After the beginning of spring, it stopped snowing in the capital city of Shuojing. Instead, it began to rain continuously, so heavily that it seemed as if there would be no end.
In the imperial palace, however, there was no joy and vitality for the new year. Emperor Wenxuan's illness became more serious, the palace servants looked gloomy, and even the spring rain added a layer of depressing atmosphere.
The bedroom door was opened and the fourth prince Guangshuo walked out.
These days, he came to see Emperor Wenxuan very often. Emperor Wenxuan doted on this son, and the eunuchs were not surprised. Although they did not dare to discuss it openly, the palace people secretly thought in their hearts that although Guangyan was the crown prince now, it was hard to say who would be the emperor in the future.
In the bedroom, Emperor Wenxuan was lying on the couch, staring at the bright yellow curtains on the dragon couch in a trance.
In recent days, he asked Concubine Lan not to come here every day, not for other reasons, but because he was afraid that outsiders would see it and spread rumors. People's hearts are unpredictable. If it was not a problem in the past, it would not be a problem, but now he even has difficulty attending court, and he is afraid that he can no longer protect Concubine Lan and her son as well as before.
Thinking of Guangxiou, Emperor Wenxuan sighed again.
Guangshuo was a very good man, both virtuous and talented, and filial. Apart from other things, if he was more decisive and cold-hearted, he would be a rare wise emperor in Wei. However, it was precisely because of his kindness and soft-heartedness that Emperor Wenxuan treated him differently - because Guangshuo was like his own son.
Unfortunately, despite this, Emperor Wenxuan could not change the crown prince at this juncture and hand over the throne to Guangshuo. Once he did so, the court would inevitably be in chaos. According to Guangyan's personality, I'm afraid that the royal family would immediately fight against each other and blood would splash in the palace.
If he were in his prime, he could still suppress all this, but he is already old. Over the years, court officials have followed Guangxiou and Guangyan, and everyone has his own thoughts. He can no longer care about so many things and cannot control them at all.
But... eventually, a result must be achieved.
There was a slight noise from the door outside. Emperor Wenxuan was startled, thinking it was a palace maid. Then Guangyan's voice sounded: "Father...is he asleep?"
The person who came was Guangyan.
He was holding a mahogany basket in his hand. Seeing Emperor Wenxuan lying on the couch and trying to get up, he hurried forward, helped Emperor Wenxuan up, leaned him against the head of the bed, and called out "Father" again.
"...Why are you here?" Emperor Wenxuan asked. As soon as he spoke, he was surprised to find that his voice was unusually hoarse.
"I heard that my father was ill, and I was terrified..." Guangyan seemed a little nervous, "After thinking it over, I decided to go to the palace to see my father. Is my father in good health?"
Guangyan had always been domineering and arrogant, but this was the first time he showed such a panicked and helpless expression. Emperor Wenxuan looked at him and suddenly sighed.
After Xu Jingfu's accident, Guangyan rarely came to the palace. Emperor Wenxuan knew that Guangyan had been close to Xu Jingfu in the past because he was afraid that he would be implicated by Xu Jingfu and deliberately avoided the limelight. Emperor Wenxuan was also angry with Guangyan in his heart, and he was indeed particularly disgusted with him because of Xu Jingfu.
But, Guangyan is his son after all, and he doesn't have many sons.
So this is why Guangyan is still safe and sound. That's because the people in the Dali Temple received an oral order from Emperor Wenxuan, and all cases related to Xu Jingfu bypassed Crown Prince Guangyan.
Seeing that Emperor Wenxuan was staring at him, not knowing what he was thinking, Guangyan felt a little uneasy, and subconsciously opened the mahogany basket and took out a small bowl of soup.
"Father, this is the ginseng soup that I asked someone to make in the kitchen." Guangyan said anxiously, "Father, please have a drink."
Emperor Wenxuan looked at him, and for some reason, he suddenly remembered when Guangyan was little and Guangshuo was not yet born. He had only Guangyan as his eldest son, and he had loved him sincerely. At that time, Guangyan was only four years old, not as tyrannical and ruthless as he is now, and was still a little kid who was only a tiny bit tall.
Empress Zhang gave Guangyan a bowl of sweet soup, but Guangyan was reluctant to eat it. He ran from Kunning Palace to Yu's study with the bowl in his arms. The wet nurse who followed him knelt down in fear and begged for mercy. Emperor Wenxuan held Guangyan on his knees and asked with a smile, "Why did you come to me with this bowl?"
"Father," the child spoke unclearly and mumbled, raising the bowl to his mouth with great effort, "This tastes good, Father, please have some!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wenxuan laughed heartily, "It's hard for you to think of me at such a young age. I think my love for you is not in vain!"
Emperor Wenxuan had forgotten what the bowl of sweet soup tasted like. The laughter seemed to be just yesterday. But in the blink of an eye, Guangyan had grown up so much. He was no longer the same as the little kid who would hold the bowl and lie on his lap and act coquettishly. He was also confused. What had he done wrong over the years to lead to the current situation?
Emperor Wenxuan took a deep breath and asked, "Guangyan, do you have anything to say about Xu Jingfu?"
Just because of this bowl of ginseng soup, he finally softened his heart and still wanted to give Guangyan a chance.
Guangyan's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know what the Emperor Wenxuan meant by asking this question. He just said, "I didn't expect Xu Jingfu, as the Prime Minister, to actually collaborate with the enemy and commit treason... For so many years, my father has trusted him, but he actually had the intention of treason. He should be punished for this crime!"
Emperor Wenxuan saw the evasion in his eyes, and he sighed imperceptibly, shaking his head and said, "When I was young, I read a book that said that a ruler should manage his ministers like a hunter manages an eagle, to determine its direction and whether it is hungry or full. It should not be allowed to be too full, nor too hungry. If it is hungry, it will lack strength, and if it is full, it will fly away. Old ministers like Xu Jingfu in the court are just like eagles with full bellies, shameless, dead in office, and content with wealth. I am not happy when I reward them, and I am not afraid when I punish them. They should not be used by the Great Wei to lead the way."
Guangyan listened absentmindedly, his eyes fixed on the bowl of ginseng soup, and said, "I followed the instructions of my father. Xu Jingfu is really abominable, and I was deceived by him. It's all my fault. If I had discovered Xu Jingfu's rebellious intentions earlier, I wouldn't have let those Wutuo people succeed."
Emperor Wenxuan looked at him deeply and said, "Guangyan, it is better to correct yourself than to criticize yourself."
The emperor's eyes, which were originally somewhat cloudy, were exceptionally clear at this moment, as if he could see through the soul of the person in front of him. Guangyan suddenly lowered his head, picked up the bowl of ginseng soup, and handed it to Emperor Wenxuan, saying with a smile: "Father, you must be tired after talking so much. If you don't drink the ginseng soup, it will get cold. Let's finish the ginseng soup first."
Emperor Wenxuan saw that Guangyan looked earnest and was not as frivolous as before. He thought that Xu Jingfu's incident had finally helped Guangyan make some progress, so he nodded.
Guangyan sat down next to Emperor Wenxuan, picked up the bowl, scooped a little with a silver spoon, and put it to Emperor Wenxuan's mouth.
Emperor Wenxuan was startled, "Don't you want to try the soup?"
"Try the soup?" Guangyan looked at him.
"Perhaps you haven't served me soup for a long time, and you don't even know the rules of tasting soup." Although Emperor Wenxuan said this, his tone was still tolerant, "The fourth brother always tastes the soup before serving it to me every day."
There was a moment of panic on Guangyan's face.
He had indeed not served Emperor Wenxuan for a long time, so he did not know that Emperor Wenxuan would still remember to test for poison even though he was so ill. He also did not expect that even the food sent by Guangshuo would not be trusted by Emperor Wenxuan.
But this ginseng soup...
His fingers trembled slightly.
Emperor Wenxuan was just joking. Although there were many rules in the palace, he sometimes did not follow them strictly. He wanted to say forget it, but when he looked up, he saw Guangyan's slightly pale face and his white fingers holding the soup bowl.
Sometimes people have intuition.
The bowl of ginseng soup was boiling hot. It had been sitting there for a while and was just warm enough to smell a faint fragrance. But the person in front of me looked too nervous.
The emperor's eyes suddenly turned deep, and he slowly spoke with an unpredictable tone, "Guangyan, drink first."
"Father...there is no other silver spoon here..."
"No problem, I can ask someone to get it again. Now, you try the soup first."
Under such circumstances, Guangyan had no choice but to pick up the soup, scoop a spoonful with a silver spoon, slowly put it to his mouth, and then hesitated to touch it.
As Emperor Wenxuan watched, his heart sank.
Although he knew Guangshuo was tyrannical in the past, he never dared to do anything to him. He was also his closest relative, so he turned a blind eye to Guangyan's behavior. Even if Xu Jingfu was in trouble this time, Emperor Wenxuan still wanted to protect him. Even before handing over the bowl of soup, Emperor Wenxuan was still thinking about giving Guangyan a chance. Until the last moment, the matter of changing the crown prince should not be mentioned lightly.
But he never expected that Guangyan would actually kill his father and his king.
"Why don't you drink?" he asked in a deep voice, looking at his strange son.
Guangyan gritted his teeth and was about to lower his head to drink the ginseng soup in the spoon, but at the last moment, he suddenly threw away the bowl in his hand as if he had touched a branding iron and stood up.
The soup bowl fell onto the carpet in front of the bed, silently spilling all over the surface. Guangyan suddenly came to his senses and realized how stupid his action was. He trembled and looked at his father on the bed.
Emperor Wenxuan looked at him with disappointment, heartache, and a hint of coldness that he had never seen before.
"I didn't know," the emperor said word by word, "that your purpose in coming here today was to take my life."
"No, I didn't--" Guangyan denied subconsciously, "I didn't do that!"
"I will ask the imperial physician to examine it and I will know immediately if it is true or not." Emperor Wenxuan looked indifferent, stood up and was about to go downstairs, shouting, "Come here——"
"Father!" Guangyan rushed over, covered his mouth, and said nervously: "I didn't!"
Emperor Wenxuan had been in poor health these days, and after being tossed like that by him, he lay on his back on the couch. Guangyan took the opportunity to sit on it. He glanced at the cotton pillow on the couch, grabbed it without thinking, and covered Emperor Wenxuan's mouth and nose tightly with it. He had only one thought in his mind: Emperor Wenxuan must not tell anyone!
The person under him was struggling desperately, but how could an old sick body compare to a man in his prime? The harder he struggled, the more ferocious Guangyan's expression became. He pressed almost the entire weight of his body on Emperor Wenxuan, pressing the cotton pillow tightly, as if pressing a dying fish, and said briefly: "Don't shout, I told you not to shout!"
The fish that was thrown from the marsh into the desert struggled desperately to keep a chance of survival, its scales flying everywhere, until the scorching sun dried up its eyes and it became completely lifeless.
After an unknown amount of time, the struggle gradually stopped. Guangyan was sweating profusely. He suddenly loosened his hands and pulled away the cotton pillow.
Emperor Wenxuan was lying on his back, his face was purple, his pupils were dilated, and under the dim light of the bedroom, he looked like a demon.
Guangyan was so frightened that he fell off the couch and sat on the ground. He could not help but take two steps back. After a long time, he came to his senses and realized that Emperor Wenxuan was really suffocated to death by him this time.
The eunuchs outside had been sent away by him long before. Guangyan came today to poison the emperor. However, he did not expect that the bowl of ginseng soup mixed with poison would be discovered by Emperor Wenxuan. In the end, he was suffocated to death by his own hands.
The bedroom was empty, and the sound of the wind was like the howling of evil spirits, which made people feel a chill down their spines. Guangyan stood up despite his fear, walked to Emperor Wenxuan, picked up the soup bowl on the ground, put it back into the mahogany basket, and then walked to Emperor Wenxuan's dragon bed, helped Emperor Wenxuan lie down on the bed, smoothed his wide eyes, and covered him with a quilt.
Unable to see his father's eyes that were unwilling to close after death, Guangyan became a little bolder. A trace of madness flashed in his eyes. Looking at the corpse of Emperor Wenxuan, he said in a low and hurried voice: "Father, please don't blame me. Blame yourself for not giving me the throne. If you hadn't forced me, I wouldn't have done this... The throne was originally mine, father... Just watch how I, your son, sit on this position... Just watch like this..."
He slowly clenched his fists, stood up suddenly, took the mahogany basket, and turned out of the bedroom.
…
It rained again at night.
He Yan heard the sound of rain outside while he was sleeping. After being woken up, he couldn't fall asleep again. He turned over, bent his waist and hugged the person beside him.
It's not that she wants to take advantage of Xiao Jue at any time and anywhere, but the weather is cold, and it's much warmer to hug someone beside her. Xiao Jue sleeps very quietly and in a good sleeping posture, which is very different from her lying on her back.
Her movement woke up Xiao Jue. Xiao Jue looked down at the man who had burrowed into his arms and clung to him tightly, and asked in a low voice, "Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
"I was woken up." He Yan said in a muffled voice, "I couldn't sleep."
This was a bit strange. Although her years of military life had made her alert even in her sleep, she had slept soundly since she came to the Xiao family. It was rare for her to suffer from insomnia tonight. For some reason, He Yan always felt a little uneasy, as if something was going to happen.
Xiao Jue noticed her uneasiness. He paused, put his chin on the top of her head, and asked, "Do you want to get up and sit on the roof?"
He Yan: “…”
She said, "It's raining outside."
Xiao Jue: "Just kidding."
He Yan hesitated to speak.
She always felt that things were not over after Xu Jingfu's death, and the fight between Guangyan and the fourth prince had just begun. Xiao Jue and the Xiao family were in a delicate position, and it might not be so easy to resolve. However, it seemed a bit disappointing to talk about these upsetting things at this late hour.
He Yan was just thinking when there was a knock on the door. Fei Nu's voice rang out, "Young Master, I have something important to report."
She was stunned. It was the middle of the night and Fei Nu was in such a hurry. What happened?
This time, I really lost all my sleepiness. Xiao Jue got up from the bed and lit the oil lamp in the room. He Yan also got up and put on his clothes. As soon as the door was opened, the wind and rain outside blew in, and the room suddenly became much colder.
Fei Nu walked in, his clothes were wet, and his expression was a little solemn.
Xiao Jue asked him: "What's the matter?"
"News came from the palace that the emperor had passed away."
When these words came out, He Yan and Xiao Jue were shocked at the same time. Xiao Jue frowned: "When?"
"The news just came in." Fei Nu said, "Young Master, do you think we should go to the palace?"
Xiao Jue thought for a moment and said, "I understand. Go get the car ready and I'll go to the palace right away."
Fei Nu responded and left.
He Yan took two steps forward holding the oil lamp, his expression unable to conceal his surprise, "Your Majesty..."
She had not expected that Emperor Wenxuan would suddenly pass away. Although there had been rumors that Emperor Wenxuan was not in good health, this news was too sudden. She felt very confused. There were many bad rumors about Emperor Wenxuan, but in He Yan's opinion, although he was not a wise ruler, he was definitely not a foolish one.
Xiao Jue was getting dressed, and He Yan asked, "Do you want me to go to the palace with you?"
Fei Nu's words are simple, and no one knows what the current situation in the palace is.
"No, you stay in the mansion." Xiao Jue said, "I'll go to the palace first to see what's going on."
He Yan nodded. Although she was anxious, she knew that what Xiao Jue said was right. Her official position was not yet at the point where she would have to go to the palace immediately in such a situation, and as the young lady of the Xiao family, she had no reason to do so. It was just...
Seeing her worried expression, Xiao Jue turned around and patted her shoulder: "Don't worry, I will go back home immediately after checking."
"Xiao Jue, be careful." She instructed.
Xiao Jue put on his clothes, picked up his sword and went out. He Yan didn't want to continue sleeping, so he walked to the window and opened it. The fine rain drifted into the house along with the wind outside, and a thin layer of water droplets covered the table. The wind made He Yan's face slightly cool, and the hazy sleepiness disappeared, and his mind was clear.
Although we should not think about this at this time, once one thing happens, many things will happen immediately. Before Emperor Wenxuan passed away, he did not propose to change the crown prince. Although there were many discussions in the court, if he did not, according to the current situation, the crown prince would have succeeded to the throne.
But everyone knows what kind of person Crown Prince Guangyan is. Although Guangyan was not implicated in the Xu Jingfu case, He Yan asked Xiao Jue and found out that the Dali Temple had received the Emperor Wenxuan's order to secretly protect Crown Prince Guangyan. Emperor Wenxuan couldn't bear to touch the Crown Prince because he was his bloodline, but as the future emperor of Wei, a villain who could bring wolves into the house for the sake of power and profit was not worthy of being a monarch.
The rain seemed to have no end, and so did the night.