At daybreak, inside the Zichen Hall of the Imperial Palace, Pan Yuanzhou and other officials recounted their experiences from the previous night to the Emperor.
Before asking the question, Huaifu suggested to the emperor: "In case someone lies, Your Majesty might as well divide those officials into several groups and have them meet separately?"
The emperor accepted it.
However, in the end, all the ministers' accounts were basically the same: just as they were preparing to retire for the night, assassins came to deliver a message that the emperor had suddenly fallen seriously ill while trying to see the deposed crown prince and was likely to pass away, so they were asked to come and see him one last time.
They went to see him without hesitation, only to find that Taoxi Village was in danger. They had no choice but to risk their lives to save the villagers, and then they encountered the deposed crown prince.
"Prime Minister Ning and Lu Zangfeng consider us to be part of the deposed crown prince's faction and want to arrest us all. Your Majesty, we are innocent!"
Within a short hour, the emperor heard no fewer than ten cries of injustice. Not only that, they also cried out for justice for the deposed crown prince.
"We witnessed with our own eyes that even when the deposed crown prince was besieged by Prime Minister Ning and Lu Zangfeng, he did not give up protecting the villagers of Taoxi Village, and he was injured countless times in the process!"
"From this, it is clear that the deposed crown prince is not such a vicious person, Your Majesty. I fear that the Lantern Festival incident was also a case of someone framing the deposed crown prince. I urge Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the case of the deposed crown prince again!"
Although the courtiers spoke with grief, their voices were high-spirited. Several voices overlapped, like a tidal wave, so loud that it hurt the emperor's ears.
The emperor looked at his ministers, nearly half of the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty were here. If they were the deposed crown prince's faction and were plotting to depose him... the consequences would be unimaginable.
But if they weren't part of the deposed crown prince faction, yet were all eliminated because of last night's events—either beheaded or exiled—the court would be thrown into turmoil.
After careful consideration, the emperor has made his decision.
"To be honest with you all, one of Consort Li's maids is still alive. She has handed me Consort Li's letters written before her death, proving that the Lantern Festival incident was a frame-up of the Crown Prince by Consort Li!" the Emperor said.
"However, there is still no doubt that the Crown Prince disrespected his birth mother and colluded with court officials and bandits to rebel, so this matter still needs to be investigated further."
"Please, my esteemed ministers, remain calm. If the Crown Prince has been framed, I will certainly give him an explanation!"
The officials were deeply moved and exclaimed in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"
A moment of silence fell over the Zichen Palace.
The Emperor continued, "I have already ordered the reconstruction of the Eastern Palace, and General Lan has brought the deposed Crown Prince back to the palace. However, the deposed Crown Prince's injuries are severe, and he has not yet regained consciousness. I have sent imperial physicians to guard him. Once he wakes up, I will thoroughly investigate this matter!"
The ministers said "Your Majesty is wise" again, and after a night of fear and "fierce battle," they finally took their leave.
The emperor rubbed his temples wearily, and Huaifu immediately brought over some soup bowls. Only then did the emperor ask, "Has the deposed crown prince woken up?"
"Not yet. The imperial physician said that he had been fighting all night, was exhausted, and was seriously injured and had lost too much blood, so he might not wake up for a long time."
The emperor gazed into a certain spot, lost in thought, before finally saying, "Send men to guard him. As soon as he wakes up, inform me immediately!"
Things have developed to this point. So many officials have witnessed the deposed crown prince's courage and righteousness, and the hearts of the villagers of Taoxi Village are entirely with the deposed crown prince. He has no choice but to reinvestigate the Lantern Festival incident!
His imperial authority was destined to be damaged.
If he knew who had framed the Crown Prince, putting him in this predicament...
"...I will have this man torn apart by five horses and shattered into ten thousand pieces!" The emperor clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the table!
...
Empress Shen had already led her men back to Liu Qinghe's residence. Even though the sun was high in the sky, she still felt as if she were enveloped in ice and snow, with a chilling cold that went straight to her bones.
We actually lost!
She never imagined that she would "lose".
From the moment Yun Zhuo was deposed, hunted down, and forced to flee for her life, she never imagined she would lose!
But the current result clearly tells her that she has lost.
The deposed crown prince has been sent back to the palace and is being cared for by people sent by the emperor; she has lost.
The villagers of Taoxi Village were not massacred, and all the loyal ministers and generals survived. They even protected the villagers together with the deposed crown prince, and were seen and praised by the villagers. She lost.
The palace maid from the Bamboo Sea Stream was rescued and sent to the palace. Yun Zhuo did not die in the Bamboo Sea Stream; instead, her nephew Shen Jiefeng died there. She lost.
Empress Shen closed her eyes, and scenes from the past flashed through her mind. Could it be that the loss only started last night?
Did the defeat only begin after Shen Jiefeng was killed?
No, she lost from the moment Yun Zhuo, the crown prince, was deposed, Consort Li and her entire palace were massacred, the Eastern Palace was filled with blood, and the deposed crown prince was able to escape alive!
If she were the winner, Yun Zhuo wouldn't have had a chance to escape on the night of the Lantern Festival; if she were the winner, Yun Zhuo should have died that night.
She underestimated the enemy and overestimated herself, thinking that after Yun Zhuo was deposed, being hunted down and dying was only a matter of time!
As a result, Yun Zhuo actually turned the tables and won!
"Your Majesty, the deposed crown prince has entered the palace. We must find a way to kill him before he wakes up, otherwise the Emperor will eventually investigate us." Wanxin's voice rang softly in Empress Shen's ears.
Empress Shen slowly opened her eyes.
Her hand holding the teacup trembled suddenly, spilling some tea, which had already gone cold.
However, the water still splashed on the back of her hands. Empress Shen frowned, and the maidservant immediately stepped forward with a handkerchief to wipe the water off her hands, but Empress Shen pushed her away forcefully.
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