Chapter 459: The Late Emperor Appears
Xiao Yanlin didn't expect that he would be so stubborn.
At this critical moment, Xiao Yanlin naturally puts self-protection first.
He retreated, and the few dozen remaining imperial guards around him kept him firmly protected in the encirclement.
"My dear ministers, you have all witnessed it with your own eyes. Prince Rui harbors evil intentions and plots rebellion. He is a traitor and a traitor. Whoever can capture him will be handsomely rewarded!"
Most of the court officials here were civil servants. They were so scared when they saw the confrontation between the two sides that their legs went weak.
But there are exceptions.
Someone suddenly jumped up and attacked Prince Rui.
Once someone took the lead, other court officials immediately ordered their men to take action.
If we can kill Prince Rui, it will be a great achievement.
The hall suddenly became chaotic.
Taking advantage of this gap, Xiao Yanlin immediately ordered the imperial guards to cover his retreat.
The battle situation outside is still unknown, he can't waste time here, he must ensure his own safety first.
Just as they retreated to the entrance of the hall, they suddenly stopped.
They didn't know what they saw, their eyes widened and their faces were full of horror.
Xiao Yanlin looked as if he had seen a ghost, and his face turned pale in an instant.
"The late emperor, yes, it's the late emperor..."
This loud shout attracted the attention of everyone in the hall who were either fighting or hiding in panic.
When they saw everything clearly, everyone gasped.
"It's the late emperor, it really is the late emperor!"
"The late emperor has appeared!"
Emperor Defeng was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe. He was much thinner than before, his face was covered with wrinkles, and his steps were unsteady, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
Xiao Baozhu and Jiang Nansheng followed closely behind.
Everyone knelt down, touched their foreheads to the ground, and kowtowed deeply.
Xiao Yanlin stared at the person in front of him with his eyes wide open.
A chill ran through my body.
Everyone in the hall thought it was the spirit of the late emperor appearing, but Xiao Yanlin was close and he could see clearly that there was a bright shadow cast on the ground. This was not the spirit of the late emperor appearing at all!
Father, he is still alive!
In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Xiao Yanlin's mind.
Then he made a decision.
Killing intent flashed in his eyes, "Who is this villain? How dare you claim to be the late emperor? My friends, help me to kill this traitor!"
The imperial guards beside him hesitated for only a moment, then obeyed the order and drew their swords to chop at Emperor Defeng.
Xiao Baozhu didn't expect Xiao Yanlin to be so bold that he dared to kill someone in front of everyone.
The Dragon Scale Guards immediately appeared and started fighting with the Imperial Guards.
As Xiao Baozhu shielded Emperor Defeng and moved him backward, she shouted, "The Emperor was previously harmed by treacherous villains, and had no choice but to have a substitute bear the brunt of the punishment. Now that the Emperor has recovered from his illness, the traitor's wolfish ambitions have been fully revealed! He dared to kill the Emperor in front of him. His crime is unforgivable! All of you should kill this beast together!"
Xiao Baozhu's words were like a bolt from the blue, and all the ministers immediately understood what was going on.
It turns out that this is the truth!
Emperor Defeng is not dead!
Prince Rui also shouted, "Don't be accomplices to the evil and help the tyrant! If you throw down your swords and surrender now, the emperor may show mercy and show leniency. If you persist in your wrongdoings, you will be guilty of the same crime as the traitor!"
He was the first to draw his sword and charge towards Xiao Yanlin.
The situation in the palace had already changed drastically. Xiao Yanlin only had a few dozen imperial guards around him. How could they be a match for the Dragon Scale Guards?
After hearing what Prince Rui said, the dozens of imperial guards began to waver, dropped their weapons, and surrendered.
Several sharp blades were placed on Xiao Yanlin's neck at the same time.
His body froze and he no longer had the strength to resist.
He slumped to his knees, his whole body soaked in cold.
Emperor Defeng walked slowly up to him, then raised his foot and kicked him hard.
"Rebellious son!"
Emperor Defeng had been ill for a long time and was weak, but he used all his strength in this kick, and Xiao Yanlin was kicked in the heart and fell to the ground.
He immediately climbed up and knelt, crawling forward on his knees. "Father, I deserve to die. I didn't recognize you just now. I couldn't believe you were still alive, so I mistook you. I didn't mean to offend you. Please forgive me!"
After hearing what he said, Xiao Baozhu almost laughed out of anger.
This person is so shameless that he can come up with such an excuse.
But Emperor Defeng had already suffered a great loss, so how could he easily believe him?
"You still dare to quibble after all this! Who poisoned me? Do you really think I don't know?"
Xiao Yanlin repeatedly cried out for justice, "Father, I am innocent. You must believe me!"
Emperor Defeng was too lazy to waste time talking to him and directly ordered, "Bring Zhao Shuning and Zhao Zhaoyi up."
Xiao Yanlin's eyes flickered slightly.
Soon Zhao Zhaoyi and Zhao Shuning were brought in, and with them also appeared Concubine Rou and Lu Zhiran.
The veil on Zhao Shuning's face had been torn off long ago, revealing the knife wounds crisscrossing his face. Under the candlelight, he looked extremely hideous and terrifying.
Zhao Zhaoyi was so frightened that she didn't dare to look at her any longer.
The dramatic changes in the palace tonight made Zhao Zhaoyi feel like she had fallen from heaven to hell.
She couldn't believe how everything happened so quickly.
When she saw Emperor Defeng alive and well, there was only one thought in her mind: it's over, everything is over.
She also knelt in front of Emperor Defeng, pretending to be very surprised.
"Your Majesty, it's great that you are still alive. I am so happy!"
As expected of mother and son, her reaction was exactly the same as Xiao Yanlin's.
Emperor Defeng was too lazy to speak, so Feng Youcai spoke on his behalf and sternly questioned the mother and son about their conspiracy to murder Emperor Defeng.
Zhao Zhaoyi cried out for justice and denied all the charges, looking as if she wanted to cut open her stomach to prove her guilt.
Jiang Nansheng said, "We have already found a large number of poisons in the former residence of this female doctor, including several of the poisons that the emperor was infected with. How do you want to explain this?"
Zhao Zhaoyi looked at Zhao Shuning, her eyes full of anger.
"W-what? How dare you be so bold as to murder the emperor?! Who gave you the courage?"
"Your Majesty, she did all this. Lin'er simply found her among the common people and, thinking she had real abilities, recommended her to the palace to treat you. No one could have imagined she harbored such evil intentions. Your Majesty, Lin'er was truly deceived!"
Zhao Zhaoyi completely denied everything and no longer had any pity or love for Zhao Shuning.
Zhao Shuning didn't say a word from beginning to end. After hearing what Zhao Zhaoyi said, she didn't react much. She just twitched the corners of her lips slightly, revealing a look of ridicule.
Human nature is evil and cannot withstand the test.
She had seen this before.
At the moment, it was just verified again, and she had nothing to be surprised or disappointed about.
What's more, she didn't have any expectations for this aunt and cousin.
Jiang Nansheng spoke again, "We have arrested and interrogated the servants of that house. They claim that the Eighth Prince has been in and out of that house many times, and that the poisonous insects developed by this female doctor were all arranged by the Eighth Prince. This is a mission assigned to her, and she must complete it."
Xiao Yanlin's expression changed again and again.
Zhao Zhaoyi, like an old hen protecting her chicks, fiercely denied it. "That's nonsense! How could Lin'er touch something as sinister as a poisonous insect? It must have been done by the Diannan Prefecture. It was Prince Jin. All of this is Prince Jin's conspiracy!"
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