Chapter 293 The Emperor's Thoughts

Her eldest son was still suffering guarding the imperial mausoleum, but the emperor was so caring and protective of the Prince of Qi who had caused so many troubles.

Even though she told herself countless times to stay calm and dignified, the queen's heart still could not calm down. Jealousy and unwillingness spread wildly in her heart like wild weeds.

Chu Ci watched this scene and sighed in his heart: Will the Queen turn completely evil because of this?

That would not be a good thing for her.

Thinking of this, Chu Ci didn't dare to delay any longer. He immediately stepped forward and stretched out his fingers to feel the pulse of the Second Prince.

After a moment, she said with a firm look, "Your Highness the Prince of Qi must have accidentally eaten some fungus and is poisoned!"

"Poisoning?" Chu Ci's diagnosis was like a thunderclap exploding over everyone's heads. Old man Bai Pubai's face turned pale, and he thought of something.

But just like that, he became even more confused, not knowing what Chu Ci was trying to accomplish by making such a diagnosis.

But before he could figure out Chu Ci's thoughts.

The emperor was immediately furious upon hearing this, ignoring Chu Ci's mention of accidental ingestion. Veins bulged on his forehead as he shouted, "Who is so bold as to plot to murder my prince?"

Seeing the emperor so furious, everyone trembled with fear and fell to the ground in a hurry. "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Everyone's voices trembled and were filled with fear.

Even the queen, whose heart was consumed by hatred, felt her heart beating faster with fear when she faced such an enraged emperor.

But in this split second, she keenly realized that this was a great opportunity to flatter the King of Qi.

So, suppressing her inner fear, she spoke cautiously, "Your Majesty, I dare to say a few words. They may not be pleasant to hear, but they may be closest to the truth. Could the Prince of Qi have accidentally offended someone?"

The emperor glared at him and shouted, "Nonsense! The King of Qi has always been kind and benevolent. How could he offend someone so easily? Stop talking nonsense and disturbing people!"

The King of Qi is kind? This is probably the biggest joke in the world.

Chu Ci's eyes were rolling up to the sky, and that expression did not hide her inner disdain at all.

When the emperor saw this, he almost couldn't help but order people to drag Chu Ci out and behead him on the spot.

But thinking of the value of Chu Ci, he could only suppress the anger on the tip of his tongue, and signaled Zhang Rang to take away all the imperial doctors, palace maids and eunuchs present.

Only the emperor, the empress, and Chu Ci were left in the hall. The emperor then stared at Chu Ci with a sharp gaze and asked, "Princess Yixin, do you disagree with my assessment of the King of Qi?"

Chu Ci naturally keenly sensed the emperor's hidden murderous intent towards her, but she bet that the emperor would not act rashly against her just because of this.

So she simply confronted the emperor directly, holding her head high and chest puffed out, saying fearlessly, "Your Majesty, why are you feigning ignorance? The Purple Envoy has investigated so much, and I just don't believe that with your wisdom and intelligence, you wouldn't have noticed anything unusual about the Prince of Qi."

The emperor's eyes fixed, his face instantly darkening as if water could drip out of it. He said in a deep voice, "Yixin, how dare you speak to me like that? Do you really think I won't punish you?"

An ordinary person would certainly not be able to withstand the emperor's furious aura. The overwhelming pressure was like a mountain pressing down on one's head, likely enough to make one collapse to the ground, kowtow and confess guilt, trembling in fear.

But Chu Ci's cheat was so powerful that she, the person involved, didn't feel a thing at all. "Your Majesty can punish Yi Xin, but can you deny the facts Yi Xin said?"

Seeing that the emperor was still hesitating, Chu Ci pressed on, looking directly at the emperor with a determined gaze, and said loudly, "Is Your Majesty truly willing to return the Great Zhou to the remnants of the previous dynasty?"

As soon as Chu Ci said this, the murderous intent in the emperor's eyes was no longer hidden, and it surged out like a surging tide. His cold gaze seemed to be able to see through Chu Ci on the spot.

Unfortunately, Chu Ci was not afraid at all. He straightened his back and there was no sign of retreat in his eyes.

On the other hand, even though the emperor was burning with rage and his eyes were about to spit fire, he still had his rationality.

The emperor had no choice but to find a way out. He gritted his teeth and asked, "As stubborn as that old man from the Fan family. Is there any way to cure the King of Qi's poison?"

Chu Ci: You’ve asked the right person!

Chu Ci laughed inwardly. This was the drug she had given herself, so there must be a way to undo it. But if that happened, wouldn't everything she had done before be in vain?

Chu Ci calmly shook his head and boldly advised, "Your Majesty, Yi Xin believes that the Second Prince's current state is the best for him, Your Majesty, and even for the Great Zhou Dynasty?"

Even though he knew that what Chu Ci said was reasonable, his pride as an emperor would not allow an outsider to make random comments about the prince.

The emperor snorted angrily and said sternly, "How dare you, Chu Ci! How dare you make arbitrary comments on the prince's affairs!"

Chu Ci knew that she had touched the emperor's bottom line, but things had come to this point and she could not back down.

She mustered up the courage to speak, "I acknowledge my guilt, but the fact that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi is in a coma is unchangeable. Furthermore, this matter is of grave importance. I am speaking this out of concern for the Emperor and the Great Zhou. I hope the Emperor will understand."

The emperor felt a little better when he saw Chu Ci surrender, but he was absolutely unwilling to let Chu Ci go so easily.

So, the Queen stepped forward at the perfect moment. "Yixin, even if the Prince of Qi is not a good person, he is still a prince, and he deserves great wealth and status."

"Even though what you said may have some truth to it, how can you casually discuss matters concerning the royal family? You shouldn't speculate so recklessly!"

The Emperor was quite satisfied with the Empress's understanding and nodded slightly, then asked, "How should the Empress punish Yi Xin for being so offensive?"

The Queen smiled slightly and changed the subject. "Although Princess Yixin has overstepped her bounds, she is wholeheartedly devoted to the Emperor and the Great Zhou. Furthermore, the Imperial Women's Academy still needs Princess Yixin's full support."

As the Empress spoke, she observed the Emperor's expression. Seeing that he showed no anger, she tentatively said, "How about a small punishment, a big warning? Let her copy the Diamond Sutra ten times for His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi, and use this to pray for His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi's speedy recovery. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"But..." The emperor was about to agree.

Chu Ci muttered bluntly, "I'm the only one who can tell how poisonous the King of Qi is!"

Chu Ci was threatened in person, and the emperor felt that he was hopeless.

The queen silently took a step back, hoping that the emperor would not implicate her when dealing with Chu Ci.

However, what the queen never expected was that the emperor, whom she thought would be furious, not only did not get angry, but seemed to be in a very good mood.

The emperor raised his lips and said jokingly, "Yixin, you must have learned a lot from your teacher during your exile, right?"