As Su Yuanyuan uttered those words, there was a sudden thunderclap in the sky. The thunderbolt not only split the sky above the imperial city but also struck the hearts of the King of Qi and all the court officials.
"How is it possible?!"
"The King of Qi is not the emperor's son?"
"The King of Qi was born to the Noble Consort Xian. She was once the queen..."
The King of Qi came to his senses, and his expression turned terrifying. "You're talking nonsense! How could I not be the son of the emperor? You must be a witch spreading rumors! You're the evil star! You're the one who will bring chaos to the Great Chu! Guards, seize this witch and behead her!"
Cang Xuan stepped forward, shielding Su Yuanyuan's figure. Looking at the crazed King of Qi, he said, "Guards, the King of Qi has lost too much blood and has lost his mind, so he's talking nonsense. Restrain him."
At Cang Xuan's order, two or three guards stepped forward to control the King of Qi.
"Cang Xuan, I'm a prince! How dare you treat me like this!" the King of Qi roared angrily.
Cang Xuan said coldly, "You were, but not anymore."
Xiao Zisheng came to his senses from the shock, and a surge of ecstasy welled up in his heart.
If the King of Qi is not the emperor's son, it means he has lost his qualification to compete for the throne. Great! He never expected such a windfall today. He had eliminated a competitor without any effort. It was truly a blessing from heaven!
Sure enough, the one who obtains the "Phoenix Star" will obtain the world! The throne is destined to be his!
Thinking of this, the King of Jin spoke up. "Come to think of it, the substitute that Grand Tutor Wang found before looked very much like the King of Qi. At first glance, they seemed like real brothers. So that's the case."
The King of Qi's eyes were bloodshot. "Xiao Zisheng, shut up!"
The King of Jin pushed his wheelchair forward. "I'm willing to cut my wrist and donate blood for the emperor. I only hope that the emperor will recover soon."
The eunuch walked towards the King of Jin with a tray.
The King of Jin cut his hand very readily and donated his blood. This time, it was the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital who entered the main hall.
At this moment, both the King of Jin and the Tong family's followers felt that they had this in the bag. Many court officials were also secretly weighing the pros and cons in their hearts and were secretly inclined towards the King of Jin, believing that the position of the crown prince was surely his.
After a while, the chief judge came out of the main hall with the tray. The restrained King of Qi raised his head and stared fixedly at Su Yuanyuan's mouth with his blood-red eyes.
In front of everyone, the chief judge gently shook his head. "The blood of His Highness the King of Jin cannot cure His Majesty either."
While the chief judge was speaking, Su Yuanyuan was looking at Xiao Zisheng. The girl's gaze, filled with a hint of pity, was like a knife stabbing deeply into Xiao Zisheng's heart.
His blood couldn't cure the emperor. How... was this possible?
Seeing the blood drain from Xiao Zisheng's face instantly, the King of Qi burst into laughter.
"I never thought, I never thought, Xiao Zisheng, you're also a bastard! You're a bastard!"
The word "bastard" echoed over the square again and again, making the court officials tremble with fear. The more than two hundred newly recruited officials through the special imperial examination never expected that they would witness such a royal secret during today's official - conferring ceremony.
It was truly... an eye - opener.
Since neither the blood of the King of Qi nor the King of Jin could cure the emperor, only the Kings of Huai and Xuan were left with hope. When the eunuch walked towards him with an empty bowl and a dagger, the King of Huai also puffed out his chest, feeling the same as Xiao Zisheng.
The court officials below once again felt their hearts being lifted.
To their horror, neither the blood of the King of Huai nor the King of Xuan could cure the emperor!
The King of Huai joined the ranks of the desperate. Only the King of Xuan remained calm when he learned that he might not be the emperor's son. He even secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Tong Hui couldn't accept this result and couldn't help but speak up. "This is impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could the princes not be His Majesty's flesh and blood? You must be a group of traitors plotting to usurp the throne! Don't think we'll believe this false appearance you've deliberately created. We want to see His Majesty!"
The court officials were awakened by his roar and also echoed, "That's right. We want to see His Majesty! We want to hear the truth from His Majesty's own mouth!"
The scene was in chaos. Seeing the support of the court officials, the Kings of Qi, Jin, and Huai once again saw hope. They struggled, incited, and roared. The imperial guards could barely hold them back.
At this moment, a somewhat weak voice came from behind. "Stop this nonsense at once."
The rioting princes and court officials immediately fell silent and looked in the direction of the voice. Cang Xuan had somehow entered the main hall. He supported the emperor, who had been unconscious just now, out of the hall.
The emperor had actually been detoxified, but his face was still extremely pale, and his body was extremely weak. Just walking from inside the hall to outside had made him out of breath. The little eunuch quickly moved a chair behind him. With Cang Xuan's support, the emperor sat down and looked ahead.
Suddenly coming to his senses, the King of Qi broke free from the imperial guards restraining him, took a few steps forward, and threw himself in front of the emperor, crying, "Father, Father, I'm your flesh and blood! Blood is thicker than water! You must believe me. It must be them. They must have tampered with my blood!"
He pointed at Su Yuanyuan and Cang Xuan standing on one side, his face twisted and hideous.
The King of Jin couldn't do what the King of Qi did, but he also tightly grasped the armrests of his wheelchair and said to the emperor, "Father has been with me for so many years. Father must have a judgment in his heart about me and won't be influenced by others."
"Yes, yes, Father, how could we not be your flesh and blood? We've grown up under your watchful eyes!"
The emperor watched as the Kings of Qi, Jin, and Huai tried their best to prove themselves in front of him. Memories of them chasing after him and calling him Father when they were young flashed before his eyes. He closed his eyes and let out an almost inaudible sigh.
But when he opened his eyes again, his eyes were as calm as still water, without a single ripple.
"Imperial guards and the Ministry of Justice, listen up."
Hu Lie and Zhang Wentao stepped forward together. "Your servant is here!"
"The Kings of Qi, Jin, Huai, and Xuan are not of royal blood. I've been deceived for more than twenty years. I'm deeply angry. From this moment on, the Noble Consort Xian, the Noble Consort Tong, the Noble Consort De, and the Noble Consort Liu shall be confined to their palaces, stripped of their titles, and demoted to the rank of promise. They shall be escorted to the prison of the Ministry of Justice together with the four kings to await the investigation and trial by the Court of Judicial Review. Before everything is clarified, no one is allowed to enter or leave the four palaces and the four princes' mansions. No one is allowed to visit the prison either."
"Yes, your servant obeys the order!"
With the emperor's order, the imperial guards took action. No matter how the Kings of Qi and Huai called out and struggled, with the emperor's order, the imperial guards no longer hesitated. They firmly controlled them, leaving them no chance to resist.
The emperor coughed lightly. "Su Qing, the commander of the Beijing Garrison, listen to the order."
Su Qing stepped forward and knelt on one knee. "Your servant is here."
"Now that the true identities of the four kings have been revealed, their backers will surely not sit idly by. Keep a close eye on the situation in Shengjing City and protect the safety of the city." The emperor looked at the senior officials kneeling on the ground behind him and said coldly,
"I bestow upon you the imperial sword. If you detect any abnormal movements from any party, it shall be regarded as an act of treason. You may directly behead the rebels without my consent."
Su Qing replied loudly, "Your servant obeys the order!"