CHAPTER 1488: CHAPTER 1495: CONFRONTATION (3)

Having arranged all this, Cai Wei gently pulled on Nangong Yi’s sleeve and whispered, "Yi, carry me down. We shall go aid Imperial Father and Imperial Mother!"

Nangong Yi nodded, carefully picked up Cai Wei, lightly tapped his foot, and soared through the air, landing on the ground.

At this moment, the scene in front of the Royal study was complete chaos, hundreds of Guards had been bitten, pounced on, snipped, or thrown by the white-haired Giant Tiger, all sustaining injuries, and even General Li, who had escaped outside, was forced back by a Parrot and a Monkey.

Brother Ying and Chang Mei were not large in size, but they moved swiftly and fiercely, so fast that the Guards could not catch their movements clearly before being pinched, pecked, or scratched by them, each one clutching his groin, too preoccupied to protect the General.

Li Kaifeng was highly skilled in martial arts, but after recognizing the awesomeness of Brother Ying and Chang Mei, he instantly drew his treasured sword for self-defense. Unexpectedly, the movements of these two Divine Beasts were far faster than his, matching his strength almost evenly. After a fierce skirmish, he fell to the ground, rolling back and forth in agony, clutching his groin...

The commotion outside the Royal study grew intense and soon drew a large contingent of the Imperial forest army. When everyone saw the Emperor and Empress standing side by side, and then the Great General lying on the ground with a scratched face clasping his groin in pain, they intelligently knelt at Nangong Yi’s feet, proclaiming: "The Emperor!"

Thereupon, Nangong Yi ordered Li Kaifeng to be bound, and commanded the gathering of all officials at the Royal study. Today, he intended to seize this opportunity to thoroughly eradicate the powers Nangong Shi had left in the court, clear out Nangong Shi’s remnants, and incidentally dismiss those vacillating and insufficiently loyal officials, replacing them with a new batch to cultivate his own strength.

As the chaos gradually subsided, Cai Wei stepped forward and helped the disheveled Empress Dowager Mo to her feet, speaking with polite detachment: "You were frightened, Empress Dowager. Fortunately, the traitor has been captured; you can now be at ease."

Upon getting up, Empress Dowager Mo did not feel relieved. Trembling, she pointed at the mountain-like white-haired Giant Tiger, and then pointed to Brother Ying on Cai Wei’s shoulder, stuttering, "What... what’s going on here?"

Cai Wei said: "This is a long story. Let’s deal with the traitor first and then I’ll explain in detail to Imperial Mother."

At this time, the eyes of the Retired Emperor had already opened, and he excitedly looked at the white-haired Giant Tiger, eagerly asking: "Empress, is this Giant Tiger the mount of Cihai Zhenren from the past?"

Cai Wei didn’t expect him to know about Cihai Zhenren. She was just about to brush off the question, but then thought that since the Retired Emperor spent his days with Master Li Guo, it wasn’t surprising for him to know a bit about Cihai Zhenren. Besides, the Retired Emperor was already out of the worldly affairs, so even if he knew the secrets of Fu You Island, it wouldn’t matter. Thus, she candidly replied: "Yes."

Upon hearing this, the Retired Emperor stroked his beard in excitement, nodding continuously: "Good, this is very good. Yi’er has the fortune to marry the daughter of Emperor Tian, and she is also a descendant of Cihai Zhenren. What a great fortune; not just for him, but for the Great Jin Nation as well. Hehe, this is excellent..."

Cai Wei’s face flushed with embarrassment, she gave a shy smile and humbly said: "Imperial Father flatters me..."

Indeed, she was a descendant of Cihai Zhenren, but not one of the daughters of the Seven Fairies. The earlier claim of being Emperor Tian’s daughter was merely to win the assent of the Retired Emperor and Empress Dowager for their marital affair—a lie she had to tell. But now that the lie had been told, there was no point in backtracking, so she had to round off the story and continue the deception...

Empress Dowager Mo, supported by a Palace maid, was returning to her Jade Palace. Before she left, she hesitated a moment, then awkwardly said: "Empress, I am grateful to you for this affair. I’ll keep it in mind."