The cheerful music stopped abruptly.
"His Majesty!"
"Father!"
The sudden turn of events startled everyone present, causing them to tremble.
The most fearful were the maids and eunuchs; if anything happened to the emperor, they would be buried alive with him.
Everyone rushed over in a swarm.
Shen Shi hurriedly followed, pushed through the crowd and went to the front, only to see Shen Tunan lying limply on the ground, unconscious.
The lips were faintly purple, a sign of poisoning.
Poisoning?
Although he didn't care about Shen Tunan's life, plotting to harm the emperor was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Who would do such a thing?
Is it Mu Tu, who is eyeing the city covetously, or Huai'an, who also harbors ulterior motives?
Killing Shen Tunan does not make one emperor.
Just as he was pondering this in a moment of clarity, a figure suddenly flashed into his mind.
"Eunuch Wang, quickly go and fetch the imperial physician. You few carry Father Emperor to the main hall."
At the critical moment, it was Shen Yu who stepped forward to take charge.
"Oh dear!" Upon hearing this, Eunuch Wang immediately rushed out in a great hurry.
Shen Shi and Shen Yu exchanged a glance.
Faced with the sudden chaos, Mu Nu, his face grave, was at a loss for what to do. "Prince Rong, what do you think..."
Logically, the fact that the emperor of Qi was in trouble should have been a good thing for the Qiang state.
The problem is that, just a second before the Emperor of Qi died, the envoy from the Qiang Kingdom was still showing him great disrespect.
If the State of Qi blames this on them, saying that they were angered by their envoy, what should we do?
Mu Nu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but since the people of Qi hadn't said anything yet, he couldn't very well open up and explain.
Shen Shi ignored him and looked solemnly at the group of envoys, finally fixing his gaze on Mu Tu's face.
Mu Tu was speechless when he realized this, since he hadn't done anything wrong, but he was being made to take the blame.
But in order to annoy Shen Shi, Mu Tu still gave him a bright smile.
Shen Shi knew that Mu Tu must know the inside story, and seeing Mu Tu's arrogant expression, he smiled back.
The two princes from the opposing country, who were exchanging smiles, left everyone present completely baffled.
Especially when it sinks, when is that?
Father's fate is unknown, yet you seem to be in a good mood. Is that appropriate?
For Shen Shi, the most important thing right now is to control the envoys.
The fact that Shen Tunan's fate is unknown must be kept secret, at least from ordinary people, who are the most easily incited group and could easily cause riots.
Even if these envoys are not the murderers, releasing them would cause enormous panic.
"Distinguished envoys, this concludes our meeting for today. The villa outside the palace has been prepared and is ready for your stay."
Shen Shi addressed the envoys from various countries.
This clearly means they are to be confined.
"This won't do..."
The envoy from the Qiang Kingdom was the first to object, but Mu Nu, with a solemn expression, pulled him back and shook his head.
Seeing that the prince had no objections, the envoy who had spoken up immediately fell silent.
Shen Shi ignored their intricate schemes and entrusted the matter to General Wang beside him.
"Uncle, I'm leaving this matter to you."
"Fifth Prince, rest assured."
Knowing the matter was of great importance, General Wang dared not delay for a moment and waved his hand to summon several hundred imperial guards.
"Please follow me, everyone."
The Imperial Guards, armed with long spears and broadswords, had already formed a sliver of cover, trapping the envoy within.
Unarmed envoys from various countries had no choice but to obediently follow orders.
The envoys were accommodated in a courtyard on the west side of the imperial city.
Looking at the heavily guarded villa, Mu Tu pondered: "The Emperor of Qi is in a coma. If he were to pass away, Crown Prince Shen Yu would naturally become the Emperor."
This is not a good thing for him.
Gu Yuanbai is really not an obedient dog, should we get rid of him?
This grand assembly of emperors came to an end with the fall of the Qi emperor.
All the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy were summoned to the Qianqing Palace to examine Shen Tunan one by one.
The people inside the palace were filled with unease.
All the concubines and princes of the harem came to the outside of the main hall.
"Don't stop me, I need to see His Majesty..."
Consort Zhang, her eyes brimming with tears, scolded the eunuch Wang who was trying to stop her: "Get out of the way now!"
"This is putting your servant in a difficult position, Your Highness..."
Empress Wang had already given instructions that no unauthorized personnel were allowed to enter, and Eunuch Wang awkwardly wiped his sweat with his sleeve.
In the end, following the Empress's instructions, everyone was kept outside the main hall.
Ministers who were not present at the court assembly also rushed to the palace after hearing the news that the emperor was unconscious.
At this moment, only a few old princes, the Queen Mother, and her two sons were standing in the main hall.
They waited anxiously for the imperial physician's diagnosis.
Empress Wang was extremely anxious. Because the incident happened so suddenly, she hadn't had time to ask the two brothers.
Could they have done this?
Seeing his mother's uncertain gaze, Shen Shi squeezed her palm and said, "Don't worry."
Upon hearing this, Empress Wang calmed down.
That's good, that's good!
Among the old princes present were Shen Shi's uncles and elders, as well as old figures from the late emperor's generation.
If he makes any move, he will definitely get into trouble.
Even if they thought that Shen Tunan's death would save them a lot of trouble.
Shen Shi could only pray silently in his heart: Father, please listen to your son just this once, and go!
"Reporting to you all, His Majesty's poisoning is severe, I'm afraid it's not good..." After several imperial physicians took turns examining him, Physician Hua came to this conclusion.
Everyone was shocked to hear this; it had gotten to such a serious point.
"What kind of poison is it?" Shen Shi asked first.
"Reporting to Prince Rong, it is a unique poison of the Qiang Kingdom called millet fly. It will take effect shortly after ingestion."
"Damn Qiang people! I don't care about poison or not, if you can't cure the Emperor, you'll all come to me with your heads!" an old prince roared, slamming his fist on the table.
Faced with an uncertain fate, the imperial physicians trembled with fear.
"We will do our utmost." After saying this, they hurriedly discussed treatment methods.
After reprimanding the imperial physician, the old prince slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "This matter must be thoroughly investigated. Who is so bold as to poison the Emperor!"
Shen Shi thought that with this loud-voiced prince, he might be able to wake Shen Tu Nan up.
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Huai was also indignant.
“I think it was the Qiang envoys who did it. What are we waiting for? We should arrest them now and not let the murderers get away with it.”
Shen Shi smiled slightly at the indignant Prince Huai, "Uncle, you have a good insight."
Meeting his mocking gaze, the Prince of Huai turned his head away evasively.
With the Emperor currently in a coma, the Crown Prince has become the rightful person in charge.
Everyone present turned their attention to Shen Yu.
"Issue my order to bring the Qiang envoy to the Dali Temple for personal interrogation."
Shen Yu took out the Crown Prince's token and gave instructions to the guards.
"Yes!" The guard didn't delay for a moment and ran out.
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