It turned out that a few hours earlier, Wang Feng came to report that Empress Dowager Feng Xiuzhen was keeping many male concubines in her palace.
Yesterday, the two men who died in the fire aroused Li Mufeng's suspicion. It was indeed abnormal for men to appear in the harem, so he sent people to investigate.
Although he didn't particularly like Han Ziwei, she was still his princess consort after all. Since someone wanted to ruin her reputation, Li Mufeng naturally wouldn't let it go.
Despite the twist of fate that it was Han Ruyi who was humiliated, Li Mufeng still couldn't swallow his anger.
This matter was conducted in secret, and "Blood Purple Rose" was naturally unaware of it, which is why the two of them misunderstood each other.
"Your Highness, our people have discovered that those two are male favorites kept by the Empress Dowager in the palace."
"What? The Empress Dowager is keeping male concubines? Does Father Emperor know about this?"
No, I must go to the palace as soon as possible to explain this matter to my father so that he can deal with it promptly.
This not only dishonors the dignity of my late grandfather, but also brings shame upon the royal family. Wang Feng, prepare the horses; we shall proceed to the palace immediately.
"Your Highness, are you planning to go through the main gate? Won't that alert the enemy and risk being framed by the Empress Dowager again?"
The Empress Dowager has entrenched power in the palace over the years, and the Prince has been far away on the border, lacking connections in the capital. To confront her rashly would likely result in a great loss.
“That makes sense. Find some night clothes, and we’ll jump over the wall and get in. You gather a few people who keep their mouths shut and surround the Empress Dowager’s bedroom. As soon as the Emperor gives the order, we’ll start arresting them and catching them in the act.”
...
After discussing it with Wang Feng, Li Mufeng gathered a group of people and secretly sneaked into the palace.
Since the matter would bring shame to the royal family if it were publicized, Li Mufeng did not alarm too many people.
With a few leaps, they reached the rooftop of a palace and found that the guards were more heavily armed than usual.
"What happened? Why are there so many soldiers? Did thieves just break in?"
Just as he was pondering this, a gasp of surprise came from inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please spare my life, I beg you to spare this servant."
"You dog of a servant, you didn't serve the Emperor properly and caused him to be poisoned. What is your punishment?"
The voice of Empress Dowager Feng Xiuzhen.
"Your Majesty, we are wronged! We are wronged! We servants have served His Majesty faithfully and have never neglected our duties. We have no idea how His Majesty was poisoned, sob sob..."
At this moment, sobs and pleas for mercy came from the bedchamber.
"Drag him out and execute him."
Empress Dowager Fengxiu's voice was one that brooked no refusal.
"Mother...Mother, please have mercy. It is my poor health that is failing me. Please do not blame the servants. This is my fate, it is the will of Heaven."
Despite his weakened state, Emperor Li Hongwen tried to plead for the servants.
"The emperor cannot be soft-hearted. As the ruler of a country, if he is in poor health, all the servants in the Hall of Mental Cultivation are responsible."
After speaking, she raised a brow with her phoenix eyes.
"Drag them all out and beat them to death, leave no one alive."
Eliminating all potential threats at the outset has always been Empress Dowager Feng Xiuzhen's guiding principle.
"Your Majesty, spare me! Empress Dowager, spare me! Waaah..."
...
The sound of weeping echoed throughout the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Li Mufeng clenched his iron fist.
"Old hag, you can't hold back any longer, are you planning to make a move? No wonder Father Emperor was so eager to summon me back to the capital, the situation has become so dire."
"You...you...pfft..."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Emperor Li Hongwen coughed up blood, while Empress Dowager Feng Xiuzhen's calm voice rose again.
"Since Your Majesty is already afflicted with a serious illness, you should no longer worry about these trivial matters. As for the affairs of state, leave them to Chen'er! Since ancient times, the succession to the throne should be from the eldest to the youngest. Now that the Crown Prince is insane, it is only right that the second prince inherits the throne."
"Father, rest assured, Chen'er will definitely protect this 'Purple Cloud Kingdom' for you. You can rest easy now!"
King Lin, Li Muchen, spoke in a sarcastic tone, and before he could finish, screams of agony came from outside the door.
"Catch the assassin! Catch the assassin!"
Along with this came the shouts of the officers and soldiers, one after another, which instantly drew everyone out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Old man, tell me, who just saved you?"
Seeing that all the soldiers outside the door had been killed, only Eunuch Zhou and the servants of the "Hall of Mental Cultivation" were standing there trembling, Li Muchen grabbed Eunuch Zhou by the collar and questioned him.
"Your Majesty, spare us! Your Majesty, spare us! This old servant didn't know who it was. I only saw a black shadow flash by, and then all of them were dead."
Eunuch Zhou looked terrified. Even if he had seen it, he wouldn't have told the second prince who was trying to usurp the throne.
"Yes, yes, this servant did not see clearly."
"Neither this servant nor I have any."
...
People in the Hall of Mental Cultivation echoed his sentiments, sharing the same idea as Eunuch Zhou.
"Didn't you see it? I think you're just lying and asking for a beating, aren't you?"
Li Muchen clenched his fist, and just then, another dark figure flashed by.
"Master, look, it's over there."
Li Muchen's follower, Lone Wolf, pointed northwest and exclaimed in surprise.
"Chase."
At his command, the guards who had been with Li Muchen in the bedchamber immediately chased after the dark figure in the distance.
Empress Dowager Feng Xiuzhen turned around and was about to enter the "Hall of Mental Cultivation" when she felt a pain in the back of her neck.
Those around him tried to cry out, but their throats were slit one by one.
Eunuch Zhou and the others covered their mouths tightly with their hands until Li Mufeng removed his veil.
"It's Prince Longxuan! Prince Longxuan has arrived! The Emperor is saved!"
The crowd in the Hall of Mental Cultivation exclaimed in surprise.
"Hush! Li Muchen has been lured away by my men and will be back soon. Don't make a sound. Deal with these people quickly. I'll go in and see my father first."
Li Mufeng remained calm in the face of danger, while Eunuch Zhou was completely flustered and did as he was told.
However, when dealing with the Empress Dowager's matter, Eunuch Zhou hesitated.
"Empress Dowager, she..."
Li Mufeng glanced at the Hall of Mental Cultivation and said in a deep voice,
"We'll talk about it when I come out."
"Yes, His Majesty will be very happy to see the Prince. His Majesty... sob sob..."
When Eunuch Zhou thought of Emperor Li Hongwen's terminal illness, tears streamed down his face.
"Father, Father..."
Inside the room, Li Hongwen's eyes were tightly closed, while Li Mufeng called out anxiously.
Perhaps hearing Li Mufeng call his name, Emperor Li Hongwen slowly opened his eyes.
"Feng... Feng'er, Father... Father Emperor is dying, you... you..."
Li Hongwen pointed to a wall, and Li Mufeng glanced at it. There was a portrait of his mother hanging there, and he quickly grabbed it.
"Does Father Emperor wish to see a portrait of Mother?"
Li Hongwen remained silent, still pointing to the wall. When Li Mufeng turned back, he noticed a loose section in the wall. He quickly went inside, gently pushed it, and discovered a hidden compartment containing a rectangular box. He hurriedly took it out.
"This is what Father Emperor wants."
Li Hongwen nodded at this point.
"I...I'm sorry, Father...Father wanted to leave you a peaceful and prosperous era, but it seems there's no chance now. This is the edict of succession that Father wrote long ago, you...you..."
Before Li Hongwen could finish speaking, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and closed his eyes.
"Father, Father..."
Li Mufeng, exhausted and hoarse, no longer cared about concealing his whereabouts.
"Someone, quickly, summon the imperial physician..."
"Your Highness, you'd better leave quickly! Our family is here with the Emperor. If Prince Lin returns, you won't be able to leave."
At this moment, the eunuch Zhou Gonggong came in, urging him anxiously.
"Leave? Where do you think you're going? Prince Longxuan murdered the Emperor and thinks he can leave unscathed? Are all the palace guards dead?"
At this moment, Prince Lin, Li Muchen, realized that he had fallen for a diversionary tactic and had surrounded the entire "Hall of Mental Cultivation".
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