After being exiled with her husband and children, she returned with great power to rule the world

The sky was covered with heavy snow and the cold wind was howling, making the copper bells on the eaves of the palace jingle.

Master Ji wrapped himself tightly in fox fur and followed Eunuch Li, hurrying towards the magnificent palace with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

Along the way, the wind and snow were raging, and it hurt when it hit his face, but it was not as cold as the chill he felt in his heart at the moment.

The two men arrived at the gate of the magnificent palace one after the other. Before they entered, a shrill scream pierced through the wind and snow and went straight into the ears of Master Ji. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and a sense of foreboding surged in his heart.

"Master Ji, please walk faster. The emperor is still waiting!" When Eunuch Li saw him stop, a hint of impatience flashed across his originally submissive face, and he urged in a shrill voice.

Master Ji's eyes were as fast as lightning as he swept across Eunuch Li's face, keenly catching the contempt in the other's eyes.

Moreover, he did not even have a sedan chair to serve him all the way from the Imperial College. If Taifu Ji did not realize that the situation had taken a turn for the worse, then all his years in officialdom would have been in vain.

Considering the news brought by Doctor He before, and the fact that Concubine Hua's affair might have been exposed, Master Ji instantly had an idea in his mind, but his steps became more steady, and he stepped into the magnificent palace with a calm expression.

As soon as I entered the palace, I was hit by a bloody smell. I saw Doctor He tied up with ropes, his limbs tied to five strong horses, his body twisted and he was screaming.

Master Ji didn't even raise his eyelids, turning a blind eye to the tragic scene before him, and strode towards the inner hall.

Stepping into the inner hall, the candlelight inside was flickering, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it made people breathless.

Concubine Hua was thrown on the cold ground with her clothes in disarray, still unconscious. Her personal maid Xiaoli had tears on her face and was kneeling beside her, shivering.

As soon as Master Ji stepped in, he seemed to be frozen, with just the right amount of shock and confusion on his face.

"Your Majesty, what...what happened?" Taifu Ji pretended to be surprised, his voice trembling slightly. He bowed to the emperor, his face full of concern and fear.

"Taifu, you've arrived just in time. I have something that I can't understand no matter how hard I try. I'd like you to help me clear it up."

The emperor sat at the top, his expression as gloomy as the sky before a storm. His eyes were like knives as he stared at Master Ji, with a barely perceptible hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"It is my honor to share the emperor's worries. If the emperor asks anything, I will tell him everything I know."

Master Ji looked extremely terrified and bowed his head, his loyalty evident on his face, as if he really had no idea of ​​the coming storm.

The emperor did not get angry immediately after hearing this. Instead, he turned his gaze to Yuan Taishan, who was kneeling beside him, and said coldly, "Doctor Yuan, you should explain this to the Grand Tutor yourself!"

Only then did Master Ji slowly turn his gaze towards Yuan Taishan, his heart sinking.

The emperor's action made him realize instantly that he had been betrayed by the person he had personally placed in the Imperial Hospital!

A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he secretly wondered why Yuan Taishan betrayed him. The moment their eyes met, Yuan Taishan subconsciously avoided it, and a trace of unnaturalness flashed across his face. Although he was forced to become a treacherous villain, he did not regret it, but he really could not face the gaze of his former ally calmly.

Under the gaze of the Emperor and Grand Tutor Ji, Yuan Taishan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and said expressionlessly, "Empress Hua is in good health, but she has been claiming to be suffering from a cold for years, staying in the palace. In fact, this is to conceal the fact that she has given birth."

"Absolutely impossible! This is absolutely slander! Concubine Hua...she has always been committed to her duties. How could such a ridiculous thing happen?"

When Master Ji heard this, his pupils shrank instantly, his face full of shock and anger, as if he had been greatly insulted. He retorted emotionally, and it seemed that he really had no idea about all this.

Everyone looked at Master Ji quietly. The hall was dead silent except for the crackling sound of the burning candles.

The emperor looked at him coldly, his eyes full of suspicion and disdain. He could not believe that the shrewd and scheming Master Ji knew nothing about this.

After all, with Hua Fei's ability, she could not accomplish such a big thing on her own. Although he was old, he was not so stupid that he was unaware that his concubine had an affair and gave birth to a child.

The imperial doctors also lowered their heads with flickering eyes. They knew in their hearts that Hua Fei gave birth when she was still in the boudoir, not after she entered the palace.

To send a noble lady who is no longer a virgin into the palace would be impossible without the personal arrangement of Master Ji.

Master Ji was intent on playing the role of an unsuspecting person. From the moment he entered the palace, every expression and every movement of his was just right, and his performance was extremely natural.

He knew in his heart that as long as he resolutely refused to admit any involvement in the matter, the emperor would not easily turn against him.

After all, that incident happened many years ago, and he had destroyed all the evidence he could find. There was no evidence to prove his mistake, so he had nothing to worry about.

However, Master Ji underestimated the Yuan family and also underestimated Chu Lingfeng who was secretly planning something.

Chu Lingfeng had already had someone secretly collect the evidence of Master Ji's crimes and hand it over to Yuan Taishan.

Since the Yuan family has become an enemy of Master Ji, they are naturally not unprepared. They have been secretly collecting evidence of the Ji family's crimes over the years, waiting to officially launch an attack today and bring the Ji family down in one fell swoop. Otherwise, the entire Yuan family will suffer crazy revenge from the Ji family.

Master Ji acted with great sincerity and tears in his eyes, trying to move those present, but everyone in the hall just looked at him quietly with cold eyes, and no one was moved by his performance.

The emperor watched Master Ji's "performance" and became more and more angry. He slammed the table hard, and with a loud "bang", the teacups on the table jumped up.

"Grandmaster Ji, even at this time, you are still pretending to be ignorant in front of me! Are you completely unaware of Concubine Hua's affairs? Do you think I am a three-year-old child who can be so easily fooled?"

Imperial Tutor Ji fell to his knees with a plop, tears streaming down his face. "Your Majesty, please understand! I am loyal to you, as the sun and the moon bear witness to! I know nothing about Concubine Hua's affairs. Someone must have deliberately framed me to slander me and disrupt the court!"

While he was crying, he secretly observed the emperor's expression and secretly thought about how to deal with the next situation.

At this time, the Queen, who had been silent the entire time, slowly spoke up: "Grand Tutor Ji, you keep saying you're innocent, but this matter is suspicious no matter how you look at it. It's hard to imagine that Concubine Hua could have concealed her secrets in the palace for so many years without the support of a powerful force behind her."

"And you, as an important official in the court, have always had dealings with Hua Fei's family. Now that something like this has happened, do you think you can get away with it?" The Queen stared at Master Ji with a sharp gaze, and her words were merciless.

Ji Taifu was startled. He had never expected the Empress to attack him at this moment. He kowtowed quickly and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister and Hua Fei's family were merely ordinary official social interactions. There was nothing inappropriate about this. I hope Your Majesty will understand this matter clearly and not be blinded by this villain."

Yuan Taishan looked at Master Ji's miserable appearance and felt mixed emotions.

He took a deep breath and spoke again, "Grandmaster Ji, at this point, there's no need for you to quibble. Imperial Physician He has already handed me all the correspondence you exchanged to conceal Concubine Hua's childbirth and arrange for her entry into the palace, as well as the testimonies of relevant witnesses. The evidence you tried so hard to destroy has finally been found."

As he spoke, Yuan Taishan took out a sealed envelope from his arms and presented it to the emperor.

When Master Ji heard this, his face turned as pale as paper and his body began to tremble slightly. He never expected that Chu Lingfeng was so powerful that he could find evidence that he thought he had completely destroyed.

A wave of despair surged in his heart, but he still had a glimmer of hope, thinking that perhaps the evidence was not irrefutable.