Ten days ago, at the Imperial Palace.

Long Yinwei hurried over to report: "Your Majesty, Prince Su has already captured Hanyang, Longxi, and Hedong Commanderies."

"What?" The emperor suddenly stood up from the dragon throne. He had been tossing and turning for days, and his face was as ugly as white paper. His eyes were bloodshot, like a trapped beast.

"Your Majesty, the thirteen cities in the northwest have now been occupied by Prince Su." Long Yinwei lowered his head and did not dare to look up at the emperor. Just hearing the voice was enough to make people tremble with fear.

"It's so fast. He has conquered so many cities in just over half a month." The emperor muttered to himself, with a hint of weakness and unwillingness in his voice.

Long Yinwei stood silently, and he did not mention the fact that the defenders of Longxi and Hanyang had voluntarily surrendered.

The emperor gathered himself and said in a hoarse voice, "Go and bring me the files of the ten great generals from the secret room."

He was feeling uneasy, as he always felt that the evildoer's ability to capture so many cities so quickly was closely related to the files in the secret room.

Soon, a Dragon Hidden Guard came quickly with the file in his hand.

The emperor couldn't wait to open the file, but what he saw was a blank.

A surge of blood rushed to his heart, and the emperor's face flushed red. "I, I want to see..."

Before the emperor could finish his words, his body fell uncontrollably onto the table and he fainted.

"Someone, come quickly! The emperor has fainted." Jiang Hai, who was serving beside him, rushed forward to support the emperor and shouted at the top of his voice, "Imperial Physician, please call the imperial physician!"

The entire palace fell into panic in an instant, and everyone was running back and forth like ants on a hot pan.

Soon, Doctor Sun hurried over, "What's wrong with the emperor?"

"He has fainted. We have been calling him for a long time but he still hasn't woken up. Doctor Sun, please go and take a look at him." Jiang Hai hurriedly led people in.

In recent days, the emperor had been asking him for medicine more and more frequently. Now that he had fainted, Doctor Sun thought to himself that he might not have much time left.

Sure enough, as soon as Doctor Sun took the emperor's pulse, he found that the situation was just as he had expected, and even more serious than expected.

"The Queen has arrived!"

"Prince Rong has arrived!"

"The Imperial Concubine has arrived!"

"Prince Jin has arrived!"

"The Ninth Prince has arrived!"

…

As soon as the news of the emperor's fainting spread, all the masters with some power in the palace rushed to the scene.

"What's wrong with the emperor?" Although the queen also looked anxious, her many years as the mother of the country allowed her to maintain a dignified demeanor and dignity.

In contrast, Concubine Qin had lost all her usual elegance. Her hair was in a messy bun, with not a single pearl hairpin on her head. Her long hair flowed down her back. It was obvious that she had rushed here in a panic after hearing the news, without even having time to dress.

As soon as Concubine Qin arrived, she threw herself on the emperor and cried, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what's wrong with you? Wake up!" Her cry was so sad, as if her love was really as deep as the sea.

Imperial Physician Sun knelt beside him and replied respectfully, "To answer the Empress, the Emperor is having a heart attack. I'm afraid..."

Although he had not finished speaking, everyone present was smart and naturally understood the meaning of his words. The emperor was about to die.

Under normal circumstances, the emperor's death might be an opportunity for these princes. After all, only when the throne is vacant can they have the opportunity to fight for the supreme power.

However, at this moment, with Prince Su attacking cities and plundering territories outside, and Bei Zhao eyeing the throne covetously, the throne is a hot potato.

After hearing what Imperial Physician Sun said, Concubine Qin briefly stopped crying, as if she had suddenly realized something. A moment later, she burst into tears again, saying, "Your Majesty, please wake up! You are so cruel! What do you want me to do? Yue'er, hurry up and go find your uncle."

Before Chu Jingyue left, he heard the Queen order: "Come here, arrest Concubine Qin."

The guards outside the door ran in in heavy armor and surrounded the people.

"Queen, what do you mean?" Concubine Qin's face changed slightly, and a bad premonition arose in her heart.

"Before the emperor fell into a coma, he handed over all affairs to me, and the government affairs were handed over to Prince Rong." The queen said lightly.

"Impossible! How could the Emperor hand over such matters to you and Prince Rong? I am in charge of the Six Palaces, and the Phoenix Seal was given to me by the Emperor."

The emperor had long hated the queen, so how could he possibly hand over power to her, let alone hand over such an important matter as state affairs to Prince Rong.

After hearing the Queen's words, the others also showed obvious disbelief. Although the throne was like a hot potato, it couldn't fall into the hands of others easily.

"How dare you! I am the Empress Dowager who has been honored by the Heaven, Earth and ancestors. Are you worthy enough to use the Phoenix Seal to pressure me? Slap me in the face." The Queen scolded harshly.

The nanny beside the Queen heard the noise and stepped forward. Without hesitation, she slapped Concubine Qin twice, saying as she slapped her: "My Lady, these two slaps are to remind you that the Queen is the master in this palace."

Chu Jingyue saw Concubine Qin being beaten and tried to step forward to protect her, but was forcibly restrained by the guards. He said bitterly, "Is the Queen trying to usurp the throne?"

"Yue'er, don't say anything." Concubine Zhou's face was red and swollen from being beaten, and she felt scared and frightened.

She knew very well that the Queen had clearly taken control of the inner court, and if she angered the Queen again, there would probably be more serious consequences.

The Queen glanced at Chu Jingyue and said, "It was Prince Su who was plotting to usurp the throne. I am merely protecting the imperial court. Jingyue, you are already eighteen years old. It is time for you to shoulder the responsibilities that a prince should bear."

"What do you want to do? What do you want my Yue'er to do?" Before Chu Jingyue could speak, Concubine Qin shouted first.

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