Chapter 178 The Imperial Seal!
Ye Yizhen quickly recovered and said nonchalantly, "Why would I need that thing? I can't eat it or drink it."
"I am the Emperor's niece, a blood relative of ours. How could the Emperor let me die?"
If the emperor kills his relatives for no reason, he would be heartless and unrighteous, and would be criticized by the world.
Her changes were so subtle that if you didn't look closely, you wouldn't be able to notice them at all.
However, the emperor saw this and frowned, "You are not the eldest princess's biological daughter."
Ye Yizhen subconsciously retorted, "Yes, I am."
The emperor denied it calmly, "You are not!"
Ye Yizhen suddenly realized what was happening, and her expression changed drastically. Was he going to forcibly sever her ties with the royal family? Was he going to kill her?
She was scared, "Your Majesty, I really don't know anything."
The emperor looked at her coldly, "Pass on my decree. Ye Yizhen, an orphan girl, dares to pretend to be of royal blood. This crime is unforgivable. You will be beheaded in public in seven days."
After saying this, he turned and left.
Ye Yizhen was stunned, her mind blank. Beheading? No, no, no! She didn't want to die!
"Your Majesty, I will tell you whatever you want to know."
The emperor stopped and said with a very cold expression, "Speak."
Ye Yizhen's eyes darted around, secretly testing the emperor's bottom line, "I want to live, I want wealth and glory, I want..."
She tried to negotiate with the emperor, but before she could finish her words, the emperor slowly walked to the door and was about to leave. Ye Yizhen was frightened to death, "Your Majesty, please don't leave."
"I just want to live."
She was sure that once the emperor walked out of this prison door, she would be beheaded immediately.
The emperor raised his eyebrows and agreed, "Okay."
Ye Yizhen took a deep breath and began to talk about her past. She had been living in a wealthy merchant's family since she was a child. She was carefully brought up and taught how to read people's expressions, how to win people's hearts, how to please others, and also how to play the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.
She had a lot to learn, and it was boring and tedious.
Until she saw the masked man.
He told himself that she was the eldest daughter of the Zhennan Palace and was born with a mission.
The emperor asked calmly, "What mission?"
Ye Yizhen didn't dare to look him in the eye. "Help the Zhennan Palace restore its former glory and achieve great things."
"He gave me a token from the Zhennan Palace, saying that I could command everyone in the palace. He also said that after the success, I would be the most noble woman in the world."
She was ecstatic to suddenly become the daughter of a noble royal family from being a mere merchant's daughter.
She easily believed it, accepted the mission, came to the capital, and entered the mansion of Marquis Pingxi.
Great cause? Rebellion? Countless thoughts flashed through the emperor's mind, "Why do I need the red book and iron certificate?"
Ye Yizhen took a deep breath, "It is said that if you collect three pieces of red-lettered iron certificates, you can obtain the treasure of the previous dynasty."
"Not only are there countless treasures inside, but also..."
She took a deep breath and said, "A jade seal passed down from generation to generation."
The Imperial Seal? The Emperor was shocked. What?
The imperial seal is engraved with the eight characters "Mandate from Heaven, Long Live and Prosper" and is a token of legitimacy and orthodoxy, passed down from generation to generation by emperors.
Since ancient times, various factions have been vying for this imperial seal. Anyone who ascends the throne without it is considered illegitimate and unjust, and will not be recognized by the world.
At the beginning, when the founding emperor of the Great Qi attacked the capital, the imperial seal disappeared.
Therefore, to this day, some people still feel that the Great Qi came to power illegitimately.
If a force obtains the imperial seal, war will break out.
"Who is that man in the mask?"
Ye Yizhen replied tremblingly, "He said he was the commander of the guards of the Prince of Zhennan. His surname is Wei. I call him Uncle Wei."
It doesn't make sense. The commander of the guards doesn't need to wear a mask, unless that face cannot be shown to others.
The emperor narrowed his eyes dangerously. The treasure of the previous dynasty was a secret passed down orally by the emperors of the Great Qi Dynasty, but no one knew that there was also the imperial seal!
However, the Zhennan Palace knew! What does this mean?
No wonder, when my father was alive, he always sent the Mingjingsi to keep an eye on every move of the Zhennan Palace and even married the eldest princess off.
"When did you and Princess Yong'an recognize each other?"
Ye Yizhen confessed honestly, "We met at Huangjue Temple the year after I arrived in Beijing, and we've seen each other every month since then."
Under the pretext of praying for her deceased parents, she would go to Huangjue Temple to burn incense every month, earning herself a reputation for filial piety.
The emperor looked at her twice. She looked so disfigured that she didn't resemble Princess Yongning at all.
"Why doesn't she acknowledge you publicly?"
A trace of resentment flashed in Ye Yizhen's eyes, "I haven't completed the task yet."
That is to say, Princess Yong'an is also one of the accomplices.
When the emperor thought of this, his face became solemn. Why did his sister betray her family and country?
"Is the Prince of Zhennan really dead?"
There is something unreasonable about this. That's the throne, can you just give it up?
Ye Yizhen burst into tears. "I don't know. I just need to do one thing, find the red book and the iron certificate."
She said a lot, but at the end she was really at a loss for words.
"Your Majesty, I have told you everything I know. Please let the imperial physician treat me. I don't want to be paralyzed."
The emperor left without saying a word, and Ye Yichen's frantic plea for mercy was heard from behind.
After walking out of the prison, the emperor let out a long breath and looked at the man sitting in the wheelchair.
"Royal brother, how credible do you think her words are?"
Li Wuyang casually replied, "Five points."
The man in black confessed that he was responsible for secretly protecting Ye Yichen and following her instructions.
He also confessed to the incident.
The emperor sighed silently, "Do you know the origin of the red seal and iron certificate?"
"At the end of the previous dynasty, more than a dozen factions vie for dominance in the Central Plains. The Prince of Zhennan, the Marquis of Dingyuan, and the founding emperor allied and jointly nominated our ancestor as emperor. The other two families became princes and shared the throne with the nation. The founding emperor swore that the royal family of Great Qi would never be stained by the blood of these two families."
"To demonstrate his sincerity, the founding emperor ordered the creation of red-lettered iron certificates, which he bestowed upon the Prince of Zhennan and the Marquis of Dingyuan."
Li Wuyang seemed to have heard, but also seemed not to have heard, and was playing with the jade ring nonchalantly.
The emperor glared at him unhappily and asked why he was daydreaming when he was talking to him about serious matters.
"What do you think?"
Li Wuyang didn't care at all. "Give the confession to the Prime Minister and let him make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence. If he can catch all the people behind Ye Yizhen, he will be allowed to return to the court."
He has already uprooted several strongholds and captured many people, and will let the Prime Minister take care of the rest.
"Find him something to do, so he won't collude secretly to cause trouble."
The emperor raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "Okay, let's do it."
This clearly meant that both sides would consume each other, but the Prime Minister had no choice.
He looked at Li Wuyang twice and suddenly said, "Royal brother, I see that you look very good. What good news is this?"
Li Wuyang touched his face. Is it that obvious?
He casually made up an excuse, "Yongan mother and daughter are going to be in trouble, I am very happy."
The emperor was a little surprised, "You hate them so much?"
Li Wuyang said calmly, "Yong'an and Yongning both look down on me, and they even bring up the Queen Mother..."
The emperor's face darkened. "What? Why have you never mentioned it?"
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