Born a phoenix? The husband I picked up is the young emperor

Chapter 1990

The subtle sound of the knife tip piercing through the silk startled him into silence. Looking along the blade, he saw veins bulging on the back of Xiao Yunde's hand.

Emperor Zhaowu's gaze slowly moved upward along the hand and finally met Xiao Yunde's eyes.

Those eyes were like an ancient well frozen in ice, reflecting his paper-pale face.

His Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, but no sound came out.

He could feel the tip of the emperor's knife against his heart, trembling slightly with every heartbeat.

Just one more inch forward... just one more inch... Emperor Zhaowu closed his eyes in despair, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Emperor Zhaowu was speechless.

He felt that the emperor would kill him at any time to avenge Tang Chujun.

The hall was eerily quiet.

After an unknown amount of time, the blade suddenly hummed softly. The sound of Xiao Yunde sheathing the blade was particularly harsh in the dead silence.

"From today on, the emperor is seriously ill and bedridden. He does not need to attend court." The voice of the retired emperor was colder than a knife.

The sticky sound of boots rolling over the pool of blood gradually faded away, but Emperor Zhaowu was still kneeling in front of the couch. It was not until the loud bang of the palace door closing shook him all over that he realized that the cold sweat on his back had already soaked through his shirt.

He fell to the ground like a dying fish.

When the morning bell rang at dawn, the front steps of the Beiyang Palace were already filled with civil and military officials kneeling.

Everyone looked at each other.

There was no trace of the bright yellow on the throne, nor the black dragon-patterned robe of the retired emperor. Only a few unfamiliar black-armored guards stood holding halberds, their eyes behind the bronze visors colder than autumn frost.

"Dismiss!" The shrill voice of the eunuch in charge of ceremonies broke the silence.

The morning court just ended without giving any reason.

The officials who were unaware of the situation asked each other about the situation, and someone who was well-informed whispered that the Temple of Six Gods had collapsed. The emperor then took people to the Temple of Six Gods early in the morning.

At this time, the ruins of the Six Gods Temple were already filled with black-armored cavalry. The hem of Xiao Yunde's cloak was covered with brick dust, and the horse whip in his hand was deeply tied into his palm.

Under the main beam carved with the statue of a god, half of a charred mechanical gear was exposed.

Then Shi Yunqi arrived. Later, another carriage came, and Shi Anxia also arrived.

Several of them looked extremely sad.

......

In a deep house, candlelight flickered in a secret room, and the heads of the four great families sat around and discussed in secret.

Qin Hongchang, the head of the Huaidong Qin family, sat on the rosewood armchair in a very good mood. "Since the Six Gods Temple has collapsed, Tang Chujun will definitely die. The rebellion between the retired emperor and Emperor Zhaowu is a foregone conclusion."

The head of the Yunxi Gui family, Gui Sifang, played with his jade ring and smiled, "Brother Qin, this is a brilliant plan. In this way, Emperor Zhaowu and Princess Haiyan will become mortal enemies, and your Qin family's legitimate daughter will soon become the ruler of the imperial palace."

"Brother Gui, be careful with your words!" Qin Hongchang suddenly raised his hand and slammed the teacup on the table. "Our four great families are of the same blood. The ladies of each family have the opportunity to enter the palace. It all depends on who the emperor is in love with."

Guo Jindong, the head of the Guo family in northern Su, frowned and interrupted, "It's too early to celebrate now. The most urgent matter is..."

"The most urgent task is to confirm whether Tang Chujun is alive or dead." Lin Wensong, the head of the Guangnan Lin family, interrupted coldly, his thin figure looking particularly gloomy in the candlelight, "Princess Haiyan is cunning and treacherous, and the Qingchen Plan is still a lesson for us."

He knew this woman's methods better than anyone else. If it weren't for her fierce methods, Empress Dowager Jiqing would never have been defeated so miserably.

Why were the four great families so marginalized by the imperial court?