Chapter 244

A Critical Moment

It was not that Nie Jinxuan wanted to be the center of attention. Rather, at this very moment, Nie Jinxuan felt that it would be more advantageous for her, an outsider, to speak than for Yin Fengzhan to step forward.

At this time, upon seeing the token in Nie Jinxuan's hand, the guards who had been posturing to surround them were momentarily stunned. Empress Duan's face stiffened, and she then bit her lip slightly.

Seeing this situation, the Crown Prince, Yin Fenghan, who was standing to the side, had a flicker of movement in his brows before stepping forward to say:

"Princess Consort Anguo, how could the Imperial token be in your hands?! Could it be that this token was forged by you!"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, you can eat food indiscriminately, but you cannot speak indiscriminately! Do you have any evidence to say that Anguo forged the token?!"

"Evidence?! Heh... I, the Crown Prince, may not have evidence! But how can you say that the token in your hand is real? Furthermore, we have never heard of the Emperor ever handing the Imperial token to you!"

At this moment, Yin Fenghan's eyes were filled with triumph. As he finished speaking, he couldn't help but glance at Yin Fengzhan, a cold, treacherous glint rising in his eyes. Seeing his expression, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but sneer.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, just because you don't know about it doesn't mean it didn't happen! Besides, forging a token is a capital crime; even if Anguo had the courage of the heavens, I would not dare to do such a thing! As for how this token came into my hands, I have no reason to explain it to you, Your Highness. Moreover, since you just said yourself that you have no evidence, then regarding matters for which there is no evidence, I ask that you keep your mouth shut—it would be better not to speak!"

Nie Jinxuan had always been an easygoing person; even when she was being righteous, she never made people feel aggressive. But at this moment, facing such a turn of events, Nie Jinxuan rarely showed her formidable side!

Thus, being publicly rebuked by Nie Jinxuan, Crown Prince Yin Fenghan was suddenly so stifled he couldn't speak! Seeing him like this, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but twitch the corners of her lips, revealing a look of indescribable disdain, before shifting her gaze back to Empress Duan.

"Empress, you just said that Prince Chen broke into the palace and therefore you want to arrest him—do you have any evidence?"

Nie Jinxuan's momentum did not waver. But clearly, compared to Crown Prince Yin Fenghan, Empress Duan was much more formidable. So, upon hearing this, Empress Duan raised her elegant brows.

"Evidence? What evidence do you want from me! Prince Chen is standing right here—this is the evidence!"

"Empress, your words are wrong! It is true that Prince Chen is here now, but Empress, do not forget: the Emperor has suddenly passed away. As the Emperor's son, Prince Chen heard the tragic news and entered the palace to see what happened—is there any fault in that? Does the Empress wish to strip Prince Chen of his rights as a son?!"

Looking directly at Empress Duan, Nie Jinxuan said every word clearly, and upon reaching this point, she gave a cold huff.

"Furthermore, you just said that Prince Chen broke into the palace, which is even more laughable. It is true that when Anguo and Prince Chen entered the palace, the guards at the gate did indeed say that the Empress had issued an order forbidding anyone from entering the palace! But may I ask, Empress: the guards at the gate are the Emperor's personal imperial guards. Although you are the Mother of the Nation, what right do you have to issue orders to the Emperor's direct guards?! You even forbade anyone from entering the palace... what is this? Could it be that the Empress is using the Emperor's sudden passing as a pretext for some other ulterior motive?!"

Nie Jinxuan's words were intense. Hearing her words, which became increasingly serious, Empress Duan was suddenly furious.

"Nie Jinxuan, hold your tongue! This is not a place for you to speak!"

Empress Duan was trembling with rage; after all, Nie Jinxuan had explicitly stated that she was plotting a rebellion! But upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan instead laughed.

"What?! Is the Empress so angry that she has lost her composure?!"

The angrier Empress Duan became, the happier Nie Jinxuan was. But as she said this, Nie Jinxuan's expression suddenly turned stern.

"However, I ask the Empress to calm down first, and look at who these guards actually are before speaking—it won't be too late!"

As she spoke, Nie Jinxuan turned and pointed directly at the group of guards who were protecting Yin Fengzhan. But at this moment, following the direction of Nie Jinxuan's finger, Empress Duan first frowned, then gave a cold laugh.

"What is there to look at regarding them?! They must be Prince Chen's subordinates, and isn't that exactly the evidence of Prince Chen breaking into the palace?"

As if she had caught Yin Fengzhan in a trap, Empress Duan turned to signal for the guards to take Yin Fengzhan down. But at this moment, Nie Jinxuan suddenly burst into laughter and spoke directly to one of the guards.

"Brother, tell the Empress: who are you?"

"I am an Imperial Guard responsible for guarding the East Gate!"

The guard spoke with a resonant, powerful voice. His eyes were fixed directly on Empress Duan. Upon hearing this, Empress Duan was stunned on the spot!

Empress Duan could not understand why the guards protecting the gate would follow Yin Fengzhan, or even openly support him! For a time, her complexion turned ugly to the extreme. But Empress Duan had lived in the palace for so many years; her schemes and methods were beyond those of ordinary people. So, after a brief shock, Empress Duan regained her composure and said in a low voice:

"Hmph! And so what! I..."

At this very moment, Empress Duan's momentum remained sharp. But just then, before Empress Duan could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a voice.

"Is the Empress trying to say that even if those guards are the gate guards, they could also be secret agents planted by Prince Chen beforehand?"

The voice was exceptionally cold. Hearing this, everyone in the courtyard turned their heads, and then they saw Noble Consort Zhang walking in! And behind Noble Consort Zhang, there were actually a group of concubines who were usually on good terms with her!

Every one of their faces carried anger, and their furious eyes were fixed directly on Empress Duan. Seeing this situation, Empress Duan was stunned again, but upon seeing the guards following behind the concubines, she understood in her heart!

At this moment, while Empress Duan was still sizing things up, Noble Consort Zhang had already led the group of concubines into the courtyard. Noble Consort Zhang turned her eyes to look at Yin Fengzhan and Nie Jinxuan, then turned to look at Empress Duan and said:

"Empress, I do not know about Prince Chen. But may I ask the Empress: why, after I and the other sisters learned the tragic news of the Emperor's passing, did you order people to seal us in our own palaces?! Could it be that you, Empress, are planning to do something unspeakable?"

For the first time, Noble Consort Zhang shed her usual gentle facade, every word revealing an indescribable sharpness. Upon hearing this, Empress Duan's expression indeed changed, and she roared angrily:

"Zhang Jingya, what do you mean by this?! You had better think about who you are talking to right now!"

"Who am I talking to?! Of course, it is you! In the past, I respected you and honored you, but now that the Emperor has passed away, you, as the Mother of the Nation and the model for the six palaces, not only failed to immediately investigate the cause of the Emperor's death to give an account to everyone and the people of Dongling, but you treated me and the other sisters this way, and even blocked Prince Chen, who has blood ties to the Emperor, from entering the palace! Duan Yuechan, tell me, what do you mean by this!"

Having fought in the palace for over twenty years, Noble Consort Zhang finally tore off the mask with Empress Duan! Seeing that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for her, Empress Duan's face twitched, and she said coldly:

"I am the Empress. Now that the Emperor has passed away, I naturally have the right to do so! Therefore..."

"Therefore, has the Empress already investigated the cause of the Emperor's death?"

Empress Duan's complexion grew increasingly gloomy, even showing signs of wanting to take action herself. But just then, a deep male voice was heard. Everyone turned their heads to see the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, leading a group of royals, as well as the Fifth Prince, Prince Qin, Yin Fenglian, and the Sixth Prince, Prince Gong, Yin Fengxuan, walking in. Behind the crowd, even the Second Prince, Prince Rui, Yin Fengxiang, who had always been in poor health, was sitting in a wheelchair, following with a solemn expression!

A massive group of people instantly arrived in the courtyard, crowding it until it was impassable. At this time, the group of guards had already been forced to retreat three steps; the situation on the field made people feel breathless!

At this time, after entering the courtyard, the leading Fifth Imperial Uncle also glanced at Yin Fengzhan, then his usually gentle expression turned cold as he looked at Empress Duan.

"Empress, the Emperor has suddenly passed away—what is the meaning of you ordering the city gates to be sealed?! If it weren't for Prince Chen having the guards notify me, I and the other royals would still be kept in the dark. How do you explain such behavior?"

If it could be said that Nie Jinxuan and Noble Consort Zhang had no right to speak in front of Empress Duan, then the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, as the brother of Emperor Shuncheng, had the absolute qualification to question Empress Duan! Upon hearing this, Empress Duan's face stiffened, but she then stepped forward to stand before Yin Yanheng and said slowly:

"Fifth Imperial Uncle, why must you be angry? What I did was merely out of fear that some people would take advantage of the situation to cause trouble!"

"Hmph! Take advantage of the situation?! Who is the Empress talking about? Is it me or Prince Chen? Prince Chen is the Emperor's son—why can he not enter the palace?"

Yin Yanheng was already shocked and grieving over the Emperor's sudden passing. Being kept in the dark, his mood was naturally extremely angry. At this point, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, raised his eyes to glare at Empress Duan, forcing her into silence before he pursed his lips and said to the guards:

"What are you doing?! Are you the Emperor's guards or the Empress's guards? Why don't you retreat immediately!"

The Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, had a gentle personality and did not interfere in court politics. But this did not mean he was a pushover! Among the royals present, he was the elder closest to the Emperor, and he had the right to issue such orders. Upon hearing this, the guards who had previously obeyed Empress Duan looked at each other and then silently retreated.

Watching them retreat, Yin Fengzhan gave a signal to the guards who had followed him, and they all retreated as well.

In an instant, the guards in the courtyard were gone. But the tension had not diminished in the slightest. Then, the Fifth Imperial Uncle, Yin Yanheng, looked around and said loudly:

"Where is Gao Caiyong?! Why is he not present?"

Second update uploaded, see you tomorrow!