Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 537 Imperial Examination of Treacherous Officials

"what?!"

Lin Chuying abruptly stood up from the dragon throne, her face instantly turning deathly pale. "Has the Prince of Rongyang gone mad? How dare he lead troops to force the palace?"

Shen Jinyu's heart skipped a beat, but then a secret joy welled up inside her.

Why would Zhou Biao act ahead of time? But this is fine too, it will just confirm Shen Yanzhou's crime of colluding with the Prince of Rongyang!

He immediately scrambled to his feet, pointed at Shen Yanzhou, and said, "Father! Look! This is the evidence! My brother, the Crown Prince, colluded with Prince Rongyang. Now that the matter has been exposed, Prince Rongyang is desperate and has led his troops to force the palace!"

"Third Prince, stop spouting nonsense!"

Cui Zhihao roared, "Prince Rongyang was clearly trying to save you, his unfilial son! We caught you in your conspiracy, and he was afraid that you would be punished by the Emperor, so he led his troops to force you to abdicate and try to seize power!"

"You are the traitor!"

Shen Jinyu's eyes also reddened. "Cui Zhihao, you colluded with the Crown Prince and plotted rebellion. Now that there are witnesses and physical evidence, you still dare to deny it!"

Chaos erupted inside the hall; the two sides were on the verge of fighting.

Lin Chuying gripped Shen Yanzhou's hand tightly, her knuckles turning white, her voice trembling slightly: "Your Highness, what should we do? The enemy is at the gates of the city, and they've twisted the truth in the palace. We're now besieged on all sides!"

Shen Yanzhou took her hand in return, and the warmth of his palm calmed Lin Chuying down a little.

His gaze was calm as he swept over everyone in the hall, finally settling on His Majesty: "Father, the Prince of Rongyang's decision to force his way into the palace was no accident."

"The most urgent task at present is to send troops to defend the city and prevent the rebels from entering. As for the grudges between your son and your third brother, we can investigate them slowly after the rebellion is quelled!"

His Majesty realized what was happening and nodded repeatedly: "That's right! Defend the city first! Choi Ji-ho!"

"Your subject is here!" Choi Ji-ho immediately bowed and replied.

"I order you to go to the Duke of Zhenguo's residence immediately and order the Duke of Lin to lead the Imperial Guards to the North Gate to defend the city! You must stop the rebels and not let them enter the city even a step!"

His Majesty spoke urgently, with a hint of commanding authority.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Just as Cui Zhihao was about to turn around, he remembered something and turned back to look at Shen Yanzhou, "Your Highness, after I leave, the safety of the Eastern Palace and you..."

"Don't worry."

Shen Yanzhou said, "I will have the guards of the Eastern Palace strengthen their vigilance, so nothing will happen. Also, send someone to the Qin residence to inform Shi Wanxia to hide in a secret room and protect herself."

When Shi Wanxia was mentioned, Cui Zhihao's eyes softened, and he nodded heavily: "Thank you, Your Highness."

After saying that, he turned and strode away, the sound of his sword clashing against each other clearly audible in the tense atmosphere.

Shen Jinyu watched Cui Zhihao's departing figure, feeling secretly anxious.

Cui Zhihao is a brilliant strategist; with him guarding the city, Zhou Biao might not be able to break through.

He has to find a way to stop Choi Ji-ho!

Just then, Eunuch Liu suddenly spoke, his voice still high-pitched but with a hint of eeriness: "Your Majesty, this old servant finds this matter suspicious."

"Lord Cui is the Crown Prince's man. If we send him to guard the city, and he happens to collude with the rebels outside the city, then the capital will be in real danger!"

Shen Jinyu's eyes lit up, and she immediately chimed in, "Father! Eunuch Liu is right! Cui Zhihao is colluding with the Crown Prince; we can't let him lead the troops to defend the city!"

"Why not let me go? I am willing to lead the Imperial Guards to repel the rebels and protect the safety of Father Emperor and the capital!"

Shen Yuxi hesitated.

He was indeed wary of the relationship between Shen Yanzhou and Cui Zhihao, but Shen Jinyu's words were not necessarily credible.

Shen Yanzhou noticed His Majesty's hesitation and immediately said, "Father! Cui Zhihao is loyal and would never betray the court! Third Brother has never led troops into battle before. Sending him to defend the city will only jeopardize important matters!"

"What do you mean by that, Crown Prince?"

Shen Jinyu said angrily, "Can't I share the Emperor's burdens? You clearly want Cui Zhihao to collude with the rebels to seize the throne!"

The two sides started arguing again, and the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly tense.

Just then, another guard rushed in, his face covered in blood: "Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! The North Gate... the North Gate has fallen! Zhou Biao's army has entered the city and is marching towards the palace!"

"what?!"

Everyone was stunned.

How could the North Gate have fallen so quickly when Choi Ji-ho had only been gone for a short time?

Shen Yanzhou's heart sank. He knew Cui Zhihao's abilities. The north gate was heavily guarded, and even if Zhou Biao's forces were strong, it was impossible for them to break through so quickly.

Unless... there's a traitor within the Imperial Guard!

“It’s you!

Shen Yanzhou suddenly turned to Shen Jinyu, his eyes sharp as knives. "It was you who planted people in the Imperial Guards, deliberately letting the rebels into the city!"

Shen Jinyu's face paled, but she forced herself to remain calm: "Crown Prince, don't make false accusations! How could I do such a thing?"

"Whether you're slandering me or not, you know perfectly well!"

Shen Yanzhou took a step forward, his crown prince robes fluttering in the wind. "You colluded with Prince Rongyang just for this day! To let the rebels enter the city, force Father Emperor to abdicate, and then you would seize the opportunity to sit on the throne!"

Looking at Shen Jinyu's flustered expression and recalling the various suspicious points from before, Shen Yuxi had already formed a judgment in his mind.

He slammed his hand on the imperial desk and shouted angrily, "Shen Jinyu! How dare you! You actually collude with foreign officials and lead troops to force the emperor to abdicate! Guards, seize him!"

The Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward, attempting to seize Shen Jinyu.

Seeing this, Shen Jinyu knew he could no longer pretend. He suddenly drew his sword from his waist, pointed it at the Emperor, and said with a crazed look in his eyes, "Father! Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore! I've wanted this throne for a long time!"

"What right does Shen Yanzhou have to occupy the position of Crown Prince? He's nothing but a hypocrite who only pretends to be kind!"

"How dare you!" Shen Yuxi trembled with anger.

"presumptuous?"

Shen Jinyu sneered, "Father, you've favored Shen Yanzhou for so many years and never taken me seriously! Today, I'll show you who's truly worthy of being emperor!"

As he spoke, he shouted outside the hall, "Guards! Seize Shen Yanzhou and this old bastard!"

The shouts of battle from the west gate grew closer, and the firelight had already illuminated half of the night sky.

Shen Yanzhou held Lin Chuying tightly, watching the approaching firelight and shadows, knowing that an even greater crisis was about to unfold.

A group of assassins dressed in black rushed into the hall; they were all bodyguards kept by the Third Prince's residence.

The imperial guards immediately stepped forward to stop them, and the two sides clashed inside the hall, with swords flashing and blood splattering.

Lin Chuying turned pale with fright and hid tightly behind Shen Yanzhou.

Shen Yanzhou drew his sword and shielded her behind him, his eyes resolute: "Ying'er, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Although he was the crown prince and rarely used his martial arts skills, his swordsmanship was quite good.

At this moment, in order to protect Lin Chuying and to safeguard his father, his sword strikes were fierce and deadly.

Seeing the chaotic situation, Eunuch Liu quietly retreated, intending to slip away in the confusion.