Chapter 349

Immediately, everyone present, including the little emperor and the two great Pillars of State, were as if gripped by an invisible hand, and they turned their heads in unison to look at the source of the sound—

Only to see a figure not far away, walking slowly under the protection of the Embroidered Attire Envoys.

That person was wearing a four-clawed python robe, and on the black satin surface, the gold-embroidered python patterns flickered in the sunlight. He was completely unharmed, not even a trace of scorch marks on his hem.

His left arm was firmly behind his back, his posture so composed that it was as if he had just finished a cup of hot tea in the warm chamber. Where was there any sign of being frightened or injured?

It was exactly the one who should have been swallowed by the sea of fire at the top of the altar...

Grand Chancellor Yuwen Hu!

A very faint smile hung at the corners of his mouth. That smile was not like mockery, nor was it gentle.

It was more like watching a play for which the ending had already been written...

"It's really Yuwen Hu?!"

"Why is he standing there safe and sound?!"

"He doesn't even have a single injury?!"

Yuwen Yan's pupils shrank, and his astonishment overflowed like a rising tide, mixed with a trace of unbelievable bewilderment, and a stormy sea churned in his heart.

"Yuwen Hu?!"

"Shouldn't he have died just now in the explosion at the top of the altar?!"

"Buried in that sea of fire?!"

Dugu Zhao stared fixedly at the approaching black figure. The face that had been flushed red because the great cause was about to be accomplished was now paler than paper, and even his ear tips were blue.

Those old eyes, which were always narrowed, were now wide open, and his turbid pupils were filled with incredulity.

Clearly, he had seen the incense burner at the top of the altar explode violently...

Clearly, he had seen that sea of fire swallow him completely...

How could someone who should have been dead appear alive before his eyes?

"Appearance, voice, everything matches..."

"Is this guy a human or a ghost?!"

Yuwen Lun stared fixedly at that increasingly clear face and shuddered violently. The hair on the back of his neck stood up with a "swish," as if countless cold insects were crawling on it.

Is... is he human?

Or... is he something burned out of the raging fire at the top of the altar...?

As soon as this thought popped up, his scalp exploded with a "buzz," and half of his face went numb.

He dared not continue thinking about it.

"Yuwen Hu isn't dead?!"

"Why isn't he dead?!"

"And he's completely unharmed?!"

"What exactly is going on??"

Zhao Qian was as if hit by a freezing spell, biting his back teeth tightly, his cheeks bulging with hard ridges, and he couldn't stop roaring in his heart.

The essence of his plan to fight to the death was completely in chaos.

It was like a candle flame swept by a gale, flickering with panic.

Countless doubts surged into his heart.

Why was the one who should have been dead not dead?

"The Grand Chancellor is fine!"

The minor official of the Ministry of Spring's voice carried irrepressible trembling, but it was hard to hide his ecstasy: "The Grand Chancellor truly has his own heaven-sent luck!"

"I said the Grand Chancellor would definitely be fine!"

"Great!"

"With the Grand Chancellor here, Great Zhou has a backbone!"

Where there is sorrow, there is joy.

Faint cheers spread from the peripheral officials, at first carrying some timid probing, but gradually becoming a continuous wave of sound.

A few minor officials even forgot their etiquette, the fear in their eyes fading, replaced by real excitement and relief.

They didn't have so many little schemes for seizing power; they only knew who was good to them...

"Yuwen Hu appeared alive..."

"Then who was the one who ascended the altar to sacrifice and was annihilated in the sea of fire just now..."

Sun Zhi suppressed the astonishment in his heart, forcibly making himself calm down, and his brain began to analyze. Suddenly, as if realizing something, his face changed drastically, "Bad!"

"We've been tricked!"

At that moment, looking at the "resurrected" Yuwen Hu, he suddenly realized...

Everything that happened before was mostly a smokescreen!

The one who ascended the altar to sacrifice must have been a double!

Yuwen Hu had already seen through everything...

I'm afraid this Grand Chancellor was the controller of everything!

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. No one expected that the cicada being calculated by the oriole and the mantis was the real hunter...

It's terrifying to think about!

"The Grand Chancellor is safe and sound, and he appeared so perfectly..."

Shang Ting narrowed his eyes, stroked his beard lightly, keenly captured the unusual aspects, and suddenly widened his eyes, "Could it be...?!"

Calculation.

It's all a trap!

This was to let the monsters and demons jump out, and more likely to let the officials see clearly the ugly faces of certain people...

And finally, come out to control the situation and finish the job!

Brilliant!

"Come and tell this King..."

Yuwen Hu walked forward, his gaze sweeping over both sides, and he scolded sternly: "What are you intending to do with this confrontation!"

"Everyone has drawn their blades!"

"And in front of the court officials, what kind of decorum is this!"

That incomparably familiar, majestic voice pulled everyone's thoughts back.

"Yuwen..."

"Grand... Grand Chancellor!"

Dugu Zhao subconsciously called him by his name, but suddenly realized it was wrong and hurriedly corrected himself, then went up to meet him, and made up a reason with a straight face: "It was because I was concerned and lost my composure, too worried about His Majesty's safety, which led to this loss of decorum!"

This wording was extremely particular.

It seemed like admitting a mistake, but in fact, it was clearing himself of responsibility...

Attributing the cause of everything to his worry about the little emperor's safety, making it impossible for anyone to find any fault.

"Indeed!"

Zhao Qian came back to his senses and immediately echoed: "This old minister and the Duke of Wei were also worried that some treacherous people might take the opportunity to harm His Majesty, which is why we wanted to invite His Majesty to move!"

Every word and sentence was earnest.

It was the appearance of a loyal minister, perfectly covering up their real purpose...

These two old scoundrels' ability to lie with their eyes open is truly beyond reach... Yuwen Yan witnessed this scene, couldn't help but curse them for being shameless in his heart, and then forcibly raised an arc at the corners of his lips, pretending to be happy, and said: "Cousin, cousin!"

"You're fine... that's really great!"

"It is truly a great fortune for the country, and a great fortune for me!"

As he spoke, he walked quickly to Yuwen Hu's front, showing his excitement.

However, the more excited the little emperor was before, the more disappointed he was now...

After all, if this cousin had died at the top of the altar, he could have used Yuwen Heng's hand to clean up the two old Pillars of State in the name of harming the Grand Chancellor, and then he could have successfully taken personal rule and grasped military and political power.

Now it had all fallen through, and he still had to force a smile!

"Is that so?"

Yuwen Hu blinked, looked up and down at this young cousin, and said playfully: "Your Majesty..."

"Of... of course!"

Yuwen Yan was asked and felt a bit guilty, his voice sounding a bit stumbling. Immediately, he suppressed those emotions, put on an excited face, and said loudly: "Cousin, you are the backbone of Great Zhou!"

Don't look at how firmly he spoke, it was extremely insincere...

It was only one step away!

"I've frightened Your Majesty!"

Yuwen Hu smiled, turned his jade thumb ring lightly, and said.

"It's nothing..." Yuwen Yan twitched the corners of his lips.

"Your Majesty, let this King handle the following matters!" Yuwen Hu flicked his sleeves lightly and said in a deep voice.

As he spoke, he gave a look to his only son who was following behind the little emperor.

Yuwen Ze understood, nodded slightly in response, and pointed lightly.

The Embroidered Attire Envoys standing left and right moved at the sound, and "protected" the little emperor.

Letting the "caged bird" that felt it had lost control, flapped its wings a few times, and thought it could fly to the sky, return to the "cage" where it should be...

Yuwen Yan watched Yuwen Ze, who was close at hand and putting shackles on him, and was stunned for a moment, feeling puzzled in his heart: "Wasn't this Yuwen Ze crying in grief just now, almost fainting?"

"How did he suddenly change into a different person?!"

For some reason, the little emperor didn't recognize this Prince of Jin Heir anymore...

This capable and fierce appearance was simply like two different people compared to before!

If it weren't for the fact that the face was exactly the same, Yuwen Yan would even suspect that the one sitting on the ground after the explosion wasn't him...

Yuwen Hu had no intention of caring about the little emperor's astonishment, and his gaze shifted to Yuwen Heng not far away, and he said: "A-Heng, why don't you hurry up and take down these people who disturbed His Majesty?"

"Do it!"

Yuwen Heng nodded and suddenly raised his hand and waved.

The imperial guards who had been confronting Yang Qin, Yan Zhi Tui, and their guards, and who couldn't do anything to each other, moved with fierce light in their eyes.

They disarmed Yang and Yan in three or two strokes, subdued all the guards who had drawn their blades, and pressed them to the ground.

"These imperial guards are so fierce?"

"What were they doing during the confrontation just now?"

Witnessing this scene, Yuwen Yan widened his eyes, full of incredulity, and couldn't help but think in his heart, followed by a thought flashing through his brain, and he suddenly realized: "Wait!"

"I've been played!"

What kind of evenly matched stalemate?

What kind of slow, at-a-loss Grand Marshal?

They were all acting!

The reason why they still perfunctorily obeyed orders...

Was also to keep him, the emperor, in their hands, avoiding him falling into the hands of the two old Pillars of State.

I've been played completely!

Yuwen Yan, who had figured it out, only felt his nose tip faintly turning red at that moment...

Shang Ting stepped forward, bowed to Yuwen Hu, and asked: "Grand Chancellor, what exactly is going on?"

"How did you turn bad luck into good fortune?"