Chapter 394 Aftermath

By the time Physician Liang explained the meaning of "Beauty's Intoxication" to Emperor Wu, the emperor, his face dark with anger, smashed a cup.

"...This poison is made primarily from the pollen of a rare flower from the Western Regions. Those poisoned will fall into a deep sleep, during which they will gradually become emaciated until they die."

"You might be able to cure the poison?"

The old doctor Liang did not nod in agreement directly, but carefully said, "In response to Your Majesty, I am skilled in acupuncture and can use acupuncture to slow down the effects of this Beauty Intoxication, which should allow Princess Taiping to wake up for a period of time each day."

As for the antidote, we need to discuss it further with other doctors.

Although Emperor Wu was not satisfied with the answer, since only the old physician Liang could explain the poison that Princess Taiping had been poisoned, he nodded and said, "Then you should use acupuncture on Taiping first."

Meanwhile, the Holy Son, who was chained and hung up in the prison, was given ten lashes dipped in salt water, as instructed by Xue Yao.

The Holy Son was covered in wounds; when he was cornered in that house in the West Market, he knew he was doomed.

Spitting out the blood in his mouth, the Holy Son smiled at Xue Yao sitting opposite him. However, this smile aggravated the wound on the corner of his mouth, causing him to gasp in pain.

"Haha, haha, Commander Xue has come to beg me?"

"If Commander Xue would kneel down and beg me, I might just soften and tell you what poison Princess Taiping was given."

Xue Yao did not take the Holy Son's blatant provocation seriously. However, news had just come from the Daming Palace that someone already knew what poison Princess Taiping had been poisoned with, but the problem was that the antidote was still uncertain.

Xue Yao glared at the Holy Son, then got up and left the Heavenly Prison.

He instructed the jailer, "This man is the ringleader in this major case. Keep a close watch on him. Have someone treat his injuries. We can't let him die like this."

As soon as they left the prison, a deputy came forward to report: "Boss, the brothers below interrogated us all night and got some information from a few barbarians who couldn't bear the pain."

He then presented a piece of paper to Xue Yao. After reading it, Xue Yao's face darkened, and he took the paper and headed towards the palace.

Two days later, having almost figured out the ins and outs of the Temple Gate rebellion, Emperor Wu unleashed his ultimate move.

During the Great Court, someone arranged for one of their own to bring up the matter, and then someone suggested that the Western Turks who rebelled must be made to pay the price they deserved!

Emperor Wu is about to launch a war!

When the first military general knelt down on one knee to volunteer for battle, a second general followed, a third, and finally all the generals in the court shouted in unison, "Anyone who dares to raise troops shall be beheaded! Victory is assured!"

The general punched his chest with his right fist, making his armor clang loudly.

Among the civil officials, those who felt that war should not have been started, and who saw it as a waste of manpower and resources, kept cursing in their hearts, "A bunch of brainless brutes!"

Lou Shide, the chief civil official and prime minister, was in a real bind. He glanced cautiously behind him and saw hundreds of civil officials staring at him, waiting for him to make a decision and step in to stop Emperor Wu.

Lou Shide had no choice; he also felt that launching a war at this time was not worthwhile.

It should be noted that, based on what was just said, the whole incident resulted in Princess Taiping falling into a deep sleep due to poisoning, the death of the youngest daughter of a third-rank official, and some merchants losing some gold and silver.

Why would something like this warrant the start of a war?

Besides, war isn't something you can just start whenever you want.

Food supplies, weapons, auxiliary troops, etc.—which of these doesn't require coordination, and which doesn't burn through money?

Lou Shide then bowed and stepped forward, intending to offer some advice to Emperor Wu.

When Emperor Wu saw Lou Shide step forward from his dragon throne, he knew that this man was about to try to persuade him, but Emperor Wu would not give Lou Shide the chance.

Emperor Wu stood up abruptly and loudly proclaimed to the civil and military officials below, "My Taiping is still lying in her bedchamber and has not yet woken up!"

I only have one daughter, Taiping, now!

"How can you bear to prevent me from seeking justice for my beloved daughter?"

Having said that, before the officials could react, Emperor Wu turned and left, leaving behind a group of officials who were completely bewildered as to how the drama was going to continue.

After the grand court session ended, Emperor Wu would often convene smaller court meetings, where powerful officials from the Three Departments and Six Ministries would wait.

Emperor Wu then had Wang Da Dang circulate a memorial to these people that had not been discussed in detail during the grand court assembly, which explained the whole affair at the Temple Gate from beginning to end.

Finally, he had a military officer step forward and emphasize the power of the gunpowder that Du Qinghui had prepared for the Emperor's birthday celebration.

"This battle is definitely going to happen."

Otherwise, their repeated incursions would also drain the nation's resources.

Having subdued this force and truly taken control of the Western Turks, thus gaining control of this route, is ultimately a good thing for our Great Tang.

Then, the group discussed the allocation of provisions and the deployment of troops for another half hour.

After this matter was discussed, only Prince Xiang remained standing in the hall.

"Your Majesty, I am concerned about Taiping and would like to visit her. May I?"

Emperor Wu nodded and waved his sleeve. Wang Da Dang then gave a signal and sent a eunuch to lead the way to Princess Taiping, who had now moved from Emperor Wu's bedroom to the adjacent hall.

Prince Xiang looked at Princess Taiping, who was still unconscious on the bed with gold needles stuck in her face, hands and feet, and felt a pang of grief in his heart!

"These are the only blood relatives my mother and father left me!"

After carefully inquiring about the patient's condition, the Prince and the old physician Liang sat for a while longer before leaving.

On the way back to the Prince's residence, the Prince regretted it!

He really regretted it!

He had indeed joined forces with the Temple Gate, a rebel force of the Western Turks, to overthrow Emperor Wu, but he never imagined that these barbarians would actually target Taiping!

Whether the Prince Xiang regrets it or not, Emperor Wu will always be the kind of emperor who kills without hesitation.

The major case was investigated quickly, after all, the Imperial Guard and the Bad Guys had already secretly investigated it beforehand. As for Princess Taiping's incident, no one expected that the Holy Son was a mad dog who could use such a method.

Princess Taiping was an accident.

However, that very night, Commander Wang's words came true, and Emperor Wu naturally agreed to close the gates and beat the dogs, annihilating this group of rebellious villains who were causing trouble in Chang'an.

So, five days later, the high platform in Suzaku Square was erected again.

One by one, criminals wearing wooden shackles and bearing wounds were herded onto the high platform.

When the time came, the executioner swung his blade, and the execution was complete. Apart from the decapitated corpse, only the still-warm blood on the platform could prove that a life had been lost.

Fortunately, it was still the first month of the lunar calendar, and the smell of blood dissipated quickly in the biting cold wind. In less than a night, the smell of blood surrounding Zhuque Square had completely dissipated.