Upon hearing this, Consort Yi's eyes rolled back, and she fainted while still in her position.

The shock was too great for Consort Yi to bear.

"Father, what should be done with my fourth brother?" Qiao Qiu asked.

The Emperor angrily said, "That rebellious son, I will never be able to get rid of this anger if I don't kill him!"

Qiao Qiu patted his chest to calm him down, "Father, calm down."

The Emperor took several deep breaths to catch his breath. "Che'er, the throne of this Great Jin Dynasty will now be handed over to you."

"Father, don't overthink it. The reason you're like this is because you just took the antidote and your body is still very weak. With proper recuperation for a while, you'll recover to your previous state." Qiao Qiu didn't believe that her father, with his lifelong reputation, would so easily relinquish power.

Sure enough, the emperor's eyes lit up when he heard her say something.

Although it happened very quickly, Qiao Qiu still managed to see it.

Yes, this is her cunning, fox-like father.

Qiao Qiu straightened up, turned around and said to the outside, "Ji Xian!"

After the imperial physicians left, Ji Xian, who had automatically gone out to stand guard, heard her voice and immediately came in.

"master."

Qiao Qiu lowered her voice and said, "Let's check on my father's health."

"yes."

Ji Xian did as instructed and went over. Seeing that the emperor had woken up, Ji Xian knelt down and said, "This humble servant greets Your Majesty."

"Did you save me?" the Emperor asked.

Ji Xian replied, "It was Your Highness who saved the Emperor."

The Emperor waved his hand, "You don't need to refuse. I know perfectly well what's going on and will reward you accordingly."

Ji Xian bowed and said, "This humble servant thanks Your Majesty."

"Get up and take a look at me."

"yes."

Ji Xian stood up and took the emperor's pulse. While taking the pulse, he observed the emperor's complexion, eyes, and other areas.

After a while, Ji Xian came to a conclusion and said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty's poison has been completely cured, but you are a little weak. I will prescribe some medicine and you will recover after a few days of proper care."

"Alright, go and get the medicine." The Emperor's expression relaxed considerably, and his mood improved somewhat.

"Yes." Ji Xian stepped aside to write out the prescription.

Qiao Qiu cupped his hands and said, "Father, the matter of my fourth brother should be dealt with as soon as possible and should not be delayed any longer. In addition, Father is still angry. I ask Father to calm down before deciding on my fourth brother's crime."

The Emperor looked at Qiao Qiu, his eyes showing displeasure. "Are you pleading for your fourth brother?"

"It's not so much a plea, but I hope that Father Emperor made the judgment when he was calm." Qiao Qiu knew what kind of crime the fourth prince had committed. It was indeed a crime punishable by immediate execution. But what about the others?

The Emperor closed his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. "Go out and call all the concubines back. Leave the Empress to take care of me. I want to rest for a while."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave." Qiao Qiu said, then looked at Ji Xian.

Ji Xian nodded to her, and Qiao Qiu turned and walked outside, with Ji Xian following her.

...

After leaving the bedchamber, Qiao Qiu went straight back to the East Palace.

Inside the East Palace, several of Qiao Qiu's spies were already waiting.

These people were sent by Qiao Qiu a few days ago to monitor Lao Si.

Qiao Qiu sat in a chair and listened to their report.

Qiao Qiu put down her tea before even taking a sip and looked at them, "Fourth brother is missing?"

"Yes, the Fourth Prince disappeared at some point. When we found out, the Fourth Prince was already an imposter."

Qiao Qiu's lips curled up, and her beautiful eyes revealed interest. "She even learned how to shed her skin like a cicada. Interesting, very interesting."

"Master, what should we do next?" Ji Xian asked, looking at her.

Qiao Qiu picked up the fan and fiddled with it, saying in a slightly cynical tone, "What else can we do? Just wait for Fourth Brother's army to revolt."

If it's a fox, its tail will always show.

"Understood, I will give the order immediately and have them keep an eye on all the prefectures and counties," Ji Xian said, bowing. Waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump is much easier than searching for a needle in a haystack.

Qiao Qiu nodded, and Ji Xian left.

"You may all step back."

"yes."

Qiao Qiu was left alone in the room. After thinking for a moment, she picked up her fan, got up, and went out.

...

Upon learning of the Fourth Prince's disappearance, the Emperor was furious and immediately ordered the posting of an imperial edict to capture him.

The Fourth Prince was now in a desperate situation. Since the assassins he sent to kill Consort Yi had not returned, he knew that his scheme had been exposed.

He had no doubt that once Consort Yi fell into Dongfang Wuche's hands, she would reveal everything about him.

Dongfang Wuche was too smart, so smart that Dongfang Wuche was jealous of him and also very wary of him.

If he wasn't mistaken, his father should be alright.

It's laughable that his desperate gamble was so easily resolved in Dongfang Wuche's eyes.

Okay, if that's the case, let's go big!

The Fourth Prince secretly passed a message to the Prime Minister, instructing him to find a way to stall Dongfang Wuche.

When the Prime Minister saw that the Fourth Prince was about to rebel, he knew that this was his only chance, so he agreed to cooperate.

...

The seventh day of the sixth lunar month is an auspicious day, when lotus flowers bloom in profusion.

The Prime Minister's backyard was filled with a pond of lotus flowers, which bloomed beautifully.

The Prime Minister was delighted to see this and sent someone to invite Dongfang Wuye to come and admire the lotus flowers.

When inviting him, the servant deliberately told Dongfang Wuye that the Prime Minister had come to his senses these days and would no longer oppose His Highness the Crown Prince. However, he had no opportunity to speak up. He suggested that the Third Prince invite His Highness the Crown Prince to admire the lotus flowers together, which would surely please the Prime Minister.

Dongfang Wuye thought about it and realized it made sense; he had been caught in the middle for a long time.

The Prime Minister is, after all, his father-in-law. If he could help his elder brother, the Emperor, to turn hostility into friendship, that would be the best outcome.

So Dongfang Wuye excitedly dragged Qiao Qiu to the Prime Minister's residence!

Qiao Qiu originally didn't want to go, because her men hadn't found any trace of military activity anywhere in the past few days.

But thinking about it, the Prime Minister had already made contact with the fourth prince long ago, so his sudden show of goodwill towards her must be part of a conspiracy.

Before leaving, he gave Ji Xian a wink.

Ji Xian then understood.

...

The backyard of the Prime Minister's residence.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince has arrived! I am so sorry for not welcoming you sooner. You are truly a rare guest." The Prime Minister greeted him with a smile and bowed, saying, "This old minister greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Qiao Qiu's lips twitched; her smile was more like a grimace. She waved her hand and looked away, "Prime Minister, there's no need for such formalities. I, the Crown Prince, am merely here as a guest to admire the flowers."

"Yes, Your Highness, please take a seat." The Prime Minister straightened up, and the moment he turned to the servant, his smile vanished, replaced by a gloomy expression. "Why aren't you hurrying to bring the best tea and snacks?"

Qiao Qiu, who was already seated at the stone table, said, "On such a fine day, why bother with tea? How about a pot of wine, some roast meat, beef, or something? Wouldn't that be delightful?"

The Prime Minister said, "Your Highness is right, why don't you hurry up and go?"

"This servant will go immediately." The servant trembled with fear at the Prime Minister's expression and quickly retreated after receiving the order.

The Prime Minister turned around, his smile returning. "Your Highness, please come and admire the lotus flowers. This old minister has many varieties of lotus flowers here."