Inside the Imperial Study
After the Shen family father and daughter paid their respects to Emperor Xiaoxuan, they stood to one side. Shen Zhiyi, who had the least say among the group, tried her best to minimize her presence.
But then I was drawn over by someone's cough.
Emperor Xiaoxuan asked the third prince, "Yuanheng, what happened to your face?"
"There was a minor accident, but I am unharmed."
As the Third Prince spoke, he secretly glanced at Chen Zhiyi.
I feel really guilty!
After the imperial physicians took the prince's pulse, they gathered together and exchanged a few words. They all shook their heads, then knelt down: "Your Majesty, the prince's health..."
"Speak plainly!" Emperor Xiaoxuan frowned.
"The prince was poisoned years ago, and the residual poison has not been completely eliminated from his body. He has been bedridden for several months and his health has not been fully recovered. This trip south has been arduous, both in terms of travel and mental strain. After the assassination attempt, he has not had a proper rest either. I'm afraid his lifespan is limited..."
"You scoundrel!" Emperor Xiaoxuan suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up!
Several imperial physicians knelt on the ground and apologized profusely.
“Brother,” Zhou Xuance coughed, “don’t blame them. Blame it on my bad luck; I only wanted to share your burdens…”
After saying this, he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood and his breathing became rapid. Emperor Xiaoxuan hurriedly said, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly take a look at him. If you can't cure the Regent, then your Imperial Medical Academy has no reason to exist!"
The imperial physician was so frightened that he almost lost his mind and hurriedly administered acupuncture to him.
The entire imperial study was in a state of chaos.
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince also looked anxious, seemingly particularly concerned about this young imperial uncle.
Shen Zhiyi watched silently, inwardly grumbling:
What a pretentious show-off!
On the way to the palace, while sitting in the carriage, she asked her father, "Father, why did His Majesty summon us to the palace in the middle of the night? The assassination of the Regent has nothing to do with our Shen family."
"Who knows? But anyone who dares to assassinate the prince is definitely not an ordinary person."
"Um."
"He recently purged spies from the military, which probably offended a lot of people, and many want him dead."
...
Shen Zhiyi knew all too well that the other person was faking it.
She was simply curious about how he had managed to deceive the Emperor for so many years, and why he had concealed his illness.
While she was still in a daze, the imperial physician had already administered acupuncture to stabilize his condition, and Emperor Xiaoxuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The Third Prince hurriedly said, "Uncle, you are blessed with good fortune and will surely live to be a hundred years old."
"I hope so." Zhou Xuance leaned back in his chair, his breathing seemingly labored.
The crown prince stood to one side, his face deathly pale.
Because he knew:
The Emperor's Uncle's present is his own future.
"Father, it's so late. What brings you to the palace?" the Third Prince asked. "Uncle is not feeling well. If there is no urgent matter, I would like to escort him back to his residence to rest."
Since being released from confinement, the Third Prince has always appeared to be the epitome of filial piety and utmost purity.
"Xuan Ce?" Emperor Xiaoxuan asked him about his health.
"Brother, I'm fine." He had been leaning back in his chair, but now he forced himself to sit up straight. "I summoned you to the palace this time because of something important—about my assassination attempt on my journey south..."
"Who dares to attempt to assassinate the Imperial Uncle? If we catch him, we will surely tear him to pieces!" The Third Prince was filled with righteous indignation.
Zhou Xuance coughed twice. Kong Qing carried the wooden box into the hall, bowed to the many nobles, and then handed the box to Gao Daban, who presented it to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, this was found on the body of the assassin who attempted to assassinate the prince." Kong Qing knelt on the ground.
A strange light flashed across Emperor Xiaoxuan's eyes.
When Gao Daban opened the box and handed it over, he glanced at it and his expression changed drastically.
"Xuan Ce, this..." Emperor Xiaoxuan's expression was subtle, "Have you verified it? Could there be some mistake somewhere?"
Shen Zhiyi secretly resented:
Who did this?
How could His Majesty display such an expression and tone?
“Your Majesty, I also do not want to believe this is true. Although the assassin is dead, the evidence remains. If you do not wish to punish him, I can understand.” He said, coughing a few times.
"That's not what I meant. This is a matter of great importance."
"Your Majesty, I am well aware of this, which is why I have been investigating all this time. As a result, I just returned to the capital today, and my subordinates reported an interesting incident to me."
"An interesting story?" Emperor Xiaoxuan frowned.
“This matter concerns the Duke, which is why I specially sent someone to summon him and Miss Shen to the palace.”
As Zhou Xuance spoke, he gave Kong Qing a wink.
Kong Qing left the hall for a short while and returned with a person. This person had a bruised and swollen face, dirty clothes, a crippled leg, and was covered in the smell of alcohol. He was dragged into the hall and, upon seeing the nobleman, trembled with fear and turned pale.
"This humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live a thousand years." His voice trembled.
Both Shen Zhiyi and the Third Prince recognized him at a glance:
This is the man who led the disturbance tonight.
Shen Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat, while the Third Prince was so frightened that his legs went weak.
He had already spoken to those thugs, and even if they were arrested and interrogated, they would only say they were drunk and acted recklessly. Because Shen Muzhi had personally brought them to the yamen, he hadn't had time to greet the officials handling the case yet...
How did this person end up here?
"Xuan Ce? Who is this?" Emperor Xiaoxuan frowned.
“Uncle, this man reeks of alcohol and is covered in blood. How could you bring such a person before Father?” The Crown Prince, unaware of the situation, frowned upon seeing the man’s appearance.
"Will you say it yourself, or will I say it for you?" Zhou Xuance wore a mask, but his gaze was incredibly intimidating.
The madman was so frightened that he trembled and hurriedly knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject..."
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