Chapter 484 Murder!
The figure rushed in so suddenly that the people in the hall were caught off guard.
The dancers who were still dancing were disrupted and screamed in surprise. The figure fell to the ground in a mess with a sudden pounce. The sharp sound almost drowned out the drums and music, echoing throughout the hall.
"Murder! Your Majesty, help!!"
The banquet in the hall was suddenly disrupted, and some of the dancers were knocked down.
Screams rang out one after another, and the originally cheerful hall suddenly became chaotic.
"Protect the emperor!"
Eunuch Feng shouted immediately and stood in front of Emperor An. Concubine Yu and others were also extremely frightened, their faces pale and they hid backwards.
Xiao Yan frowned, stepped forward and shouted coldly.
"What are the guards in front of the palace doing? They actually let people offend His Majesty!"
Yu Yanfeng's expression also changed. He was responsible for the security of the imperial guards at the palace banquet tonight.
There have been constant incidents in the palace during this period. The two fires have made His Majesty very dissatisfied with him, and Liu Tongen's frequent visits to the palace have made him particularly uneasy.
He did not dare to delegate the defense of the Imperial Guards to anyone else tonight. He checked and arranged everything in advance, and even brought his own troops to protect the emperor in the palace.
But I didn't expect that despite such careful considerations, something would still go wrong.
At first, Yu Yanfeng was also startled by the person who suddenly broke in. After Xiao Yan said this, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
How did a woman who looked disheveled and unusual break through the layers of guards outside and break into the Purple Palace?
Where are the imperial guards he arranged to guard outside? !
Yu Yanfeng subconsciously thought that this was directed at him, so he quickly stepped forward and grabbed the woman. When he pressed his hands on her neck, her face turned red and she could hardly speak.
Yu Yanfeng shouted, "Who is so bold as to dare to offend Your Majesty? Your Majesty, I will take him away immediately..."
“Wait!”
Cui Lin suddenly stood up, leaning against the edge of the table. "Your Majesty, this lady is wearing imperial robes. I think she's coming to the palace for a banquet. And she just shouted, 'Murder!' She's begging you for help."
"This is the palace. If a murder occurs, it is no small matter. It concerns Your Majesty's safety. Why don't you ask a few questions first?"
Yu Yanfeng's face suddenly turned cold. "The palace is a strategic location, heavily guarded. Anyone entering the palace for the banquet should have entered the palace long ago. This person had never been here before, and even if she was attending the banquet, she ignored Your Majesty. Furthermore, she barged in so suddenly, who knows if she intended to assassinate Your Majesty?"
Cui Lin said slowly, "Deputy Commander Yu is wrong. The truth will be revealed when you ask. With you and Commander Xiao protecting His Majesty, how could he be afraid of a mere woman?"
Looking at the woman whose face had turned blue and purple from being strangled and who looked like she would faint at any moment, Cui Lin's eyes darkened slightly.
"Your Majesty hasn't given any signal yet, but Deputy Commander Yu has already taken action. If something really happens, can you bear the consequences?"
He looked at Xiao Yan again:
"Master Xiao, you are always alert. You wouldn't be afraid of a helpless and helpless woman."
Tang Ning's heart skipped a beat, and the uneasiness she had felt when she saw Cui Lin earlier suddenly came true. She grabbed the corner of the table tightly to calm herself down, while Rong Yue, who was standing beside her, was also looking at the front of the hall with worry in her eyes.
After Yu Yanfeng was retorted by Cui Lin, he was extremely angry and suddenly had a hunch that Cui Lin might be involved in the matter with this woman.
Xiao Yan didn't get angry when Cui Lin deliberately provoked him. He just frowned for a moment and turned to look at Emperor An: "Your Majesty?"
Emperor An patted the loyal eunuch Feng in front of him and signaled him to move aside.
Eunuch Feng hesitated and stepped aside. Emperor An then said in a deep voice, "Yu Yanfeng, let her go."
Yu Yanfeng had no choice but to let go and just looked at the woman with a gloomy expression.
After the woman fell to the ground, she covered her neck and coughed violently. The sudden burst of air made her face red from coughing, and tears of fear filled her eyes.
Emperor An looked down at her and asked, "Who are you, and why are you trespassing into the Purple Palace?"
The woman shuddered, panting and trembling, "I...I am from the Xuan family. I came to the palace today to attend the banquet, but because the Empress Dowager was not feeling well, I went to Shoukang Palace to visit her first. I stayed with her for a few more words, which delayed my arrival at Zichen Palace..."
Xuan family?
Emperor An was stunned for a moment, and looked carefully at the disheveled woman below, only then he noticed that she looked familiar.
The Empress Dowager's maternal family name was Xuan. She had committed some crimes in the past and was disliked by the late emperor. He was once implicated and was almost demoted to a commoner. It was only with the help of the Lu family that he was able to distance himself from the Xuan family and save himself.
After Emperor An ascended the throne, in order to prevent outsiders from talking about him going against the will of the previous emperor, he did not "rehabilitate" the Xuan family. Under the Empress Dowager's earnest pleading, he only exempted them from hard labor and brought them back to the capital to live in luxury.
It was not until the empress dowager fell ill some time ago that he gave the Xuan family some face in order to appease the empress dowager and granted an imperial edict to his aunt who was a widow with her children after her husband died.
The person in front of him should be the aunt he had only met a few times. During this period, she often went to the palace to accompany the empress dowager, and Emperor An had met her twice.
She was invited into the palace by the Empress Dowager for this palace banquet, presumably to allow the Xuan family to appear among the ladies of the court again.
Emperor An knew she wasn't the assassin, so he relaxed. He frowned and said in a deep voice, "Since you've come to the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager, why are you attending this banquet?"
Mrs. Xuan's cough stopped instantly and almost couldn't continue.
Cui Lin was also stumped by Emperor An's words. Fearing that the topic would be diverted by Emperor An, he quickly said:
"So it's Madam Xuan. Since you were accompanying the Queen Mother, how did you end up in such a mess? And what about the murder you just mentioned?"
Madam Xuan's body trembled and her face suddenly turned pale.
Cui Lin hurriedly said, "Don't be afraid. His Majesty is here. No one dares to hurt you."
Grand Tutor Liang frowned and looked at Cui Lin. He knew Cui Lin too well. Cui Lin was never the kind of person who would be so "helpful". Moreover, the behavior of Madam Xuan who suddenly broke in was too strange. He couldn't help but look at Feng Qiuli.
Feng Qiuli was also confused. He shook his head subtly at Grand Tutor Liang, indicating that he didn't know why Cui Lin had made such a fuss.
Grand Tutor Liang felt even more depressed, always feeling that something was wrong.
Yu Yanfeng said coldly, "Minister Cui is indeed concerned about Madam Xuan."
Cui Lin glanced at him and said, "I am merely concerned for Your Majesty's safety. Madam Xuan is from the Empress Dowager's maternal family, yet she is being persecuted in the palace. Who can guarantee that such a daring person won't endanger Your Majesty? Shouldn't Commander Yu share Your Majesty's concerns?"
“!”
Yu Yanfeng felt Emperor An's gaze turn cold and clenched his fists.
Cui Lin, this old scoundrel, actually dared to flatter him in front of the emperor!
Cui Lin's target wasn't Yu Yanfeng to begin with. He turned around and said, "Your Majesty, this concerns the safety of the Forbidden Palace, so it's best to be cautious."
Emperor An glanced at Yu Yanfeng expressionlessly, then said to Madam Xuan in a deep voice, "Tell me, what happened?"
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