thank you all for your hard work in seeking justice for me and upholding fairness for me."
"However, we were all used; this was a scheme by the Empress Dowager."
As Song Xizhi spoke, she walked up the steps one by one. Her movements were not fast, but every step she took was firm and unwavering, as if she were stepping into everyone's hearts.
Almost everyone present was stunned. They stared at Song Xizhi's back, their bodies stiff, and even forgot to breathe.
The Su family members, who were originally kneeling among the ministers, stared wide-eyed at the sight, their bodies convulsing.
Su Mingren and Su Mingli rushed out almost at the same time, while Su Shaoyuan's eyes rolled back and he almost fell to the ground.
"Zhizhi, Zhizhi, is that you?"
"Are you my Zhizhi? Are you my Zhizhi?"
Su Mingli trembled all over, his eyes were red, and he lost his usual composure, looking as bewildered as a child.
Su Mingren was even more exaggerated than him. He rushed forward, but dared not touch Song Xizhi's body, fearing that this was just a fantasy.
He was trembling all over, breathing rapidly, his eyes fixed on Song Xizhi's face, and he almost burst into tears: "Zhizhi!"
He knelt down with a thud, and Song Xizhi then noticed that in just a few days, his uncle's hair had turned gray.
"Zhizhi, it's your uncle's fault! Your uncle failed to protect you! Your uncle is well-read but weak and useless!"
Song Xizhi closed her eyes briefly, tears streaming down her cheeks. She turned and looked directly in the direction of the Empress Dowager:
"Empress Dowager, please give us an explanation. Give an explanation to everyone who has been kept in the dark!"
The Empress Dowager stared at the scene before her, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
She stared in astonishment at Song Xizhi's face, her feet seemingly rooted to the ground, her mind going completely blank.
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