Chapter 282
Duan Gan didn't say anything more, so Tao Tao took it as a tacit agreement, turned to look at Chen Jinghe, and gestured to him with her eyes.
Seeing that he had no objections, Chen Jinghe said, "This subordinate understands." He then turned and left.
Tao Tao reached out and smoothed the furrow between his brows, saying coquettishly, "Si Lang is the best to me. I know Si Lang loves me and cherishes me, and I love you too."
He suddenly looked up, his pupils dilated, his eyes wide with shock. "You... what did you say?"
His dark eyes held a mixture of excitement, surprise, and anticipation, which together formed the depth of his love.
She smiled broadly and looked at him earnestly, "I said I love you, Duan Gan."
"You are the person I like and love the most right now."
I know and see all of their indulgence and favoritism towards me, their reluctance to see me hurt or sad.
She silently repeated it to herself.
Only if he gives her a hundredfold or a thousandfold love will she give him even a little bit of her love in return.
There was no way around it; she was just that kind of greedy and selfish person. She wouldn't be satisfied with just a little bit of favoritism; she wanted everything.
She wanted to torment him repeatedly to prove that his affection and love wouldn't easily disappear.
For some reason, his eyes suddenly reddened, and his heart was stirred by her words, giving him a strange feeling that his suffering had finally come to an end.
Duan Gan gazed at her small face, silently thinking, "I love you more than you love yourself, you know that?"
Tao Tao: "Let's go out and take a look."
The night sky was starless and moonless, and the dark palace path was covered in crimson, with corpses strewn all over the ground.
Qi Heng was seriously injured and had her hands held down behind her back.
Shen Lin and Shen Yu both had wounds of varying sizes, and their faces were pale from excessive blood loss.
Even as a prisoner, he still glared fiercely at Qi Huan and Chen Jinghe with a face full of resentment.
They didn't realize that Qiu Yanwen had already been captured in Suizhou. This group of cunning people used Qiu Yanwen's letter to mislead them, which led to their current defeat.
If they had Lord Qiu's help, they would have already taken the palace for themselves.
If given the chance, they would certainly advise His Highness to kill Duan Gan first, and then eliminate those disloyal people in the court.
The Third Prince Qi Huan gripped his long sword tightly in anger. He had almost killed Qi Heng with his sword just now, but Chen Jinghe stopped him.
"Qi Heng has committed the heinous crime of treason, why can't he be killed?!"
"Where is Father? I need to see Father!"
Chen Jinghe's eyes flashed with impatience as he coldly said, "His Majesty is seriously ill, and it is Lord Duan who is handling state affairs. Is Prince Chang showing contempt for the Emperor's authority?"
"How dare you slander me!"
Qi Huan felt offended and, in a fit of anger, actually pointed his sword at Chen Jinghe.
The Privy Council guards immediately drew their swords at him.
Qi Huan was taken aback, then angrily retorted, "What does this mean? Are you planning a rebellion?!"
"I would like to ask Prince Chang what he meant by pointing his sword at the Privy Council."
A lazy voice came from behind everyone. Everyone turned around and saw Duan Gan walking slowly with a young girl.
After seeing the girl's appearance clearly, and especially seeing that Duan Gan, that ruthless man, was actually holding her hand, they were even more surprised.
Princess Huaimin was almost married to Crown Prince Qi Heng. Logically, the two should have had no interaction. So what's going on with their intimate appearance now?
Standing beside him, Tao Tao felt Qi Heng's strange and puzzled gaze, and lowered her head slightly to avoid looking at him.
Shen Lin shouted angrily, "Your Highness, did you see that? This kind of woman is not worth your affection at all!"
"She's a bewitching enchantress! Sweet-talking but treacherous, full of scheming!"
This barrage of insults left Tao Tao completely stunned. What heinous crime had she committed that this bastard would hurl such vile insults at her?
What kind of enchantress is she? If she really had that ability, she wouldn't just be standing here.
Duan Gan raised his eyes, a cold, fierce glint in them, the distant light casting flickering shadows on his face.
He released Tao Tao's hand, slowly walked towards Chen Jinghe, took the sword from his hand, and approached Shen Lin step by step.
Shen Lin's face was slightly pale, but he still held his head high and stood tall, his forced composure only making him appear weak.
Just when everyone thought Duan Gan was about to make a move, suddenly, with a soft "pfft," everyone was shocked.
Qi Huan coughed up a lot of blood, his eyes widened, and he looked down at his heart, which had been pierced by the long sword, with an expression of disbelief.
Consort Mei, Qi Huan's birth mother, who was in the inner palace, suddenly felt uneasy and woke up from her dream.
The palace maid who had been hiding in the corner heard the noise and quickly went in to comfort her.
Qi Huan was completely puzzled and pointed at Duan Gan, asking, "Why...why?"
The crown prince has already been deposed, and he is now the most promising candidate to become the crown prince. How dare Duan Gan make a move in front of so many people?
In a daze, he heard Duan Gan's voice: "Prince Chang died while resisting Prince Yong's rebellion."
Shen Lin breathed a sigh of relief, his body drenched in sweat. Just when he thought he had escaped a calamity, another sound of flesh being pierced came from beside his ear.
He looked down in disbelief; it was his turn this time.
As soon as Duan Gan appeared, he killed two people in succession, one of whom was the Prince of Chang, who was favored by the current emperor.
Those present dared not utter a word, fearing they would be the next to die.
Tao Tao covered her mouth, her pupils contracted, her heart began to pound uncontrollably, and she consciously stopped making any sound.
"Imprison King Qi Heng in jail and await further orders! The rest of you, dispose of this place."
Chen Jinghe clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."
The Cold Palace.
Dressed simply, Qiu Lingyao sat in the courtyard, seemingly hearing a roar in the distance.
"Granny Yu, have you heard any fighting?"
Granny Yu and Zhi'er exchanged a glance, their faces full of concern and worry. "Your Highness, you must have misheard. It's very quiet around here. Perhaps you're tired. Why don't you go inside and rest?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Lingyao's face showed disappointment.
She thought it was her brother and Heng'er who had led their men to invade. If they succeeded, the world would change hands, and she could continue to enjoy the worship of the people.
At this moment, she was unaware that Qiu Yanwen and Qi Heng had already failed, and that she would never be able to leave the Cold Palace unless she died.
The only happy person in the harem right now is Consort Liu.
She sat by the bed, gently coaxing the drowsy Qi Xi, a joyful smile on her face.
The crown prince was deposed, the third prince was gone, and the other princes were gone too, leaving only her Huan'er. Therefore, the throne of this empire was destined to be sat on by her child.
And she was destined to become the only empress dowager in the Celestial Empire who came from humble origins.
This was something Duan Gan had agreed upon with her: he would support her son to ascend the throne, and she would deal with the remaining princes in the emperor's harem.
She had no other choice. The emperor was in dire straits himself, so how could she rely on him? She might as well take a risk and secure a better future for her child.
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