Chapter 165 A Once-in-a-Century Event

"Brother Tong, is Father Emperor awake now? He should be waking up around today, right?"

"Just woke up. Yes, you can start your performance now." If the system had a physical form, it might even be holding a handful of sunflower seeds. After all, a host as dramatic and manipulative as this is a once-in-a-century find.

Hongzhao curled his lips in amusement and asked Su Peisheng, who was waiting outside, in a low voice, "Eunuch Su, is the medicine ready? Just bring it over. I'll feed it to Father Emperor. You may all leave."

Yinzhen had been lying in bed for several days. To be honest, he hadn't gotten used to this state of being able to hear but unable to move. But at least it wasn't as agonizing as the first day, thanks in no small part to Hongzhao. Now, he was vaguely hearing a soft clatter; it must have been You'er placing the medicine bowl on his bedside table.

But no matter how long he waited, the bowl of medicine didn't end up in his mouth as before. Instead, he heard another rustling sound, interspersed with a clear buzzing sound.

That sound... a dagger?

Hongzhao stared at the jewel-encrusted blade in his hand. He was only able to bring this thing to the emperor's bedside without being discovered thanks to his status and the emperor's favor. He still had to act quickly.

He brandished the dagger against his wrist, muttering to himself as if to encourage himself, "Father, as I said before, if there is ever a day when Father needs me, I am willing to bleed myself dry."

He pointed the blade at the spot where he had made the cut last time. "Uncle Thirteen has truly recovered. I don't know if what others say is true or false, but let's just assume it's true. If it really works, I will definitely not let Father suffer from illness."

Hongzhao was a filial son, but Yinzhen felt his blood boil upon hearing this.

"Stop! No!"

He had been lucid for the past few days, and never before had he felt such an urgent urge to control his body, to regain his senses, and to snatch the dagger from his foolish son's hand.

He had clearly heard the imperial physicians coming and going these past few days, taking his pulse and prescribing medicine. To put it bluntly, he had overworked himself. He had a fever a few days ago, but it had subsided in the last two days, and he was just in a daze. He would wake up naturally once his body had had enough sleep. His silly son was really frightened by this and had even resorted to such methods.

He thought angrily, "That brat didn't listen to me at all! He's so willful and has such big ideas. I'll punish him properly when I get better!" But these insignificant emotions were immediately overwhelmed by his heartache and anxiety, and he even began to resent Su Peisheng.

"This Su Peisheng used to hang around in front of me all day long, but now he doesn't even bother to come in and stop me!"

"It's useless to have those concubines attending to me when I'm ill! All of them combined don't even take as much care of me as Hongzhao did. And when they come, all they do is cry."

While Yinzhen's mind raced anxiously, Hongzhao closed his eyes and was about to strike with his knife when a series of unfamiliar footsteps startled the two inside the hall. Accompanying this was Su Peisheng's deliberately raised voice—"Oh, the Fourth Prince is here."

Hongzhao quickly sheathed the dagger and carefully tucked it into his bosom, raising an eyebrow and turning to look at the door.

"Your Majesty, I come to pay my respects. I hope Your Majesty will recover soon. I will pray for you every day."

It was the same young voice, but it wasn't Hongzhao's; it belonged to Hongli, who had come from afar and hurriedly entered the palace.

Normally, it would be considered a sign of the Emperor's good mood if he were allowed to kowtow outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. After the incident at the Nine Provinces Qingyan, he had incurred the Emperor's displeasure even more. However, this time, the Emperor was seriously ill, and no matter how much Su Peisheng understood the Emperor's wishes, he could not allow a prince to be kept outside and not be allowed to go in for a visit. In addition, it was the Empress Dowager who had shown mercy by sending people to bring the Fourth Prince back.

Hongzhao turned to the side and stood motionless by the bed, looking at his fourth brother, who was sitting below with deep affection, with a scrutinizing gaze.

Sweating profusely and filled with worry, it was a pity that now the Emperor was lying there, able to hear but not to see, all his good intentions were in vain.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Hongli stood up slowly, bowed to Hongzhao, and then leaned forward and walked towards the bed. "Fifth Brother, how is Father? What did the imperial physician say? You must be tired from guarding him here for days. Now your Fourth Brother will relieve you."

Hongzhao stepped forward and blocked his path, his tone and expression indifferent: "No need, Fourth Brother, please go back after you have paid your respects. Father Emperor needs to take his medicine."

Hongli stiffened. He hadn't expected that Hongzhao would so naturally call him out so soon after he entered. He straightened his posture and adopted the air of an elder brother. "Fifth brother, I know you don't like me, but we are both sons of Father Emperor. How can you stop me at this time!"

His tone was filled with the helplessness of someone trying to persuade an unreasonable person, which made Hongzhao twitch his lips as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world—"When have I ever disliked Fourth Brother? It's Fourth Brother who has always harbored resentment towards me."

Yinzhen rarely saw his young crown prince so sharp-tongued, and he could probably understand why: the medicine was extremely difficult to administer because the prince was unconscious. Therefore, Zhou Qi prepared only one dose of the medicine needed for the day, making it very concentrated. If Hongzhao missed today's dose, he would have to wait until tomorrow, and he must be extremely anxious right now.

Although Yinzhen disliked the Fourth Prince and didn't want to hear him speak, he had to admit that the timing was perfect.

“Now that Father is ill, I don’t want to argue with Fourth Brother here. We both know the truth of the matter. We are brothers; why should I make it so clear and cause Father unnecessary worry?” He sighed, a hint of anger at his brother’s lack of resolve. “Fourth Brother doesn’t understand Father. The mountains of official duties he faces every day have already exhausted him to the point of illness. If we add to his worries…”

He took a deep breath, his voice low – “Even for Father’s sake, I will not pursue the matter further. Fourth Brother has already benefited, so he shouldn’t turn around and blame me.”

His succinct delivery left Hongli speechless, his jaw dropping as he stared at him in bewilderment.

He thought to himself, "Father is dizzy, who is he trying to impress with this act?"

"Why does he seem to really know something? Did Granny Zhu confess? If she really confessed, would Father Emperor have kept her alive until today? What... what's his strategy?"