After the mind-reading and gossip-eating incident, officials in the imperial city were demoted one a

Just as furious as the Crown Prince was the Empress. Ye Yaoyao's abduction enraged her so much that she smashed cups and bowls, shouting at the maids and eunuchs around her:

"What are you all standing there for? Go find her! Dig three feet into the ground if you must, or you'll find her!"

At this moment, her trusted maid ran in to report.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has awakened."

Upon hearing this, the Empress turned deathly pale, her anger replaced by fear, fearing the situation was about to spiral out of control.

Without time to think, she quickly said, "Prepare the carriage, I need to go find the Crown Prince."

However, before they even stepped out of the palace gates, they heard a series of hurried footsteps.

Immediately afterwards, a group of imperial guards rushed in like a tidal wave. The empress's eyes widened, and she trembled with rage.

"How dare you! What are you doing? This is my palace. Who gave you permission to barge in?"

"Your Majesty, I am here on the orders of the Crown Prince to invite you to the Taiji Hall."

"Is this an invitation? You're falsely conveying the Crown Prince's decree; aren't you afraid of losing your heads?"

Now, the palace is full of the Crown Prince's people. The Empress is full of doubts. She really can't understand why Qin Jinhuai wants to arrest her.

Or perhaps these people weren't actually working for the Crown Prince, and that the Emperor was using the Crown Prince's name to arrest her.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is waiting for you, please!"

The leader ignored the queen's anger and spoke forcefully.

"You dog servant, you just wait."

This was the first time the Empress had ever felt so humiliated, being arrested like a prisoner.

Upon arriving at the Wuji Hall, the senior ministers stood on both sides, each with a different expression.

The person sitting at the head of the table was not the crown prince, but the emperor, who should have been seriously ill in bed. He leaned weakly against the dragon throne, his face as pale as paper, and his eyes glared at her with venom.

The Empress's heart pounded all the way. When she saw the Emperor, her body trembled uncontrollably. She instinctively tried to turn and run away, but the Imperial Guards behind her blocked her way.

His gaze fell on the Crown Prince beside him, who looked perfectly normal, as if everything was under his control.

The Empress felt somewhat relieved. Everyone in the palace was his man, and she and her son were in the same boat. He wouldn't just stand by and watch her get into trouble.

Thinking this, the Empress took a deep breath, suppressing her fear, and gradually regained her dignified expression.

The emperor was the first to lose his temper, "Chen Shuyuan, you poisonous woman, you conspired with that dog servant Wu Dahai to drug me, I'm going to depose you."

The empress knelt on the ground, wiping away tears with a handkerchief and crying out for justice.

"Your Majesty, are you perhaps hallucinating from your illness? How could I possibly do such a thing?"

"The imperial physician has confirmed the poison in my body. I am perfectly lucid. Guards, drag the deposed empress away and throw her into the cold palace. Give her poison."

The emperor wished he could rush forward, draw his sword, and pierce the empress's heart himself, to personally end the life of the poisonous woman who had harmed him.

However, the Imperial Guards remained motionless, like statues.

The hall was silent. The emperor, who was in a coma, was suddenly summoned. The ministers below had already sensed something was amiss, and they sensed that this visit to the palace was unusual.

At this moment, a group of people looked at each other, some with their heads down in thought, some with their brows slightly furrowed, and some quietly observing the expressions of the emperor, empress and crown prince.

The palace guards were replaced. They could see clearly that the emperor was showing signs of impending death. Some thought that the crown prince was exceptionally capable, even more so than the emperor, and chose to protect themselves.

Some observe secretly, fearing that other unforeseen events might occur.

"Outrageous! The Empress and the Crown Prince have murdered the Emperor! I am going to depose the Empress and the Crown Prince! Your following the Crown Prince is treason, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family! Cough cough cough..."

The emperor was so agitated that he spat out a mouthful of blood and coughed violently. Now that Ye Yaoyao was no longer feeding him medicine, he slumped on the dragon throne, barely clinging to life.

The Empress felt a surge of joy in her heart, a smile playing on her lips. She stood up and ran towards the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health! Quickly escort Your Majesty back to your palace."

Looking at the Empress's undisguised smugness and the indifferent courtiers, the Emperor felt a tightness in his chest that he couldn't seem to get up. In the end, he left this world with his eyes wide open, unwilling to accept his fate.

The Empress reached out and checked the Emperor's breath, then immediately burst into loud sobs.

"Your Majesty...how could you be so heartless as to abandon me?"

"His Majesty has passed away!" A eunuch shouted loudly before kneeling down.

The people in the inner palace gasped and knelt down. The only sound was the empress's feigned weeping.

The Empress cried for a long time. After the Emperor's body was carried away, she slightly raised her head, gently wiped her eyes, which had not shed any tears, with a handkerchief, and quickly glanced at the kneeling crowd below.

"A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. The crown prince is the heir apparent. He should ascend the throne immediately to inherit the throne and bring peace to the people."

"Welcome to the new emperor's ascension to the throne."

"Welcome to the new emperor's ascension to the throne."

As soon as he finished speaking, the imperial guards and some ministers immediately knelt down, their loud shouts echoing throughout the hall.

However, another group of court officials looked at each other, their eyes filled with hesitation and entanglement.

Among them, Lord Liu and his companions frowned deeply, subconsciously glancing towards the door as if waiting for something.

The crown prince maintained his usual demeanor, his expression unchanged.

The Empress was originally immersed in the joy of becoming Empress Dowager and having great power, but when she saw that several old men from powerful families were slow to kneel down, her face darkened.

"How dare you! The Crown Prince's ascension to the throne is in accordance with the will of Heaven. Are you all going against Heaven's will?"

Lord Qi was held tightly by the old Lord Liu from beginning to end, watching as the mother and son who had plotted to murder the Empress Dowager were about to ascend to high positions.

Unable to contain his anger any longer, he forcefully broke free from Lord Liu's grasp and rushed out.

"A deposed empress who poisoned the emperor and empress dowager dares to make a fuss here."

"A man with such a vicious heart as you, attempting to support Qin Jinhuai to the throne—I, the Marquis, am the first to disagree!"

"Yes, I disagree too."

"I don't agree either."

One by one, powerful families stepped forward. They didn't care about the emperor's life or death, and they wouldn't acknowledge the new emperor as the crown prince.

Upon hearing Marquis Qi's accusations, the Empress's face instantly turned ashen.

"Are you spouting nonsense and accusing me of plotting a rebellion?"

"You know the truth in your heart. Don't think you can cover up everything. This world will not tolerate such wicked people as you acting recklessly!" Lord Qi said disdainfully.

"Father Emperor personally identified the Empress as the one who poisoned him. According to Father Emperor's decree, Empress Chen has been deposed and should be removed."

Qin Jinhuai's order was like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone present stunned and bewildered, exchanging bewildered glances.

It wasn't until the royal guards surrounded the empress once again that she awoke from her daze and regained her voice.

"Qin Jinhuai, I am your mother, how could you lay a hand on me?"

The opposing powerful families were even more wary of Qin Jinhuai.

"The Crown Prince is so ruthless in his attempt to ascend the throne that he has turned his back on his own mother. He cannot be allowed to become emperor!"

"Worry about our lives first! Didn't you see that the Imperial Guards all obey the Crown Prince's orders?"