Wang Yan showed no pity whatsoever, ordering him to be sent back to the Prime Minister's residence! Amidst the whispers of the court officials, he merely cast a single glance, his murderous intent blazing forth, causing everyone to instantly lower their heads and tremble in agreement…
There's no way around it; Wang Yan not only holds military power but also holds the highest official position besides the old prime minister! The old emperor is extremely weak and on his last legs! Judging from the current situation, no one except Wang Yan has the right to speak!
The prince whom the old emperor had previously favored was not made crown prince, and the empress was not allowed to rule. The court became a one-man show by Wang Yan!
After Wang Yan left the main hall with Deputy General Zhang and Huang Zhong, the ministers slowly recovered from their shock, their backs already covered in sweat!
The confrontation between the old prime minister and Wang Yan was not without reason. It all started with the selection of the top scholar the day before yesterday. The old prime minister's son ranked third in the imperial examination. His essay was very sharp, and the examiners all praised it.
At this moment, Wang Yan raised an objection and somehow found some evidence of the prime minister's son cheating, which made the old prime minister's face turn red!
The two sides engaged in a heated argument, which infuriated the old emperor...
After Wang Yan produced more evidence of his embezzlement and bribery, the old prime minister fainted from anger, and the old emperor also fainted from anger!
The matter has dragged on until now. Later, when the old emperor woke up and went to court, Wang Yan directly brought out Mu Yang's exam paper and let the old emperor read it on the spot. As he expected, Mu Yang's exam paper was very well written, well-organized, and logical. The handwriting was also very neat!
He eventually received praise from the old emperor, who was eager to recruit such a talent!
The old prime minister was stunned and immediately started to deceive people, saying that Mu Yang had cheated, and that he was a scoundrel and an old stubborn man. However, Wang Yan ridiculed him one by one, leaving him with no face!
At this moment, not long after Wang Yan left the main hall, Eunuch Hai arrived late, calling out hurriedly.
"General, this servant has something to say!"
Wang Yan stopped in his tracks, his cold gaze fixed on Eunuch Hai…
Hai Gonggong was so frightened that he froze and stammered.
"Lady Qin...Lady Qin has entered the palace...This servant has come specifically to..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Yan swiftly walked up to him, startling him and turning his face deathly pale…
"She's entered the palace? What happened?"
Upon seeing this, Grandpa Hai quickly said...
"Just recently, this servant received a letter from a guard at the palace gate, saying that a woman named Qin Qing wanted to enter the palace to see someone. Who knew that His Majesty, who had just woken up, overheard this and... was summoned there... You were in the main hall at the time... This servant really had no choice!"
Wang Yan's expression hardened, a bad premonition rising in his heart. He turned and strode towards the old emperor's bedroom...
At this moment, Qin Qing followed the soldiers into the palace. He instinctively felt that the route was very familiar, but after a while, he realized that this was not the way to the imperial study or the main hall. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he was blocked by several guards.
"Please, Madam, do not make things difficult for your subordinate. His Majesty has invited you!"
Qin Qing's expression changed, realizing the problem...
She was looking for Eunuch Hai, but he didn't come. Instead, he wanted to take her somewhere else. It was obviously a trap!
So she smiled.
"You've got it wrong, I just needed to use the restroom, but I came in a rush today..."
She tried to escape to the bathroom, but the group wouldn't give her a chance to leave; their expressionless faces were full of determination! Qin Qing had no choice but to give up!
It wasn't until she arrived at the old emperor's bedchamber and vaguely saw the figure lying behind the bed curtains that she remembered the old emperor had done the same thing last year.
"Ahem...is that Qin Qing?"
Qin Qing was taken aback. The old emperor was already so weak?
Then, she knelt on the ground and said.
"Your Majesty, it is I, a commoner!"
Only then did the old emperor have the bed curtains drawn back, and then waved for everyone else to leave…
Qin Qing also saw the old emperor's face at this moment! He was startled!
The elderly man on the bed, leaning against the cushion, had a full head of white hair, cracked skin, and a sallow complexion. He was so weak it was unbelievable! He was even thinner than when I saw him last year, and if it weren't for the clothes covering him, he would have looked even more frightening!
The old emperor's gaze towards Qin Qing had long lost its former ambiguity or majesty; it was now filled with the same sorrow as that of an ordinary old man…
"I'm afraid my days are numbered. You must be wondering why I summoned you, right?"
Qin Qing thought to herself, "This is what I'm complaining about."
"Bullshit, she came here on her own!"
The old emperor chuckled, his face contorted with wrinkles that looked utterly disgusting, and then continued.
"According to our ancestors, there was a tribe on the border of the State of Qi who had guarded a treasure for generations. That treasure was the tomb that an emperor built for his beloved wife a thousand years ago... cough cough!"
Perhaps he had talked too much, because suddenly he started coughing violently, as if he was coughing up his lungs!
Qin Qing knelt on the ground, silent and motionless, listening to the story, yet it suddenly felt increasingly familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before…
The old emperor continued in the next second.
"The treasure in that tomb is something that generations of emperors of my Heavenly Dragon Kingdom have coveted!"
After saying this, he stared straight at Qin Qing, his eyes filled with complex emotions, which gave Qin Qing goosebumps!
"It is said that the treasure can prolong life, cure all poisons, make the weak strong, and make the strong even stronger! It can even reverse aging!"
As he said this, the old emperor's eyes revealed even more covetousness and greed!
Qin Qing: "......."
Oh no! The more I hear it, the more familiar it sounds! Isn't this exactly what she's like now? From weak to strong, she's now comparable to some highly skilled martial artists! Longevity, antidote to all poisons, rejuvenation... it perfectly describes her current situation!
Logically speaking, she should be around forty-five years old now, but her skin, appearance, hair, voice, and everything else about her don't resemble a woman in her late forties or early fifties. On the contrary, she seems to be getting younger and more beautiful...
The old emperor seemed to notice her silence and smiled.
"I have been searching for this for a long time. Finally, one day, I found a special ethnic group in the border city of Qi. I tried all sorts of methods to get them to reveal the location of the treasure, but those old geezers just wouldn't talk!"
The more the emperor spoke, the angrier he became, as if he had just remembered something!
"So...I sent men to exterminate their entire clan!"
Qin Qing: "..." Actually, you don't need to tell her. She doesn't want to know that the old emperor is the one who killed Tian Tian's family. Anyway, it has nothing to do with her!
The old emperor, however, seemed to have said enough and continued.
"I thought all hope was lost, but then I discovered that a saintess from that tribe named Tian Tian had escaped, so I sent many assassins to pursue her..."
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