Chapter 818 A Dream of Youth (350 words)
Looking at the face of the Prince of Pingyao, King Zhao thought of that aloof woman and slowly closed his eyes.
For someone like him, there is only profit, no affection. To him, Consort Shu was nothing more than a pawn; it was Pingyao who was truly moved.
If he had known earlier, he could have used this to his advantage in Pingyao. Unfortunately… no, Prince Zhao, suppressing the pain throughout his body, spoke in a hoarse voice, “Consort Shu, it wasn’t suicide… it was you…”
Killed.
King Zhao lost consciousness before he could finish speaking.
The Empress Dowager was not stupid and naturally saw through the intricacies of the situation. However, she did not expect Pingyao to be so ruthless. She remembered that Consort Shu had grown up with Pingyao since childhood and treated him like a younger brother.
Other ministers also glanced at Pingyao, but Pingyao didn't care at all. He not only wanted Emperor Jing's lineage to end, but also the Empress Dowager's life. It was because Prince Zhao cared too much about other people's opinions that he made a mistake.
"Let's get started."
"Protect the Empress Dowager!"
At this moment, there were only ten people belonging to the Empress Dowager in the hall, while the rest were guarding outside. Zuo Chen felt a surge of resentment. The sound of weapons clashing had just been heard, and the heavy smell of blood had reached inside. He feared that the people outside were now all the Prince of Pingyao's men.
It's uncertain whether the Imperial Guards of the Prime Minister's residence will be able to arrive in time to provide assistance.
"Squeak—"
The palace gates burst open, and instead of soldiers in blood-stained armor, two eunuchs carrying palace lanterns entered. As the light slowly approached, the crowd finally saw the people on the palanquin.
One of the ministers exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty!"
It was the emperor who had regained consciousness. His complexion was ruddy, but the sharpness in his eyes still made people afraid to look him in the eye.
"Capture the traitor."
As the soft voice fell, a line of guards filed in, led by Yan Xi's men. Further out, the Prime Minister's men were on guard and were clearing out the Pingyao Prince's men.
"You're not dead?!"
The Prince of Pingyao couldn't believe it. He had people in the Imperial Hospital, so he knew about the emperor's condition. The fact that it had lasted so long was all thanks to the superb medical skills of Chief Physician Jiang and Physician Qiu. How could the emperor possibly be alive now?
impossible!
When the Empress Dowager saw that although the Emperor was so thin that he could no longer fill out his dragon robe, his complexion did not look as lifeless as it did on his sickbed, she was overjoyed and rushed over to him.
Zuo Chen continued to protect the Empress Dowager closely. Seeing that the Prince of Pingyao and others had been captured, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
To be honest, he almost thought he would have to stay here, and he didn't know how his wife and children were doing at home, since the Princess Consort and the young prince were both at his house.
"Mother, please rest assured." The emperor forced a smile. In truth, he had much to say, but he no longer had the time.
The Empress Dowager seemed to realize something as well. Her eyes trembled, her heart ached, and she released her grip.
Yan Xi helped the emperor up the steps, while the ministers bowed their heads, filled with suspicion and uncertainty. They wondered if the emperor was faking his illness to lure out the enemy and eliminate Prince Zhao and his accomplices.
The emperor, however, was already struggling to stay upright. He glanced at Prince Zhao, who had collapsed on the dragon throne, paused for a moment, and waved to the eunuchs who wanted to carry Prince Duan away. Instead of going up himself, he sat directly on the chair that the eunuchs had brought over.
"Cough cough—"
"Father." Yan Xi's eyes showed worry, but no regret.
"Proclaim the imperial decree."
His heart was already aching. The emperor looked at the palace full of corpses and wondered how things had come to this. He had been trying his best to govern the country.
He studied hard in his youth to gain his father's approval, and because he was the eldest son and the destined heir apparent, he could not afford to be lazy in the slightest.
Only after ascending the throne did he realize how heavy this burden was. The court was filled with corruption, and the ministers were only interested in their own interests. He could not cut away the rotten flesh, but could only do his best to persevere. He wanted capable ministers to work with him to reduce the lifelessness of the Great Zhou and bring it back to life.
But it seems he couldn't keep up with the rate at which the Great Zhou was decaying. Clearly... everything was moving in a positive direction, but it seemed like fate was playing a joke on him.
The emperor couldn't help but recall the day Xie Ning returned from his house call at the Shi residence. He had asked Xie Ning, "If the rotten flesh hadn't been removed, could Shi Ji still have lived?"
Xie Ning seemed to see through his thoughts and gently shook his head. "Rotten flesh is flesh that has completely died. If it is not cut off, it will rot even deeper until the person dies."
They tried their best, but they always fell short.
Because no matter how perfect the policies on paper may be, people are imperfect and complex beings.
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