Chapter 11 The Hanging Heart Died
The old tutor's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, was shattered to pieces by Yu Zhaoning's words.
He tried to close his eyes and pretend to be dead, but his old eyes just wouldn't close.
They could only watch helplessly as the figure on the phoenix throne moved.
Yuan Hua's movements were as fast as lightning, giving Consort Mei no chance to react at all.
A blur flashed by, and Consort Mei felt a chill on her scalp as the wooden hairpin she cherished in her hair was already in Yuan Hua's hand.
"Since it was carved by the late emperor himself, then let me take a good look at it."
Yuan Hua's voice was unreadable; she held the wooden hairpin in her hand, gently stroking it with her fingertips as if admiring a rare treasure.
"I want to see just how much my own son's skills have improved."
Consort Mei was completely stunned. She instinctively covered her head, her mind buzzing.
What is the Empress Dowager saying?
She stared at my wooden hairpin, could it be...?
Impossible! Absolutely no one could know the origin of this wooden hairpin!
Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, devoid of any color.
Just then, Yuan Hua's fingers, which were stroking the wooden hairpin, suddenly stopped.
"Um?"
She raised an eyebrow slightly, brought the wooden hairpin close to her eyes, narrowed her phoenix eyes, and examined it carefully.
"There seems to be something different hidden in the patterns of these plum blossoms."
She gently touched the stamen of the flower with her fingertip, where there seemed to be an extremely tiny bump.
Soon, a chilling smile appeared on his lips.
"Found it."
She chuckled lightly, then looked over with icy eyes: "Bold Consort Mei!"
Yuan Hua slammed the wooden hairpin onto the imperial desk with a loud, dull thud.
"How dare you have an affair with an enemy state, defile the palace, and even try to confuse the bloodline of my Great Yu royal family with the bastard child of Yan!"
"Do you know your crime!"
Every word made Consort Mei's heart pound wildly.
Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, her mind blank.
"No, that's not it..."
Upon seeing this, Yu Jingchuan rushed over to support his mother. His eyes were red as he roared at Yuan Hua.
"Grandmother! My mother didn't!"
"Father's body is barely cold, and you treat us, a widow and orphans, like this? What you've done truly chills my heart!"
His words were sincere and heartfelt, filled with grief and indignation.
However, at that moment, a clear and pleasant voice rang out.
Lin Qingyan, the Prime Minister, walked out slowly and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the Phoenix Throne.
"Empress Dowager, is it not unfair and too hurtful to judge Consort Mei as a traitor based solely on a suspicious detail on the wooden hairpin?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Jingchuan looked at Lin Qingyan as if he had grasped a lifeline.
Yes! Lin Xiang is right!
Yuan Hua sneered, not even bothering to glance at Consort Mei again.
She threw the wooden hairpin directly towards Lin Qingyan.
"Fair? Then you should see for yourself whether this is fair or not!"
The wooden hairpin traced an arc in the air before being caught steadily by Lin Qingyan.
He held the wooden hairpin in his palm and looked down to examine it carefully.
Just one glance.
The color drained instantly from Lin Xiang's gentle, jade-like face.
He fell silent.
That silence is more lethal than any words.
He silently turned around and handed the wooden hairpin to the old tutor behind him, who was already swaying precariously.
The old tutor took it with trembling hands.
He only glanced at it.
The old tutor could no longer hold back and burst into tears on the spot.
The sound of crying was heartbreaking to hear and brought tears to the eyes of all who heard it.
Some felt sorry for the late emperor, some worried about the fate of the Great Yu dynasty, but many more...
I cried because I was so stupid!
He thought to himself, having spent his life on the battlefield and boasting of his discerning eyes, how could he have believed the lies of this mother and son! And they even challenged the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager every day in court for this fake prince!
He has completely lost face today!
As the civil and military officials watched the two heavyweight figures in the court, one silent and the other weeping, their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, were completely chilled.
It's over.
It's confirmed.
For a moment, all the ministers stood as silent statues.
Yu Jingchuan panicked completely.
He turned around abruptly and looked at the ministers who usually valued him the most and spoke of benevolence and morality.
"My lords! Please say something!"
"You all, please say a word for me and my mother!"
All the civil and military officials were looking down at their noses, seemingly lost in thought.
Some are looking at the ceiling, others are counting the floor tiles.
No one dared to look him in the eye.
The atmosphere was so awkward you could dig a Forbidden City out of your toes.
Yu Jingchuan's heart sank little by little, and he turned to his last hope.
"Grand Tutor! Teacher! Please say something! You love your students the most!"
"you..."
Before he could finish speaking, the old Grand Tutor cried out in despair, "Heaven has forsaken my Great Yu!" and then, with a swift movement, rolled his eyes back and fell straight backward.
"Grand Tutor!"
Several quick-thinking officials immediately helped him up, pinching his philtrum and patting his back to help him breathe.
The only sound in the entire court was Yu Jingchuan's devastating roar.
"Why! Why is this happening?!"
"Why are you all ignoring me! You didn't say that before!"
His expression was mad, and he pointed at all the civil and military officials in the court, his voice shrill.
"Didn't you all say you would fully support me? Didn't you say I was the rightful heir and the most qualified to inherit the throne?"
"Why are you all turning silent now that I'm in dire straits! Why are you all making excuses and delaying things!"
Upon hearing this, Consort Mei was terrified and scrambled over to cover his mouth.
"Chuan'er! Stop talking! Stop talking!"
"Get out of my way!"
Yu Jingchuan shoved his mother away violently, and Consort Mei fell to the ground in a disheveled state.
Cui Yue, who was standing to the side, also realized that something was wrong and quickly went forward to pull him away.
"Your Highness! Please calm down!"
"You get out too!"
With bloodshot eyes, Yu Jingchuan pushed Cui Yue to the ground again.
Cui Yue slumped onto the cold, golden palace floor tiles, her lips trembling, only two words remaining in her mind.
It's over!
That's not how it is in the original novel! In the original novel, the eldest prince endured hardship and only managed to defeat the vicious Empress Dowager with the help of the female lead!
How come the plot has completely changed now! Not only did that four-year-old empress not die, but she's also acting like she's been given a cheat code!
Why did the eldest prince go crazy in the court?!
She was just a lowly palace maid. If the eldest prince fell from power, how could she become empress? How could she reach the pinnacle of her life?
Over there, Yu Jingchuan had completely gone mad.
"I think you all look down on me! You think that because I'm powerless and have offended the Empress Dowager, you can bully me at will?"
He laughed wildly and pointed to the small figure on the dragon throne.
"I tell you! No matter what, I am the eldest son of the late emperor! I am the most qualified person to inherit the throne!"
"What is that thing on the dragon throne? A young girl with blond hair! A mere woman! How dare she usurp the throne!"
"Only the Empress Dowager has lost her mind to do such an absurd thing! She's just trying to seize control of the government!"
Upon hearing this, the eyelids of all the civil and military officials in the court twitched wildly.
Dude! You're really something else!
How dare you say such things in the imperial palace?
Are you afraid you won't die fast enough?
Even Lin Xiang, who had been watching the show the whole time, shook his head helplessly and silently took a step back.
I'm completely giving up on it.
An official next to him quietly tugged at his sleeve, asking with his eyes.
Lin Xiang, what do you think we should do?
Lin Xiang didn't even look at him; his lips moved slightly, and his voice was as cold as ice.
"Don't worry about it. He's of enemy blood. Let him cause trouble."
"He's impersonating a prince of my Great Yu Dynasty. Even if he wanted to live, he wouldn't survive!"
Upon hearing this, the group of ministers immediately understood the meaning.
Everyone took three steps back in unison, keeping a distance of eight zhang from Yu Jingchuan, wishing they could disappear on the spot and sever all ties with him.
On the dragon throne, four-year-old Yu Zhaoning swung her short legs, forgetting to eat the melon.
She watched the crazed man below with great interest.
[Wow, that's really a werewolf self-destructing!]
The child's sweet voice echoed in the minds of the ministers, filling them with astonishment.
[They switched sides so quickly? I haven't even really put in my effort yet! This is so boring!]
[This victory came a little too fast! System, system, quick, play me a song called "Good Days" that my grandmother sang to celebrate!]
The system's electronic voice immediately sounded in my mind.
[Ding! The song "Good Days" has started playing! BGM starts!]
[Host, please read this quickly! After you finish reading this shocking scoop, you'll receive 1000 points! Besides gene serums, the hybrid rice seeds in the shop will also be waiting for you!]
Hybrid rice? What kind of rice is this?
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiang, who was in charge, made sure to remember this reward.
He took a closer look at the Empress Dowager on the platform and noticed that she couldn't control her expression and showed obvious joy. He knew that this seed must be a good thing!
I never imagined that the magical thing called the System in His Majesty's mind would be so amazing. Not only can it be used to enjoy the gossip in the court, but it can also benefit the country and the people, and is beneficial to agriculture.
It seems we need to change our minds. If the Empress truly brings prosperity to the Great Yu Dynasty, what are they still doing? What's the point of all this fuss?
Actually, when Yuen Wah heard that they were supposed to continue watching the show, he felt uneasy, thinking it might not be suitable for a four-year-old child.
But as soon as he heard the rice harvester waving, he couldn't help but grin and sat back down.
Well, it's okay now.
If we can get our hands on hybrid rice, it's just a small thing, no big deal!
On the dragon throne, Yu Zhaoning's eyes lit up instantly when she heard about points.
Oh right! There's a reward too!
Since it was a hybrid rice seed, this was the kind of food that her grandmother had repeatedly told her about, a food that could feed all the people in the world!
She immediately perked up and continued reading with great interest.
The little body leaned forward, its chubby little hands supporting its chin, and it let out another exclamation.
[Wow!]