After changing his clothes, Chu Chen naturally wanted to see what he looked like.
He casually conjured a water mirror with his spiritual energy and was pleasantly surprised to find that he seemed even more handsome.
"Indeed, clothes make the man, and gold makes the Buddha."
Chu Chen narcissistically swung his head left and right.
Although the water mirror formed by spiritual energy was not as clear as a glass mirror, it was still visible in an ancient setting.
"However, I still need to change back to my previous attire."
After a moment of self-admiration, Chu Chen silently changed back into his brocade robe.
The carriage soon arrived at the imperial city. Under Chu Chen's token, it passed through without obstruction, heading straight for the Hall of State Affairs.
"Your Highness, Your Highness? We've arrived at the Hall of State Affairs. The entire court and His Majesty are waiting for you."
Chu Chen extended his hand and waved it.
"Let me sleep a little longer."
Princess Xinyue impatiently pushed his hand away and adjusted her posture, wanting to continue sleeping.
With no other choice, Chu Chen said in a low voice, "Forgive me."
With that, he once again embraced the princess in a bridal carry and alighted from the carriage.
The city guards and the imperial guards at the entrance stared at Chu Chen, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy.
Chu Chen, carrying Princess Xinyue in his arms, walked all the way into the grand hall.
Inside the Hall of State Affairs, the Empress sat on the dragon throne, her face as cold as frost.
The ministers below bowed their heads, timid and subservient.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Chu has returned with the Fifth Princess."
A eunuch whispered into the Empress's ear.
"I see him."
The Empress shot him a glare and turned her gaze towards the entrance.
The ministers below finally dared to look up, their gazes unanimously directed towards the entrance.
In front of the Empress and the entire court, Chu Chen, carrying Princess Xinyue in a bridal carry, walked to the very front of the hall.
"Your Majesty, I deserve a thousand deaths."
After placing the princess on the ground, Chu Chen immediately knelt and offered a proactive confession.
The Empress remained silent, but her cold eyes fixed on Princess Xinyue as she asked, "What is wrong with Princess Xinyue?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I was protecting Her Highness as she fled. She was likely exhausted from being pursued by the enemy and fell asleep before reaching Shuangyue City."
Chu Chen replied without lifting his head.
The Empress gestured to a eunuch beside her, who quickly summoned the imperial physician waiting in the side hall.
The imperial physician arrived, carefully took Princess Xinyue's pulse, and after a brief examination with the help of the palace maids, stood up and reported, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Fifth Princess is unharmed. She is merely a little frightened and tired and has indeed fallen asleep."
With the imperial physician's words, the Empress's heart was put at ease, and the ministers also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wake Princess Xinyue. I want to hear what she has to say."
"Yes."
"Oh no~"
Chu Chen's first reaction was that something was terribly wrong.
As expected, upon waking, Princess Xinyue saw the Empress on the dragon throne.
Princess Xinyue joyfully scrambled to her feet and rushed towards the Empress, throwing her arms around her.
"Mother Empress! Mother Empress! I'm so happy to see you."
"Cough, cough, this is the Hall of State Affairs. Mind your etiquette."
The Empress initially wanted to reprimand her, but seeing Princess Xinyue's teary eyes and recalling the assassination attempt, she could not bring herself to scold her.
"Ah?"
Princess Xinyue looked up and saw the entire court staring at her, feeling a little flustered.
However, with her accustomed willfulness, she glared defiantly at the ministers and shouted, "What are you looking at!"
"We dare not."
The ministers helplessly cupped their hands and bowed their heads.
"Imperial daughter, you must not be so presumptuous!"
The Empress reprimanded her with displeasure.
Princess Xinyue pouted, released the Empress's arm, and stood to the side.
Then she saw Chu Chen kneeling on the ground, her eyes immediately widened in anger. "Mother Empress, this little Chenzi is a fake eunuch. Just now, he..."
"Oh no~ I actually said it!"
Princess Xinyue belatedly realized, her face filled with panic.
"What? This has happened!"
The Empress and the ministers were shocked.
"Xinyue, you are not lying, are you? This is no small matter!"
The Empress questioned sternly, secretly thinking, "Xinyue, Xinyue, why would you say such a thing in the Hall of State Affairs, in front of so many ministers! It would have been better to tell me quietly when we returned."
During the previous struggle between the prime minister and imperial power, the upright officials had no room to maneuver. Now that the prime minister had fallen, the Left Grand Counselor saw this as an opportunity to distinguish himself.
Eagerly, his face filled with excitement, he stepped forward and declared, "Your Majesty! This minister implores that Chu Chen's true identity be verified!"
The remaining upright officials reacted, following suit, prostrating themselves in the hall, and declaring righteously, "Your Majesty, we implore Your Majesty to send someone to verify Chu Chen's true identity!"
In the court, only Zhang Chengzhu and An Xian remained standing, their faces filled with anxiety, but unable to step forward to plead for Chu Chen.
This was because the one who claimed Chu Chen was a fake eunuch was the princess, and in such a matter, there was no other way but to verify his identity.
The Empress looked at Chu Chen with cold eyes and asked, "Chu Chen, I ask you, is what Princess Xinyue said true?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is indeed so."
Chu Chen replied helplessly.
If anyone else had said this, given Chu Chen's current power and merit, he would never have been asked to verify his identity. He would only have been sent to the eunuch's quarters for inspection, but the eunuch's quarters had already been burned down by the Empress.
However, Princess Xinyue was the princess whom Chu Chen served, and her words were considered proof.
"Good! You dare to be so audacious as to impersonate a eunuch and infiltrate the imperial palace!"
"Guards! Drag this disruptor of the palace, Chu Chen, out and tear him apart by horses!"
"Yes!"
The Empress, in a fit of rage, immediately summoned the soldiers.
"Your Majesty! It's a misunderstanding! My not having been castrated was not my intention!"
Chu Chen cried out immediately, his eyes looking towards Princess Xinyue, hoping that she had now regained her senses and would stand up to plead for him.
At the same time, he looked towards the other four princesses.
Because Princess Xinyue had been assassinated, the other princesses were also present at this court session, which was rare.
"Wait!"
Just as the soldiers grabbed Chu Chen's arms and were pulling him up, two voices simultaneously stopped their next move.
One was Princess Xinyue, and the other was the Third Princess, Yunting.
They both hesitated. Princess Yunting smiled slightly and said, "Fifth sister, you go first."
"Hmph."
Princess Xinyue snorted coldly and turned to say, "Mother Empress, although I discovered Chu Chen is a fake eunuch, it is undeniable that he saved my life."
As she spoke, Princess Xinyue briefly recounted the assassination attempt.
After listening, the Empress was filled with rage. "Wei Zi! Yan Fa!"
"Your servant is here!"
"How did you two handle this? One a Grand General of the first rank, and the other a newly appointed Commander of the Five City Patrols, yet you cannot even manage the troops around the capital?"
"This minister is guilty!"
The two were terrified and immediately knelt, beads of sweat dripping from their foreheads.
The Empress suppressed her anger and reprimanded, "I order you two to each gather a thousand soldiers and immediately enter the imperial city to thoroughly investigate the imperial guards! You must find the faction of Xue Yun, Luo Jiang, and Zhu Hong!"
"Yes!"