All the ministers knelt down in fear and said in unison: "Your humble servants congratulate the emperor on his good fortune as vast as the East Sea, his longevity as boundless as the heavens..."
Yan Chou sneered and took Xie Shizhu's hand and sat directly on the main seat. He ignored the palace etiquette and after sitting down, he pulled Xie Shizhu.
Xie Shizhu lost her balance and fell onto his lap. Yan Chou blatantly hugged her waist and held her in his arms.
This scene made the Queen Mother and the Regent frown.
The Queen Mother cursed in her heart: tyrant!
He used to be a tyrant who killed people without blinking an eye, and now he has become a fool who is greedy for beauty.
In no way does he deserve the position of emperor.
As soon as he arrived, the birthday banquet began immediately. The singing girls sang and danced, the musicians played the pipa, and the surrounding was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
But everyone present had their own ulterior motives, and no one came to truly congratulate the emperor on his birthday.
Yan Chou held the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
When the palace maid refilled the cup, he put his thin lips close to the rim and took a sip. He glanced at Xie Shizhu out of the corner of his eye, then threw the cup in his hand, held her chin with one hand, and placed his thin lips on hers.
“Hmm…”
Xie Shizhu raised his hand and pressed it against his cold chest, staring at Yan Chou with wide eyes.
A stream of spicy wine entered between her lips and teeth.
The court officials below looked at each other in bewilderment, having never expected Yan Chou to do such a thing in front of so many people.
Yan Xiuran looked at them, his elegant face almost distorted.
The Queen Mother knew the time had come, and she glanced at the guards around her.
The guard immediately understood what he meant, drew his sword, and rushed to Yan Chou's side. Yan Chou suddenly pushed Xie Shizhu away, his eyes calm, as if he had already anticipated everything.
He overturned the table in front of him and blocked the guards' attack.
The Queen Mother looked at Chang Qing standing to the side, stood up, and maintained her dignity. With a stern face, she raised her voice and said, "The Emperor is a tyrant. Today, I and my ministers will arrest you, the tyrant, and bring justice to all those who died in the palace."
In an instant, the singing girls stopped twisting their waists and the musicians hid to the side holding their pipa.
The surroundings were completely silent, with only the Queen Mother's voice resounding through the sky: "General Chang, you may begin now."
Chang Qing slowly stood up, bowed and said "OK", then signaled the guards who were lying in ambush around to come out.
Originally, only court officials from Xihe attended the emperor's birthday banquet, but now thousands of guards holding swords poured in, all of them were soldiers who fought with Chang Qing on the battlefield.
Yan Xiuran let out a breath and was about to say all the prepared words along with the empress dowager.
Suddenly, he felt a cold touch on his neck, and a sword was placed on his neck, pressing against his skin.
There were also several guards standing behind the Queen Mother. The soldiers who were originally arresting Yan Chou suddenly pointed their swords at them.
Yan Xiuran's expression changed. He turned to look at Chang Qing and asked in disbelief, "What are you doing?"
Chang Qing glanced at him, then turned his gaze to Xie Shizhu and Yan Chou who were sitting at the main table. He said slowly, "I am only following the orders of the Emperor."
The Queen Mother stood there in a daze, her face extremely pale and her eyes full of astonishment.
When the other ministers saw this, they were terrified. Today was clearly the day for Yan Chou to step down from the throne, but the situation suddenly changed.
Chang Qing went back on his word and stood on Yan Chou's side.
Xie Shizhu pretended to be surprised and took a few steps back. He was so shocked that he couldn't utter a word.
Yan Chou's lips curled up into a smile, he lowered his eyes to glance at Xie Shizhu, and said in a chilling voice: "Queen, I promised to give you an answer last time, and now is the time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Yun pressed a man in black and walked into the crowd.
Then, Fu Yun kicked the man to the ground, took out a dagger and put it close to the man's face. Before he could threaten him, the man's face turned pale, his shoulders trembled, and he blurted out everything.
"Your Majesty, spare my life. As long as you don't kill me, I will tell you anything."
Yan Chou glared at him from above, his thin lips parted slightly: "Speak."
There was a hint of anger on Yan Xiuran's face. Because there was a sword blade against his neck, he didn't dare to act rashly. He could only stare at Yan Chou with resentment.
The man in black swallowed and spoke hurriedly, "I am a guard in the Regent's Palace. When the princess's child was one month old, the Queen Mother and the Regent discussed having me kill the child... and then forge a replica of the Cang Yue Kingdom's brocade bag to pin the blame on the Emperor..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Yiran, who was slumped on the ground, opened his eyes wide and suddenly looked up at Yan Xiuran and the Queen, with only disbelief in his eyes.
Fang Yiran stood up unsteadily, tears sliding down her eyes and onto her chin. Her lips trembled as she raised her finger and pointed at Yan Xiuran's face. She said in disbelief, "I never thought that the person who killed the child was actually his biological father, you beast!"
Yan Xiuran slowly closed his eyes and let Fang Yiran blame him.
Fang Yiran lost his balance and fell to the ground, fainting from anger at the result.
The empress dowager looked around. Those ministers who had vowed to join her in overthrowing the emperor instantly changed their expressions when they learned that Chang Qing had rebelled.
Pointing fingers at her and the Regent.
The Queen Mother calmed down and smiled bitterly, "Yan Chou, I am your mother. I asked you to step down from the throne for the sake of the entire Xihe... You are so heartless. I wasted ten months of pregnancy and gave birth to you."
She wanted to awaken Yan Chou's conscience and at least save her own life.
Yan Chou raised his eyebrows frivolously, put his arms around Xie Shizhu's waist, and held her in his arms. Regardless of her pale face, he took her step by step to the Queen Mother and the Regent.
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