The emperor recovered from his illness after a few days.
The moment the news spread from Dezhang Hall, the prefect of Dengcheng finally breathed a sigh of relief and immediately arranged a banquet to celebrate.
However, the court officials from Yongdu were all on edge.
They had long sensed something amiss with the emperor and silently observed and speculated on his intentions.
After resting for so long, Emperor Xie Zhaolin reappeared, looking radiant.
He sat on the dragon throne, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone below.
Xie Guanzhi’s lips were tightly pursed, his expression particularly numb.
“Your Majesty, this is the Hundred Flowers Banquet of Dengcheng Prefecture, today we shall use this banquet to celeb…”
The prefect of Dengcheng hadn’t finished speaking when the music from the banquet drowned out his voice.
He cleared his throat, wanting to continue loudly, but suddenly, a clashing sound of armor came from outside the hall, and a silver figure stumbled in, then thudded to his knees on the ground.
This commotion startled everyone.
Even the emperor’s guards instinctively reached for their swords.
“Wait—” the emperor gestured to stop them.
He slowly furrowed his brows, looking down at the person below.
Only then did everyone see clearly that the intruder was wearing the military armor of the Wei Dynasty.
“Your Majesty, urgent news from the border!” he said, trying to catch his breath, “The northern Di army has moved south, after observing for two days, they suddenly broke through the towns of Chang Yuan, Yong Kai, and Xing Hu—”
As he spoke, beads of sweat appeared on the officer’s forehead.
At the same time, the emperor’s complexion also changed drastically.
Chang Yuan, Yong Kai, Xing Hu?
The Wei Dynasty shared borders with nine towns against the northern Di, all heavily guarded.
Usually, when the northern Di moved south, they would only skirt around these nine towns, causing trouble in smaller cities with fewer guards.
But this time, they not only dared to breach the nine towns but even conquered three of them?
“Supporting the Ming Hall” mainly focused on the harem and did not narrate related plots.
Thus, not only did the emperor and ministers’ complexions change upon hearing this, but even the usually calm Wen Qingci’s gaze shook slightly.
The music stopped abruptly.
Silence fell all around.
Everyone’s faces turned extremely grim.
Seeing the emperor remain silent, the officer had no choice but to continue: “We just received the news that this winter, the northern Di changed their leader. The new leader is the uncle of the previous one, ruthless and ambitious, having unified the tribes in just a few months…”
“What about now?” the emperor’s hand, unknowingly clenched the armrest of the throne, “Are they still fighting?”
His complexion was particularly unsightly.
The emperor pressed his forehead, took the Fu Xuan Flower pill from the side, and without counting, poured it into his mouth.
Yongdu was just over a day’s ride from the northern Di territory, so the emperor had always been able to control the battle situation in real-time.
But it was different in Dengcheng Prefecture…
By the time the news reached Xie Guanzhi’s ears, it was already somewhat late.
Not to mention the emperor was feigning illness, deliberately delaying.
After observing for a few days, they no longer hesitated and directly moved south to the major towns, catching them off guard.
—Compared to a few small cities, Chang Yuan, Yong Kai, and Xing Hu had more grain, livestock, and gold and silver.
The officer shook his head in a panic: “After plundering the three towns, they left before our reinforcements arrived…”
The northern Di had left, but this was not good news for the Wei Dynasty.
In the past, they acted recklessly, only seeking survival.
But this time, not only did they dare to attack the three towns, but they also knew restraint, plundering enough resources before retreating to recuperate.
This new leader of the northern Di was definitely a formidable opponent.
Wen Qingci’s left hand suddenly went numb.
After transmigrating into the book, he had always been puzzled by something:
The Wei Dynasty’s neighbors were relatively peaceful, with no large-scale wars for a hundred years, and even if there were conflicts, they were minor.
But the original story said that Xie Bufeng barely survived on the battlefield, losing half his life before crawling out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
This seemed illogical.
…Now Wen Qingci finally understood, perhaps the war mentioned in “Supporting the Ming Hall” was the one between the Wei Dynasty and the northern Di!
The last bit of luck in his heart extinguished at that moment.
The northern Di had withdrawn their troops, and now the Wei Dynasty could only repair the damage.
The emperor rattled off orders, and the officer immediately complied, retreating from the banquet.
After he left, the hall fell silent.
Despite consuming so much Fu Xuan flower pill, the emperor’s forehead still throbbed with pain.
He pressed his hand heavily above, took a deep breath, and finally managed to lift his eyelids: “Xie Guanzhi, what exactly has been happening these past few days?”
The emperor called out the second prince’s full name.
Xie Guanzhi gathered his sleeves, stepped away from his seat, and bowed to the person on the throne, recounting the contents of the documents from the past few days.
Not a single court official paid attention to his words, all were silently observing the emperor’s expression.
Even the Consort Hui unconsciously clenched the silk handkerchief in her hand.
In the end, Xie Guanzhi paused for a few seconds and said: “About seven days ago, the garrison reported that the northern Di were harassing the border towns, hoping Yongdu would send reinforcements.”
His words were almost devoid of any intonation, sounding exceptionally calm.
“Good, good…” the emperor slowly began to smile, “How did you handle it?”
The young man was silent for a moment, then spoke the truth: “As usual, I sent reinforcements.”
This indeed exceeded everyone’s expectations.
After all, no one knew that the northern Di had changed their leader.
Even if one were to delve deeper, the real culprit should be the emperor himself, who feigned illness and neglected state affairs.
But having sat on the throne for over twenty years, flattered and revered daily, he had long considered himself the true Dragon Emperor.
The emperor could do no wrong.
Moreover, now that the deed was done, he needed to diminish Xie Guanzhi’s prestige at this moment, so as not to have been harassed in vain.
Xie Guanzhi had already silently borne the blame for “overstepping his authority to send troops,” and the northern Di’s victory added another charge of “inefficiency.”
“As usual?” The emperor repeated Xie Guanzhi’s words, then slowly began to smile.
He clenched the teacup in his hand.
Wen Qingci immediately realized that the emperor must be suffering from a headache again.
Sure enough, the emperor once again took the jade bottle containing the Fuxuan flower pill into his hands.
But as he habitually tried to pour out its contents, he found that the bottle was empty, unbeknownst to him when it had happened.
Wen Qingci furrowed his brows.
Before the southern tour, he had prepared an excessive amount of Fuxuan flower pill, not expecting the emperor to finish it so quickly…
But considering how he had swallowed them without counting just now, this wasn’t too surprising.
The emperor’s hand pressed heavily on his temple.
The pain, for someone who had grown accustomed to relying on the Fuxuan flower pill, was particularly unbearable.
Under the assault of severe pain, he even lost a bit of his usual pretense.
The emperor lowered his gaze, tallying up Xie Guanzhi’s offenses.
He had not only overstepped his authority to deploy troops but had also done so ineffectively.
“…Even if you hold power in the future, you will lack the ability to wield it effectively.” The emperor gritted his teeth, delivering the final verdict to Xie Guanzhi.
Incompetent.
This was a more dignified reason than “overstepping authority in an emergency.”
A few days ago, when he feigned illness, some ministers had already guessed his intentions.
But upon hearing this sentence, everyone still couldn’t help but exchange glances.
The emperor’s words were somewhat preposterous.
The sudden incursion by the northern Di was unexpected, and even if the emperor himself had taken action, the situation would not have changed.
Not to mention that Xie Guanzhi had no experience in handling state affairs.
They did not understand how this father and son of the imperial family had fallen out in just a few days.
All they knew was that with the emperor’s words, Xie Guanzhi’s fall from grace had become inevitable.
If they did not change their allegiance now, their own fortunes would likely come to an end…
After a few seconds of silence, an official whose name Wen Qingci could not recall suddenly stepped forward from his seat.
He first performed a grand salute to the emperor, then suddenly began to list the crimes of the Prefect of Jingzhao, Yi Guanxuan.
Accusations of “corruption and bribery” and “selling off official posts” were poured out like beans, with a speed of changing sides that could be described as extremely fast.
Upon hearing this, Consort Hui’s face instantly lost all color.
She immediately rose and knelt before the emperor.
“May Your Majesty discern the truth! My father… uh, no, the Prefect of Jingzhao, has never done such things!”
Although Yi Guanxuan was also considered a confidant of the emperor, he was advanced in years and had been injured in the last palace coup, not participating in this southern tour.
At this moment, the emperor’s headache was unbearable, he glanced at Consort Hui without addressing her, and directly ordered: “The Ministry of Justice must investigate this matter thoroughly.”
His tone was full of impatience.
Upon hearing this, Consort Hui collapsed to the ground.
She was the first consort selected to enter the palace after the emperor’s accession, of ordinary birth, and her entire family had risen to heaven on her coattails.
The Yi family had no roots in Yongdu, and to integrate into the nobility, Yi Guanxuan indeed did many unchecked deeds in his early years…
He even had dealings with some of the nobles who had been dealt with recently.
But at that time, neither Yi Guanxuan himself nor Consort Hui cared.
After all, they both knew that they were not the type of people the emperor was targeting.
But now, the sense of panic finally swept over them belatedly.
Consort Hui’s body trembled uncontrollably.
The words “Ministry of Justice” meant that the emperor would not let this matter go lightly.
When the time came, the entire Yi family might follow in the footsteps of the previous dynasty’s nobility.
Xie Guanzhi, kneeling on the ground, suddenly looked up and gave the emperor a cold, biting stare.
That look was filled with mockery and hatred.
And a hint of imperceptible decisiveness.
*
The banquet ended in silence.
The first thing the emperor did upon returning to Dezhang Hall was to summon Wen Qingci.
His headache was intensifying, and the hand pressing on his temple trembled uncontrollably.
“Fuxuan flower pill… cough cough…” the emperor said with difficulty, “Is there… cough cough… any left?”
Wen Qingci immediately stepped forward and opened the medicine box: “Your servant still has one bottle here.”
Fortunately, he had prepared an extra bottle when leaving Yongdu.
The eunuch hurriedly took the medicine.
Before Wen Qingci could offer any caution, he saw the emperor tilt his head back and pour the contents of the medicine bottle into his mouth.
Wen Qingci: “…”
The emperor consumed Fuxuan flower pills without any restraint.
He would eat it whenever he felt pain, never willing to endure.
Seeing this, Wen Qingci felt somewhat guilty.
Fuxuan flower pill was non-toxic, but excessive consumption would lead to drug resistance, which had already manifested in the emperor early on.
It was unexpected yet within reason.
But the problem was… the Fuxuan flower pill was about to run out.
What would happen after the medicine was discontinued, even the medical books of the Valley of Divine Physicians did not record.
After a bunch of Fuxuan flower pills went down, the emperor’s tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed bit by bit.
He tossed the jade bottle in his hand aside, and the dutiful eunuch hurried forward to pick it up.
Wen Qingci hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should now withdraw or proceed to take the Emperor’s pulse.
“It was with reluctance that I dealt with the matter of Xie Guanzhi…” the Emperor suddenly began to speak slowly, “My dear official, think about it, that last look he gave me was clearly filled with hatred.”
Wasn’t this all forced by you!
Wen Qingci couldn’t help but clench the silver needle tightly, silently saying to himself.
In the next moment, the Emperor suddenly opened his eyes wide, staring into the distance and murmuring to himself, “If I do not kill him, there will come a day when he will come to kill me.”
The Emperor’s tone was still relatively calm, and during his speech, he even showed a heart-wrenching expression.
But such calmness sent chills down Wen Qingci’s spine.
From Xie Zhaolin’s words, he sensed madness.
The Fuxuan flower pill was merely a painkiller, not a cure for heavy metal poisoning.
Without the influence of headaches, the Emperor seemed much calmer during this period, so much so that Wen Qingci almost forgot that heavy metal poisoning could also cause emotional instability, even mental abnormalities.
The Emperor, sensitive and suspicious, regarded those around him as his “kind.”
The brief cessation of medication ignited the fuse of his emotions.
Suddenly, the Emperor picked up a piece of paper from the desk.
Wen Qingci focused his eyes and realized… It was the design plan for the Chen Mausoleum he was building for himself.
Finally, he stood up abruptly and walked quickly to the window, looking out at the Yinchuan Grand Canal not far away.
“It’s fixed, it’s fixed…” the Emperor said, and to Wen Qingci’s surprise, he began to laugh, “It’s still fixed on schedule.”
Then, he suddenly kicked over the bronze incense burner beside him.
The choking smoke scattered throughout the hall, and Wen Qingci felt a familiar itching sensation in his chest and lungs.
The Emperor could no longer suppress his madness.
Seeing this, the eunuch’s face changed, and he quickly gave Wen Qingci a look: “Wen Xiansheng, you should leave now.”
Clearly, he did not want others to see the Emperor’s loss of composure.
Wen Qingci was curious about the Emperor’s condition.
But seeing him like this, he knew he could no longer stay here.
He immediately picked up his medicine box and quickly exited the back hall.
The Emperor had “recovered,” and Wen Qingci no longer needed to stay in the side hall.
He left the Dezhang Hall and walked towards his own residence.
However, halfway there, Wen Qingci stopped as if he had thought of something.
He remembered the ending of Xie Guanzhi in the original story—defeated in the palace struggle, he committed suicide.
Xie Guanzhi had always looked down on Yi Guanxuan.
Wen Qingci believed that even if the Emperor thoroughly investigated the Prefect of Jingzhao, he would definitely not find much related to the Second Prince.
He would not commit suicide out of fear of punishment.
And after this incident, Xie Guanzhi had completely lost the possibility of becoming the Crown Prince.
Even to preserve his reputation, the Emperor would not force him to commit suicide.
So it seems… Xie Guanzhi’s pride was too great, unable to swallow this defeat.
Remembering that look Xie Guanzhi gave at the banquet, Wen Qingci’s heart suddenly sank.
Without further thought, he immediately turned around and walked quickly to the other side of the temporary palace.
At this time, the Emperor had stripped Xie Guanzhi of all power and confined him in a corner of the temporary palace.
After hiding his medicine box in a concealed place, Wen Qingci used his light-footed skills to head there.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he arrived outside the heavily guarded courtyard.
Wen Qingci’s movements were a bit hurried, having inhaled quite a bit of dust in the Dezhang Hall.
As soon as he landed, he couldn’t control himself and coughed twice.
Although he tried to suppress it, the sound still faintly leaked out.
The patrolling soldiers seemed to hear something and glanced at each other before walking this way.
Wen Qingci immediately pressed his finger to his throat, trying to stop the cough with pain, and turned to look for a place to hide.
However, before his fingers touched his skin, a familiar yet strange presence attacked him from behind.
Someone pressed a hand to Wen Qingci’s lips and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and before he could react, gently but firmly pulled him into a dark corner.
Their bodies were pressed tightly together.
Wen Qingci: !!!
His nerves instantly tensed.
His heart also began to beat wildly.
Unlike Wen Qingci, the newcomer’s body temperature was unusually high, his muscles lean and powerful, like a cheetah in the wild.
The light honey-colored arm, scarred and muscular, easily locked Wen Qingci in its embrace, immobilizing all his movements in an instant, leaving him unable to move.
Wen Qingci’s originally pale skin was pressed to show a hint of red.
His breathing also became disordered due to nervousness.
“Don’t move, they’ll leave in a moment.”
The young man’s slightly deep voice came from behind Wen Qingci’s ear.
The faint vibration traveled along the bones, spreading throughout the body, turning into a tingling numbness.
Wen Qingci’s fingers trembled uncontrollably.
Oh okay, we’re just casually ending it on a cliffhanger no big deal 😃👍 *bangs head to the wall, on the asphalt*
*hides in a corner*
Thank you for the double update~
That poor second prince. He really is just cannonfodder in a cutthraot harem drama. I feel for him.