Looking at the filthy blood in the spittoon, Wang De's heart was bleeding.

If this continues, the vomiting of blood alone could kill him...

He couldn't understand why Emperor Ganwu had been strictly forbidding the use of imperial physicians and royal doctors for diagnosis these past few days.

This left Wang De truly at a loss as to what to do.

At this moment, he could only use his trembling hands to wipe the sweat from Emperor Ganwu's forehead and the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth.

"call!"

Emperor Qianwu let out a long sigh and said earnestly to Wang De, "There's no need to waste any more effort. I know my own condition. Summoning the imperial physicians is useless. I can feel that my time is up... cough cough!"

It is only when a serious illness strikes that one realizes the nature of one's destiny.

Emperor Ganwu knew that his days were numbered, and that he might very well pass away soon.

The reason why the imperial physicians were not summoned was because Emperor Ganwu knew in his heart that there was no medicine in the world that could cure him.

Now that things have come to this, blindly summoning the imperial physician will not only fail to cure the illness, but may also reveal the condition of the patient, causing even greater turmoil.

The current situation appears calm on the surface, having just weathered a locust plague, but in reality, undercurrents are surging and crises are lurking everywhere.

He truly wished he could borrow a little more time from heaven, even just a tiny bit, so he could make proper arrangements for his funeral.

But this idea might be wishful thinking...

The most important thing right now is to do everything possible to clear away all obstacles and hindrances for Li Gancheng before he passes away, so that the transition of power in Da Gancheng can proceed smoothly.

To ensure a smooth transition of power in the Great Gan regime, two issues must be addressed. First, the ambitious Second Prince and Lin Xuanfu, along with the anti-Gan forces and internal threats, must be dealt with. Second, the military power in various parts of the Great Gan regime must be transferred and entrusted to different officials.

Emperor Ganwu understood this deeply, which is why he defied his physical condition and made this move at the morning court session.

He knew better than anyone that the Lin family's power was deeply entrenched, and that gradually weakening them was the best strategy. But fate was cruel, and his days were numbered...

"Your Majesty...you mustn't say such a thing! You are the heavens of the Great Qian Dynasty, a true dragon descended to earth. You absolutely cannot have any mishaps. This old servant believes you will..."

Before Wang De could finish speaking, Emperor Ganwu gestured to him, indicating that he didn't need to waste his breath on these meaningless words.

Despite his extreme physical discomfort, Emperor Ganwu sat up with Wang De's help.

Have they arrived?

Wang De knew perfectly well that the "they" Emperor Ganwu was referring to were Yao Tianzheng, Yi Youwei, and Zhuang Qishi.

"Your Majesty, the three gentlemen have been waiting outside the palace for an audience."

Upon hearing what Wang De said, Emperor Ganwu paused for a moment, trying his best to appear less haggard.

Judging from the time frame, Yao Tianzheng, Yi Youwei, and Zhuang Qishi have been waiting for quite some time. They should meet as soon as possible; they are all old and it's not good to keep them standing there.

Thinking of this, Emperor Ganwu said directly to Wang De, "Clean this place up and then let them in."

"Yes...yes, Your Majesty!"

Wang De still wanted to find an imperial physician to treat His Majesty, but he didn't know how to say it.

We can only wait until the three ministers arrive and then have them try to persuade them.

While ordering people to quickly clean up the mess around him, Wang De had several maids help Emperor Wu wash and wipe himself down, so that he wouldn't look so haggard.

Thus, Emperor Ganwu's expression finally softened somewhat, at least he didn't look so frightening anymore.

After everything was arranged, Wang De, following Emperor Ganwu's instructions, brought Yao Tianzheng, Yi Youwei, and Zhuang Qishi into the palace.

Emperor Ganwu knew that these old fellows were not as healthy as before, so he immediately ordered Wang De to bring them benches so that they could sit and talk.

These three men were all key ministers of Emperor Qianwu, and even his most trusted advisors. Yao Tianzheng and Zhuang Qishi were also the Grand Tutor and Grand Preceptor of Crown Prince Li Gancheng.

Although Yi Youwei had previously been at odds with Sun Jian and had criticized him, Emperor Ganwu knew in his heart that Yi Youwei was still loyal to him. If he appointed Yi Youwei as a trusted minister to assist the young prince, Yi Youwei would remain loyal to the crown prince Li Gancheng.

Emperor Ganwu was also keeping things under wraps, at least to the three people in front of him, there was no need to hide his true situation.

When Emperor Ganwu directly stated his physical condition and that his days were numbered, the three were shocked, their expressions changed drastically, and they hurriedly sat up from their stools, looking incredulous.

They then recalled the scene of Emperor Ganwu coughing during the morning court session earlier.

Even they thought Emperor Ganwu had just caught a cold, but they never expected it to be like this...

Upon hearing this news, the three were struck dumb and remained in shock for a long time.

Seeing their reaction, Emperor Ganwu nodded again as if to confirm, and repeated: "My three ministers need not panic. I know the will of Heaven. What Heaven decrees cannot be forced by human power."

"His Majesty……"

The three of them immediately knelt on the ground, their voices trembling with sobs.

They couldn't accept this fact.

Why did His Majesty, who was in such good health just a while ago, suddenly say such things today?

You have to understand, this is a huge deal!

It was even more shocking to them than when they heard about the locust plague.

They had thought His Majesty had summoned them to discuss matters related to Lin Xuanfu, but who would have thought that his opening remarks would be such a bombshell!

This was so unexpected!

Among the three, Yao Tianzheng has another identity: he comes from a family of famous doctors, and his medical skills are recognized in the world.

"Your Majesty, may I take a look at you...?"

Emperor Ganwu had anticipated this scene and immediately agreed to Yao Tianzheng's request to examine his body.

And so, under the tense and uneasy gazes of Yi Youwei and Zhuang Qishi, Yao Tianzheng began to take the pulse of Emperor Ganwu.

It would have been better if they hadn't tried, but once they did, it almost gave Yao Tianzheng a huge fright.

Even with Yao Tianzheng's composure and shrewdness, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Emperor Ganwu was not talking nonsense; the pulse indicated that he was nearing his end.

It's not exactly a fatal pulse, but you can feel that the pulse is weak, feeble, and extremely slow.

Judging from Yao Tianzheng's medical skills, someone with this pulse pattern probably only has about five or six days left to live.

In short, from the perspective of traditional medicine, it is impossible for someone with such a pulse to survive past the seventh day!

Seeing Yao Tianzheng's face change drastically, Yi Youwei and Zhuang Qishi beside him also turned ashen-faced, as if a stone was stuck in their hearts. They didn't know what to say, so they could only kneel down with a thud and call out "Your Majesty" in tearful voices.