Chapter 217 This Emperor Seems Fake
Xiao Yu rushed forward and saw that Emperor Jingming's face was blue and purple and his lips were black, which were signs of being poisoned.
The accompanying imperial physicians came crawling over, giving acupuncture and administering medicine. After more than half an hour of work, an old imperial physician finally stood up tremblingly.
"Report... Report to the Prime Minister, Your Majesty, the Prince... The Emperor's life... has been saved for now. But... But this poison is too strong and has already penetrated the heart. The Emperor... has fallen into a coma and is unconscious. I don't know when he will wake up!"
When these words were spoken, everyone's heart sank.
Concubine Yun threw herself on the emperor and cried bitterly.
Prime Minister Yun's face was filled with grief. "The Emperor was assassinated. His body is in shock and needs to rest! From now on, the Emperor's bedchamber will be taken over by the Imperial Guards. No one is allowed to approach, lest they disturb the Emperor's body!"
As he spoke, his sharp gaze swept over Xiao Yu and Chu Xuanyi.
"Your Highness, you are the pillar of the nation. Right now, you should prioritize the overall situation and oversee the search and arrest outside. The affairs of the inner palace will be taken care of by me and the Queen."
The words were very reasonable and flawless, but Xiao Yu and Chu Xuanyi could sense something was amiss.
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, are mistaken." Chu Xuanyi spoke slowly, fanning himself. "The Emperor's safety depends on the foundation of the nation. The prince and I should serve by his side, fulfilling our duty as subjects."
"No need!" Prime Minister Yun's attitude suddenly became tough.
"Master Imperial Master, the Imperial Physician says that the Emperor requires absolute quiet and any disturbance could worsen his condition. Are you up to this responsibility?"
"Someone come!"
The guards of the imperial army, with their hands on the hilts of their swords, surrounded the emperor's bedroom tightly.
Xiao Yu's face was gloomy and he stared at Prime Minister Yun.
"Okay. I'll trust the Prime Minister just this once."
The autumn hunt ended in a bad mood.
The Yun family father and daughter isolated the dragon from all visits from the outside world on the grounds that "the dragon's body needs rest." Even the regent Xiao Yu was blocked outside the palace gate.
In the study of the palace.
"Your Highness, something's not right." Chu Xuanyi's expression lost its usual nonchalance. "This blockade is too tight. It doesn't seem like they're trying to protect the Emperor. It seems... they're trying to hide him."
"They are just hiding." Xiao Yu's voice was cold.
"Brother Xiongxiong, I...I feel something strange is happening in the palace."
Ah Jiu, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly spoke in a low voice, his little face full of confusion.
"I just wanted to see the emperor's dragon energy, but I couldn't see anything. It was like it was blocked by a very thick black fog. The fog was sticky and disgusting."
Xiao Yu and Chu Xuanyi looked at each other and saw seriousness in each other's eyes.
really!
A few days later, imperial decrees came out from the tightly closed palace gate.
"…Minister Zhou Zhengnian of the Ministry of Revenue has neglected his duties and is to be dismissed immediately. He will be replaced by Yun Qian, a member of the Yun family…"
"...Zhang Qi, deputy commander of the capital garrison, was lax in his military discipline, leading to His Majesty's impending danger. He is demoted to a commoner and will never be employed again! His position will be temporarily filled by Concubine Yun's cousin, Lin Wei..."
One imperial edict after another promoted only the Yun family’s close associates.
Those who were suppressed were officials who were loyal to the royal family or close to the Regent's Palace.
"I've heard of this Lin Wei. He's just a dandy boy who spends his days fighting cocks and running errands. How could he become the deputy commander of the capital's garrison?" Chu Xuan paced back and forth in the study angrily.
"Because his last name is Yun."
Xiao Yu hit the nail on the head.
"Your Highness, we can't wait any longer. The Emperor... I'm afraid he's in grave danger. The one giving orders in the palace right now is definitely not the Emperor himself!"
Xiao Yu stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the gloomy sky outside the window, his eyes filled with unmeltable ice.
"This king knows."
Of course he knows.
But he didn't expect that the Yun family's ambition would be so big.
A terrible thought came to his mind.
Find a puppet, a substitute to pretend to be the emperor.
Only in this way can we explain all the unreasonable things happening before our eyes.
"Xuan Yi," Xiao Yu said slowly, "Send someone to Southern Xinjiang to check if anything unusual has entered the capital recently."
Especially those who can manipulate people's hearts and are vicious...
"Pulling String Gu."
As the regent of the Great Zhou, Xiao Yu's life became so "leisurely" for the first time.
He was so free that he couldn't even enter the palace gate.
"Your Majesty, please go back."
In front of the palace gate, the newly appointed commander of the imperial guards bowed to Xiao Yu with a forced smile. His attitude was respectful, but his eyes were filled with undisguised arrogance.
"Empress Yun has ordered that the Emperor be in shock, and the Imperial Physician has repeatedly urged absolute rest. The Emperor has also personally issued a decree prohibiting anyone from entering or disturbing him. Your loyalty is appreciated, but rules are rules."
Xiao Yu sat upright on his horse, without even lifting his eyelids, just looking indifferently at the closed vermilion palace door in front of him.
This is the third day.
On the first day after returning from the enclosure, he requested to visit the palace in the name of the regent, but was stopped.
The next day, he handed in the sign again, and received the reply "The emperor is giving acupuncture and should not be exposed to the wind."
Today is the third day.
The reason was changed to "the order issued by the emperor himself."
"This prince wants to see Concubine Yun."
"This... Your Highness, the Queen said that she has to take care of the Emperor every step of the way. She is really too busy to do anything else. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
"Yeah?"
Xiao Yu finally raised his eyes.
"Then please go in and tell the commander that I am waiting here. I will wait for you whenever the queen is free."
He actually wanted to wait here, and the commander's face instantly became a little ugly.
If word got out that he had made the regent wait in vain at the palace gate, a small commander like him would not be able to bear the consequences. However, he did not dare to disobey the order of Concubine Yun.
For a moment, he was so anxious that sweat appeared on his forehead.
Inside the palace gate, a chief eunuch walked out quickly with several palace maids.
"Oh, my Lord! How can you wait here? This is really tiring for me."
The eunuch was a close confidant of Concubine Yun, named Liu Quan. He was known for his ability to adapt to changing circumstances and his tact in dealing with people.
As soon as he arrived, he bowed deeply to Xiao Yu with a smile on his face.
"Your Highness, please don't misunderstand. The Queen didn't mean to neglect you. It's simply that the Emperor...he coughed badly last night, and the Queen stayed up all night, and only just closed her eyes. She specifically instructed this old servant to explain everything clearly to Your Highness, and asked you to take care of yourself and not worry too much about the Emperor's affairs."
"You are the pillar of the country, and the emperor is counting on you to take charge of the overall situation. What will happen if you collapse from exhaustion?"
Xiao Yu watched his performance coldly without saying a word.
Liu Quan felt uneasy when he looked at him, and the smile on his face began to fade.
"Your Highness... look..."
"I understand."
Xiao Yu finally spoke, his voice cold.
Looking at his receding back, Liu Quan finally breathed a sigh of relief, with a hint of viciousness and disdain flashing in the depths of his eyes.
What about the Regent?
Now this palace is dominated by the Yun family!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com