Feng Zhi Wei smiled, carried Gu Zhi Xiao straight to the throne. The little emperor stood on the throne and reached out to catch Zhi Xiao, but Feng Zhi Wei abruptly stretched out her hand and lifted him off the imperial throne!
An uproar erupted below. Watching this unfold, an elderly minister’s eyes rolled back in his head and he nearly fainted on the spot!
“You dare!” Two sword-bearing guards immediately sprang out from behind the throne and crossed their blades horizontally in front of Feng Zhi Wei.
Feng Zhi Wei paid them no heed. She flicked her fingers once, sending the two swords flying out. The swords crashed into the massive pillars in the hall and clattered to the ground. The fan-holding palace maids screamed and stumbled backward. The young emperor stood there, dumfounded, biting his fingers, then suddenly opened his mouth and burst into tears.
Amidst the chaos, Feng Zhi Wei calmly bent down, dusted off the throne where the young emperor’s boots had stepped, then she lifted Gu Zhi Zhi Xiao into her arms.
And placed her squarely on the throne.
Suddenly, the hall fell silent.
Those who had been shouting stood frozen with mouths agape. Those who had been screaming stared with their eyes wide open. Those who were about to charge forward stood suspended mid-step with their one foot still in the air, unsure of where to put their foot.
Everyone in the hall was rendered speechless, turning into clay and wooden-like statues by this calm yet incredibly brazen act.
Everyone stood staring blankly upward, at the little child sitting on the throne. The child was very calm as she sat there serenely, without the slightest awkwardness, one hand on her strange cage and the other casually on the dragon armrest of the throne.
Her posture and manner caused everyone to suck in a sharp breath of cold air.
Once that sharp inhale passed, reactions began to ripple through the crowd. Some began to curse angrily, some rushed forward to stop them, some looked confused, some exchanged glances of delight.
Lu Rui lifted his head and looked at the child on the throne. A look of resolve flashed across his eyes. He made a gesture towards the outside of the hall, and someone immediately noted his order and hurried away.
The arrow is already on the string; there was no choice but to release it.
More and more people came rushing forward.
“Who is this madman? How dare you commit such a treasonous act in the Golden Hall of our Xiliang empire! Guards!”
Feng Zhi Wei stood with her hands behind her back, looking at the bustling crowd with a cold smile on her lips. Suddenly, she flipped her hand.
A flash of light gleamed between her fingers and palm.
The person at the very front of the crowd that was rushing forward stopped abruptly.
The person behind couldn’t stop in time and crashed into the back of the person in front, making him dizzy. The person groggily raised his head and saw a golden locket shining in Feng Zhi Wei’s outstretched, snow white palm.
The locket had a unique shape. A dragon’s head on the left, a phoenix’s tail on the right, and a rare piece of large obsidian in the middle. The obsidian’s color was pure and deep. Under the light, the top of the obsidian sparkled with a dark purple light, like a dragon’s eye, majestic beyond compare, gazing down coldly from the top of the golden palace.
Xiliang Empire revered the virtue of water and honored the color black. Obsidian was a common ornament used by Xiliang’s imperial family, but an obsidian of such size and such flawless quality was the first time anyone had ever seen. They all stood there stunned except for a few elderly ministers who suddenly out an “Eh?!” of surprise.
“This object, I think, there must be someone here who would recognize it.” Feng Zhi Wei spoke for the first time since entering the hall, her voice cool and clear.
Below, a white haired old minister smacked his lips and said in a trembling voice, “This is the Dragon-Eyed Obsidian that the Governor of Youhuo County in the south presented on the occasion of the late emperor’s fiftieth birthday. It is said to have been obtained from overseas. The only one in the entire world. The late emperor was exceedingly fond of it, and he even…”
“And he even what?” Lu Rui immediately asked.
“I remember this too.” Another elderly minister joined in, “At the time, the late emperor was admiring the gem and said that since there was only one of its kind in the world, he would leave it to his descendants. At the time…Consort Mi happened to be pregnant. The late emperor also said…that he would bestow it upon the unborn imperial son…” He suddenly lifted his head and looked at Gu Zhi Xiao on the throne, his eyes widened.
“This locket!” Someone else cried out, “I have seen it before! One month before the late emperor went on his campaign, he ordered the Imperial Household Department to have this locket made. The design was personally chosen by the late emperor himself– dragon head on the left, phoenix tail on the right. At the time, I was the deputy chief steward of the Imperial Household Department. When the locket was finished, I personally presented it to the late emperor. The late emperor said that once the imperial son was born, the child’s birth date and time would be engraved on it…”
These men were all important and veteran officials of Xiliang. Those who had truly followed the emperor since the establishment of the Xiliang empire, whose words carried decisive weight in court. As soon as these three men uttered their words, everyone’s expression changed.
Some still did not grasp what this meant, but most already understood the implication. They stared in shock at Gu Zhi Xiao on the throne.
Could it be…this child…
The Regent’s close confidants all had anxious expressions on their faces. Glancing repeatedly toward the hall entrance, they shouted loudly, “Who knows if this thing is real or fake? Everyone, don’t be fooled by this person! We should punish him first for trespassing the Golden Hall!”
At the same time, some quietly gathered around Lu Rui and whispered, “Grand Marshal, why hasn’t His Highness arrived yet? Given the situation, should we…?” As he spoke, the man raised his hand and made a slicing motion across his throat.
Lu Rui frowned, staring at the steps. Inwardly, he was secretly delighted that the evidence in Wei Zhi’s possession was even more powerful than he had imagined. Outwardly, he pretended to be full of worry and slowly nodded, saying, “Yes, something is not right. We cannot allow Wei Zhi to keep talking. How dare a foreign envoy come to our Xiliang palace with such wild fantasies and question the legitimacy of the heir apparent? It’s absurd. I will send someone in to kill him right now!”
Everyone around him nodded. A sinister glint flashed across Lu Rui’s eyes. With a wave of his hand, a large number of guards rushed into the hall. The Regent’s confidants, clustered around Lu Rui, all let out a breath of relief. One military officer pointed menacingly at Feng Zhi Wei and said, “Seize that madman who is spewing nonsense and dares to offend Our Majesty! Drag down that brat who dares to sit on the throne and smash her to death!”
“Yes!”
After a chorus of responses, the guards poured into the hall like an ocean tide and quickly took position behind the Regent’s confidants. Those men turned around in shock and urged, “Why are you all standing here? Hurry up and go up…ouch!”
The hard swords clanged in unison as they were all pressed against the men’s backs. Even Lu Rui’s back had a sword against it.
In an instant, the entire hall fell into silence again. The crowd was stunned by the sudden reversal of events and stood frozen in shock. Only a few slow-reacting elderly ministers were still shouting, “I recognize that object…it’s real…”
Lu Rui flew into “rage” and shouted, “What are you doing!”
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