Emperor Ming: Your Majesty, you have caused me so much suffering.

Supervisor of Ceremonies.

Jin Ying sat slumped in her chair, feeling somewhat dejected. There were things she couldn't understand, and she didn't want to think about them anymore.

Having been in the palace for decades, he thought that with Wang Zhen's death, he could regain his importance. However, he had become complacent for too long and lost his vigilance.

He looked out of the palace, longing to go home!

But my home is in Annam, and that place is probably no longer my home; this palace is.

It was obvious that the Prince of Cheng would ascend the throne, and the Empress Dowager had tacitly approved of it.

He didn't know if death awaited him. At this moment, he envied Xing'an. Why was this old rival so clever? He didn't even know when Xing'an had started standing with the Prince of Cheng.

He still admired Xing'an's eagerness to offer advice a few days ago, and regretted his own lack of wisdom. No wonder he couldn't beat Wang Zhen, and now he couldn't beat Xing'an either.

Whether it was because Jin Ying was talking about it or not, Xing An appeared in front of Jin Ying.

"They're here!"

Xing'an nodded, sat down directly, looked at Jin Ying, and did not say anything.

"Xing'an, those who betray others usually don't have a good ending. Aren't you afraid of losing your life?"

Xing'an smiled and said, "Jin Ying, you're exaggerating. When have I ever betrayed you? We are all servants of the Emperor, loyal to the Emperor. How can there be any talk of betrayal? If anything, it's a matter of a new emperor, a new court. If I hadn't recognized your wise ruler, would I be in the same situation as you?"

Jin Ying was stunned by what he heard. She had to admit that Xing An's words were true, but it was too late to understand.

He had always dreamed that the emperor would return immediately. With Wang Zhen dead, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs would be his domain, and he never considered submitting to another.

Jin Ying tentatively asked, "Am I still alive?"

"This matter is beyond my control; the Prince of Cheng has not yet issued any decree."

Jin Ying breathed a sigh of relief; at least she was still alive. If she could escape this calamity by sheer luck, she would find a place to live out her days and never return to this hellish place.

Once she calmed down, Jin Ying was still smart enough to see through Xing An's purpose for this trip at a glance.

"You've come to claim the authority to oversee the palace?"

"Exactly!"

Jin Ying seemed to have been prepared in advance; the seal and other items were already prepared and she took them out from the side of her seat and handed them to Xing An.

Xing'an took it, checked it, and confirmed that it was correct. Without saying anything, he got up and prepared to leave, without even mocking Jin Ying.

At this moment, Jin Ying, powerless and without influence, is nothing to fear. It is believed that Jin Ying will obediently await the verdict. Because any action taken now can be considered rebellious and will only hasten her death.

Jin Ying was a smart man; as long as he had a chance to survive, he wouldn't dare to act rashly.

Seeing Xing'an blatantly ignoring him, even the most composed Jin Ying couldn't help but roar, "Xing'an, you betrayed His Majesty! How can the Prince of Cheng trust someone who has betrayed him?"

In response to Jin Ying's divisive and malicious words, Xing An laughed and said, "This is the difference between His Highness Prince Cheng and His Majesty. His Highness Prince Cheng has the world in his heart, while His Majesty... hahaha!"

Xing'an laughed loudly and strode away!

Jin Ying was so angry that she smashed the teacup, making a loud bang throughout the room. After venting her anger, her lips twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but shed a few tears. She then knelt down and murmured apologies, saying "This servant deserves to die," and carefully picked up the broken pieces of the teacup from the ground.

Xing'an acted with remarkable efficiency, immediately replacing the guards of the palace with his trusted confidants before heading straight to the Zhenfu Division to find Lu Zhong. He was somewhat worried that Lu Zhong might not have grasped Zhu Qiyu's intentions and might have messed up the job, causing the prisoner to commit suicide at the Northern Zhenfu Division, which would be quite troublesome.

These civil officials were sometimes too inflexible, disregarding life and death, and even taking pride in dying for their cause, thus leaving their mark on history.

Xing'an must be on guard; we cannot afford to cause any trouble for the Prince of Cheng at this moment.

The changes in the palace could not be kept from the cabinet members. When they heard that Xing'an had taken over the palace, Chen Xun and Gao Gu exchanged a glance, knowing that things had changed. They left Shang Lu and Peng Shi in the cabinet and hurriedly went to the Six Ministries under the pretext of needing to deal with departmental affairs.

Upon hearing that Chen Xun had arrived, Wang Zhi and the others knew that something important had happened, since the two were responsible for keeping an eye on the palace. Without saying a word, Wang Zhi quickly assembled the group for a meeting.

Yu Qian had just left when he received the notification and rushed back.

After Yu Qian sat down, panting, he asked, "What happened?"

Chen Xun spoke directly: "The palace is in Xing'an's hands. After the Prince of Cheng met with the Empress Dowager, he went straight into the inner palace to see Consort Wu at Chang Le Palace. It seems that there has been a major upheaval in the palace and that the great undertaking is about to succeed. We should make preparations as soon as possible."

Chen Yi frowned and asked, "Can you be sure that it was the Empress Dowager who ordered Xing'an to do this, or His Highness who ordered Xing'an to do this? Xing'an used to be His Majesty's trusted inner minister."

Chen Yi harbored no goodwill toward these eunuchs and had a natural distrust of them.

Wang Zhi raised his hand to indicate, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "It must have been His Highness who gave the order. The Empress Dowager had no need to go to such lengths. Jin Ying has gained His Majesty's trust, and Xing'an has already asked His Highness to order the Eastern Depot to be put in charge. Now, with the control of the palace, his power is so great that it is impossible for the Empress Dowager to have given the order. If the Empress Dowager is dissatisfied with Jin Ying, then Li Yongchang should be in charge of the palace."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Minister Wang's words make perfect sense."

Everyone nodded in agreement. It must be said that Wang Zhi's judgment was reasonable and well-founded, and almost certainly correct.

Upon hearing that Zhu Qiyu had indeed gained power, Chen Yi, who had long desired Zhu Qiyu to ascend the throne, was now somewhat impatient and asked, "What should we do? Should we petition the Empress Dowager tomorrow or directly urge him to ascend the throne in court?"

"inappropriate!"

Hu Ying, who had been keeping quiet all along, couldn't help but interrupt. At this moment, the situation was beyond saving, and he had to admit that Zhu Qiyu was indeed somewhat impressed with him, truly showing the qualities of a wise ruler.

He could no longer stand idly by, for he was the Minister of Rites and would have to shoulder heavy responsibilities.

Chen Yi disliked Hu Ying somewhat, always feeling that the man was trying to smooth things over. Because Hu Ying was Zhu Qizhen's regent, Chen Yi had some doubts about Hu Ying's stance. Now that Hu Ying was stopping him, he was naturally not happy.

"Minister Hu, what do you mean by that?"

Despite the questioning looks from the crowd, Hu Ying remained unconcerned and slowly said, "The most urgent task is to do nothing else but to conclude the Wang Zhen case first, and then we'll be done with it!"

If we were to petition immediately, the court officials would readily comply, and word would surely reach the ears of these treacherous officials. They, hoping for a general amnesty, would refuse to budge. Although we cannot pardon their crimes, we must still show leniency in other aspects; otherwise, it would be against protocol and human compassion, creating an image of a cruel and ungrateful ruler, which would be highly inappropriate. Your Highness reminded us today to resolve this case swiftly; the meaning conveyed is clear enough that there is no need for further speculation.”

The ministers were stunned upon hearing this. Chen Yi almost slapped his thigh in frustration. He had nearly lost his life today in order to eliminate these treacherous officials, and he had actually neglected an important matter. He deserved to die!

Chen Yi, being a man of principle, realized he had wrongly blamed Hu Ying and quickly stood up to apologize, saying, "Minister Hu, I judged you with the mind of a petty person; I have offended you!"

Hu Ying nodded slightly and waved his hand, indicating that Chen Yi didn't need to do that. He knew Chen Yi's personality all too well.

Wang Zhi glanced at Hu Ying; this man was reliable in a critical moment.

"Gentlemen, Minister Hu is indeed very perceptive. His words hit the nail on the head. We will begin preparations on both sides. Censor Chen, you are responsible for urging the swift conclusion of the Wang Zhen case and handing it over to His Highness for a decision. As for the rest, we will handle the rest."

"It's a deal!"