The palace gates were closed, so even the Emperor himself couldn't enter. However, sending a message out was still quick, and Lu Rui, upon receiving the news, quickly devised a plan.

If the emperor finds out that Chengcheng has sided with the crown prince, the emperor will no longer give him an important position.

But how can we let the emperor know?

After being awake for a while in the early morning, the emperor quickly fell asleep again.

He couldn't sleep, but his body simply couldn't keep up.

When he woke up, there were many people guarding outside. He only dared to drink the porridge after Li Wei had personally tasted it. He only wanted to see Chengcheng, so he had no interest in seeing the people outside.

"Your Majesty, you've finally woken up!" Lu Yinghong entered the hall looking haggard, her eyes still red.

When Yuwen Wuji saw her, he wished he could kill her!

She might be the one who poisoned me!

When he heard that he had been saved by the Prince and his wife, he suspected that Xie Liwei had attacked him. However, the imperial physician said that he had been examined after returning to the palace and there were no signs of poisoning. The poisoning only appeared gradually later, so everyone serving in the palace was a suspect.

Lu Yinghong is the prime suspect!

"Your Majesty, Princess Xuan, Princess Yongle, and Prince Xiaoyao and his wife are outside requesting an audience."

Yuwen Wuji leaned against the headboard, thinking of his fight with Song Yaozhu that day, and said, "Let them in."

He hated Xie Liwei, but since Xie had saved him, he still had to maintain appearances.

The four entered the hall. Yuwen Wuji glanced at Lu Yinghong, who had been standing there ignoring him, and she awkwardly left the hall.

During Yuwen Wuji's coma, she must have done her part, even if not great! How could he think of her like that!

She clutched the handkerchief tightly, gritting her teeth.

After the greetings were completed, Yuwen Wuji offered seats to the group.

"If it weren't for my brother Li, I might have lost my life this time." Yuwen Wuji said, his gaze fixed on Xie Liwei, trying to see treason on his face.

"Your Majesty is protected by the aura of the dragon, and good people are naturally blessed by heaven. Your humble servant dares not take credit for this."

"Your merits should naturally be rewarded; otherwise, if such a thing happens again, wouldn't no one dare to save me?"

Yuwen Wuji wanted to reward Xie Liwei, and Xie Liwei did not refuse, thinking to himself, "Your treasury doesn't have anything good left, does it? I'd like to see what you're going to reward me with."

As expected, he ordered the Ministry of Revenue to commend Xie Liwei, and soon after, Liu Jiaci from the Ministry of Revenue came to see him.

Yuwen Wuji pondered. He wasn't someone who lacked common sense; if he was requesting an audience at this time, there must be something he wanted to discuss.

Li Wei went out to meet someone, and when he returned, he whispered a few words in his ear.

Yuwen Wuji's expression changed repeatedly, like a chameleon.

Although he was unconscious, the previously issued policies still had to be implemented. The Ministry of Revenue quickly distributed the funds for the construction. The national treasury was now short of silver, and according to the old system, the reward would not be enough.

Yuwen Wuji paused for a moment, but he had already said he would reward him, so he couldn't back out.

Imperial rewards were generally of two kinds: official titles and noble ranks, and gold and silver treasures. He was already a prince, but he didn't have any gold or silver himself...

He had finally managed to get the Xie family out of the court, and he had no intention of letting him serve as an official.

He met Xie Liwei's probing and puzzled gaze, which seemed to be curious about what the emperor was going to reward him with.

Yuwen Wuji's temples throbbed. Thinking of what had happened at Huangjue Temple, he hardened his heart and said, "It's a real pity that Brother Li's talents have not been put to use all these years. I hereby appoint Prince Xiaoyao as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. He will be on duty tomorrow!"

Song Yaozhu was slightly surprised. How poor must he be to send Xie Liwei to court?

Even though this is just a minor seventh-rank official position, for Yuwen Wuji, it was not easy for him to get the Xie family out of the court. His current actions are like inviting a wolf into the house.

He would never have made such a decision unless he had reached a dead end.

Xie Liwei said, "Your Majesty knows that I am incompetent. Now you are making me take up a post. Isn't that repaying kindness with enmity?"

“Prince Xiaoyao!” Princess Consort Xuan said, “Your Majesty, please calm down. Prince Xiaoyao’s temperament has always been unpredictable, which is why he said those words that betrayed your good intentions. I’m sure that once the young prince is born, the prince will understand the difficulties involved. Your Highness, His Majesty values ​​you highly, how can you think of him like that!”

Yuwen Wuji lowered his eyes, unsure of Xie Liwei's intentions.

He had raised his wife to be like a second Xie Wanqing. Song Yaozhu even dared to lay a hand on him. If it weren't for her medicine, he wouldn't have been so badly injured. His gaze fell on Song Yaozhu beside Xie Liwei. She met his gaze openly and confidently, showing no fear of his status.

This was completely different from the panic Song Yaozhu had shown when they first met; her demeanor suggested she was completely at ease with everything. Her red lips curved slightly, revealing a generous and poised smile. She simply sat quietly, neither conspicuous nor unnoticed. He had only ever seen this kind of气质 (qi zhi, a kind of refined elegance or poise) in Xie Wanqing.

The thought of Xie Wanqing made his heart pound, and the scene from his dream kept replaying in his mind. So much so that when he saw Song Yaozhu, he would associate her with that charred corpse.

He swallowed hard, thinking that his timidity must be due to his illness. How could ghosts and monsters exist in this world? He must be too weak from his illness...

“Princess Consort Xuan is right. You’re about to become a father, so why are you still so impulsive? It’s time to give you a task to temper your unpredictable nature.”

Xie Liwei then rose and kowtowed to express his gratitude for being born. After rising, he still asked, unwilling to give up, "Your Majesty, may I skip my roll call? It's so cold outside, I just want to sleep in with the Princess Consort..."

Yuwen Wuji raised his hand. "Suit yourself."

He was more than happy to see Xie Liwei give up, and he gave him this idle job to test him.

He told them to leave, citing his poor condition, but Lu Yinghong came back, carrying medicine.

"Your Majesty, I just went to brew your medicine. Please drink it while it's hot!"

Yuwen Wuji was suspicious that she had poisoned him, so he dared not drink the medicine she offered. He simply said, "Leave it there, I don't want to drink it."

"Good medicine tastes bitter, but it's good for your health. Your Majesty, please drink it while it's hot!"

Yuwen Wuji shot Lu Yinghong a sharp look, and Lu Yinghong couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

Outside the palace, a young eunuch announced, "Your Majesty, Chengcheng has arrived."

Lu Yinghong suppressed her emotions and said considerately, "Your Majesty, you mustn't overwork yourself. I'll take my leave now."

After Chengcheng entered the hall and bowed, before he could say anything, Yuwen Wuji ordered, "Go and investigate the true identity of the Princess Consort of Xiaoyao for me."