The arrogant imperial concubine arrives, the favorite of the regent

The Night King's cold question startled the Emperor.

The Emperor was taken aback, but insisted, "You defy the imperial decree and show contempt for imperial authority. Do you intend to place yourself above the proper order between ruler and subject?"

"Now hand over the token that grants you control over all the troops, and I will spare your life!"

Ye Xiaohan sneered, sending chills down the spines of everyone present. They were terrified. Heaven knows they had only come to a palace banquet, and now they were witnessing such a horrific scene!

Of course, it's not that the Night King is terrifying, but the scene of the Night King and the Emperor having a fierce confrontation is truly chilling.

At this moment, the scene at the banquet suddenly became increasingly chaotic. Everyone reacted differently, and few were able to maintain their composure. The scene was truly unbelievable; how could they not have imagined that such a severe and dangerous struggle between the emperor and the prince would take place today!

The Crown Prince stepped forward to speak up for the Emperor, criticizing Ye Xiaohan and Yun Mujiu. He repeatedly said that Yun Mujiu was selfish, narrow-minded, and disrespectful of authority, completely lacking the gentle and virtuous demeanor a woman should have. He also subtly accused Ye Xiaohan of disregarding the overall situation, not valuing the face and future of the royal family members, and even disobeying the imperial decree, committing a grave sin.

Immediately afterward, the Third Prince also spoke up, subtly pointing out Ye Xiaohan's faults, and said, "Uncle Ye, Father is only thinking of you. You shouldn't be ungrateful for his kindness and even oppose him."

"Shut up!" Ye Xiaohan said coldly.

The Third Prince, Ye Chudi, was so frightened that he looked like a grandson, his face twitching, and he dared not utter a sound.

Ye Xiaohan said leisurely, "It seems I didn't hit you hard enough before. I should have whipped you to death."

The third prince immediately fell silent, wishing he could bury his head in the cracks of the floor.

At this point, the emperor also received the support of a group of confidants, while the other civil and military officials reacted differently.

Although some people sided with the Night King, they dared not speak out, because they knew their own status. If they rashly spoke up, they might face the execution of their entire family. Therefore, even if they had other ideas of support, they could not openly reveal them.

On the other side, the Night King's confidants and followers stepped forward, their expressions resolute, and began arguing with the King's confidants.

"The Night King is Zhongyue's regent, Zhongyue's guardian deity, he is the best prince!"

"The Night King is absolutely not one to disregard imperial authority!"

"What wrong has the Night King done!"

The Emperor stepped down from the high platform and stood on a small flat area in front of the Night King and his wife.

He frowned: "Night King, I'm giving you one more chance. You have one more opportunity to change your mind."

"Change your tune? What wrong have I done?" Ye Xiaohan said expressionlessly and forcefully, "Is it wrong for me to be devoted to my wife? Is it wrong for me to protect my country, lead my brothers through life and death, and manage the small number of troops I currently command?"

Knowing he was in the wrong and unable to win the argument, the emperor could only flick his sleeves and say fiercely, "Even now, you're still trying to argue!"

"Right and wrong are clear to all, and justice resides in the hearts of the people." Ye Xiaohan remained as indifferent as ever.

The emperor was even angrier, his face contorted with rage, looking like a madman who had lost his mind.

"You all want to die today! You have disregarded the dignity of the royal family, defied my decree, and shown contempt for the emperor's majesty! I am the emperor, and no one can disobey my orders!"

He turned around abruptly, fiercely swung his bright yellow wide sleeves, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Today you dare to defy the imperial decree, tomorrow you will dare to castrate yourself. Ye Xiaohan, are you Zhongyue's emperor or am I Zhongyue's emperor?"

However, no matter how crazy Haoliandi became, the Regent always maintained his calm and aloof demeanor, as if he had seen through everything in the world.

He said quietly, "If you want to condemn someone, what's there to worry about?" The emperor's raging words were like a punch hitting cotton, and he even received a severe counterattack.

"What has happened today is utterly absurd." His Highness the Night King looked indifferently at the Emperor, then retorted—

"Does His Majesty intend to harm the royal family, indiscriminately kill loyal officials, and persecute Zhong Yue's generals?!"

The Emperor's face flushed red as he heard Ye Xiaohan's majestic voice echoing above the hall: "Last time, in my battle against the Western Barbarians, my army and I were ambushed by a coalition of internal and external forces. On my victorious return, on my way back to the capital, I was attacked by a combined force of several nations. Just two days after my wedding to the Queen, the Ye Royal Palace was attacked by assassins."

"Are these sordid things about to be replayed?"

The Night King's melodious voice echoed throughout the hall, striking the hearts of everyone present. People understood, they were surprised, and they were shocked that the Night King dared to speak such explicit and direct words.

Isn't the Night King implying that the previous attacks he suffered were all related to people with ulterior motives?

One of the culprits must be... the emperor right in front of us!

The emperor's face was as black as the bottom of a pot as he stared intently at the spirited and noble regent before him.

"Night King, you mustn't spout nonsense!"

"Your Majesty, you know perfectly well whether I've been lying or not." The Night King referred to himself as "this king" in front of the Emperor, clearly displeased with the Emperor's behavior.

"Ye Xiaohan, stop talking!"

"Hmph!" In response to the Emperor's fury, Prince Ye merely responded with a cold snort, expressing his disdain.

Yun Mujiu stood quietly beside Ye Xiaohan, fighting against Emperor Zhongyue alongside the man beside her.

The emperor has suffered repeated defeats, and the situation is increasingly turning against him.

He noticed the whispers around him, each person displaying a fascinating array of expressions. He knew he had already expended countless hours and energy trying to resolve the conflict with the couple before him. He knew he couldn't delay any longer; further delay would only worsen the situation, and he wouldn't have a better opportunity to strike.

More importantly, if we miss this opportunity today, it will be difficult to find another chance like today to directly accuse Ye Xiaohan and kill him on the spot.

The emperor, in a flash, thought of the scheme he had laid out beforehand. Losing power now was nothing; he had even better plans in store.

After all, he was a seasoned veteran of officialdom, and after a moment of panic, the emperor forcibly suppressed his flustered emotions.

In his eyes, even if the other party had the upper hand, so what? In the end, the control of the matter still rested with him, the emperor. Who had more power than him, and who was more cunning, setting up layer upon layer of schemes in advance?

The Emperor was so angry he felt dizzy, his eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. He desperately wanted to order the execution of Ye Xiaohan and the others before him, but he knew he couldn't simply give the order to behead them. If he executed Ye Xiaohan and Yun Mujiu on the spot, it would likely fail to appease the people. Now that he had forcibly created conflict with Ye Xiaohan and Yun Mujiu, some people were already feeling resentful.

In other words, he has already gone to great lengths to reprimand the couple on the spot and try to pin serious crimes on them; he cannot afford to provoke public outrage and resistance any further!

The situation reached a stalemate, with the Night King initially gaining the upper hand. He remained composed and calm throughout.

Suddenly, a small squad of guards outside the door gave an urgent report.

A junior commander of the Imperial Guard, looking flustered, announced that they had made a major discovery!