She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 292 - 291: If His Majesty dares to touch her, this palace will never let it go!

Chapter 292: Chapter 291: If His Majesty dares to touch her, this palace will never let it go!

Many old ministers’ hearts had already chilled at this moment.

"Your Majesty, this matter requires further investigation," the ministers stood up one after another to speak for Yan Wanqing, "the Commandery Princess has always been forthright; there must be something fishy about this situation."

The Emperor’s expression grew increasingly dark, and the murderous intent in his eyes became harder and harder to conceal.

Li Qing shouted loudly, "His Majesty said, if she has evidence, let her produce it! If she has no evidence, one who kills should pay with their life. This has always been the law in Dawei!"

"Who says there’s no evidence!" a clear voice came from outside the hall.

Everyone immediately turned their heads.

A young man in white, seated in a wheelchair, was slowly pushed into the great hall by an eunuch.

The eunuch helped the young man to kneel on the ground with difficulty.

"I am Ji Yuntai, the Lord of Xiliang City. I entered the capital without summons and ask Your Majesty to forgive my presumption," Ji Yuntai knelt on the ground, holding a tray covered with a red cloth, "This is the evidence that Li Chengxiang attempted to assassinate Princess Anping."

The eunuch beside the Emperor quickly stepped forward to bring the tray before the Emperor.

The Emperor lifted the red cloth, revealing a scabbard.

Ji Yuntai said, "The dagger is with the Imperial Secret Police outside; I only brought the scabbard into the hall."

This dagger had been given to him by Xiao Pingfeng.

It was said it would be of great use, and indeed it was.

The Emperor examined the scabbard, "This dagger seems to have been gifted by the Crown Prince to Prince Seven. I remember it."

A quick look into the registry will reveal all traces, so it’s impossible to falsify.

"Your Majesty has a good memory. Later, Prince Seven gifted this dagger to Princess Yaochi as a personal defense token, also as a token of their betrothal," Ji Yuntai continued to speak slowly, his gaze calmly fixed on Li Qing on the ground, "I believe this individual also has some impression of it."

At this moment, Li Qing’s face turned pale, and his eyes darted around, not knowing how to begin speaking.

"I am actually a witness myself. I can prove that Princess Anping was repeatedly subjected to assassination attempts by Princess Yaochi while in Xiliang City. Xiliang City even launched a city-wide manhunt because of this. Fortunately, heaven was watching, and the Commandery Princess, blessed as she is, was not harmed by villains."

Ji Yuntai spoke with clear logic and a clear voice, speaking slowly to ensure everyone in the great hall could hear his words.

The Emperor, looking at the dagger’s scabbard, his facial wrinkles tightened very much.

"Audacious commoner, daring to deceive Your Majesty, come, someone!" Zhang Lanyi spoke at this moment, "Put this commoner in prison, and execute him soon as a warning to others!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qing was terribly frightened and looked straight at the Emperor.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I am wrongly accused! Save me, Your Majesty!"

The Emperor’s half-closed eyes were filled with murderous intent; he glanced at Li Qing.

Li Qing actually broke free from the soldiers and rushed forward. He had hardly taken a few steps up the steps when he was directly killed from behind by the soldiers, his blood splattering everywhere. The courtiers were frightened and retreated, even Zhang Lanyi let out a cry.

Yan Wanqing stood upright, eyes looking straight ahead. She was accustomed to blood and life and death, and was unfazed.

Similarly unfazed was the State Preceptor Song Huaxu. In his eyes, matters of life and death were trivial and did not catch his interest.

"Drag him away," said the Emperor impatiently.

Soon, Li Qing’s body was dragged away, his eyes wide open in a fierce stare, not closing even in death.

"It appears I have wrongly accused Anping..." Just as the Emperor began to speak, someone among the courtiers stepped forward, holding a memorial, "Your Majesty, Yan Wanqing has spoken disrespectfully, relying on her father’s and her own merits to show disrespect towards Your Majesty. Her capital crime may be pardoned, but her living crimes cannot be escaped."

The speaker was Minister Wang, a survivor of the Cao Man case who had not been sieved out from the Ministry of Revenue.

Looking at Yan Wanqing, his eyes filled with righteous indignation, "Your Majesty’s heart is kind, but such bold and reckless behavior is indeed a great disaster for Dawei’s realm, Your Majesty!"

The court officials, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, were once again tense.

Yan Wanqing remained standing in the same spot, her lips even curling into a smile.

Those familiar with her knew that the happier her smile appeared, the angrier she was.

"Your Majesty, look at her, she can still smile at such a time," Minister Wang, as if he had caught a hold of something significant, loudly rebuked her.

Yan Wanqing glanced at him sideways and laughed, "Should I cry instead? Since you have all spoken, I have nothing to say. Your Majesty, if you wish to kill or slash me, please do as you see fit. We of the Yan Family are no cowards."

"Your Majesty! Such a monstrous girl must not be kept! Today she dares to speak disrespectfully, tomorrow she might dare—," Minister Wang hurriedly said.

"You scoundrel!" the Emperor yelled furiously.

Minister Wang immediately knelt on the ground.

The Emperor stared deeply at Yan Wanqing, "Anping, kneel and apologize, and I can forget the past."

Kneel?

Yan Wanqing likewise gazed back at him, "You are no longer my sovereign, and I am no longer your subject, on what grounds should I kneel?"

At this statement, the entire place burst into shock, and Ji Yuntai’s heart also trembled with worry.

Indeed, Yan Wanqing must have eaten the Courage of the Bear and Leopard.

"Are you rebelling?" the Emperor’s voice was filled with unrestrained murderous intent and a certain excitement.

Minister Wang was even more agitated, "Your Majesty, quickly have this traitor arrested, and execute her right here!"

A group of soldiers flooded in from outside the hall, each brandishing a long blade at Yan Wanqing.

"I would like to see who dares—!" Surprisingly, the first to speak was Zhang Lanyi, standing by the Emperor’s side.

At that moment, she stood up, her beautiful face all grim, as she surveyed the court officials, "Those who are not afraid of death, go ahead and try!"

"Empress," the Emperor looked toward Zhang Lanyi, "what are you trying to do?"

Zhang Lanyi scoffed coldly, "Hasn’t Your Majesty figured it out already? Why pretend at this point! It nauseates me!"

As soon as her words dropped, thunder roared loudly outside, rumbling continuously one after the other, incessant and unsettling as if directly above the great hall.

At this point, all the court officials were dumbstruck.

It was thought that Yan Wanqing had gone mad, but who could have expected that the Empress had too.

At that moment, she stood up to openly contradict the Emperor, even berating the Emperor as nauseating!

The officials watched the scene before them in disbelief, even the usually observant Song Huaxu was shocked as he glanced at Zhang Lanyi.

Dressed strikingly captivating today, Zhang Lanyi stood in the great hall, boldly yelling at the Emperor, "If Your Majesty dares to touch her, I will definitely not let it go!"

Under the Emperor’s ferocious gaze, she also clapped her hands, and at that moment, another group emerged from outside the hall—it was the Imperial Secret Police!

Now, the Imperial Secret Police and the soldiers from before faced off, neither side daring to make the first move.

Who would have thought that the Imperial Secret Police had already become the Empress’s people.

"Very well, very well! Truly splendid! I didn’t know I was surrounded by so many traitors!" the Emperor mocked coldly, his gaze wishing he could kill Zhang Lanyi on the spot to feel relieved.

Zhang Lanyi likewise did not hide her hatred and murderous intent, "If we are talking about traitors, Your Majesty surely takes the lead? Over these years, how many loyal people have you killed? Don’t you know yourself? During the midnight cycle, haven’t these people visited Your Majesty’s dreams to wail injustices? Otherwise, why does Your Majesty need the candlelight to sleep every night?"

Zhang Lanyi’s lips were red as blood, "Is Your Majesty afraid? Afraid that they will come back to seek revenge on you, are you? Hahaha..." she laughed at the end, her laughter almost bringing her to tears.

Among these people were also members of her Zhang Family.