Chapter 321 Chips
Xiao Tian wanted to let him die like this, but then he changed his mind and thought that the situation outside was unclear. The emperor was his only bargaining chip, so he had to keep him alive.
So he ordered someone to go to the Imperial Hospital and invite Zhang Yuanpan.
Behind Zhang Yuanpan was a medicine boy carrying a medicine box. Because of the matter between Wen Yin and Eunuch Liu, Xiao Tian had been very cautious these days. He looked at the medicine boy with a slightly frown.
"Who is this? How come I have never seen him before?"
"He is my apprentice. He has been studying herbal medicine in the Imperial Hospital and has never been out. The Emperor is seriously ill and I need a helper, so I brought him here."
"Raise your head." Xiao Tian said lightly.
The medicine boy looked up obediently, and saw a completely unfamiliar face. Xiao Tian frowned, and was about to take a closer look when a royal guard trotted over.
"Fifth Prince, I failed."
Xiao Tian's expression changed. He waved his hand to let the two go in. He then quickly walked down the stairs and left with the soldier.
"Let's go quickly." Zhang Yuanpan said to the medicine boy, and quickly entered the hall. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was sure that the hall was empty.
"Treat the disease first." The medicine boy said coldly. Zhang Yuanpan immediately responded and walked towards the dragon bed.
The emperor had fallen into a coma, and his bed was covered in blood. It was obvious that no one cared about his life or death.
In just a few days, he had lost a lot of weight, his eye circles were sunken, his face was dark purple, his hair was black and messy, he had been worn out beyond recognition, and looked no different from an old and dying person.
The medicine boy stood in front of the dragon couch. His pupils shrank only for a moment at the first sight, and then he regained his composure, without any emotion.
After Zhang Yuanpan gave the emperor acupuncture, the unconscious emperor's chest suddenly rose and fell. He then let out a long breath and slightly opened his eyes.
When he saw Zhang Yuanpan, his eyes suddenly widened, and a trace of fear appeared on his face. He hid aside and said, "Traitor, get out of my way."
He remembered Xiao Tian's words that this Zhang Yuanpan was his man.
Judge Zhang was giving acupuncture when he was startled by the emperor's sudden movement. He said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, don't move. I am giving you acupuncture. If I hit the wrong acupoint, your life will be in danger."
How could the emperor believe it?
The unpleasant smell, the dirty bed, the hunger from not having a single grain of rice to eat, and the heart-wrenching pain from being tortured by the poison had long since worn away his mind and sharpness.
Zhang Yuanpan looked helplessly at the medicine boy standing beside him.
The medicine boy said nothing. He walked forward and suddenly clamped the emperor's upper body, making him unable to move.
The emperor struggled violently subconsciously, but he hadn't eaten for two days, so he naturally didn't have the strength to fight back.
Suddenly, he gave up struggling, sniffed hard, raised his head and stared at the medicine boy in front of him with slightly squinted eyes.
The medicine boy gave Zhang Yuanpan a look, not caring at all about the emperor's gaze.
When he turned his face to the side, the emperor could clearly tell from his earlobe that this person was easily deceived.
"Yuan...Yuan'er?" He spoke tentatively with a trembling voice.
The medicine boy's expression paused, and the emperor immediately became more certain, with deep joy rising in his dragon eyes.
"Yuan'er, it's really you. You came to save me."
Xiao Yuan pursed his lips slightly and then looked towards the emperor. His eyes were dull, without any emotion, except when he first called out "Yuan'er".
He remembered that the last time he called him that was when his mother was still alive. After his mother passed away, he only called him the Fourth Brother, and all those favoritisms turned into conspiracies and calculations.
At this time, Judge Zhang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and put away the needle. "The emperor is fine for now, but if he takes poison again, I'm afraid his life will be in danger."
The emperor's expression changed slightly.
Xiao Yuan said, "Go and guard the door first. I have something to say to my father."
Judge Zhang took the medicine box and went to the window to observe the situation in the courtyard.
"Eunuch Liu and Wen Yin were arrested?" Xiao Yuan asked.
The emperor frowned and nodded.
Xiao Yuan guessed it as soon as he stepped in.
The emperor stared at Xiao Yuan and asked, "How did you get in? Did anyone notice you?"
"Father, you forgot that when I was young, you once took me to a secret passage to play."
The emperor was stunned. He seemed to be only three or four years old that year, but he still remembered it.
The emperor suddenly felt mixed emotions and couldn't tell what he felt.
His feelings towards Xiao Yuan were very complicated. He knew that he was the most capable of his many sons, and he often thought about handing over the throne to him. However, the balance of selfishness always tilted towards him and Rou'er's child, and his anger towards the Qi family was also directed at him.
But it is undeniable that even under his repeated suppression, he still grew up very well and was even better than his father.
The emperor fell into deep self-blame and regret, and then he heard Xiao Yuan say coldly, "I have no soldiers to use and cannot save you, but I have asked Li Huaiyan to mobilize troops. Now we can only wait and leave it to fate."
The emperor lowered his eyes and said nothing.
He knew that Xiao Yuan's words were full of sarcasm. All of this was his own fault.
"Yes... Father is sorry for you." The emperor burst into tears. "Leave the palace immediately. Don't worry about me. I will give you the tiger talisman. After you leave, use it to mobilize troops and capture the rebels!"
The emperor rubbed his body on the bed for a while, and suddenly a secret compartment popped out from the wall. He took out the tiger talisman and the jade seal from it and handed them to Xiao Yuan, "Take this and leave quickly."
Fortunately, Xiao Tian didn't care about the throne, so he was able to hide well and was never discovered.
Xiao Yuan looked at the tiger talisman and the jade seal, but did not take them.
"In fact, everything that happened today was also fueled by my son."
The emperor was stunned and said nothing.
"President Zhang is my son's man."
"I know." He had already guessed it just now.
"It was I who asked Zhang Yuanpan to tell the ministers that you were old and could not bear the fatigue, which made the ministers panic and hastily take sides. It was also I who asked Zhang Yuanpan to tell Xiao Tian that you were showing signs of improvement and could live another ten or eight years, forcing him to take action. To a certain extent, your fate was all caused by me."
"I... know that too." The emperor closed his eyes tightly, tears falling from the corners of his eyes, "It's me, I'm sorry for you and your son, you hate me, punish me, it's all right."
Xiao Yuan looked at him, feeling choked up and depressed.
Since you had attacked him and wanted him dead, why didn't you just keep doing it? Why did you regret it? Why did you give him the tiger talisman and the jade seal?
"You know, I really want you to die."
Only if he is ruthless can he abandon him without any scruples, or even use him as bait to let him die.
But why and on what basis does he say he regrets it now?
"I was wrong, I was wrong." The emperor held his face in his hands and sobbed.
"I am sorry for you and your son. I deserve to die."
Xiao Yuan closed his eyes slightly, then opened them again, and his tightly clenched fists slowly relaxed, "Everything that happened today is what you deserve."
The emperor smiled bitterly.
Yes, he deserved it. He and Concubine Shu were extremely loving and had a deep friendship. Now they had Xiao Yuan, the long-awaited prince, and the three of them should have been a happy family.
However, because of a banquet for ministers, he developed evil intentions towards the minister's wife. He used all means possible and was so cruel that he harmed the husband of the minister and even involved his former lover.
He was like a madman, attracted by the woman's uniqueness. The more she resisted, the more he wanted to tame her. Then, driven by this strange desire, he made more and more mistakes and lost more and more.
In the past two days, he often wondered what would happen if he met Rou'er first and then Shufei?
Sadly, he found that the ending should be the same. He liked Shufei's gentleness and obedience, and she always considered him and looked at him with admiring eyes.
On the other hand, he couldn't give up Rou'er's tenacity and strength, which was unique.
From the beginning to the end, he was the one who was wrong. He thought that as the emperor, the supreme ruler, he should have them both at the same time.
But it disregards ethics and morals.
He himself felt that he was despicable and disgusting.
"You are right. It was me who had been in a high position for too long and was blinded by power. I thought the world was in my hands and I could do whatever I wanted."
But I was sincere to your mother at the beginning.
The emperor pulled the corner of his lips in sneer but did not say it out loud because he knew that Xiao Yuan could not bear to hear it and would go crazy and lose control.
Xiao Yuan didn't want to ask whether he had any feelings for his mother in his heart. His admiration for that foolish woman who abandoned her son and sacrificed herself for love had gradually faded after he had experienced countless life-and-death experiences when he was young.
It’s not that he doesn’t care at all, he just doesn’t want to listen, doesn’t want to know, and is even more afraid of hearing an answer he doesn’t want to hear. That way, he will feel that he is nothing in that woman’s heart, and his existence is a joke.
"Fourth Prince, someone is coming." Zhang Yuanpan quickly left the window and pretended to pack up and prepare to leave.
Xiao Yuan also took a few steps back and stood behind him with his head lowered.
The emperor raised his hand to wipe the mist from his eyes and looked towards the door with a sharp gaze.
Not long after, Xiao Tian strode in, followed by a eunuch holding a bowl of medicine in his hand.
Xiao Tian glanced at the emperor, and the corners of his lips curled slightly, "Zhang Yuanpan's medical skills are indeed superb. Father looks much better."
I even have the energy to glare at him! !
Judge Zhang stepped forward and said after a moment's deliberation, "You are very kind, Fifth Prince, but... the emperor's body has been too seriously corroded by the poison. Even if he is saved, he will need acupuncture every day to keep himself alive. He can't withstand... the slightest setback."
The implication is that even if you take poison again, even gods cannot save you.
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