The clanging of weapons and the thuds of people falling to the ground continued, gradually approaching the imperial study.
Consort Shu's heart leaped into her throat. The Imperial Guards protected the palace, at their command. Disobedient concubines, maids, and eunuchs were all imprisoned and couldn't possibly cause trouble. The sound of fierce fighting meant someone had broken into the palace. With such tight security, how could someone break in? Could it be...?
As the light dimmed at the entrance, a tall, imposing figure, covered in blood, stepped into the imperial study. His silver armor was stained with blood, his skin was slightly bronze, and his somewhat aged face had a pair of sharp, tiger-like eyes that shone brightly in the blink of an eye.
Consort Shu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was instantly relieved. She had originally thought that the Prince of Yan had killed the Duke of Mu and rushed to the palace to save the emperor. Unexpectedly, the first person to step into the imperial study was the Duke of Mu. It must have been a group of fearless secret guards who broke into the palace and fought fiercely with the imperial guards.
With Mu Guogong returning safely, the Prince of Yan must have been killed or captured. Without his obstruction, Liu'er can smoothly ascend the throne as emperor first thing tomorrow morning.
"Shen Lixue, you've planned everything, but did you ever foresee that the Mu Kingdom Guild would storm into the Imperial Study? With them here, you can't touch me in the slightest. Just surrender obediently, and maybe I'll take pity on you and leave you with a whole corpse!"
Duke Mu finally showed some wisdom. Instead of sending his incompetent secret guards or imperial guards to launch a sneak attack, he took advantage of the chaos to lower Shen Lixue and Lu Jiangfeng's guard and directly broke into the imperial study to rescue her.
"Thump!" Amidst Consort Shu's triumphant display, Duke Mu's tall body suddenly collapsed without warning. A dagger pierced through the gap under his silver armor and deeply embedded itself in his back, blood seeping out through the armor.
The ordinary square face of the Prince of Yan appeared before them. Beside him was a handsome face, a face sculpted from white jade. His snow-white face made the sun in the sky pale in comparison. A white robe fluttered gently, exuding nobility and elegance. The coldness and arrogance flashing in his sharp eyes made people feel awe.
That incomparably handsome face had appeared countless times in Consort Shu's dreams. Although she knew the white-clad man before her was not the one in her heart, looking at that face, she was filled with shock and anger, utterly stunned: What was going on? How could the Prince of Yan and Dongfang Heng have broken into the palace? Duke Mu, Duke Mu!
Consort Shu hurriedly looked down and saw Duke Mu lying on the ground covered in blood, his eyes closed, his life hanging in the balance. Her heart sank instantly, and her sharp eyes dimmed.
The Imperial City Guard and the Imperial Guard are both under the control of Duke Mu. He was seriously injured and half-dead, so the Imperial City Guard and the Imperial Guard must have also been in trouble. Without these two major bargaining chips, how can they hold the emperor hostage, control the capital, and support their son to ascend the throne?
"Li Xue!" With a graceful arc in the air, Dongfang Heng appeared before Shen Li Xue, gently putting his arm around her shoulder and looking her over with concern: "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing!" Shen Lixue pinched his arm hard through his clothes with her fair hand, feigning anger, "Why did you take so long to get here?"
Dongfang Heng looked at the fallen Duke Mu: "He is quite capable. The entire Imperial Guard was mobilized, their forces are vast, and their combat strength is not weak. My father and I went to great lengths to subdue them..."
Shen Lixue's cold gaze fell on Consort Shu: "Consort Shu, we are the ultimate winners!"
Duke Mu was unwilling to be demoted to a commoner and secretly plotted a rebellion. The emperor did not expect them to be so audacious and was caught off guard.
Dongfang Heng and Dongfang Yan both sent people to secretly monitor the Mu State Duke's Mansion. Although their plot to rebel was well-hidden, their people still managed to detect some clues.
The Duke of Mu's family is a powerful and deeply entrenched noble family in the Western Liang Dynasty. They also have considerable connections in the court. To eliminate them completely and decisively, a very suitable reason is needed, and their plot to usurp the throne is a perfect opportunity.
Dongfang Heng and Dongfang Yan remained calm and allowed Mu Zixin to imprison the emperor, intending to let the emperor see the true face of the Mu family.
They deliberately appeared in the city to lure Duke Mu there, intending to capture the leader first. Taking advantage of Duke Mu's laxity, they secretly deployed troops to trap the imperial guards, subdue the Imperial Guards, and then capture Duke Mu, thus restoring peace to Xiliang.
The emperor detests betrayal by court officials, threats from concubines, and imprisonment that restricts freedom after stripping them of their rights. The Duke of Mu and Consort Shu have violated the emperor's greatest taboo. Once he regains his freedom, he will surely hate the Duke of Mu's family and have them all executed.
By using the Emperor of Xiliang to eliminate the Mu family without leaving a trace, the Holy Princess could avenge herself without triggering a war between Xiliang and Qingyan. This was a win-win situation that Dongfang Heng was very willing to do.
"You are Qingyan people, interfering in the affairs of Xiliang, aren't you just trying to take advantage of the situation to annex Xiliang? Even the Qingyan War God only knows how to take advantage of others' misfortunes." Consort Shu's rebellion failed, and she will definitely not have a good ending. Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue ruined her plans. If she dies, they will not have an easy time either.
Lu Jiangfeng faced Dongfang Heng, his unfocused eyes carrying a hint of suspicion. It was understandable that he was suspicious; as the Prince of Qingyan, he had gone to great lengths to quell the rebellion in Xiliang for no apparent reason, and any intelligent person would suspect that he had ulterior motives.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow at Consort Shu: "Mu Zixin, you don't need to sow discord. Not everyone in this world is as ambitious as you, wanting to conquer the world and control the government!"
Consort Shu glared at her coldly, her eyes full of mockery: "You are Prince An and Princess An of Qingyan. Why would you come to Xiliang for no reason?" The God of War of Qingyan holds the military seal of hundreds of thousands of troops and controls the fate of most of Qingyan. Why would he come to Xiliang for a leisurely stroll when he's bored? What a flimsy excuse.
Lu Jiangfeng stood quietly, without saying a word, but the doubts in his heart remained unresolved.
A faint smell of blood wafted through the air. Shen Lixue looked at the mess in the room and sighed softly, "Now that things have come to this, there's nothing left to hide. As Consort Shu said, we came to Xiliang not for a honeymoon trip, but for the sake of the Duke Mu's mansion and Consort Shu."
"For us?" Consort Shu's beautiful eyes narrowed, and she frowned in confusion. "Why?"
"Does Your Highness have a daughter named Ye Qianmei? Did she go to Qingyan for a political marriage?" Shen Lixue asked, her eyes wide as she looked at Consort Shu.
“That’s right!” Consort Shu nodded. Everyone in Xiliang knew about Ye Qianmei’s marriage to a foreign ruler, so there was nothing to hide. However, why would Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue follow Qianmei to find her and the Duke of Mu’s mansion?
"Among her dowry was a golden Huasheng, a token of love that the Holy Prince gave to the Holy Princess twenty years ago. Five years ago, the Holy Princess fell off a cliff and died, and the Huasheng disappeared without a trace. Five years later, it became part of Princess Qianmei's dowry. We became suspicious, which is why we came to Xiliang to investigate..."
Consort Shu's sharp eyes narrowed suddenly, then returned to normal. She said coldly, "The items in the world are mostly the same. There are many similar pieces of jewelry. To say that the exact same piece belongs to the Holy Princess is too arbitrary."
She gritted her teeth in hatred. That golden Huasheng was very beautiful. Consort Shu had always kept it locked in a box by her bedside. Ye Qianmei had seen it once by chance and asked her for it. She gave a random excuse and refused to give it to her. She never expected that Ye Qianmei would secretly steal it during the marriage alliance.
Ye Qianmei has always been arrogant and self-important. She must have been showing off her Huasheng jewelry everywhere, which Dongfang Heng saw. So he brought Xiliang here. That stupid, pig-like brat ruined the entire Mu State Duke's Mansion.
Shen Lixue looked at Consort Shu's haughty face and sneered, "The Holy Princess's sash is engraved with the Holy King's Mansion's mark. No matter how exquisite or beautiful other people's sashes are, they can't possibly be engraved with the Holy King's Mansion's mark!" Shen Lixue watched Consort Shu's face gradually darken and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"From Xiliang Capital to Qingyan Capital, one has to travel thousands of miles and pass through many cities and towns. Qianmei loves beauty and likes to buy jewelry, so Huasheng might have been bought by her along the way."
The fact that the late Holy Princess's Hua Sheng appeared in Consort Shu's hands signifies that she killed the Holy Princess.
Her attempt to usurp the throne failed, and the Duke of Mu was seriously injured. She lost her protection and would soon become a prisoner. She was powerless to resist. If she confessed to her crimes, Dongfang Heng and Dongfang Yan might tear her apart in a fit of anger. She was not foolish enough to seek her own death.
"I grew up in the capital of Xiliang and entered the palace as a concubine at the age of sixteen. I have never been to Qingyan, so how could I have the Huasheng of your Holy Princess? Duke Mu has been guarding the border for more than ten years and has never set foot in Qingyan. The Holy Princess died five years ago and has nothing to do with us. You don't even think carefully. You suspect and plot against me and Duke Mu just because of that Huasheng. You are as stupid as pigs."
"Is Consort Shu sure you've never been to Qingyan?" Shen Lixue looked at Consort Shu, her smile carrying a deeper meaning.
Consort Shu scoffed, raising her chin slightly, and said arrogantly, "What a joke! Do you think I don't know whether I've been to Qingyan or not?"
"Is that so?" A clear voice rang out in the room. Shen Lixue's slender figure instantly appeared in front of Consort Shu. Her fair hands grabbed the tattered clothes on Consort Shu's back and tore them apart with force. A large piece of the fine silk was torn, revealing most of her bare back.
"Chen Lixue, what are you doing?" Consort Shu's shrill scream echoed throughout the imperial study. Prince Yan turned his head away, refusing to look at the erotic scene.
Ye Qianlong's clear eyes gazed at the emperor who was sleeping soundly on the bed. He was not lustful, and had no interest in an old woman like Consort Shu.
Lu Jiangfeng stared blankly out the dark window; even if he couldn't see, he wouldn't look at what was improper.
Dongfang Heng's helpless gaze fell on Shen Lixue. It was perfectly acceptable for the women to tear each other's clothes and embarrass her when they had a conflict.
But they are interrogating Consort Shu now. Li Xue tore her clothes in front of so many men. She was shouting loudly and was emotionally unstable. Can the interrogation continue?
"Your Highness, is the butterfly pattern on your shoulder blade a scar or a birthmark?" Shen Lixue's light words were like a thunderclap, startling Dongfang Heng and Dongfang Yan, who suddenly turned their heads to look at the Consort Shu's shoulder blade.