Chapter 16 Presiding Judge
It was clearly a complaint, but it sounded like an objective statement, and by the way, it also pointed out the Queen's little thoughts of "being confused due to worry"!
Emperor Xuanhe sat upright, listening silently, without revealing any emotion on his face.
There was no obvious emotion on his face.
However, when he heard "President Zhang" and "Manager Wang", his deep eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
After the Queen Mother finished speaking, everything returned to calm. She leisurely picked up the teacup on the desk, opened her red lips, and slowly blew away the fine foam floating on the water.
Inside the hall, silence once again slowly fell like a heavy curtain, covering every inch of space.
Everyone's eyes, intentionally or unintentionally, were focused on the emperor.
After a while, the empress dowager slowly put down the teacup in her hand, and the crisp sound echoed softly in the quiet hall.
Her eyes were gentle yet tinged with a hint of fatigue that was difficult to conceal. She looked towards the emperor sitting upright on the dragon throne, her voice filled with the deep trust of an elder: "My body is getting worse day by day, and even my eyesight is failing."
"The right and wrong in the palace are so complicated and confusing that I'm too lazy to sort them out one by one."
"Emperor, you are the Son of Heaven chosen by Heaven, ruling this vast country. It is you who should distinguish right from wrong."
Although her voice was soft, every word she spoke was powerful and could be heard clearly by everyone in the hall.
"As for this matter, how should we investigate it and how should we make a decision..."
"You, the Emperor, should make the decision yourself."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuanhe looked solemn and remained silent for a long time.
His deep eyes slowly swept across the queen's face, which had lost its blood color and looked extremely pale, with some indescribable profound meaning.
Then, his gaze shifted slightly and fell on the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother looked calm and composed.
And at this moment, his eyes seemed to inadvertently pass by a figure hidden in the corner. There, Shen He was lowering his eyebrows and looking submissive, silent.
Chen He still maintained that low posture, however, beneath this seemingly calm appearance, only she herself knew that the hands hidden in the wide sleeves had unconsciously been clenched into fists, and the knuckles were slightly white due to the force.
Her heartbeat also became rapid and strong without her noticing.
Finally, Emperor Xuanhe's gaze slowly fixed on Chen He in the corner.
Chen He's heart tightened, and he subconsciously lowered his head even lower.
But that gaze did not move away.
Instead, it carries a kind of scrutiny, a kind of inquiry, and even... a hint of barely perceptible interest?
Emperor Xuanhe withdrew his gaze, having already made up his mind: "Come, summon the Crown Prince and the Third Prince!"
Everyone was shocked.
Everyone knows that the third prince is the queen's chosen adopted son, and the two of them share common interests.
The prince's biological mother has passed away and is the niece of the empress dowager.
Although the Queen Mother did not actually participate in the fight for the throne, she was somewhat partial to the Crown Prince.
The eunuch did not have time to think too much. He just followed the order and hurried to call them. In a few moments, the two men arrived in the hall.
Faced with such a scene in the palace, the two remained calm and unfazed. They saluted together and said, "Your son greets the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager."
The three of them nodded, and the emperor said, "Get up."
At this moment, Emperor Xuanhe did not say why he called the two of them here, but turned to Chen He and spoke in a deep voice. His voice was not loud, but it was filled with unquestionable majesty.
"Miss Shen, are you here to express your gratitude?"
Everyone was stunned.
Chen He's heart was pounding, but he pretended to be calm on the surface. He took a deep breath and suppressed the turmoil in his heart.
She walked lightly to the center of the hall and bowed down: "Your humble servant Chen He pays homage to His Majesty."
Her voice was crisp and soft, with a girl's unique softness, yet revealed a calmness that was inconsistent with her age.
Emperor Xuanhe did not ask her to stand up.
He bent down and picked up the largest piece of jade bracelet himself.
The fragment had sharp edges and emitted a cold light between his slender fingers.
He walked up to Chen He, and in her slightly surprised eyes, he gently placed the cold fragment in her open palm.
The biting chill instantly passed through his palm and spread throughout Shen He's entire body!
It was as if what he was holding was not a piece of jade, but an ice-hardened blade!
"Here."
Emperor Xuanhe's voice was deep and powerful.
Shen He subconsciously clenched the fragments in her palm, and the sharp edges hurt her palm.
She raised her head and met a pair of bottomless eyes.
Those eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.
"I ask you, do you want to be my royal daughter-in-law?"
Emperor Xuanhe's voice was not loud, but it was like thunder, exploding in everyone's ears!
Shen He was stunned.
I somewhat understood the emperor's intention.
But I can't say no at this moment.
Chen He pretended to be shy and said, "Your Majesty, this humble servant..."
Xiao Jingren's eyes were full of calculation, while Xiao Jinghuan glanced at everyone in the room with amusement.
Lanpin's expression kept changing, but Xiao Jingchi still couldn't understand what was happening before his eyes.
The Queen bit her lower lip.
Emperor Xuanhe obviously wanted Chen He to intervene. If it were in the past, with Chen He's obsession with Xiao Jingren, the Queen would naturally not be afraid of anything.
But now Chen He suddenly decided to marry that fool Xiao Jingchi at the Queen Mother's birthday banquet. Who knows what she was thinking.
Or did Xiao Jingren annoy this young lady?
The Queen couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, the eldest daughter of the Shen family is too shy to show respect, or..."
The emperor glanced at the queen with a cold look in his eyes, and the queen dared not say anything more.
The emperor looked back at Shen He: "Just tell me, do you want to or don't want to?"
Chen He had no choice but to answer: "What I said at the Queen Mother's birthday banquet came from the bottom of my heart, and I have no second thoughts."
Xiao Jingren's face turned pale instantly. This woman who had been devoted to him once again was determined to marry a fool in front of everyone. This shame made Xiao Jingren want to vomit!
Xiao Jinghuan sneered.
The corners of the emperor's mouth seemed to curl up in a very faint arc, so fast that people thought it was an illusion.
"Okay! Since you are going to be my royal daughter-in-law, you should have this ability."
He stood up, his eyes swept over everyone in the hall, and his voice rang out again, with unquestionable determination: "Propagate my order!"
The emperor's voice echoed throughout the hall.
"The jade bracelet case concerns the health of our Queen Mother and the reputation of the royal family. It must be thoroughly investigated!"
"Here, Shen He, the daughter of General Zhenbei Shen Qingyuan, is in charge of investigating this case!"
Everyone in the room was shocked and in an uproar!
Everyone's gaze froze, as if time had stopped at this moment.
Even Chen He himself widened his eyes in astonishment, looking up at the emperor who was high above him, his eyes full of disbelief.
Let her investigate this matter?
Isn't this... just a fantasy?!
The emperor looked at everyone's different reactions, especially Chen He's extremely shocked expression, and a satisfied arc appeared on the corner of his mouth.
The queen's face had lost all color, and her paleness was tinged with a deathly grayness, making her look particularly terrifying.
The emperor's gaze fell on the jade piece in Shen He's palm, and his tone suddenly became stern and resolute: "What I want is the truth, not decency!"
Chen He lowered his eyes. Now the sweet potato had fallen into his hands and he had no choice but to take it.
Then Shen He kowtowed deeply: "Your Majesty obeys!"
"If I am satisfied with the investigation of this matter, I will personally arrange your marriage with Jing Chi!"
The emperor said it was to satisfy him, not to find out the truth.
There are many tricks involved here.
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