145 The Imperial Seal Betrays

Recalling that these two individuals had just delivered a message to them, they must surely be on their own side. Wei Rufeng glanced at Yan Yide and wondered: should they save them?

Yan Yide was deeply hesitant. Just moments ago, he had suspected whether one of these two might be the Second Prince in disguise, and if so, they certainly ought to be saved. However, judging by the current situation, the pretexts were solid; if they intervened now, Ji Pingshi up on the dais would undoubtedly use the opportunity to counterattack. Would they suffer defeat before the battle even truly began? Absolutely not.

Yan Yide secretly glanced back at the crowd of people with their heads bowed in silence, thinking to himself: Could it be that the Second Prince had arranged no other agents here at all? If there were others, why was everyone remaining silent—including the two kneeling imperial guards who were not even opening their mouths to plead for themselves?

Just as he was struggling to analyze the reasons, a loud, high-pitched shout rang out from outside the hall: "The Sixth Princess arrives—!"

Seeing Li Yurong appear at the entrance of the hall, a trace of displeasure flashed across Cheng Yurong's face. She secretly tugged at Ji Pingshi's sleeve once more, signaling: she had never gotten along with this deeply enigmatic Sixth Princess—surely she could be barred from entering the main hall?

Ji Pingshi still patted Cheng Yurong's hand in a soothing gesture. Ordinarily, princesses were indeed not permitted to enter the main hall, but today was the grand ceremony for the relocation of the imperial tombs, and as the representative of the unmarried princesses, the Sixth Princess naturally deserved a place in the hall as well.

"Luxi, grant a seat."

To Cheng Yurong's lower left, the Sixth Princess, Li Yurong, gracefully took her seat. As soon as she sat down, she inquired about the two imperial guards kneeling there: "What is going on with those two?"

Cheng Yurong exaggeratedly recounted the entire sequence of events with added embellishments, and at the end, she did not forget to pull on the Sixth Princess's hand to seek her support. "Would the Sixth Princess care to weigh in? Shouldn't such guards be dragged out and beaten to death immediately to serve as a warning to others?"

"Imperial Sister-in-law, ordinarily this younger sister ought not to meddle in court politics, but since you have asked, I cannot refuse to answer." The Sixth Princess gracefully covered her hand with a silk handkerchief and gently pushed away Cheng Yurong's grasping hand.

Cheng Yurong's expression instantly turned unsightly, while the Sixth Princess merely smiled even more gracefully. "Today is the grand ceremony to safely escort His Late Majesty on his solemn journey to the west. While we may not dare to explicitly decree that the entire realm of Yaotian must fast and abstain from shedding blood for the entire day, at least we, as his filial children, should ensure our hands remain unstained by blood so as to give him a peaceful and auspicious send-off."

Before Cheng Yurong could even retort, Yan Yide and Wei Rufeng had already led the assembled civil and military officials in bowing and chiming in, "The Sixth Princess is wise, benevolent, and deeply versed in grand etiquette. His Late Majesty's spirit in heaven will surely be gratified."

Cheng Yurong was instantly choked red in the face by the retort she failed to deliver. Were all these people accusing her of being devoid of sense and ignorant of etiquette?

The Sixth Princess! Cheng Yurong glared resentfully at the Sixth Princess. Did she not know that she was about to become the Empress? Did she know that acting this way would make her extremely angry?

The Sixth Princess smiled brightly, her gaze remaining entirely unperturbed. Could someone with a meager trick like that really become the Empress? As long as she drew breath, she would never allow it.

"Crown Prince Brother," the Sixth Princess bypassed Cheng Yurong and looked up at Ji Pingshi sitting upon the grand throne. "This younger sister had no intention of discussing court politics in the main hall, yet I must ask Crown Prince Brother not to let a moment of unintentional speech between my sister-in-law and myself disrupt the solemnity of state affairs."

"Imperial Sister is merely joking." Ji Pingshi for the third time pulled down Cheng Yurong's hand, which was once again trying to tug at his sleeve, and looked up toward the lower hall. "Commander Dai, take those two into the dungeon first. We shall interrogate them thoroughly tomorrow before deciding how to deal with them."

Yan Yide and Wei Rufeng exchanged glances. Whatever the Sixth Princess's ultimate motive might be, this move had undeniably helped them out first.

"The Crown Prince is wise and benevolent," the officials chorused.

Watching those two imperial guards being escorted away by Dai Chuan without a scratch on them, Cheng Yurong felt as though she could grind her teeth to dust. Was this not a blatant slap to her face? No, she would not stand for it.

"Crown Prince—" She tugged at Ji Pingshi's sleeve for the fourth time. When Ji Pingshi tilted his head to look down at her, she made no effort to conceal her frustration: Am I not the Empress-designate? Why is even a single word from me useless? Will you just stand by and let them bully me like this?

A flash of quick displeasure crossed the depths of Ji Pingshi's eyes, though with Cheng Yurong's limited perception, she failed to catch it at all.

Knowing that the present occasion was unsuited for detailed words of comfort, Ji Pingshi still patted her hand soothingly and traced a message with his fingertip upon Cheng Yurong's palm: *Tomorrow, you shall be in charge!*

Cheng Yurong raised an eyebrow: *Including yourself? You will let me be in charge of you too?*

Ji Pingshi closed his eyes briefly: *Very well, including myself.*

Only then did Cheng Yurong sit back up with a satisfied expression, taking the opportunity to cast a sidelong glance of minor triumph at the Sixth Princess: *See that? In the end, I am the one who wins.*

The Sixth Princess looked straight ahead without a flicker, thinking to herself: Try surviving today first before you start gloating.

At that moment, the eunuch outside the hall shouted once more at the top of his lungs: "Former Imperial Guard Commander Guan Qinghuai arrives—!"

The hall fell into a sudden, heavy silence.

The younger officials were utterly baffled: *Guan Qinghuai? The name sounds completely unfamiliar. Which dignitary is this?*

The older officials craned their necks to look: *Could it be that legendary commander who fought back the foreign invaders alongside the Retired Emperor?*

Yan Yide and Wei Rufeng, the only two surviving ministers of three reigns, both saw a glint of pleasant surprise in each other's eyes: *Has it not been several decades since last we saw him?*

Outside the hall, silence reigned as well.

In a secluded corner, the two imperial guards who were in the midst of stripping the clothes off the dead body of Dai Chuan froze.

"Did you notify your grandfather to come and hold down the fort today?"

"No, I didn't. Could it be Mu Zhijin from outside the palace?"

"If it were him, he couldn't possibly have failed to give you a heads-up."

"Then could it be..."

Their eyes met abruptly. *We're in trouble!*

Guan Qinghuai entered the hall wearing his former official uniform, holding a yellow package in his hands.

Walking before the assembled officials, Guan Qinghuai knelt upon the floor of the hall: "Former Imperial Guard Commander Guan Qinghuai pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Ji Pingshi nodded with satisfaction and beckoned Luxi over. "Commander Guan rendered great service to our realm of Yaotian; how could we allow Elder Guan to lower himself so? Elder Guan, please rise quickly. Luxi, grant a seat."

"The Crown Prince is benevolent, but this old subject dare not presume upon favor and pride himself on it." Guan Qinghuai stood up, yet did not take a seat. Instead, he extended his hands forward, holding the package high above his head: "Having lived up to the trust placed in me, the Imperial Seal has been safely recovered!"

*Gasps—* The Zhengde Hall, which had been deathly silent just moments before, erupted into an uproar.

"Could it be that what the Crown Prince mentioned earlier about the Imperial Seal being lost was actually true?"

"True or false, the real question is why was it the former Imperial Guard Commander of two reigns who found it? Then who on earth is the person that stole the Imperial Seal in the first place?"

The two imperial guards outside the hall rushed at top speed toward the direction of the main hall.

"Ji Pingshi actually managed to win Grandfather over to his side. That leaves only one reason."

"Guan Yihe! To think we let our guard down against this move! Ji Pingshi is truly ruthless!"

Inside the hall, Yan Yide felt a sinking premonition. The intelligence report he had received clearly stated that the Imperial Seal was in the hands of the Second Prince; how could it be—?

*Has the situation changed?* Yan Yide looked at Wei Rufeng.

Wei Rufeng indicated that he had no idea; the intelligence he received also placed the Imperial Seal with the Second Prince. So what on earth did this development mean?

*No, the Imperial Seal cannot fall into the hands of a fake Crown Prince!* Yan Yide covered his mouth with his sleeve and gave a sharp cough, "Ahem!" The sound was directed squarely at Guan Qinghuai, conveying the silent message: *Old friend, you are aiding a tyrant! Take the seal back quickly; the man on the dais is not the true Crown Prince!*

Wei Rufeng was far more direct. He stepped forward and closed the distance to Guan Qinghuai's side. "Is the Imperial Seal of our Yaotian realm inside this package?" As he spoke, he reached out to snatch it. "To ensure its safety, I had better inspect it first—"

Just as his hand brushed the edge of the package, Ji Pingshi's voice rang out from the dais: "This prince trusts Elder Guan implicitly! Luxi, retrieve the Imperial Seal!"

Wei Rufeng faltered for a fraction of a second, then straightened his fingers and lunged forward with redoubled speed to grab it anyway. Even if it meant resorting to force, the Imperial Seal had to be secured by their own faction first!