You were asked to impersonate the King of Qin, not to become emperor!

Emperor Jin's expression changed slightly.

Actually, he just wanted to test the waters at this banquet.

The backlash against the establishment of a successor was unexpectedly strong.

"Hasn't the matter concerning the King of Qin already been investigated and clarified? Why do you insist on pursuing it so relentlessly?"

Emperor Jin glanced at the kneeling officials and said coldly.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Qin has indeed been behaving strangely these past few days, and the rumors are spreading like wildfire in the court. I urge Your Majesty to postpone the appointment of an heir."

"I believe that the former crown prince is deeply loved by the people, and Your Majesty should follow the will of the people and restore him to the position of crown prince."

"absurd!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jin's expression turned cold.

He used the appointment of the King of Qin as heir apparent as a way to put pressure on Chen Heng.

How could his position as heir apparent be restored so easily?

A seemingly absurd statement triggered a strong sense of crisis in Chen Heng.

He glanced at Princess Chen Yu.

Before Chen Yu could speak, Chen Xuan suddenly said, "Father, since the civil and military officials in the court have expressed their dissent against me, I hope that Father will temporarily rescind his decree!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the civil and military officials in the court couldn't help but tremble.

Even the Emperor of Jin frowned almost imperceptibly.

Not to fight?

This is quite different from the usually domineering King of Qin.

Emperor Jin looked at Chen Xuan, frowned, and said, "What do you mean by that? Explain it to me clearly!"

"The matter of choosing an heir concerns the foundation of the nation. If the name is not righteous, then the words will not be proper. Father Emperor, you cannot force him to be chosen..." Chen Xuan knelt on the ground and slowly said, "If Father Emperor really wants to choose one, you must wait until I have proven my identity before choosing him. In this way, it will be in accordance with the rites, and the court officials will not object."

"Hmph, what a clever tactic of feigning retreat. I knew this brat had no good intentions."

Chen Heng gave Chen Xuan a cold look, thinking to himself.

Chen Yu, standing to the side, was also quite interested. She wanted to see how Chen Xuan would prove himself.

"How will you prove your innocence?" Emperor Jin asked.

"That's easy. I grew up with the Princess since I was a child. In this world, only the Princess knows about my childhood with her. I will definitely confront the Princess!" Chen Xuan said confidently.

Upon hearing this, Chen Heng and the civil officials who were waiting to attack Chen Xuan were completely dumbfounded.

Their goal tonight is to force the Princess to confront Chen Xuan.

Unexpectedly, before the eldest princess could even make a move, Chen Xuan took the initiative to propose it?

"Could it be that my elder brother is framing the fourth prince again? Or am I overthinking it?"

Chen Yu was also clearly shocked by this change, and picked up the teacup on the table to take a sip.

The presence of the eldest princess at this banquet was a clear signal.

Chen Xuan took the initiative to confront Chen Yu, which made the officials and noblewomen present naturally side with Chen Xuan.

After all, the struggle between the King of Qin and the Crown Prince has been going on for quite some time.

In order to secure his position as heir apparent, the crown prince might inevitably resort to framing others...

The fact that the King of Qin took the initiative to propose a confrontation is enough to prove that he was not impersonating someone, but rather that he was full of self-confidence.

"I beg my father to grant my request!"

Chen Xuan knelt down and kowtowed.

Chen Xuan's performance dispelled the last trace of suspicion in Emperor Jin's heart.

In his view, Chen Heng was narrow-minded and repeatedly slandered the King of Qin, truly showing no sense of propriety.

He looked at Chen Xuan with some pity and said:

"Your Majesty, please rise. In that case, you may catch up with the Princess."

Chen Xuan stood up, walked to the Princess's side, and bowed to her.

"I beg my elder sister to cooperate with me in the confrontation and give my younger brother a chance to prove his identity."

Chen Yu glanced at Chen Xuan:

"If you are truly my fourth brother, I will protect you with my life. But if you are not, I have already ordered you to die by the most severe punishment."

After speaking, Chen Yu scrutinized Chen Xuan's expression, his eyes filled with inquiry.

But Chen Xuan's face showed no fear, only joy.

This made Chen Yu feel somewhat at ease.

From childhood to adulthood, the King of Qin had always regarded her as someone he could rely on.

It is this instinct to rely on that perfectly matches the image of the King of Qin in Chen Yu's mind.

Chen Xuan clearly grasped this point and performed it all flawlessly.

Wang Qingyi, who was watching from the side, was slightly taken aback.

Judging from the current situation, Chen Xuan's proactive approach has indeed won everyone's trust and given him the upper hand.

The childhood affair between the King of Qin and the Princess was kept private.

How could he possibly know?

At this moment, Wang Qingyi's heart was not at peace; on the contrary, she became even more nervous.

Because from now on, if the King of Qin answers even one wrong word, they will all face extremely terrible consequences.

"Fourth brother, your elder sister asks you, when we were young, we stole peaches from the Imperial Garden and were chased by the guards. Where did you hide?"

This was a private matter between him and the King of Qin during his childhood, and it was also the part of his past that left the deepest impression on him.

She concluded that if the other party was a fake...

There is absolutely no possibility of an answer.

As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes in the room focused on Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan smiled faintly:

"Naturally, it's hidden under the artificial hill outside the Imperial Garden. My elder sister forgot, but it was my elder sister who told me about the most secluded spot there."

Chen Xuan's answer was concise and to the point.

Chen Yu's eyes were slightly red.

However, she did not say whether the answer was right or wrong.

Then, the second question was asked.

"What kind of small animal were you most afraid of when you were a child? What little quirks did you have that others didn't know about?" Chen Yu asked.

"Speaking of the small animals I fear the most, it would naturally be rats. I remember there were so many rats in the palace when I was little, they would scurry into any hole they could find. I was very scared and often hid in Consort Qin's bedchamber. Whenever I was hungry, Consort Qin would hold me in her arms and nurse me."

"So, my little quirk when I was a child was breastfeeding."

As soon as he finished speaking...

The civil and military officials present almost burst out laughing.

Who knew the King of Qin had such a quirk when he was a child!

But in front of the Jin Emperor, no matter how funny it was, they would never dare to laugh out loud.

At that moment, Consort Qin was sitting next to Emperor Jin.

At thirty-eight, she was at the peak of her charm, with a voluptuous figure and stunning beauty, a truly mature and beautiful woman who was captivating.

Now, she has risen all the way from Zhaoyi to Guifei.

She still vividly remembers that the King of Qin was afraid of mice and loved to drink milk.

Upon hearing this, he became convinced that the King of Qin before him was the real one.

She whispered in the Emperor's ear, "Your Majesty, what the King of Qin said is absolutely correct."

Emperor Jin nodded, relieved.

What he feared most was that this was true.

But now it seems that the Crown Prince cannot tolerate the King of Qin's excellence and is deliberately framing him.

"Um."

Chen Yu nodded, then continued, "Let me ask you again, do you remember the secret code that my siblings and I memorized when we were little?"

Although Chen Yu was already moved, she continued to press the issue to confirm that the person in front of her was the King of Qin.

Because she knew that the real King of Qin would never forget these things.

As soon as he finished speaking...

Chen Xuan paused deliberately.

His pause made the Crown Prince, the other princes, and the civil officials all look smug, waiting for Chen Xuan to slip up.

The sixth prince couldn't help but mock:

"Fourth Brother, are you perhaps unable to answer? Or have you forgotten?"

Chen Yu's expression tightened slightly, his gaze fixed on Chen Xuan: "Fourth Imperial Brother, you haven't really forgotten, have you?"