Chapter 148 You are really promising!
The emperor closed his eyes, too lazy to argue with her any further, and waved his hand: "Go if you want."
As soon as Concubine Hui left, the imperial study fell into silence.
The emperor leaned back on the dragon throne and sighed heavily, his brows full of fatigue.
Eunuch Yang stepped forward cautiously and softly consoled him, "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. Your Highness Prince Duan is a man of good fortune, and he will surely turn misfortune into good fortune."
The emperor shook his head, his tone somewhat helpless: "The imperial physician told me that even if Prince Duan recovers from his illness, his foundation is broken. I'm afraid he will have to rest for years to come. It will be difficult for him to recover his former appearance."
He paused, frowning again, and said in a low voice, "You said... this incident was really done by Xie Yan?"
Eunuch Yang was so frightened that he quickly knelt down. "Your Majesty, I dare not make any rash remarks. But I dare to speak from my heart. His Highness Prince Xuan has always been upright and open-minded. He always puts everything on the table. He would never resort to such underhanded tactics."
The emperor nodded thoughtfully. "You're not wrong. Xie Yan, that kid, even dared to contradict me in person. He really doesn't want to do such a thing."
But then he frowned again: "Then who sent this assassin...? He can't have just appeared out of nowhere."
Eunuch Yang hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, I have a humble opinion... This assassin seems a little strange."
The emperor asked, "What's so strange about that?"
Eunuch Yang lay on the ground, his voice becoming increasingly cautious. "Your Majesty, the assassin has already broken into His Highness Prince Duan's bedroom. The prince is now seriously ill and has almost no power to resist. If the assassin truly wanted to kill him, it should have been easy, but in the end, he only injured the prince's arm. This... is really unreasonable."
The emperor's expression suddenly changed, and he sat up straight. "Are you saying that this is a play directed and performed by Prince Duan himself?"
"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Yang was so frightened that he almost lost his soul. He kowtowed quickly, "I absolutely did not mean that! I was just speaking casually, speaking whatever came to my mind. I would never dare to speculate about your Highness!"
The emperor tapped the armrests of the dragon throne with his fingertips, his expression solemn.
Prince Duan was assassinated, but only suffered minor injuries; Concubine Hui happened to cry and point fingers at Xie Yan at this moment, and even asked him to restore Prince Duan's official position...
This series of events is too coincidental.
Could it be that Prince Duan was so anxious that he staged this "assassination" drama himself, hoping to use it as an excuse to escape house arrest and regain his official position?
After all, Xie Yan is now being promoted step by step, while he is under house arrest. It is not impossible that he did such a thing in a moment of confusion.
Thinking of this, the emperor's face became more serious...
*
Prince Xuan's Palace.
Mo Ying said respectfully, "Your Highness, the secret guards have sent word that Concubine Hui has gone to Prince Duan's mansion and secretly met with Bai Ruowei!"
Xie Yan frowned, "Bai Ruowei? Wasn't she punished to go to Ci'an Temple?"
Mo Ying said, "This Bai Ruowei is indeed quite capable. She actually used a magic incense to knock out the people guarding her in Ci'an Temple, and then she let the maid stay in the temple in her place while she secretly ran away."
"However, Prince Duan's mansion has long been surrounded by secret guards and imperial guards. Their every move is under the control of the prince."
He lowered his voice and said, "Bai Ruowei instigated Concubine Hui to tamper with the incense. Taking advantage of the Emperor's unconsciousness, she appointed Prince Duan as the Crown Prince... on the condition that she become the Crown Princess."
"Your Highness, do you think we should just let the Imperial Guards capture Bai Ruowei?"
The emperor had previously issued an edict, ordering Bai Ruowei to be imprisoned in Ci'an Temple for life and not to step out of the temple. If she went out without permission, it would not be an exaggeration to kill her on the spot.
Xie Yan tapped the table with his fingertips, and the corners of his lips suddenly curled up: "Drugging the emperor? Interesting..."
After nightfall.
The Marquis of Zhenguo Mansion.
Ruan Yunzhu returned to his yard from outside and was about to close the door when his eyes suddenly froze, "Who?!"
"It's me," Xie Yan walked out slowly and politely, "I want to ask Fourth Brother for a small favor."
After hearing Xie Yan's plan, Ruan Yunzhu's face changed slightly, and he said sarcastically, "If things go wrong, it might lead to the serious crime of confiscating the property and exterminating the entire family. It's really just a small favor."
Xie Yan smiled slightly: "With Fourth Brother's ability, I believe no one will find out. If something really happens, I promise not to implicate the Marquis' Mansion."
Ruan Yunzhu looked at Xie Yan scrutinizingly. "Since Imperial Concubine Hui has already decided to tamper with the incense, if you could expose it at a critical moment, the Emperor would be furious and would naturally appoint you as Crown Prince. Why would you take such a risk?"
Xie Yan said calmly, "I previously asked the emperor to grant me and Shengsheng a marriage, but was rejected."
Ruan Yunzhu's eyes darkened.
Although he was also very dissatisfied with the emperor, his father and second brother were fighting for the country, but the emperor was full of fear of the Marquis of Zhenguo Mansion and even wanted to push his sister into the fire pit.
To be honest, he also wanted to poison the emperor.
But Xie Yan is really bold. When he ascends the throne in the future, how can he guarantee that he will always be good to Shengsheng?
Noticing Ruan Yunzhu's cautious look, Xie Yan raised the corner of his lips and said, "Fourth Brother, if you are worried, I am willing to take poison. If one day I treat Shengsheng badly, Fourth Brother, please let me die of the poison and my intestines will rupture!"
Ruan Yunzhu looked at him and suddenly sneered, "When father was alive, he often said that you were self-disciplined and respectful, and my eldest brother also thought you were as gentle as jade. I didn't expect them to be wrong. You are simply a lunatic!"
Xie Yan didn't care. "As long as I can protect Shengsheng and make Shengsheng happy, what does it matter if I become a madman?"
He lowered his voice, "Although Fourth Brother is a man of great virtue, I know he's not a pedantic person. The Emperor is already considering taking back Second Brother's military power. I believe Fourth Brother knows exactly what happened with the theft of the Sun and Moon Jade Bi. Fourth Brother wouldn't want to see Big Brother demoted or Shengsheng married again, would he?"
Ruan Yunzhu's eyes changed slightly, and after a while, he took out a red pill.
He said in a deep voice, "This medicine is harmless to the body after taking it, but it requires the antidote I prepare personally every year. Otherwise, you will bleed to death from all seven orifices, and no one in the world can cure it. Do you dare to take it?"
Xie Yan took the pill without hesitation, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it with his Adam's apple rolling.
Ruan Yunzhu's heart moved slightly, and he finally nodded in agreement.
Xie Yan specifically instructed that he hoped the emperor would be poisoned, but not die immediately, because according to ancestral customs, the emperor's death required three years of mourning, and he really couldn't wait.
Therefore, he hoped to wait until he and Shengsheng got married before letting the emperor die of poison.
Ruan Yunzhu frowned, "Shengsheng is still young! Why rush into marriage?"
Xie Yan sighed, "Fourth brother, Shengsheng may be young, but I'm not young anymore. If this goes on any longer and Shengsheng doesn't want me anymore in two years, I'll hang myself."
Ruan Yunzhu was speechless and pointed at Xie Yan, "You...you are really promising!"
Xie Yanquan took it as a compliment and said with a smile, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Fourth Brother."
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