Chen You's mouth was gagged, his red eyes seemingly fixated only on Geng Yufei, staring at her intently.
The intense emotion within them was so overwhelming that the women present dared not look.
It was too unsettling!
His gaze was as if he intended to devour the Empress!
Yet, Yun Shu showed no fear, walking up to Chen You, completely astonishing everyone.
Zhan Tianye raised his eyes and glanced at Qiu Lu. Qiu Lu understood immediately and quickly moved behind Chen You.
Zhan Ming, who arrived a step too late, was about to reach out and grip Chen You's neck, intending to snap it, when his arm was caught.
Yun Shu lifted her eyelids, her gaze as calm and cold as ice, looking at Zhan Ming. "What does the Regent intend to do?"
"This man attempted to assassinate the Empress. I cannot let him harm anyone else." Zhan Ming tried to shake off Yun Shu's hand. How dare she interfere!
Chen You must die!
He must not be left alive!
A sharp glint flashed in Yun Shu's beautiful eyes, fierce and piercing, but her words were casual. "He's already tied up securely, his mouth gagged. Who else can he harm? Furthermore, with so many women present, why did he head straight for the Empress? Why does he know so much about the Empress? Could it be that he's been secretly watching her? Or has he been secretly watching other concubines? What are his true intentions? To kill him now without clarifying these doubts would make people suspect the Regent wishes to silence him."
"You! Nonsense!" Zhan Ming's eyes were as dark and turbulent as water, filled with murderous intent.
Yun Shu's tone shifted. Looking at the ashen-faced Zhan Ming, she smiled. "Therefore, I've timely stopped the Regent to prevent anyone from suspecting him. Moreover, Prince Ye isn't in a hurry to have this man killed. If the Regent acts first, it's bound to raise suspicions about his motives."
"Regent, is he your man?" Zhan Tianye narrowed his eyes, his voice so cold it could freeze bone and blood.
Zhan Ming almost spat out a mouthful of blood. The two of them were working in concert, blocking all his words! His outstretched hand now looked like a joke. He tightened his lips, thinking of the fate that awaited the Geng family, and could not control his urge to kill.
"Enough! This banquet ends here. No one should speak further without knowing the truth. All of you, leave the palace! I will host another banquet another day," the Empress Dowager said coldly, her face grim.
The situation could not afford any more complications!
Geng Yufei finally came to her senses and pointed at Chen You, shouting, "He's an assassin, kill him quickly!"
How could this be?
Why had Brother Chen suddenly gone mad? Hadn't he always wanted to be good to her? To protect her in secret? Why was he ruining her now?
How could she explain the marks on her body?
Everyone present had seen them!
As the Empress of a nation, she had lost all face!
The Empress Dowager had spoken. Though everyone was filled with doubt, they knew they couldn't question or speculate openly. They rose, bowed to the Empress Dowager, and prepared to leave.
Yun Shu's eyes flickered. She glanced down at Chen You, about to secretly help him remove the gag.
From a distance, a palace servant's shrill voice announced.
"The Emperor arrives!"
Upon hearing this, everyone exclaimed, "The Emperor is here!"
The quicker-witted among them quickly looked towards Geng Yufei.
The Empress had just experienced such an incident, being molested by a guard, and there was even a possibility of a private affair. Now that the Emperor had arrived, this matter would certainly not be easily resolved!
Those with sharper minds also subtly observed the Empress Dowager. She had intended to suppress this matter and find a reasonable excuse. Now that the Emperor had arrived, her expression turned even more displeased.
The atmosphere in the hall became strangely tense.
Yun Shu looked at Zhan Tianhong approaching from afar and felt a pang of guilt considering the current situation.
He was still young and had to experience such things. She had indeed overlooked him earlier.
She would give him some calming medicine before they left the palace.
Zhan Tianhong looked over from a distance and his gaze immediately fell upon Yun Shu. She was always so radiant in the crowd, and no one could steal her brilliance.
At the banquet, whether it was the Empress Dowager, Geng Yufei, or even Yun Yueyin, they were all plotting against her. He had rushed over immediately upon hearing about it, only to hear of yet another incident before he even arrived.
His eyes turned frosty as he looked coldly at Geng Yufei.
Well done, Geng Yufei!
She had committed such a sickening act!
"Your humble son pays his respects to Mother Consort," Zhan Tianhong said, approaching with an extremely cold demeanor towards the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager sensed Zhan Tianhong's distance and her already displeased expression darkened further.
However, she hid it well and soon spoke with warmth and kindness, "The Emperor isn't busy? Why have you come so suddenly?"
She knew very well that Zhan Tianhong had no regard for her as his mother, even if he called her Mother Consort outwardly. He wouldn't treat her as his birth mother. She didn't care; he was just an ungrateful rebellious son, and his lifespan was uncertain.
"I was indeed busy reviewing memorials, but I didn't expect such a major incident to occur in the palace just as Mother Consort returned! Truly a scandal of the palace!" Zhan Tianhong replied, his gaze fixed on Geng Yufei as if it were poisoned.
Geng Yufei felt as if struck by lightning, trembling violently with a deathly pale face. Although she had been covered with clothes by a palace servant, she still felt a chilling cold.
Today was supposed to be Yun Shu's day of living death, so why had it turned out to be her? How had she ended up in such a predicament?
It was all Chen You! Chen You had gone mad!
Chen You had gone mad!
"Emperor!" The Empress Dowager's voice suddenly rose, tinged with a hint of sharpness.
Her gaze towards Zhan Tianhong held a trace of threat.
Just like in the past, when the young Zhan Tianhong had lived in constant trepidation under the Empress Dowager's stern gaze, afraid to anger her, living with extreme caution. He had once hoped the Empress Dowager would be kind to him, give him some motherly affection. But this hope faded with her indifference and his worsening health. He finally understood that the Empress Dowager would never be kind to him.
Even if he treated her as a mother, she wouldn't treat him as a son!
He had been foolish!
Although Zhan Tianhong's body remained frail, he had slowly transformed into a towering tree. Under the Empress Dowager's gaze, he showed no sign of retreating. Instead, his back straightened, revealing his imperial presence.
He said in a deep voice, "Mother Consort need not be angered. I am already aware of the Empress's infidelity."
The palace servant who had just reported to him had told him that Geng Yufei's body was covered with marks left from illicit affairs.
He had long been mentally prepared for the shamelessness of the Geng family, but he hadn't expected them to be so brazen!