The man's thin lips were pressed together a few inches away, his eyes tightly shut, yet his indifferent features remained stern.
Feng Yinwan's gaze flickered for a moment, then she saw General Feng and Feng Jingyuan behind him.
After two months, both were now kneeling on the ground, their appearances haggard, no longer possessing the resolute bearing they had when they left.
Yet, as they looked at her, their eyes, filled with unspeakable fatigue, were full of concern.
"Wan'er, why have you come here! State affairs are not to be trifled with on a whim, quickly admit your mistake to His Majesty and withdraw from the hall!"
"Your Majesty, my daughter has trespassed into the great hall and angered Your Majesty. It is my fault for not having disciplined her. I beg Your Majesty, in consideration of her youth, to be lenient. All blame, this minister is willing to bear alone!"
"We beg Your Majesty to be merciful!"
Without any prior discussion, their tacit understanding in protecting her existed in their hearts.
Feng Yinwan's chest trembled slightly, suddenly filled with a touch of bitterness.
"Your Majesty, this subject knows that state affairs cannot be casually discussed. Today, I have dared to barge into the hall not for my own selfish reasons, but for loyal and virtuous officials not to end up as withered bones, and for Your Majesty's reputation for a hundred years!"
"Wan'er!"
The moment General Feng's stern voice rang out, a deep male voice cut in from the side.
"Consort Mo's words are simply preposterous!"
"Your Majesty is wise and martial, his great achievements are visible to all, the people adore him, and the officials support him. He will surely be recorded in history as a rare wise ruler for centuries to come. Why does he need a mere woman like you to protect his reputation!"
The speaker was a man in red soft armor standing nearby.
The man had broad shoulders and a sturdy build, a round face and large ears, but his high cheekbones made him appear sharp and petty.
Judging by his attire, he was undoubtedly the副将 (fùjiàng - deputy general) that Ye Tingyun had mentioned as the one who "bit back."
Feng Yinwan's eyes darkened. She glanced at him calmly, neither subservient nor arrogant, and sneered.
"This general seems to look down upon this consort of mine as a mere woman."
"May I ask, General, if there is malaria in the army, how should it be treated?"
The great hall was solemn and majestic. An ordinary woman would likely not even have the courage to stand up, let alone ask questions calmly here.
Unexpectedly, her demeanor was so powerful that the deputy general was startled and answered along.
"If one is ill, one naturally seeks a military doctor. I am not a physician, why should I care about these things!"
His opening already showed weakness.
Feng Yinwan's lips curled into a cold smile, her voice sharp.
"The General also knows that he is not omnipotent. Soldiers fight wars, physicians heal the sick. Each performs their duties, each finds their place, all for the same state and society, serving the same wise ruler."
"You can lead troops, I can heal. Who is nobler than whom? Why can't this mere woman, this consort, enter the General's esteemed eyes?"
Her red lips parted and closed, appearing delicate, yet the words she spoke were sonorous and powerful, striking directly at the heart.
The deputy general was momentarily stunned by her momentum, fumbling for words. After a long pause, he managed to say, "Fighting a war is not a matter of playing with words."
He then cupped his hands and turned to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject bears no disrespect towards Consort Mo, but her trespassing into the great hall is already a violation of protocol. How can such important military and political matters be interfered with by her at will!"
He glanced at General Feng and Feng Jingyuan beside him, and added, "Moreover, this matter concerns the Zhenguo General's Mansion. Consort Mo should indeed avoid suspicion!"
Not just her, if Ye Tinglan were not currently unconscious, his son-in-law should also have been asked to leave!
The emperor's expression indeed grew serious upon hearing this, but before he could speak, Feng Yinwan below had already spoken first.
"Your Majesty, this subject believes this General's words are very much to the point. However, since this subject should avoid suspicion, should this General, as Father's deputy for many years, also leave to avoid suspicion?"
"You...!"
The deputy general's face changed drastically. In his anger, he could only look at General Feng and Feng Jingyuan and grit his teeth.
"A noble lady of the dignified General's Mansion, to utter such absurd remarks! It is laughable that you two would indulge her and allow an ignorant person to be presumptuous before the hall. Does the Zhenguo General's Mansion truly have no sense of propriety!"
This was the only thing he could attack.
Feng Yinwan was unfazed and looked directly at the emperor.
"This subject humbly wishes to ask Your Majesty, does the imperial decree previously bestowed still hold true?"
What she was referring to was the imperial decree appointing her as imperial envoy.
The epidemic in the capital had long been resolved, and she should have reported to the emperor earlier. However, she was stabbed by an assassin in the imperial harem, and the matter was thus put aside.
Strictly speaking, after completing the process, her identity as an imperial envoy was still valid.
"My command naturally holds true."
These eight simple words instantly gave Feng Yinwan confidence.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your imperial grace."
She then turned back to the deputy general, her pretty face growing colder.
"Did the General hear what Your Majesty just said?"
"My standing here today is both as the legitimate daughter of the Zhenguo General's Mansion and as an imperial envoy bestowed by the Emperor. In this regard, does the General find me qualified?"
The matter of the imperial envoy was tacitly approved by the emperor, so the deputy general dared not speak rashly again.
The fists hanging at his sides clenched tightly, then relaxed, a glint of ferocity flashing in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, besides the evidence presented earlier, this humble subject has another item. I beg Your Majesty to examine it."
He said this, then reached under his soft armor and took out a silk handkerchief. The handkerchief was neatly folded, and something seemed to be wrapped inside. A eunuch, seeing this, quickly took it and presented it forward.
The handkerchief was opened, revealing a ring with a peculiar design, and beside it, a slightly yellowed piece of paper.
From afar, nothing could be seen clearly. Feng Yinwan frowned and looked over, but the deputy general's barely concealed triumph fell into her eyes.
The emperor's brows furrowed sharply the moment he unfolded the paper.
The next moment, his voice, filled with authority, rang out.
"What is this object?"
His fingertip was holding the ring from before. Now that he picked it up, Feng Yinwan also saw it clearly.
It was a jade ring carved in the shape of a blue bird.
From a distance, the jade was dark green, but its surface had many small indentations. Gold powder seemed to have been inlaid within the indentations. In the shifting light, it looked like countless densely packed small characters.
Feng Yinwan's brows tightened. She turned her head and saw that General Feng's expression had already changed.
Before she could think, the deputy general's slightly triumphant voice sounded.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, this is a Qingluan jade ring exclusive to the royal family of the Moon Kingdom. What is carved upon it are their royal family's tenets."
"Moreover, this item was painstakingly crafted by a Western domain master over many years. The inner wall is specifically engraved with the name of the owner, making it impossible to fake."
This sentence clearly caused the emperor's expression to deepen.
Along with his expression, General Feng's demeanor also grew grim.
Feng Yinwan did not understand. She raised her eyes and met the deputy general's provocative gaze.
"This item was obtained by this humble subject when the enemy camp was breached. When it was discovered, it was placed together with the marriage certificate of the Zhenguo Great General."
The so-called marriage certificate was the paper attached.
The deputy general raised his head and loudly stated his conjecture, "This humble subject believes that the Zhenguo Great General surrendered to the people of the Moon Kingdom with his marriage certificate and this ring, colluding in secret and committing treason!"