Chapter 145: Civil unrest is imminent

At the morning court today, the atmosphere in Taiji Palace was as tense as usual, and there was a lot of quarreling.

Su Hongyu asked sternly, "General Xiao, His Majesty is just missing. Are you planning a rebellion?"

Xiao Liefeng snorted coldly, raised the corners of his mouth, and responded with full of sarcasm.

"Is it me who is rebelling, or is it you, Minister Su, who is rebelling? Your Su family is now in control of the government, and the harem is controlled by your daughter."

He folded his hands over his chest, his eyes full of disdain.

"The eldest prince was also born to the queen. Who knows if the disappearance of His Majesty was caused by your Su family in order to support the youngest son to ascend the throne?"

Xiao Liefeng took a step forward.

"If the youngest son ascends the throne, wouldn't the whole world belong to your Su family?"

Xiao Liefeng's voice became increasingly high-pitched, and veins popped out on his forehead.

"Moreover, if a young son ascends the throne, it will endanger the foundation of the country. You, Minister Su, are not worthy of governing the country."

When the ministers heard what Xiao Liefeng said, they were suddenly shocked and started whispering to each other.

"General Xiao is right. Shang Shu Ling Su had concealed the news from His Majesty before."

A minister frowned and muttered softly, his eyes full of suspicion.

"No, no, Your Majesty also trusts the Su family, which is why he allowed the Su family to supervise the country."

Another minister hastily retorted.

"Before His Majesty went to war, he favored the Empress. The Empress should have advised His Majesty to treat everyone equally, but she did nothing. This time, His Majesty's going to war might have been the Empress's idea to seduce His Majesty."

Another person came over and spoke in a low voice, his face full of speculation and malice.

"That makes sense. If that's the case, then the Su family and the Queen are colluding with each other. This, this..."

Everyone agreed, with expressions on their faces varying in complexity.

There are also many officials in the court who stand on the side of the Su family, but since the Su family became Jun Zechen's people, they have alienated many officials.

Those who originally supported the Su family now seemed to have little effect even if they argued with reason.

Their faces turned red and they argued loudly, but they were drowned out by the crowd's questioning.

Suddenly, a sharp eunuch's voice broke the tense atmosphere in Taiji Palace.

"The Queen is here, the Crown Prince is here—"

The sound was like thunder, and the originally noisy court immediately fell silent, as if the mute button had been pressed.

Everyone's eyes turned towards the palace gate.

Su Hongyu was also shocked and looked at his daughter holding his grandson's hand in disbelief.

He walked into the hall solemnly and steadily.

Su Jingyao was dressed in a bright yellow queen's attire, the gorgeous silk gleaming with dazzling light.

The phoenix crown on its head is dazzling, and every gem is sparkling.

She has an upright posture and walks calmly, her graceful and elegant demeanor is unmistakable.

Although the eldest prince was small in stature, he was dignified and well-mannered.

He pursed his lips tightly, looked serious, had a firm look in his eyes, and his small body exuded a strong aura that no one dared to underestimate.

The ministers saluted one after another in unison.

"Your humble servant pays homage to Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Their voices echoed in the palace.

"Get up."

When Xiao Liefeng woke up, his brows were furrowed.

"Your Majesty, Taiji Palace is where the court officials discuss government affairs. How can a woman like you be allowed to come here?"

Xiao Liefeng's tone was filled with dissatisfaction and doubt, and his eyes were filled with contempt.

"I am the empress, responsible for assisting Your Majesty and taking care of state affairs. The prosperity and decline of the country depends on me. How can I be called a 'woman'?"

Su Jingyao raised her chin slightly, staring at the tall and rough General Xiao Huaihua with sharp eyes.

There was no trace of retreat or fear in his eyes.

"Today's matter concerns the safety of Your Majesty. I have the right to listen to your advice. How can you be so rude as to obstruct me?"

Su Jingyao's eyes became increasingly sharp, as if she wanted to see through Xiao Liefeng.

Xiao Liefeng didn't expect that the daughter of the Su family could be so eloquent, and was stunned for a moment.

"Then does Her Majesty have any suggestions regarding His Majesty's disappearance?" Xiao Liefeng came back to his senses and asked.

"Of course we will send all our troops to look for His Majesty." Su Jingyao said without hesitation, with a loud bang.

"Your Majesty has been missing for several days, and there has been no news. The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. I suggest supporting Prince Duan to take the throne."

Xiao Liefeng held his head high and spoke loudly at the top of his voice.

His face was full of arrogance and domineering, and his eyes revealed greed and ambition.

A dark color quickly passed through Su Jingyao's eyes, and the dark light was like a bottomless cold pond.

Prince Duan?

The son of Concubine Shu?

It seems that Concubine Shu really refuses to give up.

If she remembered correctly, this Concubine Shu had harmed her when she was in the Eastern Palace.

There was still a smile on Su Jingyao's lips, but the smile did not reach her eyes, and instead there was a hint of coldness.

"If I do not agree, what will General Xiao do?"

Xiao Liefeng had obviously come prepared. Ever since His Majesty did not bring him along on this expedition, the dissatisfaction in his heart had been growing like wild weeds.

At this moment, his eyes turned sinister.

Xiao Liefeng once took refuge with the Ye family. Perhaps because of this, he was suspected by His Majesty and his official career became increasingly difficult.

Since His Majesty is missing, he naturally has to seize this rare opportunity.

He united many of Ye's old subordinates who had secretly defected to the Ye family in the past. These people had been marginalized because of Ye's downfall and had long been resentful.

In that case, why not give it a try?

He shouted, "Someone come!" The sound was like thunder, exploding in the hall.

A stream of soldiers filed in, their heavy footsteps echoing throughout the Taiji Palace, instantly surrounding the entire palace.

The last one to walk was Prince Duan, he held his head high and chest puffed out, looking very heroic and proud.

He strode in with big strides, his steps carrying a hint of eagerness and arrogance, as if this Tai Chi Palace was supposed to be his territory.

He has never been to Taiji Palace since Jun Zechen ascended the throne.

He had been staying in the fiefdom given by Jun Zechen, and couldn't even see his mother.

The frustration and resentment of these years now surged in his heart.

When Su Hongyu saw Prince Duan, he immediately rebuked him, "Xiao Liefeng, Prince Duan, are you planning to rebel?"

"Minister Su, you can't say that. Your Majesty is missing now, and the country cannot be without the emperor. The princes are still too young."

Prince Duan glanced at Su Hongyu with a smile on his face, showing a hint of disdain.

He then shifted his gaze to the eldest prince, pointed his finger at him viciously.

"Look at the eldest prince, he is only three years old, how can he take on such a big responsibility?"

"For the sake of world peace, this king is willing to take on the heavy responsibility of governing the world."

Prince Duan raised his voice, trying to make it sound more authoritative.

Jun Yihuan's face wrinkled as he said angrily, "This world belongs to my father. If my uncle covets it, he will be laughed at by the people of the world."

His small body stood straight, with anger in his eyes.

Su Jingyao glanced at Xingxing soothingly and touched his head.

Then he looked directly at Prince Duan, his eyes as cold as ice.

"Prince Duan, as long as the news of His Majesty's death is not reported, this palace and the Su family will not agree to your ascension to the throne."

"Your Majesty, look at the current situation. What's the point of you, a woman, disagreeing?"

Prince Duan laughed wildly, his eyes full of mockery.

"Now that the Imperial City has been besieged by me, no one can stop me from ascending the throne today."

Prince Duan had a determined look on his face.

Ever since he knew that Jun Zechen was going to attack Yuehui and Canglang, he had been secretly training his troops in his fiefdom.

There were no more than 30,000 soldiers guarding the imperial city, and now they were all under his control.

What's more, he also led 50,000 soldiers from his fiefdom, plus some generals who defected to him, and now the entire imperial city was under his control.

Su Jingyao was not panicked at all and remained calm and composed.

After a while, at Su Jingyao's signal, the Yulin Guards swarmed in like a tide and drew their swords against the people brought by Prince Duan.

For a moment, the situation became tense to the extreme.

"Queen, you don't think that you, the imperial guards, can suppress me, do you?"

Prince Duan's face turned gloomy, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes.

"His Majesty really dotes on you, the Queen, to the point of mobilizing the Imperial Guards."

Only the emperor has the power to dispatch the Yulin Guards.

"You may try, Prince Duan. If you do, I will charge you with treason and punish you."

Su Jingyao was so calm in her words that even Prince Duan was wondering if the Queen had any other plans.

But now he has no choice but to succeed or die, and there is no way out.

Prince Duan said fiercely: "Attack!"

The voice seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth, full of determination.

Ever since Su Jingyao knew Jun Zechen was missing, she began to prepare for the worst.

In order to leave himself a way out, he had sent the Yulin Guards to the cities around the imperial city with Jun Zechen's token to urgently mobilize troops.

However, she could only muster 50,000 soldiers in a short period of time. Some of them were hiding around the imperial city, and some were secretly placed in the palace by her.

It was a secret arrangement, and every step was done very carefully, for fear of the news leaking out.

Soon, another group of Su Jingyao's troops came in with great momentum.

When Prince Duan saw this, the corners of his mouth curled coldly.

"As expected of the Queen, she has a backup plan. However, no matter what the Queen has planned today, it will all be in vain."

His eyes were full of contempt and arrogance, as if everything was under his control.

"If I had not made a foolproof plan, how could I dare to lead the army to the imperial city?"

Prince Duan folded his hands across his chest, chin held high, looking as if he was sure of victory.

Soon, a new round of Prince Duan's soldiers surrounded them again like a tide.

The densely packed crowd made the entire Tai Chi Palace seem even more crowded and depressing.

"Do it!"

In conclusion, Prince Duan was about to walk towards the lofty dragon throne with a proud and arrogant attitude.

But the soldiers who came in were as motionless as statues.

Prince Duan's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition came over him.

Su Jingyao also raised her eyebrows and looked at the soldiers, with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

Then he looked at Prince Duan with a smile that was not a smile, and there was a hint of sarcasm in his smile.

"What's going on? I told you to take action!"

Prince Duan's voice was already a little angry and his eyes were red, like a mad beast.

Xiao Liefeng also felt a sinking feeling in his heart, as if a huge rock was pressing on his heart.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead and his eyes were filled with panic.

What happened?

Before Prince Duan and Xiao Liefeng could react, the ministers who were standing at the gate of Taiji Palace, trembling with fear because of the fight, were the first to see the person entering the hall.

Their eyes widened instantly, they were frightened and their legs went weak.

"Your humble servant pays respect to His Majesty."

The voice trembled, full of fear and awe.

The voices came in one by one, and the ministers knelt down one after another, and the voices echoed in the hall.

"Your Majesty, your humble servant is here to see you." The voices rising one after another were like waves on the sea.

Prince Duan looked at Jun Zechen, who seemed to be fine, and stood there in a daze, as if he had been cast under a spell.

His lips trembled, and he murmured to himself: "Impossible, impossible, how could you still be alive."

Xiao Liefeng's face was also full of disbelief, his face as pale as paper.

But he did not dare to hesitate for a moment. He knelt on the ground and banged his head heavily on the ground. His whole body was shaking violently, like chaff.

When Jun Yihuan saw his father whom he hadn't seen for a long time, his wrinkled face finally broke into a bright smile.

"Father, Prince Duan is bullying our mother!"

He trotted towards Jun Zechen and looked up at his father whom he had not seen for a long time.