Chapter 221 Then I'll be the first one.

Li Ye was in a coma for six days before finally waking up.

The hall was dimly lit, with only a few palace lanterns emitting a faint glow, and the air was filled with a strong smell of medicine.

He moved his fingers, only to feel weak and sore all over, and his throat was so dry it felt like it was about to burst into flames.

“Water…” he managed to utter a single word.

The young eunuch standing guard by the bed immediately realized what was happening and quickly brought over some warm water, carefully feeding him with a silver spoon.

After drinking a few sips of warm water, Li Ye finally felt a little better.

With the help of a young eunuch, he managed to sit up and lean against the soft pillows.

But as soon as he turned his head and saw the little eunuch's unfamiliar face, he asked with a hint of wariness, "Who are you?"

The young eunuch immediately knelt down and said, "This servant, Dezi, is newly assigned to serve His Majesty."

"Dezi?" Li Ye frowned and repeated, "Where is Eunuch Xu? Where are my other personal eunuchs?"

The palace maids and eunuchs inside the hall looked at each other, none of them daring to respond.

At this moment, a middle-aged eunuch dressed in dark eunuch robes stepped forward, bowed, and said, "This servant, Wei Zhong, greets Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Xu loyally protected his master at the New Year's Eve banquet and unfortunately lost his life. The Princess was worried that you would be left without anyone to take care of you, so she specially sent me to take charge of the affairs of Ganlu Palace and take care of your daily life."

Li Ye then remembered that Eunuch Xu had died under Cui Shiliang's sword while protecting him.

Recalling everything that had happened on New Year's Eve, his heart sank, and he urgently ordered, "I want to see Zheng Wenkai. Summon him to the palace immediately!"

Eunuch Wei looked troubled: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zheng's leg was seriously injured at the New Year's Eve banquet. He is currently recuperating at home and may not be able to enter the palace for the time being."

"What do you mean?" Li Ye said angrily, "I summon him, even if he loses his legs, he has to crawl here to me!"

Eunuch Wei quickly reassured him, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The Princess specifically instructed that since you are currently unwell and need to rest, outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering the palace to avoid affecting your condition."

These words made Li Ye realize the meaning of the sentence instantly.

He looked around the hall and saw that all the familiar palace maids and eunuchs had been replaced by unfamiliar faces.

Li Yuanzhao is going to put him under house arrest!

They won't let him see anyone, and they won't let anyone come to see him!

Enraged, he grabbed the medicine bowl beside him and threw it at Eunuch Wei with all his might.

"Have you all rebelled?! You don't even listen to me anymore! Am I the emperor of this Great Qi, or is Li Yuanzhao the emperor of Great Qi?"

But he had just woken up from a coma after several days and was weak all over. The medicine bowl only went half a step away before crashing to the ground with a "bang".

The medicine splattered all over the floor, but didn't even touch the hem of Eunuch Wei's clothes.

Eunuch Wei's expression remained unchanged as he continued to gently persuade, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The Princess is only doing this for your own good. Physician Lin said that you need to rest and recuperate quietly. The constant flow of people in the palace could easily worsen your condition."

"For my own good?" Li Ye sneered. "I think this rebellious son probably can't wait for me to die so he can take my place!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a voice suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Who is Father Emperor referring to as a rebellious son?"

Everyone turned their heads at the sound and saw Li Yuanzhao, dressed in a black casual suit, slowly walking in from outside the door.

Eunuch Wei was overjoyed.

As soon as the Emperor woke up, he immediately sent someone to deliver a message to the Princess, but he did not expect the Princess to arrive so quickly.

He quickly stepped forward, bowed, and quietly reported what had happened inside the hall.

Li Ye watched this scene, his face turning pale and then black, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.

Li Yuanzhao's gaze fell upon Wei Zhong after he finished listening to Wei Zhong's report.

Li Ye involuntarily shrank back, and quickly forced a fawning smile: "I...I'm scolding Li Yuanyou! Only that rebellious son can annoy me."

Li Yuanzhao nodded noncommittally and walked straight to Li Ye's bedside to sit down.

"I never imagined that even when Father was so ill, he was still thinking about my second brother."

Li Ye's eyes flickered, and he subconsciously retorted, "Why would I miss him?"

"Is that so?" Li Yuanzhao looked up at him, his eyes sharp and all-knowing. "Hasn't Father Emperor always thought of passing the throne to Yuanyou?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ye looked up at Li Yuanzhao in disbelief.

He never expected that she would know everything about his plan, which he had never spoken aloud!

He paused, not answering directly, but instead adopting a pained expression, saying, "Yuan Zhao, haven't I been good enough to you all these years?"

"I have given you power second only to the emperor, wealth beyond measure, and unparalleled favor. Why are you still not satisfied?"

Why do you have to covet the throne that doesn't belong to you?

Li Yuanzhao raised an eyebrow slightly. "Father, did you give these to me willingly? Didn't I earn them myself?"

"If I didn't have the ability to govern the country, the means to deal with powerful clans, and the courage to stabilize the situation in the court, would you still give me these things?"

"Without me, what do you think the Great Qi Empire would be like today?"

She leaned forward, looking directly into Li Ye's eyes, and asked, word by word, "Compared to what you gave me, isn't what I gave you more?"