Yuwen Xuanhong couldn't withstand the pressure from the Censorate, and there was also a high-ranking official from the court exerting pressure on him.
He glanced at Grand Tutor Xu, who smiled at him with relief and nodded.
"Summon Cen Ang to the palace."
The palace gates opened wide, and Cen Ang, carrying a sack, walked with Hua Luan toward the main hall.
They had walked this road countless times. The sacks in their hands were heavy, but they were no heavier than the Crown Princess's memorial tablet that Hua Luan was holding.
Today, they do it for no other reason than for that woman who was as radiant as the sun back then.
Cen Ang and Hua Luan were dressed in palace attire, and like Lan Tingche, they wore white headbands.
When Yuwen Xuanhong saw the two of them, he couldn't help but take two steps back.
We shouldn't have let any of them go back then.
Especially Cen Ang, the woman's eyes seemed to be a signal that she was ready to come up and take him down with her at any moment.
"This servant, Hua Luan, brings the former Crown Princess to pay respects to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor!"
"This servant, Cen Ang, brings the former Crown Princess to pay respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
The two bowed to the emperor. The man on the dragon throne looked at the memorial tablet in Hua Luan's hand, but dared not even look at it. His eyes darted away, and he felt guilty.
Cen Ang sneered, opened the sack in his hand, revealing the head of the astrology hall covered in blood.
"Doesn't the head of the astrology hall never leave the palace?"
"How did it end up in Cen Ang's hands?"
"Oh dear, is this person even alive?"
"Could he possibly survive if he fell into Cen Ang's hands?"
The ones speaking were the officials from the Censorate; only they dared to talk so openly in private.
"Your Majesty, this is the confession of the head of the Astrology Hall. He was the one who provided the explosives under the altar on the outskirts of the capital. There was a lot of sulfur and other materials used in the alchemy at the Taoist temple. For that incident, the head of the temple saved up sulfur for three whole years."
The woman waved the paper in her hand at Lu Kai, gesturing for him to take it.
"Aunt Cen, what you're saying isn't appropriate. Everyone in the palace knows how ruthless you are when you interrogate people. Perhaps the head of the Astrology Hall was forced to confess?"
No wonder he's the Minister of Rites; he's got some skills, and his silver tongue is quite sharp.
Fan Tiezui, who was watching the commotion from behind, thought this guy should come to their Censorate; he'd make sure Lord Wei was completely subdued.
The woman smiled, looking at the Minister of Rites with a mocking expression, and said sarcastically:
"Well then, Lord Wei, now that no one is threatening him and I can't possibly lay a hand on him in front of the Emperor, ask him if I forced him to confess."
Cen Ang's tone gradually lowered, and he looked at the Astrology Hall Master lying on the ground with his single phoenix eye, a smile curving his lips.
Seeing the woman's expression beside him, before anyone else could ask a question, the head of the astrology hall immediately changed from prostrate to kneeling, and said to Yuwen Xuanhong:
"Your Majesty, it was I who transported the explosives to the outskirts of the capital back then. It was my fault, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Confessing now, the worst that can happen is death, but what if…
If it falls into Cen Ang's hands, it will be worse than death.
The man kneeling on the ground, covered in blood, trembled. Yuwen Xuanhong glanced at his expression, then looked at Cen Ang, who was laughing wildly.
The emperor's brow remained furrowed, but he didn't panic. He simply asked:
"There is something I need to explain to you, Aunt. The head of the Astrology Hall rarely leaves the palace, and he always obtains my permission before doing so. How did you manage to interrogate him to this extent?"
"Could it be that Auntie stole the person from the place?"
"Aunt Cen is an old hand in this palace, surely she knows the rules?"
Huo Xiaolong listened to Yuwen Xuanhong speak with his arms crossed, and didn't even refute his mother's rebuttal, readily admitting it.
"Your Majesty, it was indeed this servant who carried the head of the hall out of the palace."
Upon hearing this, the man behind the dragon table slammed his hand on the table—a really hard slam—and then shouted:
"Guards! Take this vile woman away and have her torn apart by five horses!"
The Imperial Guards glanced at Huo Xiaolong, who was listening to the interrogation with his arms crossed, and then at the Emperor.
No, Your Majesty, you think you can just kill the Prince of Zhenbei's mother like that? And even tear her apart with five horses? She's clearly not afraid of you.
If you refuse to come down and take action yourself, and we were to take action, wouldn't the Prince of Zhenbei kill them all with a single blow?
"What are you waiting for? Make your move!" Yuwen Xuanhong said again.
The Imperial Guards below took two deep breaths, mustered their courage, and walked toward Cen Ang with their swords.
Before he even reached the woman, Huo Xiaolong made his move.
The girl in the python robe planted the Green Dragon Crescent Blade straight into the ground in front of Cen Ang, then turned to them and said:
"Let's see who dares to step forward today."
"Prince Zhenbei, how dare you!" Yuwen Xuanhong slammed his fist on the table and stood up, pointing at Huo Xiaolong as he shouted.
"So what if I'm being disrespectful? Just because you're unwilling to punish your mother doesn't mean I'll just stand by and watch you bully my mother!"
"I am the sovereign! You are the subject! If the sovereign commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to obey..."
Why did she stop talking? Because Yuwen Xuanhong saw that Huo Xiaolong was no longer standing with his arms crossed. She went forward, pulled the knife out of the ground, and pointed the tip at herself.
"Why did you stop? Keep going."
"You think you're so great? You always bully me, and I never say a word. Today you're bullying my mother right in front of me, Your Majesty. Can't we have a proper talk?"
The officials of the Censorate grinned, now feeling that they were the most obedient subjects to the Emperor, and that their usual skills were nothing compared to those of the Prince of Zhenbei.
They've even put a knife on it.
"Long'er, this is the Emperor of our Great Yan, how dare you be so ridiculous."
Cen Ang said with a sneer.
Especially the last two words, "playing around," carry a hint of doting affection.
Upon hearing Cen's mother speak, Huo Xiaolong put down his knife, and Yuwen Xuanhong waved his hand, signaling the Imperial Guards to leave.
Those imperial guards, clad in armor and wielding swords, ran faster than rabbits.
Mother, I feel like our ancestors are going to bang their heads against the wall in the underworld. Who would believe that she escaped from the King of Zhenbei's blade? Even Huang Ranhu couldn't beat her.
"The witnesses and physical evidence are all here! Grand Tutor Xu! I ask you, can you now overturn the case against the former Crown Prince and Crown Princess?"
"I am tired. I will rest for a while and continue the trial this afternoon."
Lan Tingche's words were interrupted, and he watched helplessly as Yuwen Xuanhong left the main hall, while Grand Tutor Xu was also summoned away by the man.
It was common for the grand court assembly to last all day, and today was no different. At noon, the ministers went to the side hall to rest and eat.
You need to drink some water at least.
The palace maids arrived quickly today, carrying tea trays and standing in front of Huo Xiaolong and his group. The young woman waved her hand, dismissing them.
The girl picked up a cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp.
Then he said to Lan Tingche:
"The Emperor probably won't admit it; he'll likely find someone to take the blame."
The man smiled and replied:
"So what if he comes out to take the blame? The people from the Censorate are all here. Everyone knows who did it. Great Yan cannot have a monarch who rose to power through such dirty means."
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