I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon

Chapter 1281 - 491: The Empress Is About to Flip the Table! Chen Mo Impersonates the Old Emperor! (Part 2)

Chen Mo turned his head to look at the corpse on the Dragon Bed, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, and said, "Since Wu Lie is not in the palace, whether he lives or dies is out of his hands now..."

...

...

Bang bang bang—

The sound of knocking on the door grew more intense.

Seeing no response for a long time, Gao Yuheng simply drew his weapon, preparing to break the door open with his men.

But at that moment, a deep voice echoed from within the great hall, "What is the commotion about, disturbing my rest?"

?!

Hearing this voice, Gao Yuheng was momentarily stunned, then furrowed his brow tightly, bowing his hand and saying: "This humble officer is ordered to guard the palace. The abrupt earthquake has thrown the Forbidden Palace into chaos; this humble officer is deeply concerned for His Majesty’s safety and has come to check on the situation!"

"Cough cough..." A fit of coughing sounded, "I am fine, you all may leave."

Gao Yuheng’s eyes flickered but he did not retreat; instead, he took a large step forward and said, "This earthquake is most bizarre; it seems intentional. For His Majesty’s safety, I dare request to inspect the inner hall!"

"Oh? You’re worried a thief might be hiding in my bedchamber?" The voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

Gao Yuheng insisted, "His Majesty is the Venerable Emperor, and cannot tolerate the slightest misstep. Any hidden threat must be eradicated before it becomes a problem!"

As these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

"Your Majesty!"

Gao Yuheng gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, stepping forward again, ready to force his way in if permission was not granted.

After a moment, the deep voice echoed once more, "So be it, then you may enter."

"Yes!"

Gao Yuheng signaled to his subordinates, pushed open the hall door, and entered, followed closely by a group of armored soldiers.

The great hall was dimly lit; only a lamp stood on the table near the Dragon Bed. By its dim glow, a figure could be vaguely seen sitting on the bed, but the view was somewhat obscured by the veil.

"This humble officer pays obeisance to His Majesty."

"Urgent circumstances; if there is any presumption, I beg Your Majesty’s pardon."

Gao Yuheng waved his hand, and his soldiers spread out to thoroughly scour the bedroom.

Half a Stick of Incense later, they gathered around him again.

"My lord, nothing was found."

"I found nothing either."

A calm voice came from the Dragon Bed, "You’ve searched, and there’s only me in this bedroom; is there any other issue?"

Gao Yuheng bowed deeply, but did not lower his head, staring hard at the figure through the veil, "Your Majesty, there is still one place left unchecked..."

"Wu Lie" couldn’t help but let out a mocking laugh, saying, "Commander Gao, you even want to search my bed? Do you think the thief could be hiding under my covers?"

Gao Yuheng placed his hand on the sword hilt, speaking in a low voice, "This humble officer fears some villain may lurk nearby, holding Your Majesty hostage. For His Majesty’s complete safety, we must overlook no clues!"

"Haha, is that so..."

With a burst of cold laughter, the golden veil was suddenly lifted, revealing that indistinct figure.

Seeing the face clearly, Gao Yuheng was momentarily frozen, confusion, bewilderment, and perplexity flooding his eyes... along with an indescribable trace of fear.

In the dim lamplight, the elderly Emperor sat upright on the bed; his frail form was nothing but a bony frame, with skin stretched thinly over the bones, his large black Dragon Robe appearing somewhat loose.

Those eyes seemed like an ancient cold pool, exuding a commanding presence above all others!

The hall instantly fell silent!

Gao Yuheng, as Commander of the Divine Strategy Army, wielded real power and stood among the top dignitaries in the military, naturally interacting with the Emperor frequently.

Appearances might be counterfeited, but pressure and aura don’t lie. He could almost confirm that this person was the reigning Holy Emperor!

But clearly, the Emperor had already...

"Commander Gao." Wu Lie’s eyelids lowered, speaking indifferently: "Where is the thief you mentioned now?"

"This humble officer..."

Gao Yuheng’s throat moved, swallowing with difficulty.

If the Emperor had truly passed, it would have been fine, but if he was still alive, Gao Yuheng was in big trouble!

"If I recall correctly, isn’t Captain Ji responsible for guarding the palace gates? The earthquake just happened, and you rushed over with your men, as if foreseeing it beforehand?" Wu Lie’s eyes swept over the crowd, his tone as cold as frost. "Breaking into the bedroom in the dead of night, such murderous intent—are you here to save the King, or to slay him?"

At these words, the crowd was thunderstruck!

Cold sweat dripped from Gao Yuheng’s brow, and he hurriedly knelt on the ground, bowing his head, "This humble officer acted out of concern and lost his composure; I never meant that, please let Your Majesty see clearly!"

Clatter—

The soldiers behind him followed suit, falling to their knees in unison.

"Please forgive my offense, Your Majesty!"

Wu Lie’s entire body emitted a golden aura, radiating an overwhelming and unparalleled might.

Seeing this scene, his identity was thoroughly confirmed, and Gao Yuheng’s heart sank into despair.

"Captain Ji."

Wu Lie’s voice was not loud, but it clearly reached outside the hall.

Ji Jingyu quickly stepped inside, kneeling on one knee, "I greet Your Majesty."

"Commander Gao entered the palace with a blade, a grave sin punishable by death according to the law!" Wu Lie paused slightly before continuing, "But considering his eagerness to protect the sovereign, the punishment will be lenient: fifty court rods each, suspension from duties for three months to reflect properly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life!"

Commander Gao’s face turned ashen, completely devoid of color.

Wu Lie glanced at Ji Jingyu and said, "In the interim, Commander Gao’s affairs will be fully handled by Captain Ji. Captain Ji, any objections?"

Ji Jingyu hesitated but eventually lowered his head, "As Your Majesty commands."

Wu Lie waved his hand and said, "You may go now. I am weary."

"Yes."

"I hereby take my leave."

Everyone bowed and exited the hall.

The doors of the hall slowly closed, and Gao Yuheng, in a daze, was about to leave when Ji Jingyu called out to him.

"Commander Gao..."

"What is it?"

"You are no longer in active duty, so you cannot leave with this armor. Please remove your armor here, and hand over the sword as well."

"..."

...

...

Silence returned to the chamber.

The space around "Wu Lie" distorted, the light in his eyes gradually dimming, restoring his lifeless appearance.

Behind the bed, three figures slowly emerged.

Chen Mo had once seen Wu Lie’s appearance in the Image Stone, and then used the Purple Extreme Cave Heaven to "reconstruct" Prince Yu’s body, further aided secretly by the Empress with the Heavenly Radiance Seal...

Thus, Gao Yuheng was deceived into thinking that the Emperor was still alive.

The Empress patted her chest in relief, anxiously saying, "That scared me. I thought we were about to be exposed... Little thief, what should we do next?"

Chen Mo said, "After this incident, Gao Yuheng will definitely not remain idle. To preserve his position, he will try to meet with those behind the scenes. Following this lead, we might find Wu Lie’s whereabouts."

He looked at Yu Youhan, "Empress, I’ll leave the next steps to you."

"Alright."

Yu Youhan nodded, raising her hand to tear open the void.

After sending Chen Mo and the Empress away, she collected Prince Yu’s body and then vanished.

...

...

"What did you say?"

"Her Majesty the Empress is not in the palace?!"

Outside the Frozen Sky Palace, Sun Senior Palace Lady was anxious, questioning, "Clearly, half an hour ago, Her Majesty was still here. How could she suddenly vanish? What is going on?!"

Xu Qingyi frowned, "I don’t know either, but the inner chamber is indeed empty now."

Not long ago, a sudden earthquake hit the palace, causing the ground to sink several hundred feet. The range was precise, affecting only the area between Linqing Palace and the Internal Affairs Office, leaving other places untouched.

Although there were no casualties, it left an air of unease among them—

This was not a simple earthquake; it resembled the explosion on the day of the grand ceremony!

Sun Senior Palace Lady, upon sensing the commotion, rushed to the Frozen Sky Palace, only to find that Her Majesty the Empress, Yu Youhan, and Chen Mo had vanished!

"I have to go in and check for myself!" Sun Senior Palace Lady stepped towards the chamber.

Xu Qingyi swiftly blocked her path, "No, without Her Majesty’s permission, no one is allowed to enter the palace on their own!"

"Move aside!" Sun Senior Palace Lady’s gaze turned cold.

Just as the two were at a standoff, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind:

"What are you all arguing about at this late hour?"