The Imperial Palace.
Emperor Yuanhe stayed in the Hall of Nourishing Life all night without sleeping. When the morning sun rose, he heard that the men he had sent out had not yet captured Yu Nanqing. At this moment, the anger he had suppressed all night finally erupted.
"You bunch of bastards!" Emperor Yuanhe grabbed a teacup and slammed it down on the soldier who came to report: "How dare you come to see me! You should bring your heads upon yourselves!"
With a loud thud, the soldier, facing Emperor Yuanhe's wrath, knelt on the ground, not daring to move.
"Where are they?" Emperor Yuanhe's face turned red with anger. "Where are Yue Duan? Bring them back to me!"
Standing to the side, Liu Rencai, trembling, hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the commander of the Imperial Guards is already on his way back. However, today is the Heavenly Physician Festival, and there are many people in the city going to the market, which has delayed him quite a bit. Commander Le is probably still searching for Prince Gong's whereabouts. Should I send someone to call him back as well?"
Liu Rencai's voice grew softer and softer as he cautiously probed for Emperor Yuanhe's meaning.
Emperor Yuanhe grabbed a memorial and threw it hard in his face: "Idiot! Fool! A bunch of useless things! You haven't even found a trace of Yu Nanqing all night! It's already broad daylight, what is he still looking for? Even if he finds him, what then?"
Does he have to kill Yu Nanqing in front of everyone?
Even assuming he actually orders Yue Duan to kill Yu Nanqing, what use are the Imperial Guards he sent out? Are the common people all fools?
Even with the Imperial Guards mobilized, they couldn't even catch an assassin. What will the people of the capital think of him as emperor?
Does this make the world question whether the emperor, right under his nose, is completely powerless to do anything about the assassination attempt on a prince?
The thought of a paralyzed man from the waist down and a weak woman with no strength to even kill a chicken filled Emperor Yuanhe's head with a surge of blood.
Such a simple task, yet it took them an entire night to kill them.
This is absolutely outrageous!
That's absolutely ridiculous!
Liu Rencai was so frightened by Emperor Yuanhe's wrath that he immediately knelt down.
The more Emperor Yuanhe thought about it, the angrier he became, and he really wanted to overturn the table in front of him.
Thinking this, and doing this, he suddenly felt dizzy and his head throbbed as he was about to overturn the table. He staggered and was about to fall.
Liu Rencai was startled and quickly stood up to help him up: "Your Majesty! Your health is of utmost importance! The officials are waiting for you to attend court!"
Reminded by Liu Rencai, Emperor Yuanhe, who was about to faint, shuddered and managed to suppress his anger.
Since ascending the throne, he has governed the country diligently and has never missed a single morning court session.
This not only demonstrated his desire for power, but also allowed him to enjoy the people's praise for his diligence in governing the country.
So no matter what happens, he always has to attend the morning court session.
Emperor Yuanhe suppressed his anger, and despite his exhausted appearance, he ordered, "Bring back Yue Duan. This matter ends here!"
That's all we can do.
This siege of the capital is a slap in his own face. The news of Yu Nanqing's assassination will plunge the people of the capital into a state of panic.
The Court of Judicial Review, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, and the Jingzhao Prefecture will definitely have to thoroughly investigate this matter. He also needs to find a scapegoat to take the blame so as to give the people and the Prince Gong's Mansion an explanation!
That's it! Those remaining followers of Yu Nanqing then shifted the blame for this whole affair onto them!
Even after finding a scapegoat, Emperor Yuanhe remained sullen.
After this assassination attempt, he could not take any action against Yu Nanqing for a long time; he had to wait until the storm surrounding the assassination had passed.
The thought of Yu Nanqing running away with Su Wanyan still made Emperor Yuanhe's heart ache.
How could it have run away!
How could they possibly escape!
He sent out shadow guards who were all handpicked from the best!
Emperor Yuanhe was seething with anger. Before Yue Duan and the commander of the Imperial Guards had returned, he had no choice but to rush to court with a dark expression.
However, as he sat solemnly on the dragon throne with a dark expression, and all the officials were bowing to him, a young eunuch rushed over from the side and whispered something in Liu Rencai's ear.
Liu Rencai's shoulders trembled, and he looked at the little eunuch in disbelief, as if confirming the truth of the matter.
The little eunuch gave him a look that said, "It's absolutely true."
Liu Rencai then stepped forward hesitantly: "Your Majesty..."
Emperor Yuanhe frowned, his anger simmering, and impatiently shouted at Liu Rencai, "What is it!"
“Princess Consort Su… is beating the drum at the palace gate again.”
"What!" Emperor Yuanhe's eyes widened.
What is she planning to do now?
Why are you coming over here to beat the drum again?
Has she become addicted to drumming?
Does she think she can just strike the drum at the palace gate whenever she wants?
"Report!" Just as Emperor Yuanhe was still furious, a soldier rushed into the palace to report: "Your Majesty! Princess Gong has been beating the drum at the palace gate to plead her case. Last night, she was attacked in the capital. There were dozens or even a hundred assassins. The commotion was huge, and Princess Gong almost lost her life. However, all the major government offices in the city turned a deaf ear and did not send any troops to rescue her. Princess Gong complained that the city's defenses were practically non-existent, and that the assassins were able to come and go freely in the capital."
"Princess Gong is going to file a lawsuit against the Court of Judicial Review, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, the Jingzhao Prefecture, the city defense, the patrol, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of War, and other departments in the capital. At this time, the palace gates are already surrounded by people. Princess Gong demands an audience with the Emperor!"
The soldier finished speaking in one breath, and Emperor Yuanhe felt his head buzzing. With each additional word he heard, he wished he could kill Su Wanyan as soon as possible.
He is the emperor!
Su Wanyan! How dare she!
If it weren't for Su Wanyan's actions, news of Yu Nanqing's assassination attempt wouldn't have spread so quickly, giving him ample time to deal with the situation.
However, now that Su Wanyan has made such a scene, he is now required to give her an explanation immediately!
Su Wanyan has ripped off his fig leaf. A prince of the country was assassinated, yet he, the emperor, didn't hear a word of it, and the various departments in the city seemed deaf and unresponsive.
She wasn't just beating the drum to appeal for justice; she was beating the drum to hold the emperor accountable!
He even dared to meet the emperor in court; was he afraid that he hadn't lost face thoroughly enough?
Upon hearing the soldier's report, a murmur arose among the officials in the court. With such a commotion last night, it was impossible for them not to have heard it.
Everyone knows what really happened, but no one dares to say it.
“Your Majesty!” At this moment, an official who looked to be in his sixties or seventies stepped forward: “If what Princess Gong said is true, that a prince of the country was assassinated in the capital, such a major event should be thoroughly investigated to restore peace to the people. I humbly request Your Majesty to summon Princess Gong to the palace.”
Upon hearing this, several ministers stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, we second your opinion."
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