Chapter 263 It’s Better If He Dies
Pei Jing arranged for reinforcement of the manpower in his residence and rushed into the palace before noon.
The sky was gloomy today. When I entered the palace, lead-gray clouds were pressing low on the palace walls, and the air was stuffy and heavy, as if a heavy rain was being held back, just waiting for a certain hour to pour down.
At this time in the past, there would be eunuchs sweeping the streets and palace maids coming and going on the palace roads. Although it was not noisy, it did add a bit of liveliness to this cage.
But today, as I walked along, I rarely saw a single person. Occasionally, a few eunuchs hurried by, but they also lowered their heads and walked quickly, with an inexplicable fear on their faces.
"Stop." Pei Jing stopped a young eunuch and asked in a deep voice, "What happened in the palace today?"
The young eunuch was so frightened that he trembled and knelt down to kowtow, but he did not dare to say a word.
Pei Jing's heart sank. Just as he was about to ask again, a eunuch who served Emperor Zhaowen hurried over and said, "I'm here to fetch you, Your Highness. The Emperor is not in Qianyuan Hall today. He went to Chongli Hall."
Chongli Hall? Isn't that where the eldest prince Pei Yi is confined?
Pei Jing didn't ask any more questions. Just after taking a few steps, he heard a dull sound in the wind, "clang——"
Then, there were several consecutive muffled sounds coming from different directions, layer upon layer, as if an invisible net was tightening.
Pei Jing was very familiar with this sound. It was the sound of the heavy brass lock hitting the buckle when the palace gate was locked.
During the years he lived in the palace, he often stood on the high platform at night and listened to the sound of the palace gates closing, knowing that another day had passed.
But at that time they were not closed all at once like they are now, but were closed layer by layer from the outside to the inside, with one door closing every once in a while.
Pei Jing's expression changed completely. He looked at the eunuch leading the way and said in a cold voice, "What happened? Why are the palace gates closed at this time?"
The sudden closure of the palace gates has always been no small matter. It is either a major case of treason in the palace, or... a rebellion.
The young eunuch turned pale with fear and whispered, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened in the palace. The eldest prince suddenly vomited blood and fell unconscious in the middle of the night after dinner. The imperial physician said he was poisoned. The emperor is furious and has ordered the palace gates sealed, forcing no one to enter or leave."
Pei Jing's heart sank. Everyone in the palace knew that he and Pei Yi were incompatible. The emperor was furious and closed the palace gates, but he did so after he entered the palace, which made him suspicious as well.
What he is worried about now is how long the palace gate will be closed, whether Jiang Fei will be worried outside, and whether someone will take advantage of his absence to harm the palace?
"What's the situation now?"
"His Highness is still in a coma, and the Imperial Hospital is doing its utmost to treat him," the young eunuch wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued, "The Empress said someone deliberately murdered him, and he cried so hard that he fainted. The Emperor has ordered a thorough investigation."
As he was speaking, he saw guards escorting several eunuchs and palace maids hurriedly through the corner gate, probably to be taken away for interrogation.
The young eunuch said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has ordered you to go to Chongli Hall upon entering the palace. I will take you through the side door. The main hall is in chaos."
Outside the Chongli Hall, palace maids, eunuchs, and imperial doctors were kneeling on the ground.
"Your Majesty, Prince Zhaoning has arrived."
"Let him in." Emperor Zhaowen's hoarse voice came from the hall.
Pei Jing stepped inside.
The weather is bad today, so we need to light the lamps in the hall, and the candlelight will be bright.
Several princes were present. The Third Prince was covering his eyes with a handkerchief, his shoulders shaking slightly. "My eldest brother has been confined to his house. Who is so cruel..."
The Sixth Prince Pei Zhang stood aside with a frown on his face, occasionally looking towards the bedroom, his face full of regret. He echoed, "Yes, house arrest is already a punishment, why would you resort to such cruel means? You're determined to take my life!"
Pei Jing had no expression on his face. He found a chair and sat down to watch them perform.
They didn't seem to have much of a brotherly bond on normal days, but now they were like brothers from the same mother. They were all heartbroken, as if if anything happened to Pei Yi, they would die too.
"Your Majesty!" The head of the Imperial Hospital rushed out from the inner hall. "The poison that Prince Jing was poisoned with is called Qianjiyin. This poison is very powerful. It first damages the spleen and stomach and then invades the heart. If the poison is not detoxified in time, he will die within three days..."
"Can he be treated?"
The imperial physician said, "I will do my best."
"I don't care what method you use, just save him, otherwise..."
The imperial physician's face turned pale. "Your Majesty...Your Majesty obeys your command."
As soon as he finished speaking, a shrill cry came from the side hall, "Yier! My son, who is so vicious to want to kill you!"
The queen woke up at some point, her hair disheveled, and she rushed out of the side hall like a madman, threw herself in front of the emperor and cried her heart out.
She caught sight of Pei Jing sitting in the corner of the hall, and her crying suddenly stopped. "It's you! It must be you. You hate him for getting you hurt, and you hate him for blocking your way. You want to kill him! You want my son to die!"
Pei Jing's casual expression finally froze. He glanced at the Queen coldly, "If I really wanted him to die, would he still be alive today?"
He paused, his eyes sweeping over the astonished crowd in the hall, and slowly said, "If I were to take action, I'd either kill him with a single blow or, even if I were to poison him, there's no need to use such a slow-moving poison. I could just pour a bottle of Hedinghong down his throat. It would be quick and easy, and even the imperial physician wouldn't have to bother trying to save him. Wouldn't that be much easier?"
These words are simply against human nature. Apart from the madman Prince Zhaoning, who else would dare to talk about "killing" so blatantly and confidently in front of the emperor and when the prince is dying?
"Your Majesty!" The Queen wailed, falling to the ground. "Listen, what are you talking about? He clearly wants Yi'er dead. Maybe he deliberately poisoned her to make people think it's against his will and to confuse people!"
"Shut up!" Emperor Zhaowen slammed the table and then burst into coughing.
Meng Yuande, who was waiting on the side, hurriedly took a pill and gave it to Emperor Zhaowen.
Emperor Zhaowen paused, his eyes fixed on Pei Jing, "What do you think of this?"
Pei Jing said calmly, "In my opinion, he is indeed dead."
The hall was suddenly filled with dead silence. Even the queen forgot to cry and stared at Pei Jing in disbelief with her eyes wide open.
Emperor Zhaowen gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Say it again?"
Pei Jing asked in return, "If he can't kill me, should I still hope he lives a hundred years?"
Emperor Zhaowen's eyes moved. These words were unpleasant and even harsh, but when you peeled off the layer of royal dignity, every word was the truth.
If anyone were to be assassinated by a political enemy, would they still put on a hypocritical face of brotherly love and pray for the other party's safety and success?
Emperor Zhaowen gripped the armrest tightly and loosened his grip, and the blue-white marks on his knuckles gradually faded.
"Besides," Pei Jing suddenly laughed, his smile somewhat sinister. "The Queen said I blocked his path. I don't understand that. When has someone of my status ever walked that path?"
As soon as these words were spoken, it was as if a huge rock was thrown into the hall, and huge waves were instantly set off.
Pei Jing's identity was a taboo that was kept secret. Everyone knew it, but no one dared to touch it. Yet, Pei Jing spoke it out so openly!
The queen looked as if she had been slapped hard in the face, and the grief and anger on her face froze in an instant.
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