"By the way, besides staying by my side and handling some state affairs, has A-Yuan had any other matters to attend to these past few days?"
Although Helian Jue was faking illness, he wasn't fully conscious throughout.
Since he was always lying down and hungry, Helian Jue had to find a way to alleviate the situation.
Sleep is the best way to combat various physical discomforts.
Therefore, Helian Jue was often in a daze.
If he wanted to get full information, he could only get reports from Helian Chen or his shadow guards.
"Many memorials and secret letters have been sent from the capital, but Her Majesty the Empress rarely replies."
At this point, one of the shadow guards, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help but whisper, "...Your Majesty, the situation in the capital has not been good lately."
"The streets were filled with rumors about an earthquake in the southwest and a serious illness of the sage, which were said to be divine punishment."
The emperor was unrighteous, engaged in endless wars, favored a wicked empress, and brought chaos to the world.
Retribution has come!
First came the earthquake in the southwest, which destroyed vast areas of farmland and caused countless casualties.
Then, Emperor Helian Jue, who had just returned from the war, fell ill with a strange disease. His condition was critical, and even the Empress Dowager rushed out of the palace to check on him.
Then, the imperial tomb was struck by lightning—
"Was the late emperor's mausoleum struck by lightning?"
Helian Jue was indeed good at grasping the key points; he asked a question with a hint of curiosity.
Shadow Guard: ...Why do I feel there's a hint of excitement in your words?
It seems you're looking forward to it?
The late emperor was your own father.
We've left you such a large legacy.
Even setting aside kinship, for the sake of this magnificent empire, you should at least feel a sliver of gratitude towards the late emperor.
Your Majesty, you are quite something! You are so "jubilant" to hear that the late emperor's mausoleum was struck by lightning!
If the late emperor were alive, he would surely kick open his coffin and curse you as an unfilial son.
Helian Jue curled the corners of his lips. As the ancients said, "A kind father and a filial son."
The late emperor didn't treat him like his own son, so naturally he wouldn't treat the late emperor like his own father either.
They were basically enemies.
He Lianjue would surely gloat upon hearing that his enemy's tomb had been struck by lightning.
Huh!
etc!
Imperial tombs can be struck by lightning?
Ah Yuan is right, the imperial tombs are indeed not very reliable!
Getting struck by lightning is bad enough, but the real problem is that it creates an excuse for rumors to spread.
Even after death, people are criticized; just thinking about it makes me uneasy!
"Yes! News from the capital says that on the seventh day of the ninth month, there was a thunderstorm, and the imperial mausoleum happened to be struck by lightning."
As the shadow guard finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and quickly added, "However, when Her Majesty the Empress read the memorial, she casually remarked, 'What mysterious thunder? It's nothing but a man-made disaster.'"
The shadow guard greatly admired his Empress, even though he himself was somewhat insane.
But when it comes to handling state affairs, even without focusing on them, he can always see through the mystery with a single sentence.
"Man-made disaster?"
Helian Jue was taken aback. "Did Her Majesty the Empress mention anything about man-made disaster?"
The shadow guard shook his head. "No! Her Majesty the Empress is only concerned about you and has no mind to deal with these matters."
"The Empress generally doesn't read the memorials sent from the capital unless they are particularly important."
Helian Jue's lips curled up slightly.
He knew that in A Yuan's heart, he was the most important person.
Of course, this doesn't mean that Xie Yuan was truly derelict in his duties and ignored state affairs.
In fact, neither the emperor nor the empress regent were indispensable in handling state affairs.
There were officials from three provinces and six ministries, as well as a council hall.
Even if the emperor is unable to hold court, the officials in the capital can still function normally.
At least in the short term, the various government offices in the capital will not be paralyzed.
The entire period from Helian Jue's coma to Xie Yuan's departure from the capital took no more than a month.
The imperial court will not descend into chaos!
Therefore, rather than whether the various government offices could operate normally, Helian Jue wanted to know more about what the so-called "man-made disaster" was.
well!
Unfortunately, we can't break the spell directly yet.
But it won't be too late!
Helian Jue had already made his final decision.
Seeing that their sage did not press the matter, the shadow guard continued to report: "Your Majesty said it was a man-made disaster, but the people seem to believe more that it was the wrath of the gods!"
"During this period, there was a lot of tension and fear in the capital."
"Taking advantage of the situation, the Yellow Sect stirred up trouble, and a small group of 'disaster victims' even appeared outside the capital."
"Fortunately, His Highness Prince Yong sent troops to deal with the rioters as quickly as possible!"
Upon hearing the name "Prince Yong," a playful glint flashed in Helian Jue's eyes. "Fourth Prince is indeed wise beyond his years!"
Faced with such temptation, they did not make the wrong choice.
Smart enough!
And he did not disappoint A Yuan's trust in the Prince Yong's Mansion.
"Prince Yong is wise in his apparent foolishness, and Princess Yong is no less capable than any man!"
Seeing that Helian Jue was in a good mood and had even praised the Prince of Yong, the shadow guard quickly followed his lead and said, "The Princess Consort of Yong is personally leading five hundred of the Prince's personal guards on a patrol of the capital!"
"The Princess Consort's actions have greatly deterred some petty people who were trying to take advantage of the situation."
Helian Jue nodded slightly; he also held Princess Xu in high regard.
For no other reason than seeing that his own Ah Yuan liked Princess Xu, Helian Jue also concluded that Princess Xu was a good person!
"Where's the sixth brother? Is anything unusual about him?"
Helian Jue suddenly changed the subject, turning his attention to his younger brother from the same mother.
The emperor is seriously ill, and the empress has left the capital—what a perfect opportunity!
The Yellow Sect has already made its move. As long as they dare to show their faces, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will be able to find their trail and then investigate who their so-called leader is!
There seemed to be some unusual activity in the Cui family as well. The Embroidered Uniform Guard sent word that Cui Erlang was quite active and had even become a member of the Yellow Sect.
Helian Jue never judges by appearances; he delves deeper to uncover the underlying issues.
Do the Cui family, or even certain other prominent families, have any connections with the Yellow Sect?
Besides these forces, are there any other ambitious individuals within the royal family who covet the throne?
What's more, are there other forces in the harem that he and A Yuan haven't completely eliminated?
This time, Helian Jue wasn't just acting crazy; he also wanted to use this incident to fish for something.
Chang'an New City is still under construction and will take at least three years to complete.
Of course, some people can be moved there first during this process.
For example, government offices and officials, as well as powerful and wealthy families.
Moving the capital is not something that can be done with a single order and everyone immediately mobilized.
There must be people who go ahead and pave the way.
Even the newly built Taiji Palace requires palace staff and eunuchs to go there in advance to make preparations.
This "vanguard" must be absolutely trustworthy.
If there were other spies planted inside, it would be tantamount to "inviting a wolf into the house" for the Emperor and Empress.
Helian Jue was extremely suspicious. Even though he trusted Xie Yuan so much, he would still test him repeatedly. How much more so would he test others?
Besides his half-brother, the sixth prince, Helian Jue was also included in the "investigation" list, along with the Empress Dowager and the deposed third prince.
This time, I've used such a big bait, surely I'll be able to catch a few big fish!
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