The mistress is reborn, no one who bullies me can escape

The prince's face was filled with anger, and he shouted like thunder: "Oh? Why can't we do this? Don't I even have this little power?"

He was indignant in his heart. He was only allowed to give advice and point fingers at him, but when it was his turn to take action, he was restricted in many ways. How could such unfairness be possible in this world?

At this moment, all the ministers kneeling below had solemn and nervous expressions.

They knew that the prince was already angry, and no one dared to touch this bad luck easily, for fear of becoming the target of the prince's anger.

So, everyone looked at each other, and no one dared to respond directly to the prince's question.

For a moment, the court was silent and the atmosphere was extremely depressing.

However, in this silence, someone suddenly stepped forward.

This man was tall and strong, with a resolute face. He took a step forward, saluted, and said in a loud voice: "Your Highness, please calm down. The Minister is a loyal and good minister of the court. Your Highness must not kill him. Otherwise, it will chill the hearts of ministers all over the world and damage the dignity of the royal family!"

Upon hearing this, the prince was stunned at first, then he raised his head and laughed, his laughter full of ridicule and disdain: "Hahahaha, a loyal and good person? If he is a loyal and good person, why can't I kill him? If he is really a loyal and good person, why would he be so aggressive and force me and question me here?"

Faced with the prince's question, the ministers below were even more silent. They lowered their heads and dared not utter a word.

They secretly complained in their hearts, not knowing how to deal with the difficult situation before them.

After all, on one side is the powerful and angry prince; on the other side is the highly respected Shangshu.

No matter which side you lean towards, you will probably bring disaster upon yourself.

Ling Yan stood there, his eyes coldly scanning the people in front of him, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a chilling sneer: "Humph! According to this, the so-called loyal and good is just a cover for you guys to deceive others."

"In the final analysis, you just want to use this as an excuse to put a big hat on me and ruin my reputation, right?"

When the ministers kneeling on the ground heard this, their faces turned pale instantly and their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.

One of them was so panicked that he kowtowed and begged for mercy, "Your Highness, please calm down. Your Highness, please forgive me! We have no such intention..."

However, the prince was already furious at this time, and his originally handsome face looked particularly ferocious because of anger.

He glared at the ministers who were kneeling on the ground begging for mercy, and shouted with gnashing teeth: "Now that the emperor has passed away, the whole country is immersed in grief. You, as important officials of the court, not only do not properly handle the national mourning, but you also have the leisure to come here to cause trouble for this prince. It seems that you are really tired of living!"

Before he finished speaking, the prince suddenly waved his hand and shouted sternly: "Someone come! Drag Minister Zhang away and behead him!" This order was like a bolt from the blue, and everyone present was shocked.

Shangshu Zhang was still hoping for the best, thinking that he had only said a few unpleasant words and would not be killed.

But he never expected that the prince would be so swift and decisive and take his life without saying a word.

This time, he was completely panicked. He quickly knelt on his knees, kowtowed desperately, and kept crying out: "Your Highness, please spare my life! I know I was wrong, please have mercy on me..."

However, it is regrettable that Ling Yan has already felt bored and anxious about this.

In fact, he initially only hoped to severely punish these rebellious ministers.

Unexpectedly, Minister Zhang would be so reckless as to actively run into the muzzle of the gun.

It is good that things have come to this. We can take this opportunity to make an example of others.

Therefore, even if Minister Zhang begged for mercy, Ling Yan, as the crown prince, had a heart as hard as stone and showed no mercy.

Not only that, he shouted angrily, "Someone, come here! Drag Minister Zhang away quickly!"

Just like that, poor Minister Zhang was dragged out mercilessly like a lamb to be slaughtered.

The ministers who had gathered around, who had originally shown an attitude of being ready to die, were now as silent as a mouse.

They were now kneeling on the ground to plead their case, as if they were afraid of being caught by the prince's gaze.

Not long after, a muffled "puff" sound was heard from outside, and then after a while, the ministers around were all frightened out of their wits and fell to the ground, trembling.

At this time, a guard came hurriedly to report: "Your Highness, Minister Zhang has been executed."

Hearing this, Ling Yan showed satisfaction on his face. He slowly turned his head and glanced at the crowd, then asked coldly, "Are you satisfied with the situation today?"

The ministers all knelt on the ground in unison, each one of them was silent as a mouse, not daring to even breathe.

Upon seeing this, the prince could not help but snort coldly and said with disdain, "Humph! You guys usually claim to be loyal and good ministers, but now it seems that you are just a bunch of shameless people who are afraid of death and follow the wind!"

A barely perceptible hint of sarcasm flashed across Ling Yan's eyes.

Ling Yan said without hesitation: "Forget it, you bunch of rabble, get out of here right now! If anyone dares to come and harass this prince again, then Minister Zhang will be your lesson!"

When the ministers kneeling on the ground heard this, they were so frightened that they turned pale and trembled all over.

Now that Ling Yan had agreed to let them go, they rushed out as if they had been pardoned.

Everyone was eager to move as fast as possible, fearing that if they were even a little slow they would anger the prince and bring about their own death.

Not long after the group of ministers left in a panic, the third prince also hurried here.

When he saw this scene, he couldn't help but frown and called softly: "Royal brother..."

Ever since he gained Xue Jinhua's trust last time, the Third Prince no longer had any desire for the lofty throne.

In his mind, the prince is not only his own brother, but also the true emperor who will inherit the throne in the future.

At this moment, the bloody head of Shangshu Zhang continued to appear in the prince's mind. His eyes gradually became cold and sharp, as if they could shoot out two rays of cold light.

After a moment's silence, the Crown Prince turned to look at the Third Prince and ordered him in a serious tone, "Go and find out immediately why that Minister Zhang is looking for trouble with me at this critical moment!"

After hearing what the Crown Prince said, the Third Prince couldn't help but widen his eyes, his face full of astonishment, and asked in disbelief: "Brother, are you saying that there is someone behind this secretly directing this?"

The prince frowned and answered seriously, "I am not completely sure about this at the moment, but in any case, a thorough investigation will always give people peace of mind."

You know, the current emperor has passed away, and the supreme throne has naturally attracted countless people to salivate and stare at it covetously.

The third prince nodded in understanding, expressing his understanding, and then said solemnly: "Don't worry, my royal brother. I will go and investigate the matter immediately." After that, he turned around and left in a hurry.

After the Third Prince left, Ling Yan stood alone in the huge East Palace, his eyes slowly sweeping around, his thoughts becoming heavier.

At this moment, Xue Jinhua's sweet smile from the past kept appearing in his mind, as if she was still by his side.

Ling Yan stared quietly at the blood-red afterglow of the setting sun on the wall. Under the reflection, the prince's originally handsome face looked a little tense.

He silently swore in his heart: "Huahua, you must wait patiently. I will definitely come to welcome you back to the palace soon!"

At the same time, the funeral of the emperor and empress continued in an orderly manner in the palace.

On the surface, it seemed that Ling Yan was in charge of all affairs, but in fact, he only asked about the relevant situation occasionally.

However, apart from properly handling the funeral matters, there is still a mystery deep in Ling Yan's heart that remains unsolved.

After careful consideration, he decided to go to the palace where the Queen Mother lived, hoping to find the answer there.

Even though it was the emperor's funeral, the queen mother was the emperor's mother after all, so how could an old person send off a young person? Therefore, the queen mother did not need to show up.

In front of Jinghe Palace, the prince came to the door of the Queen Mother's bedroom and said to the maid beside the Queen Mother: "I want to see the Queen Mother."

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. I will go and pass the message on."

The maid was very efficient and returned in a moment, "Your Highness, the Queen Mother wants to see you, but the Queen Mother has passed away. The Queen Mother is extremely sad. I hope Your Highness will not mention the Emperor's affairs after you go in."

Ling Yan couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, but he ignored the nanny and walked straight into the Queen Mother's bedroom.

"The grandson pays homage to the royal grandmother."

At this moment, the Queen Mother was kneeling on her knees, kneeling devoutly in front of the Buddha statue. The Bodhisattva's face looked extremely compassionate. The Queen Mother closed her eyes and muttered something, but no one knew what she was saying.

"You came."

The Queen Mother originally had her eyes closed, as if she was dozing off, but at this moment, she suddenly opened her eyes, and a barely perceptible light flashed in them.

Then the Queen Mother slowly extended a hand, her movements graceful and calm.

Nanny Gui, who was waiting on the side, was obviously prepared. She walked forward with light steps, carefully greeted the hand extended by the empress dowager, and gently held it.

"After I came back to the palace, I had so many things to do that I couldn't spare the time. As a result, I only had time to come and visit you today. I hope you will be magnanimous and not blame me for being late." Ling Yan bowed his head slightly to greet the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows slightly, glanced at the grandson in front of her who made her proud, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She said slowly: "You are busy with a myriad of affairs in the court. Even if you have no time to come and visit an old woman like me, it is understandable. How can I blame you?"

Hearing the Queen Mother's tolerant and generous words, Ling Yan breathed a sigh of relief and then sat down on the chair in front of the Queen Mother.

Almost at the same time, Nanny Gui swiftly brought a cup of steaming hot tea and placed it on the coffee table next to Ling Yan.

Ling Yan picked up the teacup, took a sip, paused for a moment, and seemed to want to say something but stopped himself several times.

His eyes flickered, as if he was struggling with something that was difficult to talk about.

The Empress Dowager saw all of this. She knew her grandson's temperament very well, so she turned to Aunt Gui and ordered, "You should leave first. No matter what happens in this room later, you must not enter without my order. Do you understand?"

Nanny Gui replied "yes" respectfully, then turned and left the room, closing the door gently.

Nanny Gui knew that once the Queen Mother made a decision, it would be an irreversible decree.

Although she still felt a little reluctant about certain things, she knew that it would be useless to say more at this time, so she could only lower her head and leave silently.

After Nanny Gui left, Ling Yan hesitated for a moment, and finally asked the Queen Mother, "Grandmother, before my father left, he specifically asked me to meet someone."

The Queen Mother was leisurely fiddling with the lid of the teacup with her fingers, but upon hearing this, her movements suddenly stopped without warning.

After a moment, she asked softly, "Oh? Who is it?" Although her voice was soft, it seemed to carry an invisible pressure.

Ling Yan took a deep breath, calmed himself, and replied, "It's Concubine Hui."

As he spoke, his eyes were always fixed on the empress dowager's face, trying to catch even the slightest clue from the subtle changes in her expression.

However, to his disappointment, the Queen Mother's face was unusually calm, as calm as a pool of stagnant water, as if she had never heard of the name.

Seeing the Queen Mother's reaction, Ling Yan couldn't help but feel a little confused and uncertain.

Could it be that his guess was wrong? Just as he was thinking about it, he saw the Queen Mother lower her head slightly and asked again: "So, you have already met her?" Her tone was so calm that it was difficult to guess her true thoughts.

Facing the Queen Mother's questioning, Ling Yan did not dare to neglect it and quickly nodded and replied: "Replying to the Royal Grandmother, my grandson has indeed met the Queen Mother Hui."

At this moment, his mood became more and more solemn, because he realized that this matter might not be as simple as it seemed.

The Queen Mother’s attitude and words next may become the key to solving the mystery.

"I haven't heard from her for so many years. I thought she had died a long time ago. It seems she has gone into hiding." The Queen Mother's face seemed to be filled with fatigue.

"By the way, is she okay now?"