Chapter 260 Madness

As night fell, all sorts of demons and monsters finally emerged.

Within an hour, three groups of people had arrived at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

The first group to arrive were people from Empress Dowager Zheng's palace, who summoned Shangguan Jin to the palace.

After being questioned by Shangguan Jin, he became enraged and wanted his personal eunuch to forcibly escort Shangguan Jin into the palace.

As a result, the people sent by Lady Huangfu snapped his neck on the spot and threw him out.

The second group of people from the Duke of Anguo's mansion said that the Duke of Anguo's wife had invited Shangguan Jin to enter the palace together.

Then he was beaten to death by the guards and servants of the Duke of Dingguo's own household.

The third group claimed to be Emperor Xiao Jing's men, and they also summoned Shangguan Jin to the palace.

Huan Shuo was acting on a secret imperial edict, ordering Shangguan Jin to bring the heir of the Duke of Dingguo into the palace.

The Seventh Prince glanced at her from the shadows and shook his head at Shangguan Jin.

He had never seen any of these people before; they certainly weren't sent by his father...

So the guards sent by Lady Huangfu twisted their necks and threw them out.

By this time, a considerable number of corpses had already piled up at the entrance of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion...

When these three groups of people arrived, even Qianli and his sister, along with the four men in black they brought, watched from the rooftop without making a move.

These people aren't worth their time...

Just after 7 PM, Steward Shen arrived with a man covered in mud.

Upon seeing this person, the Seventh Prince immediately called out.

"Hu Zhouquan, what happened to you?"

Hu Zhouquan grinned and bowed to Shangguan Jin, then dusted the dirt off his body.

"Madam Shen, this servant crawled out through a dog hole."

My master has heard some news and sent me out to tell you.

He also said that His Highness Prince Yan must not return to the palace, and that you and Lady Huangfu must not go to the palace either.

There's likely to be a major upheaval in the palace in the next few days.

"Please rest assured, we will absolutely not enter the palace at this time."

The same applies to Lady Huangfu's place.

Come, tell me, what exactly happened in the palace?

How could the Emperor's health suddenly deteriorate?

"Has someone made a move?" Shangguan Jin asked.

Hu Zhouquan nodded and told Shangguan Jin everything he had learned from Eunuch Hu.

"His Majesty poisoned the body at Consort Die's place."

That first sentence alone stunned everyone in the courtyard.

Was Emperor Xiao Jing poisoned?

Was the one who poisoned the woman, or was it Consort Die?

This...this is something almost no one expected.

"Why would she...why would she poison His Majesty? Was she instructed by someone else?" Shangguan Jin asked quickly.

She wasn't the only one with this idea.

Rather, everyone shares this idea.

The only person in the entire palace who wanted to harm Emperor Xiao Jing was probably the Empress Dowager...

To say that Consort Die poisoned her is less accurate than saying that the Empress Dowager poisoned her...

This means that when Emperor Xiao Jing visited Empress Dowager Zheng, he never drank a drop of tea or ate anything...

"The current situation is that no one instructed her; she did it all by herself."

Consort Die was seriously ill and not long for life. His Majesty went to visit her out of consideration for the Eighth Prince, and drank a cup of tea offered by Consort Die, and then contracted the disease.

When the Empress Dowager learned of this news, she was also taken aback.

Fortunately, the Empress made a quick decision and responded promptly.

"Upon receiving news of His Majesty's poisoning, the Empress immediately sealed off the palace gates, and even the Empress Dowager was kept inside," Hu Zhouquan said.

Hearing this, Shangguan Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness! The Empress reacted quickly enough, locking the palace gates immediately.

But soon, Shangguan Jin thought of something else.

Didn't someone from the Empress Dowager's palace just come out to summon her to the palace...?

Does that mean that the Empress Dowager's people had already come out before the Empress sealed off the palace?

And they wanted to trick themselves into it...

"How is His Majesty now?" Shangguan Jin asked the anxious Seventh Prince.

Hu Zhouquan's face was full of worry.

"When I came out, His Majesty was still asleep."

All the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy were imprisoned in the Empress's palace by the Empress.

His Majesty remains unconscious and continues to vomit blood.

All the imperial physicians were at a loss.

The situation is very bad.

"Oh, His Highness the Crown Prince has already entered the palace, as have Prime Minister Xu and the six ministers, except for the Duke of Anguo," Hu Zhouquan said.

Shangguan Jin sighed.

Entering the palace at this time would be the most unwise thing to do.

The slightest mistake could result in being killed on the spot.

But now that Empress Xu has taken control of the situation in the palace, things shouldn't be that complicated!

"The Empress has always been by His Majesty's side."

"If there are any further developments, Her Majesty the Empress will likely send someone to inform us," Hu Zhouquan continued.

Shangguan Jin nodded and glanced at the Seventh Prince, who was clenching his teeth and desperately trying to hold back his tears.

"Your Highness, you must understand that the secret guards sent you out on His Majesty's orders."

This is also the best arrangement His Majesty has made for you.

"Do you understand?" Shangguan Jin said to the Seventh Prince seriously.

The seventh prince nodded, wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and said nothing more.

Shangguan Jin kept looking in the direction of the palace, her heart still pounding.

Can Empress Xu really control the situation in the palace...?

......

In Empress Xu's palace, she was filled with anger.

The eunuchs knelt on the ground, but they still couldn't wake Emperor Xiao Jing.

The high-ranking officials who had been summoned were also waiting outside the palace, each with a somber expression.

The Crown Prince also sat upright to the side, looking at Emperor Xiao Jing, who was lying on Empress Xu's bed, his face already deathly pale.

He wasn't particularly sad.

On the contrary, he felt a little smug.

Even if Father can be saved, his body will be ruined, and then I will be able to seize power...

However, he still had to wear a sorrowful expression on his face.

He knew that his father could not yet pass away.

My father also has a formidable secret guard.

That secret guard was the Emperor's greatest reliance.

However, the Crown Prince does not yet know how to take over that secret guard.

"Mother, should we post an imperial edict? There are many skilled doctors among the common people."

"Perhaps there is hope?" the Crown Prince suggested to Empress Xu.

"No! Not only is it too late, but if we post an imperial edict, we'll be announcing this upheaval in the palace to the whole world."

We can still control the situation in the palace.

"If the news spreads too quickly, many things will be out of our control," Empress Xu said solemnly.

The prince clenched his fingers.

He glanced again at Emperor Xiao Jing on the bed, and was about to ask whether he should summon all the important officials...

"Bring that bitch Zheng Mengdie up to me."

"She's the one who poisoned me, and she might even have the antidote!" Empress Xu said viciously.

Upon hearing this, the palace servants immediately went to bring over Consort Die, who had already been beaten until her skin was torn and bleeding.