Chapter 220 What is that thing sitting on the dragon throne?
In the study of the palace, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.
For several days, the spies sent out brought back no useful information except "sudden death", "transfer", "missing" and "no such evidence".
The old fox, Prime Minister Yun, had already woven his evil web perfectly and swept away all the clues.
"Damn it! It's so damn abominable!"
Chu Xuanyi sat down on the chair, scratching his hair in annoyance, and his whole body was wilted.
"Your Highness, the Yun family's actions are so meticulous and watertight, which shows that their plans are enormous and their preparations are by no means a one-day effort. Now they have taken control of the palace and held the 'Holy Will' hostage. We are in the open, they are in the dark, and we are passive everywhere. If this continues, I'm afraid..."
I’m afraid that by the time they take action, the entire Great Zhou will have already been controlled by their Yun family.
Xiao Yu, who had been silent all this time, slowly raised his head.
"Waiting will not bring any results."
"Since he won't come out, I will force him to come out."
"My Lord, what do you have in mind?"
"In three days, envoys from the Western Rong Kingdom will arrive in Beijing to pay tribute. According to custom, a state banquet will be held in the palace."
Chu Xuanyi's eyes lit up instantly.
"A state banquet? Yes, at a state banquet, all officials and envoys gather. That 'fake emperor' must show up no matter what, even if it's just behind a pearl curtain. He must take charge of the situation. This is our only legitimate opportunity to get close to him and observe him."
"That's right." Xiao Yu nodded, "I will bring Ah Jiu with me into the palace."
"Bring Jiu?" Chu Xuanyi was puzzled. "Your Highness, the palace banquet is full of mixed people. The Yun family will definitely keep a close eye on you. Will it be dangerous to bring Jiu?"
"The most dangerous place is actually the place where you can see the truth most clearly." Xiao Yu's gaze became somewhat profound. "The Yun family is on guard against the officials and the Black Armor Guards, but they will never be on guard against a little girl who is ignorant of the world."
There are some things that ordinary mortals like them cannot see through with their naked eyes.
But Jiu might be able to see something that they can't see.
Three days later.
Inside the imperial city, the lights were on, as bright as day.
The Mingguang Hall, where the state banquet was held, was ablaze with splendor and brilliance. The sound of stringed instruments filled the air, and palace maids flitted around the table carrying exquisite dishes and fine wine.
All civil and military officials, royal relatives, and envoys from the Western Rong who came from afar have taken their seats.
The entire hall was filled with a scene of prosperity and peace.
Prime Minister Yun was wearing a brand new purple official robe today, his face flushed with rosy light, and he was chatting and laughing with several envoys from vassal states, acting like a host.
Concubine Yun was surrounded by pearls and jade, radiant with beauty. She sat in the concubines' seat closest to the main seat and accepted the flattery of everyone. The pride and arrogance in her eyes almost overflowed.
Xiao Yu walked slowly into the hall with Ajiu.
As soon as he appeared, the originally noisy hall suddenly became quiet for a moment.
Everyone's attention was involuntarily attracted by the imposing figure.
He was still wearing the dark prince's formal dress, which was embroidered with intricate cloud patterns in gold thread, making his face look even more handsome and his demeanor even more solemn.
Ajiu was wearing a specially tailored palace dress today. It was her favorite goose yellow color, which made her small face look delicate and charming.
It was obviously her first time attending such a big occasion. Her big black eyes looked around curiously, and her little face was full of novelty.
Xiao Yu calmly shook her hand and whispered, "Follow me closely."
"The Emperor has arrived—"
"Long live the emperor—"
"My dear ministers, please stand up."
A hoarse and weak voice came from behind the bead curtain.
"Today, the envoys from the Western Rong have come from afar. We should enjoy ourselves with you all. There is no need to be formal."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Everyone bowed again and then sat down again.
The fake emperor said a few polite words, and Prime Minister Yun and several ministers echoed him, and then there was singing and dancing performances and toasts.
At first, Jiu was watching with great interest, with his little mouth filled with exquisite pastries.
But when her eyes fell on the figure behind the bead curtain, a strong feeling of discomfort suddenly surged up!
It felt like my eyes were stung by something invisible, dirty and sticky!
She cried out "Ouch" and rubbed her eyes subconsciously, and her originally cheerful expression instantly fell.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Yu had been paying attention to her movements and immediately asked in a low voice.
"Brother Xiong Xiong..."
Ajiu quietly pulled Xiao Yu's wide sleeves and moved her small body closer to him.
"That emperor is so strange."
Xiao Yu's heart suddenly moved!
His expression remained calm, but he used his wide sleeves to cover up his conversation with Jiu.
"How strange?"
Ah Jiu tilted his head and thought for a long time before he said in a low voice:
"There's no shiny dragon energy on him, not even a little bit."
As the emperor of the Great Zhou, the true dragon emperor, Emperor Jingming has always been a dazzling, warm and bright golden dragon energy in Ajiu's eyes.
But the person behind the beaded curtain...
"He was empty, like a painted mannequin, just a shell."
“And…and…”
She seemed to have seen something that made her feel extremely disgusted, and her face turned pale.
"On top of his head... there was a really ugly black bug. It looked like a spider, but not quite. It had tons of legs and was constantly spitting out black silk threads!"
"Those silk threads are sticky. One end is connected to the insect's mouth, and the other end... is stuck to his mouth, hands, and feet... When he spoke and raised his hands just now, it was all because of that ugly insect pulling the silk threads to make him move!"
"So disgusting, really disgusting. Brother Xiongxiong, let's go quickly. I don't want to see that thing."
The little girl was really frightened, and her hands that were grabbing Xiao Yu's sleeves began to tremble slightly.
Black insects spit out silk threads and control people's movements.
The string-pulling Gu.
It really is the matchmaking Gu.
A murderous intent instantly ignited in Xiao Yu's chest.
What a great Yun family.
What a thief who stole the country.
Not only did they find a substitute, they also used such vicious southern Xinjiang sorcery to turn the poor substitute into a living puppet that they could manipulate at will.
"Ajiu, don't be afraid."
He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then continued in a guiding tone, whispering:
"Feel carefully again. Besides that dummy, is there any other shining dragon energy in this palace?"
This issue is crucial.
If the real emperor is dead, the dragon energy will completely dissipate.
But if... he's still alive...
Jiu obediently closed her eyes, and she tried hard to find that familiar, warm golden color in this chaotic atmosphere.
A long time passed.
It lasted so long that Xiao Yu's heart almost jumped into his throat.
Ah Jiu suddenly opened his eyes.
"have!"
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