The imperial guards, armed with swords and spears, surrounded the palace gate tightly, trapping all the ministers inside.
At first, the ministers did not notice anything unusual until they heard Concubine Shu's words -
"Today, I will clean up the government on behalf of His Majesty!"
The whole hall was in an uproar!
"Shu Guifei! What are you going to do?"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was personally appointed by His Majesty. Now that His Majesty is still alive, who dares to depose the Crown Prince without authorization?"
"How can a mere concubine like you be allowed to speak nonsense in the Golden Palace?"
Some court officials were filled with righteous indignation and loudly rebuked the emperor; others looked thoughtful and weighed the pros and cons secretly.
Concubine Shu stood in the hall, with an imposing aura, a sneer on her lips, and her eyes were full of determination and calculation.
"Crown Prince Yuancheng is disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unrighteous."
"While Your Majesty was unconscious, he took sole control of government, excluded dissidents, monopolized power, and even colluded with South Vietnam to commit treasonous acts!"
Every time she spoke, she emphasized her tone and made her words sound powerful.
"How can such an ambitious person inherit the throne?"
She swept her gaze over the ministers and said quietly, "I believe that the Dacheng Empire must not fall into the hands of such a crooked person!"
These words caused the originally silent ministers to start to stir and whisper.
Many people came out to support Concubine Shu.
Some people disagree.
"This matter is of great importance. How can we draw a conclusion based on just a few letters?"
"Oh, without solid evidence, how dare Your Majesty launch such a tantrum?"
In the hall, Yuan Cheng had a cold expression as he watched the scene in front of him quietly without any sign of panic.
He stood with his hands behind his back, beneath the dragon throne, his gaze indifferently sweeping over the imperial guards and the court officials who were in cahoots with Concubine Shu.
"Purge the imperial court?"
He finally spoke, his voice low but with an oppressive force that instantly drowned out all the noise.
"I want to see, what is the basis for you, Concubine Shu, to be purged?"
Concubine Shu smiled slightly, stepped closer, and slowly approached Yuan Cheng, lowering her voice and saying -
"Yuancheng, the Imperial Guards have sealed off the Imperial Palace under my orders. Martial law has been declared in the Imperial City."
"I have already made arrangements for your good sister's princess residence."
She deliberately emphasized the three words "Princess Mansion".
Sure enough, Yuan Cheng's pupils shrank slightly, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
Seeing this, Concubine Shu smiled even more, her tone gentle yet cruel: "So, you'd better surrender."
She was full of confidence, and as long as Heng'er led his troops into the city, everything would be settled.
Yuan Cheng would become the deposed crown prince, be expelled from the royal family, and even... be executed on the spot.
And her son will rightfully become the new emperor of Dacheng!
She knew very well that she had already won the game.
So he turned around, facing the entire court, and said with a firm tone:
"My dear ministers, what do you think?"
Her question made the officials in the court even more hesitant.
It no longer matters whether the Crown Prince really used witchcraft on Your Majesty or colluded with foreign nations.
The most important thing is - whose side should they stand on.
It is true that Yuan Cheng is the crown prince, but right now, Concubine Shu is in charge of the Imperial Guards, and Prince Jin is still in the camp in the western suburbs, so he might be on his way.
Yuan Cheng had no troops or power, and the only person he could rely on, Huo Yan, was still in the northwest.
If the prince is defeated and they still stand on his side, they will probably face a catastrophic disaster.
At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.
“Report—!”
"His Royal Highness Prince Jin has arrived!"
The curve of Concubine Shu's mouth deepened.
Heng'er came and she won.
…
Inside the princess's mansion, there were deafening cries of killing and raging flames.
Doctor Chen knelt in a pool of blood, silver needles flying in his hands, cold sweat oozing from his forehead, but he never dared to be negligent in the slightest.
Song Yunci lying on the bed was already so weak that she could hardly speak. Her face was as pale as paper and her forehead was covered with cold sweat.
Her breath was weak and she didn't even have the strength to hold Yuan Zhao tightly. She could only open her mouth slightly and mutter something.
"Your Majesty, hold on!" Doctor Chen said solemnly, his fingertips quickly pressing on her pulse, his eyes heavy. "Hold on a little longer, the baby will be out soon!"
The shouting and screaming outside became more and more intense, and the firelight illuminated the night as if it were daytime.
Assassins kept coming like a tide, one after another, seemingly endless.
In the courtyard, blood was splattered everywhere, knives clashed, and the battle situation had become tense.
The soldiers tried their best, but there were too many enemies and the front line kept retreating.
Even Yuan Musheng, who usually disliked swords and knives, was standing under the eaves at this moment, drawing his bow and shooting arrows, and every arrow hit its target!
Yuan Nan'an, who was standing at the front of the courtyard, swung his spear like a fierce gust of wind. Wherever he passed, the sound of killing stopped and blood splattered in the sky!
Yuan Xuan was on the other side, his black robe stained with blood, his expression cold and fierce. He turned the sword and knocked another assassin away!
Yuan Qiyuzhe and Yuan Zhizhi rode on Xiaobai's back, ready to use a tiger paw to blow away any enemy approaching the delivery room.
——Yuan Zhao in the room heard all of this clearly, but he didn't even turn his head.
The long wound on her arm was bleeding continuously, and had already dyed half of her sleeve red.
But she seemed not to feel any pain and didn't even frown.
Since there were not enough midwives, she took care of it herself.
She held Song Yunci's belly firmly with one hand and encouraged softly with the other hand,
"Sister-in-law, hold on! The baby will be out soon!"
Song Yunci had almost exhausted all her strength, her eyes were already dull, but when she heard Yuan Zhao's voice, a glimmer of hope for life flashed in her eyes.
Yuan Zhao said firmly, "Listen, sister-in-law—you must stay alive!"
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