Chapter 485 Who would jump out at this time?
Jiang Yu stood outside the Emperor's bedchamber, watching the imperial physicians and eunuchs come and go, her heart pounding again. Although she had made thorough preparations, if something were to happen to the Emperor at this moment, it would surely cause considerable chaos.
Grand Tutor Yan, his body slightly hunched, leaned close to Jiang Yu, peered inside for a moment, and then asked in a low voice, "Duke of Chu, His Majesty should be alright, right?"
Jiang Yu turned to look at him, her expression calm as she asked, "Does the Grand Tutor think the Emperor would be unprepared?"
Grand Tutor Yan frowned slightly, but quickly understood her meaning. The Emperor was already over fifty years old. Although he had always been healthy, at this age, with threats from figures like the Prince of Lingnan and the Prime Minister in the court, he must have already prepared for the worst-case scenario.
At that moment, he was once again grateful that he had chosen to cooperate with the Duke of Chu's faction. The Emperor trusted the Duke of Chu in his most critical moment, and that was enough. He cupped his hands towards Jiang Yu, his tone earnest: "Of course I trust the Duke of Chu. As I said before, I will follow your lead from now on."
This time he was truly sincere. He was getting old, and Yan Fengxi had caused such trouble. Once this was over, the Emperor would surely force him to resign. Although he could use his existing connections to support his grandchildren, the powerful Duke of Chu was right in front of him, so he had to secure his grandchildren's support first.
Jiang Yu naturally wouldn't kick someone when they're down, so she cupped her hands in greeting and said, "Grand Tutor Yan, you flatter me. Fengju will be my cousin-in-law from now on. We're family, so let's not be formal."
Grand Tutor Yan quickly replied, "Yes, yes, we're family, no need for formalities."
Just then, Prince An rushed over, looking anxious. Jiang Yu and Grand Tutor Yan immediately stepped forward to pay their respects. After Prince An told them to dispense with the formalities, he exchanged a glance with Jiang Yu, and the two understood each other's thoughts.
As Prince An turned his gaze away, he caught sight of the golden dragon-carved sword in Jiang Yu's hand, and his expression froze. Just then, Prince Rui walked out of the hall, and all three of them immediately focused their attention on him.
“His Majesty has taken his medicine and fallen asleep, so there is no need for you to worry.” Prince Rui spoke first, then turned his gaze to Prince An. “His Majesty has entrusted the affairs of Lingnan entirely to the Duke of Chu; you are responsible for the security of the palace, while the security of the capital city is entrusted to the Marquis of Cheng’en.”
An Wang glanced into the palace and replied, "Yes."
Prince Rui then looked at Jiang Yu: "You should go back first. I'll leave the affairs of Lingnan to you."
"Alright." Jiang Yu didn't linger and turned to leave, with Grand Tutor Yan following closely behind.
Here, Prince Rui walked up to Prince An and whispered, "Although the imperial physician has repeatedly said that it was my brother's heart attack due to anger, I still feel that something is wrong. Go and check it out."
Prince An's expression tightened, his worry deepening. He hurriedly asked, "Is the situation serious?"
Prince Rui shook his head: "It's too early to say for sure. You should investigate as soon as possible. If someone really poisoned us, knowing the source of the poison will help us prepare an antidote."
Prince An nodded emphatically, and Prince Rui then summoned a royal physician. Prince An said to the physician, "Let's start by investigating the items that the Emperor frequently uses."
Prince Rui nodded, urging him to hurry, while he himself turned and returned to his bedchamber. Reaching the Emperor's bedside, he tucked the blankets around the Emperor and was about to sit down when the Emperor suddenly opened his eyes. Prince Rui's face lit up with joy: "Brother Emperor."
The Emperor gestured for him to be quiet, and Prince Rui immediately understood, sitting down with a normal expression. He then said to the palace maids, eunuchs, and imperial physicians in the hall, "You may all leave now."
No one dared to delay, and they quietly withdrew, leaving only the two brothers in the hall. Prince Rui was still uneasy, so he leaned close to the Emperor and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Brother, how are you feeling now?"
"It's nothing serious, help me sit up." The emperor's expression was clear now, no longer showing his previous absent-mindedness.
Prince Rui helped him lean against the headboard and asked with concern, "Is there anything wrong?"
The Emperor shook his head and said in a low voice, "I'm fine, Yan'er, don't worry."
As he spoke, he grasped Prince Rui's hand, his tone grave: "But I'm afraid I've been tricked, and I don't know when I'll regain my senses. Stay by my side and don't let anyone know that I was ever lucid."
Prince Rui nodded solemnly. The Emperor tightened his grip on his hand: "I trust the Duke of Chu with the affairs of Lingnan; but I am not at ease with my closest relatives."
Prince Rui opened his mouth, but swallowed back the words of advice that were about to come out. The royal family is not like an ordinary family; a throne can turn even the closest relatives into mortal enemies.
"You shall act as if I am seriously ill, yet I am trying my best to conceal it." The Emperor looked at Prince Rui and said solemnly, "I want to see who will jump out at this time."
"Yes." Prince Rui immediately agreed earnestly.
The Emperor nodded and said, "I know you and Jingwei have a deep friendship, but this concerns the fate of the nation, so you cannot have selfish motives."
Prince Rui nodded emphatically: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will never show favoritism."
The Emperor patted his hand: "I trust you to do things right."
After saying this, he looked exhausted. Prince Rui helped him lie down: "You should rest for a while. Jingwei is searching the Imperial Study; we should have results soon."
The Emperor hummed in acknowledgment and closed his eyes, but the chilling aura emanating from him was impossible to conceal. Prince Rui sighed inwardly, tucked the blanket around him again, and then sat down on a chair to rest. However, his brows were furrowed; the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and Jiang Yu—each one of them weighed heavily on his mind.
Inside the Imperial Study, Prince An was examining the Emperor's frequently used items one by one. When he picked up the paperweight given to him by Prince Rui, his brow furrowed slightly. Today, the affair between Prince Rui and Jiang Yu had been exposed, and Prince Rui and his mother were both implicated. This made him suspect that Prince Rui might also harbor ill intentions towards the Emperor. Moreover, Jiang Yu had mentioned this paperweight to him in a previous letter.
He looked down at the paperweight in his hand. The jade was still so lustrous that it reflected his fingertips, and the carving of the coiled tortoise was still exquisite. But when his fingertips traced the patterns on the tortoise shell, he felt a strange stiffness.
Prince An frowned even more deeply, bringing the paperweight closer to his eyes for a closer look. Fine, pale gold powder was embedded in the intricate patterns on the tortoise's shell. He brought his powder-covered fingers to his nose and inhaled the fragrance; besides the jade's clear, moist scent, there was also a faint, almost imperceptible aroma of agarwood.
His expression grew increasingly solemn. He repeatedly ground the powder with his fingertips; it was as fine as dust, definitely not ordinary ash. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Physician Pang beside him and said, "Physician Pang, come and take a look."
Physician Pang hurried forward, and Prince An handed him the paperweight, pointing to the carved seam: "Look here."
"Yes." Physician Pang rubbed his fingertips against the crevice for a moment, then carefully examined the powder on his hands, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
"How is it?" Prince An pressed.
"This scent is like sandalwood, but not pure enough. I can't identify the other scent for the time being," Physician Pang replied truthfully.
He had barely finished speaking when he looked up and saw the Prince of An's displeasure. He quickly added, "Your Majesty, I will find a way to verify this immediately!"
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