An extremely bright light flashed across the sky.

Everyone's heart skipped a beat, as there was another thunderstorm coming.

Sure enough, a thunder even more deafening than the previous one resounded throughout the Golden Throne Hall, and even the window frames were rustling.

All the civil and military officials felt a tingling sensation in their hearts, not knowing whether it was caused by the thunder or by the words “Brother, do you still like my throne?”

Who is a fool if he can be an official? This man is clearly saying that he is the brother of the current emperor, and the current emperor has taken his throne.

But that's weird isn't it?

Your Majesty has two half-brothers. One died of illness, and the other became a leisurely prince in his fiefdom.

Moreover, Your Majesty was made the Crown Prince back then, and it was a natural progression for him to succeed to the throne. How could there be talk of someone taking the throne away?

But if this person has no relationship with Your Majesty, why do they look so similar?

Even more alike than his two half-brothers?

It's as if they came from the same mother's womb.

The King of Southern Xinjiang clenched his fists, suppressed his emotions, and said in a very dignified manner: "Saint girl, you have been missing for several days, and I have been worried about your safety. It turns out that you have secretly rebelled. But don't think that you can just find someone who looks a bit like me and say nonsense in the Golden Palace!"

The saint didn't speak.

Zong Zhenghui spoke slowly, "Zong Zhengming, are you and I really just somewhat alike? During the thirty years of hunting in Weishan, how did you take the place of someone else? Have you forgotten?"

Zong Zhengming? Isn't your Majesty's name Zong Zhenghui? There is no such person as Zong Zhengming in the royal family.

All the civil and military officials once again began to murmur in their hearts.

But when it comes to hunting in Weishan, some old ministers do have impressions of it.

His Majesty and a eunuch mistakenly entered the depths of the jungle and were attacked by a wild beast. When they found His Majesty, he was seriously injured and unconscious, and the eunuch was nowhere to be found. They speculated that he was eaten by the beast.

Zong Zhenghui continued, "My father wanted to kill you back then, but my mother couldn't bear it, so she had someone secretly take you out of the palace. When you returned to the capital, I pitied you for the hardships you had endured among the common people, so I gave you a mansion and let you live a life of luxury. I also allowed you to dress up as a eunuch and enter the palace to reunite with me and my mother. But I didn't know you had such a wicked ambition that you secretly harbored the idea of ​​replacing me."

Eunuch?

The ministers exchanged glances.

Could it be that the eunuch who went hunting with His Majesty that year was that younger brother? Wait, these are just one-sided statements from this person, there is no evidence.

Who can’t make up a story?

A fierce look flashed in the eyes of the King of Southern Xinjiang: "What nonsense! What nonsense! Imperial Guards, take them down!"

"His Majesty!"

The Minister of Works stood up holding a tablet in his hand and said, "This matter is of great importance. It would be better if Your Majesty conducts a thorough investigation in court to prevent false news from spreading among the people and causing suspicion and anger among the people."

The Minister of Rites also stepped out holding a tablet and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, he keeps saying that you are a fake and he is real, so why not let him produce evidence? If he can't, it won't be too late to punish him."

Immediately afterwards, several ministers in the court seconded the motion and pleaded that the man hand over the evidence.

Among these ministers, some were from the Yin family camp, some were neutral, and some were truly considering the interests of the King of Southern Xinjiang.

They believed in the King of Southern Xinjiang and hoped to expose the conspiracy between the Saint and this man in public.

Zong Zhenghui struck while the iron was hot and provoked the King of Southern Xinjiang: "Zong Zhengming, are you afraid? Are you afraid that I will produce evidence to expose you?"

The King of Southern Xinjiang snorted coldly, "I am the true dragon emperor, why should I confront you in the palace? If I set a precedent today, will I have to listen to everyone who questions me in the future? I am busy with all kinds of affairs and don't have the time for this! Capture him!"

So what if all the civil and military officials in the court oppose it?

He is the one sitting on the dragon throne, and his words are the imperial decree!

How dare these people disobey? !

The guards rushed forward.

The saint swung the whip in her hand violently.

Come one, and hit one away.

Come on, two, and I’ll take a pair.

More and more Royal Guards poured in from outside the palace.

The King of Southern Xinjiang sat back on the dragon throne and looked at the saint with disdain.

So what if she was skilled in martial arts? Could she fight against thousands of troops alone?

At this moment, a eunuch's voice suddenly came from outside the palace: "The Queen Mother has arrived——"

The King of Southern Xinjiang’s expression changed.

Why is the Queen Mother here?

"Hui'er!"

The elderly empress dowager hurriedly stepped into the Golden Palace.

When she saw the flashes of swords and sabers in the hall, she quickly shouted, "Stop what you are doing!"

The Royal Guards stopped.

Zong Zhenghui also asked the saint to stop.

The Queen Mother looked at her son who was fine on the throne and walked over quickly: "I heard that there was an assassin in the Golden Palace and you were injured! Let me take a look!"

Yin Chongshan lowered his eyes.

The Queen Mother was brought here by her younger sister, Concubine Yin.

Of course, the civil and military officials alone could not suppress the one sitting on the dragon throne. All they had just done was just to delay time.

The big Buddha they really wanted to invite was the Queen Mother.

"Mother."

Zong Zhenghui looked at the empress dowager, who already had white hair, and spoke with difficulty.

The Queen Mother was so absorbed in her son that she paid no attention to anyone else in the palace.

As soon as she heard someone calling her mother from behind, she turned around subconsciously.

Zong Zhenghui's eyes began to turn red.

The Queen Mother froze for a moment.

She looked at the man in front of her in disbelief.

After so many years, he is no longer the young boy he used to be, but this face eroded by time clearly coincides with the one in his memory.

The Queen Mother's body trembled slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes: "You...you are..."

Zong Zhenghui came before the Queen Mother, knelt down, and grabbed the hem of her clothes: "Mother... I am Hui'er... I am your Hui'er..."

Mother and son are connected by heart, and Zong Zhenghui understood what his mother was asking.

He choked up and said, "I'm not dead... I didn't die in the beast's belly... I've been trying to find a way to get back to my mother all these years..."

The Queen Mother also knelt down.

She couldn't stay calm when faced with her son whom she had lost for more than 30 years.

She held his face in her hands and was about to ask him where he had been all these years when the King of Southern Xinjiang suddenly stood up and said, "Mother!"

The Queen Mother was startled.

The King of Southern Xinjiang looked at the Saint coldly: "What kind of poison did you put on my mother? Why can't my mother even recognize her own son?"

It is well known that the saint is good at witchcraft.

If she wanted to control someone, it was not impossible.

"The Saint did not cast a curse." Zong Zhenghui looked at the King of Southern Xinjiang and said angrily.

The Saint said expressionlessly: "I didn't cast a spell."

The head of the Yin family looked at the Queen Mother and asked, "Queen Mother, did you give birth to twins that year?"

The Queen Mother opened her mouth and said, "Ai Jia..."

The King of Southern Xinjiang stopped him and said, "Mother!"

The Queen Mother looked at Zong Zhenghui, and then at the King of Southern Xinjiang sitting on the dragon throne.

Zong Zhenghui said with a heartache: "Mother, do you know where I have been all these years? I have been locked up by him and tortured in the dark abandoned mine. I wanted to end my life several times, but when I thought of you, I gritted my teeth and persevered. After thirty years, I finally saw you..."

The King of Southern Xinjiang slapped the armrest of the dragon throne: "What nonsense!"

Zong Zhenghui did not confront him, but just stared at the Queen Mother without blinking: "Mother, I have evidence!"

The King of Southern Xinjiang said sternly: "Come here, my mother has been poisoned, drag these two away!"

"I'm not poisoned!"

The Queen Mother stood up, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and restored her aura of a superior Queen Mother. "I did give birth to twins. The eldest son is Zong Zhenghui, the current emperor. The second son is Zong Zhengming, who is now living among the people."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire court was instantly in an uproar.

Lord Yin had guessed it right. The Queen Mother gave birth to twins! One is yang and the other is yin. In the royal family, twins are considered unlucky and one must be abandoned.

But why did His Majesty deny it? Was he unaware of it?

Or is he hiding something? The civil and military officials looked at the King of Southern Xinjiang with a changed look.

The King of Southern Xinjiang’s fists were clenched so hard that they made a creaking sound.

The Queen Mother looked at the King of Southern Xinjiang and said, "You told me that your brother was dead. Why is he still alive?"

The King of Southern Xinjiang stood up and said with a sincere face: "Mother, my brother did die that year. It was my son who failed to protect him. I have been feeling guilty all these years. I would rather it was me who was taken away by the beast. But the dead are gone. Even if I give my life to my brother, I can't let him live. You see clearly, this person is not my brother, but a hostage brought by the Saint from outside to rebel. Mother, don't be fooled!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a guard hurried into the palace and reported with an embarrassed look on his face: "Your Majesty, the young master of the Cheng family wants to see you, saying that... he has... evidence that your Majesty has been framed."

"not see!"

"Let her in!"

The King of Southern Xinjiang and the Queen Mother spoke at the same time.

The King of Southern Xinjiang frowned and looked at the Queen Mother: "Mother, you are tired. It is time to go back to the bedroom and settle down. I will make the decision on the affairs of the court."

The Queen Mother's aura was fully revealed: "Do you want to put me under house arrest?"

The King of Southern Xinjiang said perfunctorily: "My son doesn't dare."

The Queen Mother said coldly: "Then let the young master of the Cheng family come in! I would like to hear what has happened in these years and whether this person is pretending to be your brother."

The King of Southern Xinjiang clenched his fists.

Xie Jinnian glanced calmly at the man and the saint in the hall, and his gaze lingered on the saint's face for a moment.

Soon, Su Xiaoxiao was brought over by the guards.

The Queen Mother asked sternly, "Are you the young master of the Cheng family? The little girl who just returned to the Cheng family to recognize her relatives?"

Su Xiaoxiao answered calmly, "Yes."

The Queen Mother asked, "You said you have evidence, what is it?"

Su Xiaoxiao glanced at Zong Zhenghui, then looked at the King of Southern Xinjiang and said, "This is the evidence that your majesty has been imprisoned for many years by the one sitting on the dragon throne."

Xie Jinnian said calmly: "Cheng Su, do you know the consequences of slandering the king of a country?"

Su Xiaoxiao said: "I know, so I won't slander anyone! You three, come in!"

Everyone looked outside the hall.

I saw Chief Xue, Old Man Feng and Mu Tan walking in tremblingly.

Su Xiaoxiao pointed at Zong Zhenghui and asked, "Do you know this person?"

The three of them nodded slowly.

Su Xiaoxiao asked again: "Who is he?"

The three of them didn't speak.

Su Xiaoxiao was not in a hurry: "Well, let me change the question. How did you know him?"

Seeing that the two elders were silent, Mu Tan had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "He... was imprisoned in the abandoned mine of the Cheng family. We have been guarding him all these years."

"Who instructed you to do this?"

Mu Tan didn't dare to say anything further.

The Queen Mother said angrily, “Speak!”

The three of them felt a jolt in their hearts.

Mu Tan even trembled, and whispered tremblingly: "Yes... Your Majesty, the one on the dragon throne... Your Majesty."

The King of Southern Xinjiang was furious and said, "You are lying! It's all lies! The mine belongs to your Cheng family! In my opinion, it is you who detained this man! Were you also responsible for the hunting accident that year?"

Su Xiaoxiao took out a thick stack of account books from her bag and said, "Your Majesty on the throne, the mine has not belonged to the Cheng family for many years. The old man used the mine to exchange for my grandmother's life. It is written in black and white. Over the years, the mine has continuously supplied a lot of iron ore to the court for free, and how much silver it has given you. Every single amount is recorded here! On the contrary, it is my Cheng family that has made the money, not even one tenth of yours. Do you still have the nerve to say that the mine belongs to the Cheng family!"

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(End of this chapter)