Chapter 136 Meeting by the Heavenly Decree
Emperor Xirui ate dinner as usual today, then strolled in the Imperial Garden to digest his food, fed the fish, and occasionally encountered the concubines in the harem before returning to his chambers to read.
The book he was reading today had a very interesting plot. He was originally going to bed at 7 PM, but he was so engrossed in the story that he didn't want to put it down and rest. He decided to finish reading this exciting part before going to bed.
Unexpectedly, he found himself reading until the hour of Hai (9-11 PM). He hesitated for a moment, glancing at the remaining twenty-odd pages of the book. Since there weren't many pages left anyway, he decided to finish reading it all.
Since he's already stayed up all night, it doesn't matter if the emperor doesn't hold court tomorrow.
Thinking of this, Emperor Xirui changed to a more comfortable position and continued reading. By the time he finished reading the book with satisfaction, it was already late at night.
He contentedly pulled the covers over himself, closed his eyes, and began to drift off to sleep.
The room was unusually quiet because he was the only one there.
This environment made Xiruidi feel very at ease. Just as he was about to drift off into a sweet dream, he vaguely heard the sound of something heavy being dragged.
His imperial instincts kicked in, and he abruptly opened his eyes, got out of bed, picked up the long sword hanging by the bedside, and looked warily in the direction from which the sound came.
The faint candlelight in the corner allowed for a glimpse into the room, and Xiruidi saw that the wall opposite the bed had been moved aside, revealing a dark doorway.
Some light shone through the door, and he could vaguely see the shadows cast on the ground. At the same time, he heard disordered breathing coming from inside.
This reassured Xiruidi a lot; it wasn't ghosts or monsters inside, but people just like him.
He had no idea to call someone in; he just looked wary and whispered, "Who is it?"
He then saw that those who had originally intended to come in had stopped, and they seemed equally wary of him.
Xi Ruidi then realized that the people on the other side were unaware of the situation on this side.
Just then, the person on the other end spoke up.
"Sorry, we were unaware that anyone was here. We apologize for the intrusion and will leave now."
Xiruidi thought the voice sounded familiar, and soon he recognized the voice as belonging to someone he knew.
"Wait!" he called out quickly.
"Are you Shao Yanzhe?" he asked hesitantly.
Startled by his sudden revelation, Shao Yanzhe looked puzzled. He hesitated and said, "It's me. May I ask who you are...?"
After learning the other party's identity, Xiruidi's vigilance lessened slightly.
Only then did he belatedly realize that he had forgotten to call for guards to come in and protect him.
However, those people were not his confidants, so he was wary of the guards.
He coughed lightly before saying, "Come in, but be quiet and don't disturb the people outside."
After hearing this, Shao Yanzhe looked at the people behind him and gestured with his eyes to indicate whether they wanted to go out.
Wen Yanqing and his group looked at each other and finally nodded to him.
Shao Yanzhe slowly walked out of the stone gate. His eyes swept around and he knew that this was the dormitory. After seeing the decorations, he couldn't help but feel a tightness in his heart.
The dragon-shaped patterns on this are not something that ordinary people can use.
Even members of the royal family probably couldn't do that.
Recalling the familiar voice he had just heard, he immediately recognized who had spoken.
Ceridi!
When the people following him came out, they also saw the decorations and immediately realized that they had come to this place through the secret passage.
Immediately, with a few thuds, they knelt down on the ground, their already trembling legs shaking even more.
At this moment, Emperor Xirui stepped out from behind the screen.
As everyone was about to greet him, he waved his hand to stop them.
They exchanged bewildered glances and could only whisper, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Xi Ruidi looked at them with a smile: "Alright, get up."
Everyone then stood up.
Emperor Xirui looked at Shao Yanzhe, who was standing at the front, his gaze lingering on his face as if he were sizing him up, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
He began by asking, "How did you come to be here with me? And," he said, looking at the group and noticing the bloodstains on their bodies and their disheveled appearance, "you all look rather disheveled."
At this moment, as if only then realizing something, he said, "Wait a minute, I have some wound medicine here, you should bandage your wounds first!"
He turned around and took out the wound medicine and white cotton cloth.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Everyone looked at Emperor Xirui with gratitude and quickly thanked him.
Shao Yanzhe sat down on the ground and unwrapped the bandage, revealing some gruesome wounds on his arm.
He struggled to apply the medicine to his arm, but there were always some areas he couldn't see. Just as he was about to leave it like that, a hand reached out and took the wound medicine from his hand.
He turned his head and looked over, his face showing surprise: "Your Majesty?"
Emperor Xirui, holding the wound medicine, glanced at him and said, "I will help Minister Shao apply the medicine."
Shao Yanzhe hesitated for a moment, but in the end he did not refuse: "I will trouble Your Majesty."
"It's nothing."
Xirui carefully sprinkled the wound medicine on the wound. The brown powder was quickly soaked by the blood on the wound. After it was soaked, he continued to sprinkle the powder until it was no longer soaked by blood. Only then did he begin to bandage the wound with a new cloth.
"Is my bandaging alright?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the bandaged area, his face full of satisfaction.
“Very good,” Shao Yanzhe said.
After they had all had their wounds bandaged, Xiruidi asked them again what had happened.
Most people present subconsciously looked at Shao Yanzhe, and there was a hint that he would take the lead.
Helpless, Shao Yanzhe began to recount their ordeal to Emperor Xirui.
Emperor Xirui's face immediately turned angry: "How could such a shocking thing happen right under the emperor's nose? Don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces immediately showed gratitude.
Only Shao Yanzhe and the other three hesitated to speak, but because of the scholars present, they did not voice their guesses.
Xi Ruidi's attention was focused on him. When he saw his expression, his eyes flashed, and he knew that they must have something important to say.
He looked at the other scholars, his expression kind: "You all look very tired, why don't you take a rest first?"
The scholars nodded quickly.
Since this was Emperor Xirui's bedroom, the scholars felt it inappropriate to rest here. So they took the bedding Emperor Xirui had given them and returned to the secret passage, spreading the bedding on the ground as their resting place.
After the scholars closed their eyes to rest, Emperor Xirui led Shao Yanzhe and the others to a place far away from the secret passage.
"Judging from your expressions earlier, it seems you had something you wanted to say but didn't. I wonder what your concerns were?" Emperor Xirui put on a friendly and approachable demeanor, trying to get the unspoken words from them.
He had a gut feeling, which was very important to him.
Shao Yanzhe quickly exchanged glances with Wen Yanqing and the other two, then looked hesitant and stammered as he spoke.
"Actually, we're not sure either. After all, it's just our guess."
Emperor Xirui, however, was very patient. He said gently, "It's alright, tell me first, and I will make a decision."
Shao Yanzhe nodded before continuing, "We suspect that the mastermind behind this operation is Chief Minister Gu. Moreover, most of the officials in the court have participated in similar activities at Songyuezhai. They have all taken over other people's bodies in order to achieve immortality."
“Your Majesty, this may sound outrageous, but it is probably not a lie, but a truth hidden deep within.”
Emperor Xirui frowned slightly, looking at Shao Yanzhe.
Shao Yanzhe looked back, his gaze firm and unwavering.
Seeing his expression, Xiruidi immediately laughed.
"Good! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"
He sighed as he spoke.
"Alas! Of course I know that what you said is true, but I am just a puppet emperor now and can't do anything to Gu Huiming. If he finds out that I know the truth, he will probably make me shut up."
He gave a mocking laugh as he spoke, "Of course, most likely, he doesn't care. After all, those courtiers who depend on him in the imperial court won't care about these things."
"Alas! I am truly a very, very unsuccessful emperor."
After Xiruidi finished speaking, his shoulders slumped, and he looked somewhat dejected.
Seeing this, Shao Yanzhe and the others offered words of comfort, which helped Emperor Xirui regain his spirits.
"Your Majesty need not worry, we will always find a way."
Emperor Xirui said listlessly, "What can I do? Not only can I not handle state affairs, but even the women in my harem were sent in by Gu Huiming. I don't even know who those women are loyal to."
"My crown prince, is he... is he my child? I don't even know." He gave a bitter laugh, looking even more pitiful.
The four of them, including Shao Yanzhe, were shocked. They had not expected that Emperor Xirui was in such a difficult situation.
Shao Yanzhe hesitated for a moment, but finally asked, "Why would Your Majesty tell us such an important matter?"
Emperor Xirui sighed and said, "I am about to die. I'm afraid if I don't speak now, I will never have the chance to speak again."
Shao Yanzhe and the others were stunned.
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