No guards entered.
Suppressing their panic, the group continued to wait, but as time ticked by, no guards entered.
The Empress Dowager and the others' expressions began to change.
It sounded as if the sounds of fighting were coming from not far away, but upon closer listening, it seemed there was nothing there, as if it were just something they imagined due to excessive fear.
However, a smile gradually appeared on Empress Shen's face, and that smile was so genuine that it did not seem fake at all.
...
Not long ago, after Yun Chi left Fengwu Palace, Empress Shen also headed towards Zichen Palace.
She invited the ministers who were still outside relaxing and discussing ways to deal with the flood to the adjacent palace.
Inside the palace, the officials all knelt down to pay their respects to Empress Shen.
Empress Shen appeared dignified, but her expression was sorrowful.
"I was heartbroken to learn that thousands of villagers had drowned in the flood, but as a mere woman, I was powerless to help them."
"Knowing that you gentlemen have been working tirelessly day and night to resolve this flood, you must be extremely tired and worried. Therefore, I would like to invite you here for a cup of tea as a token of my appreciation."
After Empress Shen finished speaking, she invited all the ministers to take their seats.
Immediately afterwards, the matron led the palace maids into the hall and presented each of the officials with a cup of warm tea.
The officials expressed their gratitude to Empress Shen for her kindness and said that it was their duty to do so.
However, before he had even taken a sip of tea, a guard rushed into the hall and knelt down.
"Your Majesty, an assassin has appeared in the palace. His Majesty is dealing with important matters at hand. Please, Your Majesty, decide what to do?"
What! An assassin?
The ministers were shocked and terrified. They all stood up, unsure whether to go out and see what was going on or hide deeper inside the palace!
Empress Shen's expression instantly turned cold: "There must be traitors taking advantage of the flood and the Emperor's worry and exhaustion to plot rebellion! Issue my order to immediately seal all palace gates, and no one shall enter or leave! The traitors must be captured!"
No one is allowed to enter or leave!
Some astute ministers quickly realized what was happening and tentatively said, "Your Majesty, this humble subject is willing to go to the Zichen Palace to protect you!"
Upon hearing this, even the less perceptive ministers seemed to understand what was going on.
However, among the many officials present, a large portion of them were already part of Empress Shen and Prince Ding's faction, so even if they noticed something amiss, they remained silent.
The other officials quickly stepped forward: "Yes, since there are assassins, we should stay by His Majesty's side to prevent any accidents from happening to him!"
Empress Shen stood at the head of the table and said, "Please rest assured, Your Excellencies, the Zichen Palace is heavily guarded, and there is absolutely no way that His Majesty will be in any danger."
"Besides, I am only thinking of you gentlemen. If you run around in such a tense moment, you might be killed innocently."
Some of the more resolute ministers snorted coldly and turned to walk out of the palace. However, as soon as the gate opened, the guards at the door quickly drew their long swords, preventing them from taking another step outside.
"Get out of my way! I'm on my way to protect the Emperor. You dare to stop me? Try it!" Some hot-tempered men were about to rush out on the spot.
As a result, the ministers who charged ahead were killed on the spot, their blood covering the ground, while the remaining ministers were injured to varying degrees in such a short time.
Seeing their colleagues fall before them, severely wounded and bleeding to death, and then looking at Empress Shen sitting in the head seat, smiling and drinking tea, they truly confirmed their suspicions.
Empress Shen is planning a coup!
There wasn't just one guard at the palace gate; if they tried to break through, hundreds or thousands of guards would rush out to attack.
They can't get out at all!
They've been placed under house arrest!
The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly became tense and oppressive; everyone fell silent, their breathing gradually becoming heavy.
Lu Zangfeng stepped out from among the guards and went to Empress Shen to receive her orders.
"An assassin has entered the palace to carry out an assassination attempt. I am very worried about the Emperor's safety. I order you to immediately take your guards and protect the Zichen Palace and the Emperor!"
Lu Zangfeng responded and quickly withdrew, exuding a chilling aura.
Then there were those intelligent and perceptive ministers who quickly realized that Empress Shen's order for Lu Zangfeng to lead the guards to protect the Zichen Palace was just a nice-sounding excuse; in reality, she was taking the opportunity to replace all the guards in the Zichen Palace or the palace.
Replace the emperor's men with Empress Shen's men!
The emperor is in grave danger!
...
"You don't need to wait any longer. No more guards will come to rescue you. Even Cui Shao, the commander of the Palace Guard, is too busy to help himself right now," Empress Shen said.
The two sides were only two zhang apart, but at this moment, those two zhang seemed to represent the hostile distance between two countries, as well as the distance between victory and defeat.
This time, not only did the Empress Dowager turn pale, but even Prince Yu and General Lan changed their expressions inch by inch.
Empress Shen seemed quite pleased with their reaction.
He raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm not afraid to tell you, Qin Tianrui, who was stationed at Yanming Pass, has long been killed by the warriors of our Tianying Holy Kingdom, and they have taken his place."
"Their troops will soon arrive in the capital under the name of Qin Tianrui, and no one can stop them."
The emperor seemed struck by lightning, suddenly sitting upright in his chair, a look of fear appearing in his eyes: "Is this true?"
This time, it wasn't Empress Shen who answered him, but Yun Chi.
"Father, Mother's words are absolutely true. The Zichen Palace is now surrounded by our people. You cannot escape. Once the iron cavalry of the Heavenly Eagle Holy Kingdom arrives and the capital falls, the Great Zhou will cease to exist!"
"Father, as the Son of Heaven, if you know what's good for you, surrender now with everyone here. In return for the care you gave me, I will allow you to live out the rest of your life in peace."
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