The Empress died of poisoning.

As she lay dying, her lips curled into a smile of sarcasm and resentment.

Your Highness, this is all the help your mother can give you.

Leng Luo panicked and hurriedly ran towards the palace.

Upon arriving outside the Hall of Diligent Governance, one sees a scene of panic and disarray outside what was once a solemn and orderly place.

He hurriedly entered the palace and saw that the imperial physicians had arrived.

The imperial guards whispered to him at the palace gate, "Lord Leng, His Majesty has been poisoned. It's best to say less and not further agitate him..."

Leng Luo nodded and hurriedly walked inside.

Hanako was kneeling beside him, her chest stained with blood.

His Majesty's face was ashen, his eyes vacant, and there was blood on the dragon desk and in front of his dragon robe.

"What's wrong with Your Majesty?" Leng Luo asked, unusually alarmed.

"He's been poisoned!" Consort Xi exclaimed. "The box the Empress gave His Majesty was laced with deadly poison."

Not long after the Empress left the palace, Consort Xi suddenly arrived at the Hall of Diligent Governance in a panic with an old eunuch, saying that she had something extremely urgent to discuss and needed to see His Majesty immediately.

Xie Anfeng stopped her outside: "In these extraordinary times, it would be better for Your Highness to stay in the inner palace."

Consort Xi said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty may have been poisoned."

Pointing to the old eunuch, he said, "He is a servant in the Empress's palace, and he heard it with his own ears... It's better to be safe than sorry, so it's best to have the imperial physician examine him."

The old eunuch said with a mournful face, "This old servant overheard Aunt Jin Ge saying that Her Majesty the Empress intends to perish together with His Majesty, which can be considered as helping the Crown Prince..."

According to the old eunuch, the box was poisoned inside and out; anyone who touched it would be poisoned, but the onset of the poison was somewhat delayed.

To deceive the emperor, the empress coated the box inside and out with poison, and she held the box herself to lull the emperor into a false sense of security.

Hua Zisheng immediately sent someone to invite Lan Lin over.

Lan Lin quickly arrived at the Hall of Diligent Governance, examined the box, and said, "This box is poisoned both inside and out."

He took the pulses of His Majesty and Hua Zisheng, his face grave; His Majesty and Chief Eunuch Hua had both been poisoned.

Even so, Emperor Hui still kept the box on his dragon throne, unwilling to throw it away.

That's Consort Yun's handwriting. Even if he dies, he can't let this thought be destroyed.

When Leng Luo entered, Consort Xi was sitting not far from His Majesty. Xiu Ning helped His Majesty change his clothes, and also helped Hua Zisheng change his clothes.

Emperor Hui looked at Leng Luo and asked, "Has the Empress rebelled?"

Leng Luo didn't want to lie, but she also knew she couldn't provoke His Majesty any further.

He carefully chose his words and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress has died of poisoning. The Crown Prince is still besieging the city."

Emperor Hui's expression was unreadable, so Leng Luo wisely withdrew.

The imperial physicians continued to treat His Majesty, while veteran officials such as Xie Anfeng, Duke Xun, and Prince Jing led the other officials in discussing and making decisions.

Seeing that the emperor was seriously ill, Leng Luo was anxious, but there were some things she couldn't keep quiet about.

He left the main hall and went to the side hall council chamber, anxiously addressing Xie Anfeng and other ministers: "The Empress is on the city wall. Not only did she not persuade the Crown Prince to retreat, but she also said that Prince Jin has been killed. I have just arranged for the Imperial City Guard to go to Prince Jin's residence to check."

The Empress was poisoned, and from the onset of the poison to her death, it took no more than fifteen minutes. Is Your Majesty also...?

Xie Anfeng's expression was gloomy as he said, "Lan Lin has already examined it. The poison is not common, and he is still thinking of an antidote. However, the poison is not a one-time fatal one. The Empress died so quickly, she must have known she couldn't survive and then ingested a deadly poison."

"Is His Majesty in danger?" Leng Luoxin continued to sink.

If His Majesty were to pass away, the ministers would rather die than allow the Crown Prince to ascend the throne.

But Prince Qi is already disabled, and if Prince Jin also dies, then... we can only support His Majesty's few young princes.

Although he is young, when it comes to the struggle for the throne, it will be another bloodbath.

Moreover, he couldn't be sure whether these young princes would also be harmed.

He sees everyone as a thief now!

Seeing Leng Luo's unusual paleness, Xie Anfeng said that the poison in His Majesty would not be immediately fatal, but each time the poison took effect, his internal organs would suffer severe damage.

Lan Lin said that the poison would flare up every few hours, each time more severe than the last, causing his internal organs to fail and him to suffer terribly until he died.

His Majesty has been working tirelessly for years, which has taken a toll on his health, so the situation is not optimistic.

Now we pin our hopes on Lan Lin, hoping he can find a way to detoxify as soon as possible.

New news kept arriving from outside the city, but none of it was good news.

The Crown Prince intensified his attack on the city. The Crown Prince and Wei Jingzhong had deep-rooted power, and the city was rife with spies; the imperial guards defending the city suffered heavy casualties.

At dusk, the Imperial City Guard returned to report to Leng Luo that the entire Prince Jin's household had been killed.

From the Prince of Jin down to the maids and servants, none survived.

Because the palace gates were closed and communication was cut off, Consort Xian was unaware of the Prince of Jin's death.

Consort Xi was taking care of His Majesty, while Consort Xian, the biological mother of Prince Jin, and the other consorts waited anxiously in the side hall.

The Crown Prince forced the Empress to abdicate, and the Crown Prince is certain not to inherit the throne unless he succeeds in the coup and kills all the ministers, including Xie Anfeng.

His Majesty has been poisoned; he will surely issue a decree of succession before he dies.

They all have sons, and since the throne is not passed down to the crown prince, their sons all have a chance, especially the Prince of Jin.

They dared not stray far, and waited anxiously in the side hall.

Not only did he stay close by, but he also brought along the princes who had not yet left the palace to establish their own residences, ostensibly to attend to their illness.

The concubines had very mixed feelings; they hoped that His Majesty would live, yet they also hoped that he would die so that the throne could be passed on to their sons.

Everyone was keeping each other in check, and no one could get close to His Majesty alone.

On the contrary, they did not fear Consort Xi, who had no children, and even fawned over her.

Consort Xi has no children, yet she possesses such a powerful background. If we can win her over and gain her support, that prince will surely be able to seize the throne.

His Majesty survived the first attack of the poison.

He sat up weakly, looked at Consort Xi whose eyes were red from crying, and comforted her, "Don't cry, I'm fine!"

Consort Xi knew this was not the time to cry. She grasped Emperor Hui's hand and said, "Your Majesty, the traitors are still kept out of the city. Rest assured, Your Majesty, they are just ants trying to shake a big tree."

Emperor Hui felt a little relieved after hearing this.

Yes, the rebels are fierce, but no matter how loud their battle cries are, it's all in vain if they can't enter the capital.

They pressed on with their initial momentum, but their strength waned with each attempt, and by the third attempt, their morale would be exhausted. When the imperial reinforcements arrived, it would be the end for them.

"Grand Secretary Gu was originally supposed to return today, but seeing this situation, he probably wouldn't go into the city. It would be safer for him to stay outside."

Consort Xi spoke gently and calmly, looking directly at Emperor Hui, "Your Majesty, rest assured, everything is under control."

Emperor Hui looked more relaxed.

Not long after, Xie Anfeng came to report: "Your Majesty, we have received news that the Commander-in-Chief of Yicheng has led 20,000 troops to the capital to defend the emperor and is currently fighting against the rebels."

Emperor Hui managed to sit up.

As darkness fell, Consort Xi asked, "Your Majesty, Consort Xian and the others are worried about your safety and are waiting in the side hall with the prince. Would Your Majesty like to see them?"

Emperor Hui said, "They're gone. The war is not yet stable, and we are busy with other matters. Take them away and comfort them properly."

At Shenshi (3-5 PM), Emperor Hui issued an imperial edict.

"After the Empress's death, Consort Xi was granted the power to manage the inner palace."