Chapter 460 Standoff at the Golden Palace
Three days later, in the Golden Palace.
The civil and military officials stood on both sides, their eyes downcast, yet they couldn't help but steal glances at the throne out of the corner of their eyes.
The news that the Empress Dowager was critically ill and possessed the late Emperor's secret edict to reveal the truth had already caused an uproar throughout the court and the country, like a drop of boiling oil being thrown into water.
Everyone felt insecure, and everyone harbored unspeakable calculations.
The morning assembly proceeded as usual, and everything seemed the same as always, but the tension in the air grew stronger and stronger, almost solidifying into a tangible form.
Just as the court assembly was halfway through, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the hall.
"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
The officials turned around in astonishment, only to see the Empress Dowager appear outside the Golden Palace in full regalia.
She wore a bright yellow embroidered robe with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, and a crown with nine phoenixes holding pearls. Although her complexion was still unhealthy and ashen, her back was straight, her chin was held high, and her eyes burned with a crazy light of desperation.
The Empress Dowager's sudden arrival caused an uproar in the originally solemn hall.
Huo Lingao sat on the dragon throne, looking at the Empress Dowager's well-prepared appearance with icy cold eyes.
It's finally here. He's been waiting long enough for this final gamble from the Empress Dowager.
He remained expressionless, merely raising his hand slightly to quell the commotion within the hall.
"What brings the Empress Dowager here?"
The Empress Dowager walked straight to the foot of the imperial steps and stood there, holding a wooden box wrapped in bright yellow silk in her hand. Her voice was sharp and tearful, and it echoed throughout the hall.
"I have come today to seek justice for the spirit of the late Emperor!"
As she spoke, she opened the wooden box, took out the roll of silk, unfolded it, and faced the assembled officials, weeping as she said, "This is the late Emperor's secret edict, which he bestowed upon me before his death. The edict clearly states that the Emperor's bloodline is in doubt and that he is not a legitimate member of the Huo imperial family. If his virtue is lacking, the imperial clan can use this edict to depose him from his position!"
These words shocked the entire hall. Although the rumors had already spread, the fact that the Empress Dowager announced them personally in the Golden Hall made them all the more significant.
The officials looked at each other in bewilderment, and whispers arose among them.
Huo Lin's gaze darkened, but before he could speak, Huo Qingcang stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell.
"Your Majesty, you are mistaken. This edict is of unknown origin and its contents are absurd. The late Emperor was kind and placed great hopes on the Emperor. How could he have left behind such an edict that would shake the foundation of the country? Your Majesty, do not be deceived by such a villain."
The Empress Dowager, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, retorted sharply, "Prince Qing, this is the late Emperor's own handwritten edict, complete with all the seals. How dare you question it?"
Huo Qingcang showed no fear, his eyes fixed intently on the silk in the Empress Dowager's hand.
"This old minister is extremely familiar with the late emperor's handwriting and seal. May I ask the Empress Dowager to show this edict to this old minister? If it is indeed the late emperor's edict, this old minister will be the first to kowtow and accept the decree. If it is forged by someone... then that is deceiving the emperor and disrupting the court, and such a crime deserves the execution of nine generations of his family."
The Empress Dowager was intimidated by Huo Qingcang's imposing manner and subconsciously shrank back on the imperial edict, saying with a fierce but weak voice, "How dare you!"
Huo Lin spoke at the opportune moment, his voice conveying a calm and collected demeanor, as if he were in complete control.
"Since the Imperial Uncle has doubts, and the Empress Dowager insists that it is the late Emperor's will, then please come forward and examine it together with several senior members of the imperial clan and Hanlin scholars to determine its authenticity. If it is indeed the late Emperor's will, I will immediately abdicate and yield the throne to a worthy successor."
He spoke with absolute certainty, carrying a subtle hint of sarcasm.
The Empress Dowager was caught in a dilemma and had no choice but to bite the bullet and hand the edict to Huo Qingcang and several important officials who had stepped forward.
Several people gathered around, carefully examining the silk's texture, ink marks, and seals... The hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop. Everyone's heart was in their throat.
A moment later, Huo Qingcang looked up and roared, "Forged! This edict is a forgery!"
He turned to his ministers, his voice filled with indignation: "Gentlemen, please look! Although this silk is an old item, the ink is superficial. The handwriting is similar in form but not in spirit. It deliberately imitates the trembling brushstrokes of the late emperor in his later years, but it is stiff and affected, lacking the spirit and style of the late emperor's writing. As for this seal, the edges are blurred and the details are missing. It is clearly a later imitation and stamp!"
Several senior ministers who were inspecting the site also nodded in agreement, confirming that what King Qing said was true.
"It is indeed a forgery!"
"How dare you forge the late emperor's edict!"
When the truth came out, the entire hall was in uproar, and the ministers looked at the Empress Dowager with disdain.
The Empress Dowager's face turned deathly pale, and she trembled all over as she shrieked, "You've all conspired together to frame me!"
Huo Lin slowly stood up from the dragon throne, looking down at the Empress Dowager with a cold gaze.
“Framed?” His voice silenced the entire hall. “I think it was you, Empress Dowager, who was blinded by greed and acted like a cornered dog.”
He stopped looking at the Empress Dowager and instead swept his gaze across the assembled officials, his voice solemn: "Since the Empress Dowager keeps mentioning bloodlines and imperial heirs, then today I will let you all see how the Empress Dowager has 'cared for' my Huo family's imperial heirs all these years!"
He waved his hand: "Bring witnesses and physical evidence!"
Outside the hall, guards who had been waiting escorted several people in.
There was Consort Li, an old nanny found by the secret guards, and a thick stack of old medical records and poison test records presented by the Imperial Hospital.
Huo Lin pointed to the witnesses and the dazzling array of physical evidence, and made public the crimes of how the Empress Dowager had used spices and medicines to subtly harm pregnant concubines and cause princes and princesses to die young and become weak.
Each and every case presented irrefutable evidence.
With each word Huo Lin spoke, the Empress Dowager's face paled a little more, and her body trembled a little more violently. The ministers, initially shocked, were now horrified.
Harming imperial heirs is an unforgivable crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of the family!
"A wicked woman! A wicked woman!" The old ministers were heartbroken and angrily denounced her.
Just then, Huo Cong, who had been silent all along, slowly stepped forward, bowed to Huo Lin, then turned to face the assembled officials, his voice heavy with sorrow.
"Your subject, Huo Cong, can testify that the Empress Dowager recently summoned me to the palace and showed me this forged imperial edict, using threats and inducements to try to get me to help her depose the emperor. I was terrified and dared not obey."
"You... Huo Cong, how dare you betray me!" The Empress Dowager pointed at Huo Cong, her eyes bloodshot, so angry that she almost fainted.
Her last hope, ironically, turned into the most fatal blow at the most crucial moment.
Huo Lin looked at the Empress Dowager, who had completely collapsed and lost all her composure and dignity. There was no anger or hatred in his eyes, only a chilling coldness.
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly resonated throughout the hall. Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking the Empress Dowager's heart, and striking the hearts of every court official.
"The Empress Dowager is old and senile. She forged the late emperor's edict, slandered the emperor, and harmed the imperial heirs. The evidence against her is conclusive."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the officials in the hall, before uttering his final verdict.
"Effective immediately, she shall be stripped of her title of Empress Dowager, reduced to a commoner, and moved to the Cold Palace, where she shall not be released unless she dies."
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