Xiao Yanchu nodded.
Ah Jin is right. If Gao Hongyuan hadn't died, and had instead spent two years hiding somewhere and raising a demon king, that would have been a disaster for the Nine Provinces.
Ji Yanzhuo was brought back to the palace and forced to undergo another blood test to examine the pearl. Sure enough, the red pearl did not change color, confirming that he was not the late emperor's son.
Subsequently, Ji Yanzhuo and Empress Dowager Wu were imprisoned in the remote Jinglan Palace.
Empress Wu took off her hairpins and dressed in plain clothes. She was with Ji Yanzhuo, and there were no palace servants to attend to them.
Apart from the palace servants bringing food on time, one has to rely on oneself for everything. Living in Jinglan Palace is only slightly better than being locked up in the Cold Palace.
This was the first time Empress Dowager Wu had truly taken care of her son personally since Ji Yanzhuo was born, and only then did she realize how difficult Ji Yanzhuo was to raise.
He would lose his temper and hit or bite people at the slightest disagreement. She was beaten by her son until her body was covered in bruises and her arm was bitten and bled.
When the palace servants brought food, Ji Yanzhuo saw a few pieces of green vegetables floating in the water, cold soup without any oil, cold steamed buns, and some pickled vegetables. He immediately went crazy and shouted that he wanted to eat pineapple cakes, shredded duck feet, and braised lion's head meatballs.
The palace servants had no interest in this fake emperor who had appeared out of nowhere, so they put down their food and prepared to leave.
Ji Yanzhuo stepped forward, swept all the food onto the ground, and rushed forward to hit the palace servants, shouting, "How dare you feed me this kind of thing! I'll kill you all!"
The palace servant saw Ji Yanzhuo rushing over and kicked him to the ground.
The palace servant showed no mercy in this kick, and Ji Yanzhuo was so badly kicked that he couldn't catch his breath for a moment. Empress Dowager Wu exclaimed in surprise and stepped forward to help Ji Yanzhuo up, "Zhuo'er, Zhuo'er, what's wrong, Zhuo'er?"
Seeing that Ji Yanzhuo's face was turning pale, Empress Dowager Wu hurriedly shouted to the palace servants, "Quickly, go and call the imperial physician! Quickly, go and call the imperial physician!"
"Call the imperial physician? Do you think you're still the Empress Dowager? The Emperor has already shown you great mercy by giving you this little bit of food. A lowly brat dares to call himself 'I,' bah! If you don't eat, then starve!"
After speaking, the palace servant locked the door and left, leaving behind a mess.
Empress Wu looked at Ji Yanzhuo, who was slowly catching his breath and coughing incessantly, in her arms, and collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face.
No one in the palace cared about the situation of Empress Dowager Wu and her son; they were all busy preparing for the new emperor's enthronement ceremony.
Yuan Hong wanted to leave the palace to see Su Ruojin, but he was stopped by Duke Xian, Prime Minister Lu, and many eunuchs in the palace.
Firstly, they feared that Empress Dowager Wu's remnants might be lurking in the shadows. What if the emperor left the palace and those remnants attacked him, potentially injuring him?
Xiaoyue finally found a new ruler; she can't afford to have anything else go wrong.
Secondly, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau calculated that there were only a few auspicious days left, otherwise it would take three months. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, so the enthronement ceremony should be held as soon as possible.
There were many things to prepare for the coronation ceremony. The custom-made ceremonial robes alone required constant alterations. The Imperial Household Department brought embroiderers to take measurements for the new emperor every day, making it impossible for Yuan Hong to leave even for a moment.
The eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department came to explain the new emperor's ascension to the throne and the associated etiquette to Yuan Hong, which only made Yuan Hong more confused.
Only then did Yuan Hong understand what Sister Jin meant when she said that being an emperor wasn't so easy.
Although he held great power, being an emperor was indeed not an easy task.
He sighed inwardly. He really wanted to hand over the throne, return to the Great Chu with his sister, and fight on the battlefield with his third master. How carefree and joyful that would be!
But now he definitely can't hand over the throne, so he's stuck in the palace.
He had to finish the path he had chosen, no matter what, and he couldn't let Jin-jie down.
Red lanterns were hung throughout Longxiao City, and the people eagerly awaited the new emperor's ascension to the throne, their faces beaming with smiles.
The children rescued from the Broken Cloud Peak cave were all sent home, and their families set off firecrackers to express their gratitude and their support and anticipation for the new emperor's ascension to the throne.
Everything is waiting for the coronation ceremony.
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