The trusted aides of Duke Qiguo and Commander Ruan directly closed in on the Emperor and Empress at the head of the room.

One of them reached out, trying to grab the Emperor.

The Empress, face pale, forced herself to remain calm and stood in front of the Emperor, angrily rebuking, "What are you trying to do? Are you rebelling or attempting regicide? Today, unless you walk over my dead body, don’t even think of touching a hair on His Majesty!"

The trusted aides hesitated; after all, the Empress was still the Empress at this moment, the mother of the nation, and they were under the watchful eyes of many. Even if they succeeded...

When the Second Prince ascends the throne in the future, to reassure the civil and military officials and to maintain a good reputation, he might simply throw out those who acted.

What kind of end would they meet then? At best, they’d be required to die to atone for their crimes; at worst, their families might not even be spared.

They didn’t care about their own lives, but what about their parents, wives, children, and families behind them?

A standoff ensued.

The Second Prince grew anxious—how could they falter at such a critical moment? And they claimed to be the most capable aides, yet were useless against a mere woman!

He quickly gave covert signals to Duke Qiguo and Commander Ruan, indicating they should act swiftly.

Consort Xian, having been observing all along, saw the Empress standing in defense, daring not to act recklessly.

Her eyes darted, spotting Hong Fei, Lv Cui, and a nursemaid holding the Ninth Prince hiding nearby; a plan suddenly formed in her mind.

Seizing the moment, she rushed over to the nursemaid, grabbed her hairpin, and pointed the sharp end at the Ninth Prince in the nursemaid’s arms with a sharp voice, "Empress, look here—"

Drawing everyone’s attention.

Seeing this, the Empress’s gaze contracted, biting her lip in anger, "Consort Xian, what are you doing? The child is innocent, you—"

"Empress, you now have two choices: either hand over the Emperor or watch your son die!" Consort Xian interrupted the Empress, threateningly bringing the sharp hairpin closer to the Ninth Prince.

The Empress seemed like she was about to collapse, her face filled with despair.

Turning to look at the still-unconscious Emperor, then at the nursemaid whose legs were trembling, nearly unable to support the Ninth Prince, and then at the snarling Consort Xian, she felt utterly helpless.

After a prolonged moment, she closed her eyes, knowing she could no longer hesitate and chose to gamble.

Opening her eyes, her gaze at Consort Xian was filled with resentment and murderous intent, "Consort Xian, if you come to your senses and release the Ninth Prince, I might spare your life. But should you persist in ignorance and dare harm a hair on the Ninth Prince, I swear, even in death, I will not let you go! Even as a ghost, I will crawl up from hell to seek revenge!"

Though these words were venomous, Consort Xian understood—The Empress had chosen the Emperor.

She sneered, "The Empress is truly devoted to His Majesty, willing to abandon her own son for such a useless wastrel—poor Ninth Prince; will he know that his own mother abandoned him when he gets to the other side—"

As she spoke, she forcefully aimed for the Ninth Prince’s eyes. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The women present couldn’t help but gasp, closing their eyes, unable to watch.

Just then, Hong Fei suddenly rushed from behind and bumped into the nursemaid’s legs.

The nursemaid staggered forward, unable to hold onto the Ninth Prince, and he flew out of her arms, about to hit the ground.

Little Luzi, who had been waiting for an opportunity, sprang forth, grabbed the Ninth Prince into his arms, rolled aside, and ducked under a nearby table.

Consort Xian, filled with rage, had put all her strength into the attempt. As the nursemaid fell, she missed the Ninth Prince, lost her balance, and the hairpin in her hand stabbed into the nursemaid’s buttocks.

The hairpin was sharp and Consort Xian was ruthless; with the fall, both she and the hairpin pinned the nursemaid to the ground.

The nursemaid let out a miserable scream, trying to struggle to get up, but was pinned down by Consort Xian, crying and calling for help, striving to wriggle free from under Consort Xian.

Who would’ve thought, Consort Xian had indulged in luxury for years, and the Emperor had long since ceased to favor the older consorts, so she’d let herself go, becoming somewhat plump.

Moreover, wearing ceremonial attire and heavy jewelry to show off, she pressed the nursemaid firmly.

Not to mention the fall, the hairpin’s end embedded in the nursemaid’s behind, although the other end wasn’t sharp, it was adorned with jade and gold; crafted with great skill by royal artisans, the floral leaf pattern was paper-thin and lightweight, making for a beautiful headpiece.

As it grazed Consort Xian’s face, it left several cuts across her cheeks and neck, blood immediately spilling out.

Consort Xian felt a chill on her cheek, reached up to touch it, and her fingers came away covered in blood. She let out a piercing scream, her eyes rolling back as she fainted.

The hall stirred into chaos; the Second Prince cared little about the Emperor and Empress’s lives, but being his own mother, seeing her faint frightened him, and he hurried forward to check on her.

Embracing Consort Xian, the Second Prince found the nursemaid’s crying and howling vexing; with a look, someone nearby struck her with the flat of a blade, silencing her instantly.

The Second Prince touched Consort Xian’s nose, finding her still breathing, hurriedly commanded, "Someone, summon the Imperial Physician—"

No one answered.

Turning around to look, he saw his men staring at the head of the room, mouths agape.

The Second Prince slowly turned his head, meeting the eyes of the Emperor who sat upright at the head, and his legs buckled beneath him, falling to the ground, "F-...Father..."

This call broke the silence in the hall; the civil and military officials, teary-eyed, emotionally gazed at the revived Emperor, kneeling one by one, "Your Majesty! It’s a relief you’re well!"

Duke Qiguo and Commander Ruan exchanged panicked glances, limbs numb, minds blank, unable to decide what to do, stunned in place.

Among the officials all kneeling, they stood out starkly.

The Emperor let out a cold laugh, "What admirable Duke Qiguo, what admirable Commander Ruan!"

Only then did they startle awake, letting the waist knife clatter to the ground and kneeling heavily, bowing low, "This subject is guilty unto death! This subject is guilty unto death!"

The Emperor merely glanced at them, then turned his gaze to the Second Prince, a slight smirk on his lips, "Old Second, you certainly show filial piety to your mother—"

The Second Prince trembled like a leaf in the wind, mind consumed with the thought: It’s over! Completely over!

Kneeling with his head down, he dared not utter a word.

Only then did the Emperor slowly rise, sweeping his gaze over the crowd, everyone within it kneeling.

After a long moment, he spoke, "Duke Weiguo, heed my command!"

Song Hong rushed forward, "This subject is here!"