New and dark light years

Chapter 417 Evil Phoenix
When the Crown Prince's Imperial Guards appeared, the guards on the city wall were on high alert.

In particular, the commander of the Imperial Guards on the city wall, sweating profusely, looked down and shouted, "Your Highness, do not rush into the palace gates!"

He's in the most difficult position right now, blocking the Crown Prince's path. The Crown Prince will definitely cause him trouble in the future.

If he didn't stop the Crown Prince, he would also face certain death if the person in the palace questioned him.

The prince looked up and said seriously, "You don't need to make things difficult for me, and you don't need to open the door for me. I know your difficulties. Don't worry, I will open the door myself. I will not hold a grudge against you in the future."

The imperial guards on the city wall, who had been somewhat worried, were immediately moved to tears upon hearing this and shouted, "Your Highness is so benevolent! I will open the gate for you right away!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.

Before long, the Meridian Gate slowly opened.

One official couldn't help but exclaim, "His Highness the Crown Prince is the heart of the people!"

"That's for sure. His Majesty doesn't manage affairs of state; he's only concerned with alchemy. If it weren't for His Highness the Crown Prince upholding the nation's affairs, I'm afraid..."

Most people praised it, only a few officials showed disdain, but they hid it well so that others wouldn't see it.

Yue Zhong looked at Li Lin and asked, "What do you think of His Highness's charisma?"

Li Lin remained silent.

He wouldn't engage in overly intimate conversations with casual acquaintances.

Yue Zhong muttered to himself in a very low voice, "To me, it looks like a stage set up for a play."

Li Lin remained silent.

Once the gates opened, the Crown Prince turned around and said, "Please, all ministers, come with me into the palace to protect me."

Many officials are hesitant because they don't quite understand the current situation.

Is the Crown Prince trying to protect the Emperor, or is he trying to force the Emperor to abdicate?

The entry of five hundred imperial guards into the palace is no small matter.

At this moment, several senior officials followed the crown prince inside.

These senior officials are all highly respected and virtuous; following them is definitely the right choice.

All the officials followed suit, and Li Lin was no exception.

Upon entering the Meridian Gate, the Imperial Guard Commander, along with two hundred Imperial Guards, knelt before the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince asked, "What exactly happened in the palace last night?"

"Your Majesty, I do not know." The military commander lowered his head and said, "We are only responsible for the city wall area and are not allowed to enter the inner palace."

"When that beam of light came crashing down last night, didn't you go to protect him?"

“We wanted to go and protect the emperor, but an eunuch ran over and told us to continue defending the city walls and palace gates and not to let outsiders in.”

The Crown Prince frowned: "Which eunuch?"

"Eunuch Wei."

The Crown Prince frowned even more deeply: "Was it the chief attendant by Father's side who conveyed the imperial decree?"

"Continue to guard the city gate."

"Yes."

Then the crown prince turned to the officials and said, "Gentlemen, follow me."

Having said that, he was the first to walk ahead.

The palace is very large, and the distance from the Meridian Gate to the Hall of Great Celebration is quite long.

Officials often traveled this road, and although it was a bit far, they were used to it.

But walking this path again today, I feel a great sense of pressure.

It felt as if something in the air was pressing down on their bodies, making them feel heavy.

At first, they thought it was just an illusion, but as they walked for a while, they found that most of them were starting to pant.

Some elderly people were already slumped on the ground.

The Crown Prince wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the Daqing Hall not far away, his eyes filled with confusion.

At this moment, Yue Zhong stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, there is something amiss ahead."

"A ghost?" The prince turned around abruptly: "It's broad daylight, how could it be a ghost..."

“There is indeed something fishy going on,” Yue Zhong said slowly. “Let me take the lead for His Highness the Crown Prince.”

The Crown Prince thought of something and said, "Alright!" Yue Zhong walked ahead, and the Crown Prince was surprised to find that the pressure on him was indeed much lighter, and he no longer felt that heavy feeling.

Li Lin could see clearly that the reason these people felt the road was difficult to walk and their bodies were heavy was because the closer they got to the Daqing Hall, the stronger the eerie chill became.

Ordinary people may not feel the cold, but the mental impact will not diminish, and it will manifest as fatigue.

The prince continued walking forward, but many people could no longer keep up. Only those who were closer to Yue Zhong and some military men were able to continue.

Li Lin walked in front of Jiang Yan and said with a smile, "Uncle Jiang, follow behind me."

Jiang Yan glanced at Yue Zhong, then remembered that Li Lin had also been a Spirit Hunter, and nodded with a smile: "Thank you, my dear nephew."

"you are too polite."

Li Lin stood in front of Jiang Yan, and Jiang Yan indeed felt much more relaxed.

He followed immediately.

Many shrewd officials immediately hid behind Yue Zhong and Li Lin.

Some hid behind several military officers.

After all, martial artists have abundant blood and energy, and thus have a certain resistance to strange abilities.

Li Lin quickly caught up with the Crown Prince.

At this moment, the Crown Prince turned around and saw that Li Lin was also followed by a string of people. He smiled and said, "Commander Li, you are really quite good."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."

Li Lin returned the greeting with clasped hands as he walked.

The officials continued forward, though they temporarily split into several lines.

They soon arrived at the entrance of the Daqing Hall.

Here, many maids were seen lying on the ground, their bodies covered with a layer of white frost.

"Did all these palace maids freeze to death?" Jiang Yan asked.

Li Lin glanced at them and said, "No, this is a strange ability, not real cold. They just fainted."

"Oh." Jiang Yan felt much relieved.

After all, the Jiang family also had a daughter who was a concubine in the palace.

As the group entered the main hall, they first saw palace maids and eunuchs lying haphazardly on the ground, and then they saw a person sitting on the dragon throne.

A woman dressed in a phoenix robe.

"Mother?" the Crown Prince asked in surprise.

Li Lin looked over and saw a woman with a dignified and elegant appearance sitting on the dragon throne.

Is this Empress Mu Wan'er?
She looks quite young, but she must have taken a lot of anti-aging pills to make her look younger.

At this moment, the officials were also taken aback.

The empress sitting on the dragon throne is a matter that can be considered a big deal or a small deal.

If the emperor didn't mind, like the founding emperor who had a loving relationship with his wife, not only would he be allowed to sit on the dragon throne, but even if the empress wanted to be emperor for a few days, it would be permitted.

But now... it's hard to say.

The prince jogged up, then turned back.

He looked at the frost on his sleeves and asked in surprise, "You're not the Empress Dowager, who are you?!"

The woman sat there without speaking, only looking at all the officials below with a detached gaze.

Yue Zhong said, "The Empress has been possessed."

The crown prince immediately realized what was happening and said, "It's you... Xie Feng."

"You should call me great-great-great-great-grandmother."

The crown prince was speechless and could not answer for a moment.

Li Lin looked over and noticed a purple line on the woman's forehead, resembling an unopened eye.

It looks quite sinister.

"Xie Feng, you should go back to your place, return Mother to me, and return Father to the Emperor."

The woman's gaze swept over the officials, and she said, "Now that I've come out, I have no intention of going back."

(End of this chapter)