Children of Loulan

After everyone finally saw his face clearly, all the officials knelt down on the ground as if awakened from a dream, and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you. Long live the king!"

In stark contrast to the surprise of the officials, Xilin's eyes widened, her face full of astonishment, as if she was stunned by the scene before her, and she couldn't believe what she saw. Her body trembled slightly, and her lips opened involuntarily, but she couldn't make a sound.

And what about the king? He looked at Xilin expressionlessly, his cold gaze was like the cold wind in winter, making people shudder. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a smile, and he said coldly: "Why, my beloved concubine, are you eyeing the throne of the queen mother, and also want to sit in the position of the master of the harem?"

Before Xilin could respond, the king's gaze shot towards Aidier beside her like a sharp arrow, and then the king's voice sounded again: "Second brother, I heard that you have become the regent now, is this true?"

Upon hearing this, Aidil trembled as if struck by lightning. He then knelt on the ground without hesitation, kowtowed and said, "Father, I know my sins and I deserve death! All of this was secretly planned by me alone, and has nothing to do with anyone else!"

The king saw this and sneered, his smile full of ridicule and disdain. He said, "Others? Humph, who do you mean by others? Are they the ministers who supported the sixth son to ascend the throne, or the guards who started the rebellion, or the one beside you, my beloved concubine?"

After hearing this, Aidil was extremely terrified. He kept kowtowing and hurriedly explained, "Father, please calm down. Please forgive me! I felt that my sixth brother was still young and immature, so he was easier to control. That's why I was confused for a moment and bewitched my mother and planned this coronation ceremony. Everything is my fault."

After hearing what Aidil said, the king did not respond immediately. Instead, he looked directly at the Sixth Prince who was still standing on the altar and asked slowly, "Is it really as your second brother said?"

When Maihemuti saw the king, he was overwhelmed with emotions, including surprise and fear.

The good news was that he saw that his father was safe and sound, which meant that he did not have to be forced to ascend the throne that he did not want. As long as his father was still alive, he could continue to be a carefree prince without having to bear that heavy responsibility.

However, at the same time, he was also filled with fear. If his father was safe, then everything his mother had planned would be in vain. Not only that, his mother might also be charged with treason and even lose her life.

When he thought of this, Maihemuti's heart was like falling into an ice cellar. He had just felt the warmth and love of his mother, and he really didn't want to lose her. So when he heard the king's question, he walked down the altar without hesitation and quickly stood in front of his mother.

He knelt on his knees, kowtowed to the king, and said sincerely: "Father, please forgive me. This is all my fault. I shouldn't covet things that don't belong to me. I am willing to accept any punishment from you, but I beg you to understand that this has nothing to do with my mother. She knows nothing about this. Please believe me."

Xilin stared at the two men in front of her with eyes wide open, incredulously, with all kinds of complicated emotions surging in her heart. She could never have imagined that everything she had carefully planned would be so vulnerable. Not only was the king not poisoned, but he had completely seen through her plan.

A sneer appeared on her lips, and that smile was full of despair and self-mockery. "It turns out that the king is the hunter hiding in the dark! My king, you really deceived me so badly!"

Xilin's voice echoed in the empty altar, carrying with it endless sadness. She slowly lowered her head, as if the whole world had collapsed at this moment.

The king looked at her expressionlessly and said coldly, "I never expected that the always gentle and graceful Concubine He would have evil intentions towards my kingdom and even dare to poison me."

Xilin suddenly raised her head and stared at the king with sharp eyes, "In the end, I lost!" Although her voice was calm, the unwillingness and resentment in it were like the calm before the storm, so depressing that it made people breathless.

The king frowned slightly, as if he was a little surprised by Xilin's reaction. However, his tone was still cold, "Now that things have come to this, if you surrender, I can let you go!"

Xilin took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She looked up at the not-so-clear sky and sighed, as if she wanted to let out all the pain and helplessness in her heart.

"Since we're all going to die anyway, why not drag a few more people down with us?" A sinister smile suddenly appeared on the corner of Xilin's mouth, and that smile made people shudder.

As soon as she finished speaking, the imperial guards who were originally surrounding her immediately rushed forward like hungry tigers, and took Keremu off the altar. Keremu seemed to have known that she would do this, so he did not struggle, but obediently followed the imperial guards down the altar.

After a while, Keremu was taken to the side of the queen and others and stood side by side with them.

Xilin's face was as cold as frost, her eyes were as cold as ice, and she stared straight at the king. Her voice suddenly rose, as if to pierce the sky, "My king, look here, not only is there your crown prince, but also your most satisfied grandson! They are all your beloved ones! Your great kingdom will depend on them to inherit in the future! If they all die with me today, then your kingdom will be in danger!"

However, facing Xilin's naked threat, the king did not show any panic. He just sighed deeply, his heart filled with sadness and disappointment for Xilin. "This is your last chance, do you really not cherish it and still insist on doing it?"

Xilin showed no sign of weakness. A sneer appeared on her lips. "The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Now that things have come to this, I have no way to retreat. Rather than living like a street rat, I might as well choose a happy path for myself!"

At this moment, Maihemuti, who was standing by, heard her words and knelt down at Xilin's feet. He tightly grasped Xilin's sleeve, his face full of tears, and begged, "No, mother! I don't want to lose you! Please, for my sake, let me go! I beg you, mother!"

Looking at her son, whose face was covered with tears and who was crying like a child, Xilin suddenly felt a little guilty. In the past few years, she had always used this son as a tool and bargaining chip to fight for power, and had never been kind to him.

However, today, when she herself was defeated, her son stood in front of her without hesitation, willing to take the responsibility for the crime of treason. This surprised Xilin a little, and also caused some fluctuations in her heart.