Chapter 533 Run Away, Run Away Quickly
However, even that one bite is quite toxic.
After finishing his meal, the emperor lay down on his bed for a short rest, feeling quite satisfied.
As the candles in the room burned out, the emperor was awakened by severe abdominal pain.
He clutched his stomach, coughed up blood, and collapsed to the ground, struggling to kick over a chair.
The chair tipped over, alerting the guards.
The guards stepped forward in unison and said, "Your Majesty."
The emperor clutched his stomach, in so much pain that he couldn't utter a single word.
One of the guards immediately took the emperor's pulse and exclaimed in alarm, "Your Majesty, you have been poisoned!"
"What? Poisoned?" the emperor exclaimed in shock.
He stared wide-eyed, trying hard to recall what he had eaten that day, and his gaze fell on the pot of wine.
It was poison. He was poisoned, and it was he who poisoned the Third Prince.
He hurriedly ordered the guards, "Quickly, give me the antidote pill you have."
He who administered the poison also had an antidote.
Upon hearing this, the guard quickly gave him the antidote.
Not long after taking the antidote, the emperor's symptoms improved considerably. He collapsed weakly onto his bed, his eyes lifeless.
Then, a helpless, cold smile appeared on his face. "The poison I gave him has somehow ended up being drunk by myself. What a curse!"
A guard approached and said, "Your Majesty, is it possible that they knew the wine was poisoned, which is why they sent it to you?"
The emperor waved his hand and shook his head. "Impossible. If they had really guessed my identity, they would have fled overnight. Why would they bother to send me poisoned wine and do something they know is futile and would only expose themselves?"
The guard suddenly realized, "Then how does Your Majesty intend to deal with them?"
The emperor waved his hand and said, "Enough, enough, no one can talk about this today."
The guard bowed and said, "It is Your Majesty."
The emperor raised his eyes, his fierce expression returning once more. "If once isn't enough, I'll try twice. If twice isn't enough, I'll try three times. I refuse to believe my third brother's life is so tough."
The guard whispered back, "Your Majesty, perhaps you should entrust this matter to us?"
The emperor shook his head and said, "No rush, there will be plenty of opportunities to use you in the future."
The guard didn't ask any further questions and obediently bowed and withdrew.
The emperor realized that poisoning wouldn't work, so he prepared to try another method.
However, the urgent letter sent by Zhou Ruiyuan had already reached the Third Prince and Aunt Zhou by the next day.
When Aunt Zhou saw the contents of the letter, she almost collapsed to the ground. "He came to Cheng'an County? He came to Cheng'an County without telling anyone. He must have gotten wind of it. I'm right here."
The Third Prince quickly helped her up and said, "Zhou'er, don't worry. We haven't been found by him yet, have we? Why don't we pack our things and leave here quickly?"
Aunt Zhou looked up and asked, "Where are we going?"
The Third Prince replied, "Go to Xuzhou."
"Xuzhou? You mean go to Zhao'er's place?" Aunt Zhou asked, puzzled.
The Third Prince nodded and said, "That's right. Let's set off immediately. I bought a small house in a small village in Xuzhou long ago, just in case something like this happened. We'll have somewhere to go."
Aunt Zhou regained her composure and nodded. "Okay, let's set off now."
Xuzhou is right next to Zhou Zhao's military camp, and that is their territory. No one dares to lay a hand on them, not even the emperor.
The Third Prince had prepared a backup plan in that place three years ago, all to protect the safety of his beloved woman.
Without saying anything more, they began packing their things and leaving.
Because she left in a hurry, Aunt Zhou only took some valuables and left the rest of her clothes behind.
All the maids and servants in the mansion, except for Granny Zhuang, stayed behind and pretended not to have noticed anything, continuing to work in the mansion.
As for the shops, incense shops, perfume shops, and rouge shops, Du Wanchun had given instructions before leaving, so that they could operate as usual even if Aunt Zhou didn't go in person.
Aunt Zhou, with her child, followed Granny Zhuang and the Third Prince onto the carriage and left Cheng'an County overnight. The sky was overcast and the wind was howling. They thought it was going to rain heavily, but after they left Cheng'an County, the weather suddenly cleared up and they continued on their way to Xuzhou.
It was two days later when the emperor discovered that Aunt Zhou was not in the mansion.
He was shocked; he had been guarding their door, yet they had still managed to escape.
The emperor was completely devastated and immediately asked the guards, "Weren't you all guarding the gate these past few days? Why didn't you see them run away?"
The guards all kept their heads down and did not reply.
They had indeed been guarding the gate these past few days, but a few days ago, dark clouds suddenly gathered and a strong wind arose. They weren't paying attention and the enemy escaped.
The emperor, his face turning purple with rage, pointed at them and roared, "I don't care what methods you use, you must find them! Go now!"
The guards bowed their heads and replied loudly, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The emperor, who had been so radiant just days before, was now in a sorry state. He slumped in his chair, feeling that all those days had been wasted.
He waved his hand dismissively, "Prepare horses for me immediately, I'm returning to the capital!"
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