Chapter 20 – Above the Storm
In the grand tent of the camp, the atmosphere crackled with tension as Hui Yan stood accused, facing the formidable duo of Concubine Yi, and Minister Xian.
Their accusations were as sharp as daggers, aimed at her honor and her life.
"You are a spy from Crimea!" Concubine Yi's voice rang out, her eyes ablaze with malice. "You infiltrated our court to seduce and assassinate the Sixth Prince!"
Minister Xian, the mastermind behind the earlier plot, nodded gravely.
The Empress Dowager was not around. As winter was hastily approaching, she traveled to the summer palace three months ago.
And with Lixin still unconscious, there was no one to help her.
"The evidence is clear," he intoned, Minister Xian's voice resonating with authority. "You conspired to poison the Sixth Prince to secure your place as a foreign agent within our walls."
Hui Yan stood before them, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and defiance.
She knew these accusations were baseless, fabricated to strip her of everything she held dear.
She had no proof to refute their claims—except for one.
With desperation mounting, Hui Yan's mind raced.
She knew she had to do something drastic, something that would halt the wheels of injustice grinding against her.
And then, a realization struck her like a lightning bolt.
"I'm carrying the Sixth Prince's child!" she cried out, her voice cutting through the accusations like a clarion call.
Silence descended upon the hall, broken only by the sharp intake of breath from the assembled courtiers and officials.
The weight of Hui Yan's revelation hung heavy in the air, its implications reverberating across the expanse of the grand hall.
The Emperor, seated upon his throne with an inscrutable expression, raised a hand to silence the murmurs that threatened to erupt.
His gaze bore into Hui Yan, searching for truth amidst the chaos of accusations and counterclaims.
Concubine Yi's face twisted with disbelief, then fury.
"This is a ploy!" she spat, her voice laced with venom. "A desperate attempt to manipulate the Emperor with your lies."
Concubine Yi exchanged a knowing glance with Minister Xian, their expressions darkening with realization.
They understood the magnitude of Hui Yan's revelation—how it could sway the Emperor's judgment and unravel their carefully constructed web of deceit.
But Hui Yan stood her ground, her hands instinctively cradling her abdomen as if to shield her unborn child from the storm brewing around her.
"It's the truth," she declared with unwavering conviction. "I carry the Sixth Prince's child."
The Emperor's deliberation was palpable, his decision weighing heavily upon him.
The court held its breath, waiting for the final verdict that would determine Hui Yan's fate and the fate of her unborn child.
After what seemed like an eternity, the Emperor spoke with a voice that resonated with authority and compassion.
"Hui Yan," he addressed her directly, "if what you say is true, then this changes everything."
Amidst the charged atmosphere of the court, where Hui Yan's revelation hung like a fragile thread of hope, Concubine Yi's interruption shattered the brief moment of pause. Her voice, sharp and scornful, cut through the murmurs of uncertainty.
YOU ARE READING
Empress Sunrise
Historical Fiction"Behind every successful Emperor, there stands his Empress," A foreign woman arrived at the Imperial Palace of the Linjiang Empire as a slave but rose to become the first foreign Empress and became the legitimate wife of the most powerful Emperor t...
