I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon-Chapter 854 - 319: Dressing the Princess! The Empress and Lin Jingzhu Spying on Each Other! (Part 3)

This attracted a few kingfishers, landing on the branches and chirping non-stop, adding quite a bit of vitality.

Overnight, the entire palace underwent a transformation beyond recognition.

It changed from barren desolation to vibrant life!

"This servant greets the Princess."

A woman's voice came from outside the wall.

Chu Yanli looked up and saw a palace attendant from the Imperial Kitchen kneeling at the door, holding a tray with a white porcelain soup bowl on it.

She stepped closer and opened the lid; a familiar medicinal fragrance wafted to her nose.

"Who sent you to deliver this?"

The palace attendant lowered her head and replied, "It was Mr. Chen's instruction... Yesterday, he spent over two hours in the kitchen and even wrote a prescription for us to follow. We're to brew the medicine as per the prescription and deliver it to you every morning until your body fully recovers..."

"Why does your Imperial Kitchen listen to him?" Chu Yanli asked curiously.

The palace attendant replied helplessly, "Mr. Chen pulled out a string of tokens from somewhere, including the Eastern Palace Order and the Flying Phoenix Order. I dared not disobey..."

"..."

Chu Yanli pursed her lips and asked again, "Did you clean both inside and outside this palace?"

The palace attendant shook her head, "Without Your Highness's permission, we would not dare to step into Changning Pavilion."

As she said this, she seemed to think of something, and cautiously added, "But when I came this morning, I happened to bump into Mr. Chen. He had just left, looking disheveled, and I don't know what he was busy with..."

The air was quiet for a moment.

Then, a sound of gentle laughter filled the space.

"Your Highness?"

The palace attendant looked up puzzled, her eyes slightly dazed.

On that stunning face hung a radiant smile, much like the blooming crabapple on the branches, with subtle emotions lingering at the corner of her eyes and eyebrows, resembling the ripples on a pool of spring water.

Having served in the palace for many years, she had never seen Her Highness show such a tender expression.

Is this still the fierce person who split the Qianji Palace with a sword?

The palace attendant's throat moved, and she asked, "Your Highness, what should be done with this medicinal soup?"

"Of course, drink it."

Chu Yanli picked up the porcelain bowl and drank it all in one go, smilingly said, "Although he didn't brew it himself, it shouldn't be wasted... By the way, do you know where Chen Mo went?"

The palace attendant replied, "Not sure, just noticed he's hurrying towards the Golden Throne Hall..."

"Golden Throne Hall?"

Chu Yanli thought with interest.

...

...

In front of the Golden Water Bridge, civil and military officials gathered here.

Unlike usual, today's atmosphere was particularly oppressive, with everyone having a solemn expression.

Days have passed, yet the brutal scene at the shrine remains vivid. Before this, they could never have imagined falling into such a predicament.

In that cataclysmic chaos, human life was utterly worthless!

Watching the high-ranking officials being crushed to meat paste by falling boulders was a shock and despair beyond words!

At that moment, all thoughts of identity and status were abandoned, and the only thought was to survive!

Even though they escaped safely, the shadows in their hearts have not dissipated.

"This is man-made disaster and not a natural calamity; it must be thoroughly investigated!" Shangguan Jin broke the silence first, filled with anger in his voice, "Tiandu City must not let these thousands of lives die in vain, nor those Imperial Army soldiers!"

"Indeed! Must investigate thoroughly!"

"To cause such large-scale destruction in Tiandu City, the Demon Clan alone couldn't have done it! Someone must be supporting them from behind, and surely with significant status!"

"The Demon Clan must be annihilated! The mastermind must be caught! Not a single one can be let go!"

"Don't let me catch them, or I'll tear them apart!"

These words sparked a wave of emotions among the officials, filling the square with excitement.

Yet a small subset of officials remained cold-faced, silent.

Feng Jinyu, with hands behind his back, sighed, "The Crown Prince was still unconscious when we returned. I wonder how he's doing now..."

This word caused hearts to tighten in the crowd.

As the "national foundation," the Crown Prince, though young and incapable of managing affairs yet, his existence itself holds an irreplaceable significance in maintaining Imperial Power succession and stabilizing the governing order.

Now the Emperor is gravely ill, and if the Crown Prince also encounters misfortune, leading to a power vacuum, it might cause extremely severe consequences!

With the country in turmoil, Great Yuan cannot afford to endure more chaos.

Dong——

The bell tolled.

The atmosphere grew solemn.

The ministers lined up and walked across the Golden Water Bridge, entering the Golden Throne Hall.

The dragon throne remained vacant, and there was no one behind the bamboo curtain either.

As the ministers felt puzzled, Eunuch Jin's slightly sharp voice rang out, "The Crown Prince arrives! Her Majesty the Empress arrives!"

?!

The crowd quickly turned their heads to see two figures slowly entering the hall.

The Empress was dressed in a golden phoenix-patterned robe, wearing a crown adorned with dragon and phoenix hairpins, her face with no expression, radiating authority as the mother of the empire.

This was her first appearance in the court.

Holding a golden lead in her hand, the other end tied to the cuff of the Crown Prince's dark Imperial Robe, guiding the Crown Prince step by step up the jade stairs to the seat of Regency below the throne, while she turned to the other side of the bamboo curtain.

"Cough, cough."

Eunuch Jin softly cleared his throat.

The ministers came to their senses, hurriedly bowing down.

"Long live His Majesty, long live, long live!"

"Her Majesty the Empress, the Crown Prince, a thousand years, a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!"

"Rise." The Crown Prince waved his small hand.

The crowd stood up, all looking invigorated.

"Seeing the Crown Prince safe and sound is truly fortunate!"

"Heaven bless Great Yuan! Heaven bless Great Yuan!"

"After enduring this calamity, certainty will return from hardship, Great Yuan's fortune will extend endlessly!"

Words filled with sincerity and even tears were wiped by some on the spot.

But the Crown Prince spoke unexpectedly, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his crisp voice: "Heaven bless Great Yuan? Are you out of your minds? What protected this palace wasn't any divine intervention, but those Imperial Army soldiers and military officer risking their lives!"

"Words of men are unreliable, and fear the fate from heaven!"

"If this Imperial Power is truly divinely given, then why was there no intervention during the shrine collapse? If not for Aunt and Chen Mo, this palace would have perished in that explosion. Would you then say 'Heaven abandoned Great Yuan'?"

This statement plunged the hall into silence.

Lv Huaiyu, standing at the front, raised his head to look at the small figure on the golden chair, eyes fully surprised.

Then he lowered his eyes, unintentionally letting a slight smile escape at the corner of his mouth.