"Guards! The carpet is dirty, change it immediately! The dancers disturbed the Empress, take them away as well!"
Emperor Xiao Che's voice, cold and majestic, echoed in the deathly silent Hanyuan Hall. Every word struck the hearts of the Regent's faction like a heavy hammer.
Protect the scene! Seize the witnesses!
The emperor and empress's seamless cooperation instantly set off alarm bells in Xiao Yuan's mind! He knew he absolutely could not let them succeed! Once the witnesses and evidence were seized, and the trail was followed, he would surely be doomed today!
He must immediately and definitively classify this as an "accident"!
Just as two fierce imperial guards stepped forward, preparing to drag the Western Region dancer, whose face had already turned pale with fright, away, Regent Xiao Yuan suddenly stepped forward and shouted:
"Your Majesty, wait!"
He bowed deeply to Xiao Che, his face contorted with a mixture of deep sorrow and concern for the country, and earnestly said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This matter... may be a misunderstanding!"
"Oh? A misunderstanding?" Xiao Che slowly turned around, looking down at him with a cold expression. "Uncle, tell me, what is this misunderstanding?"
"Your Majesty!" Xiao Yuan pointed at the dancer, his voice stern as he argued, "This woman was brought as tribute from the Western Regions. She has always admired the might of our Great Liang and the majesty of Her Majesty the Empress. Today, she performed her dance merely to offer a toast to Her Majesty the Empress with the highest etiquette of the Western Regions, as a sign of her reverence. However, her skill was lacking, and she disturbed the imperial procession. It was truly an unintentional mistake! But her intentions are pitiful, and her situation is understandable! If Your Majesty were to punish her for this, wouldn't it make our Great Liang Dynasty appear utterly intolerant? It would surely chill the hearts of all nations!"
What a silver tongue!
With just a few words, he transformed a vicious assassination attempt into a "diplomatic incident," and also conveniently labeled the emperor as someone who "damaged the prestige of the nation."
His followers immediately realized what was happening and stepped forward to echo his sentiments:
"Your Highness is absolutely right! Please, Your Majesty, reconsider!"
"It was merely an unintentional mistake by a dancer; Your Majesty, please do not be angry and harm your health!"
They all talked at once, trying to use public opinion to completely muddy the waters and bury the truth forever under this mess.
Looking at the ugly faces of this group of people who were turning black into white, Lin Wanwan was so angry that she trembled all over.
However, just when everyone thought that the emperor would at least suppress the matter for the sake of "national dignity" and let the Dali Temple handle it slowly,
Xiao Che, who was sitting beside the dragon throne, suddenly smiled.
That smile was extremely faint, extremely cold, and carried a chilling hint of mockery.
“What Uncle Wang said…makes some sense.” He spoke slowly, his voice eerily calm.
The regent was delighted, thinking that his words had worked.
But the next moment, Xiao Che's actions made everyone's hearts suddenly stop beating!
“However…” Xiao Che’s voice suddenly turned cold, like the cold wind of December, “I have never liked to hear explanations from others.”
"I only believe what I see with my own eyes!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly turned around and strode down the high imperial steps himself!
He ignored everyone and walked straight to the mess of overturned cups and plates, stopping in front of the deep red carpet soaked with wine.
All eyes followed his movements and focused on the seemingly ordinary carpet.
"Clang—!"
A clear, resonant sound of metal clashing rang out!
Amidst everyone's horrified gazes, Xiao Che made a lightning-fast move, drawing the sword from the waist of one of the Imperial Guards beside him!
It was a hundred-times-forged steel knife that could cut through iron like mud. The blade reflected a chilling light under the candlelight, so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes.
"Your Majesty! You..." The commander of the Imperial Guards was shocked and was about to step forward.
"Step back!" Xiao Che shouted, his voice filled with supreme authority, causing the commander to freeze in place, no longer daring to move an inch.
The emperor, gripping his long sword, was now completely devoid of his usual gentle demeanor. He exuded a suffocating, palpable, chilling killing intent—the kind of imperial aura honed only through countless battles and bloodshed!
A sudden, extremely ominous premonition surged in Regent Xiao Yuan's heart!
He tried to stop it, but it was too late!
With a flick of his wrist, Xiao Che unleashed a sharp longsword, which, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, plunged into the thick Persian carpet with a "thud"!
Then, he suddenly flicked his arm upwards!
"Sizzle—!"
A sickeningly loud tearing sound rang out!
He used the tip of his knife to forcefully tear a huge gash in the middle of that incomparably valuable carpet with its intricate patterns, lifting the entire carpet into the air and revealing the smooth, mirror-like golden nanmu wood flooring underneath!
The scene that unfolded before everyone's eyes made them all gasp in shock!
On the precious and incredibly hard golden nanmu wood floor, a charred hole the size of a bowl had suddenly appeared!
Wisps of blue smoke continued to rise from the edge of the pit, accompanied by a series of chilling, corrosive sizzling sounds! A pungent odor, with a strangely sweet scent, quickly filled the air!
At this moment, the truth was revealed to the world in the most direct, bloody, and irrefutable way!
That wasn't fine wine at all!
That's a deadly poison that can corrode even the hardest Phoebe zhennan wood, creating a black hole...
"ah--!"
A chorus of terrified screams erupted from inside the hall! The women present were terrified, their faces pale, and they all hid behind their husbands.
Those ministers who had just been speaking up for the Regent were now ashen-faced, their legs gave way, and they all collapsed to their knees, not daring to lift their heads.
It’s over!
This is it, it's completely over!
The wrath of the emperor can cause millions to die and blood to flow for miles!
Xiao Che's gaze turned icy cold in an instant, chilling to the bone! He slowly turned around, his eyes, burning with boundless rage, falling on the Western Region dancer who was already paralyzed with fear, soiling herself and urinating uncontrollably.
The moment the dancer met his gaze, she trembled violently, as if death had gripped her throat, and she uttered incoherent pleas for mercy.
However, Xiao Che did not give her any chance to argue.
He doesn't need to interrogate or give a confession.
What he wanted was to make an example of someone! What he wanted was for everyone to know what would happen to anyone who dared to harm his empress!
"die!"
A cold, emotionless word was squeezed out from between his teeth.
Before he finished speaking, the long sword in his hand had already transformed into a silver lightning bolt, drawing a shrill, deathly arc in the air!
"Pfft—!"
A dull thud as a sharp blade pierced flesh.
The dancer's pleas for mercy abruptly ceased. Her eyes still held extreme fear and disbelief.
A beautiful head shot into the sky, tumbling through the air, and finally, with a "glug," rolled down to the feet of Regent Xiao Yuan.
Those unseeing eyes were staring straight at him.
"ah--!"
Another, even more piercing scream erupted!
Warm blood gushed out of the headless cavity like a fountain, splattering all over the ground and onto the hem of the Regent's robe embroidered with python patterns.
That bright red, fishy-smelling liquid was so dazzling and so scalding hot!
The entire Hanyuan Hall had been completely transformed into a battlefield of carnage. The air was thick with the stench of blood and the eerie, sweet scent of the potent poison, making one want to vomit.
Regent Xiao Yuan's face was deathly pale. He lowered his head, looking at the severed head that had rolled to his feet, and at the bloodstains spreading across the hem of his robe. He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!
He's gone mad!
This little brat has completely gone mad!
He actually dared to... He actually dared to kill someone on the spot in front of all the civil and military officials!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com