Zhao Yan was not Zhao Lan after all; she had never seen such a bloody scene before.
She was immediately terrified, her face paling, and she covered her mouth, taking a few steps back.
Qin Yu stared at the severed head on the ground, his face growing increasingly gloomy, and his eyes turning bloodshot.
He violently overturned the table and gave the order through gritted teeth.
"They've rebelled! They've all rebelled! Xuejian, go and kill all those traitors in the Imperial Kitchen!"
"yes!"
The people in the imperial kitchen were all spies planted by Prime Minister Sima, and she had wanted to get rid of them for a long time.
Unfortunately, there was no suitable opportunity to take action.
Now is the perfect opportunity to wipe out this group in one fell swoop!
Xuejian strode out the door, pointed at the group, and coldly gave her orders.
"You are to seal off the palace. Not a single fly can be allowed to escape, or you will be beheaded! The rest of you, come with me!"
She led her guards straight into the imperial kitchen, and without saying a word, she drew her sword and began to slash.
Upon seeing this, the imperial chefs and palace maids screamed and scattered in all directions.
Surrounded by dozens of people, they had no chance to fight back and could only watch helplessly as they were killed.
Qin Yu stood outside the imperial kitchen with a gloomy expression, taking in everything, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
On the other side, Anfu was terrified when he heard that the imperial kitchen had dared to poison Qin Yu. He immediately turned pale and ran over.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you alright?"
After looking Qin Yu up and down and seeing that he wasn't missing a single hair, Anfu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"These traitors dared to plot against the Emperor; they deserve to die!"
Having said that, he angrily drew the broadsword from the guard's waist, rushed into the imperial kitchen, and joined the fray.
This bloody scene terrified the spies nearby.
They didn't care about hiding or anything like that, and immediately fled in panic.
At this point, Anfu went berserk, treating anyone who tried to escape as a traitor, and killing many spies in the chaos.
If it weren't for the Emperor's special favor towards Sima Lie, he would have wanted to do this long ago!
He killed them one by one, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
Qin Yu had observed An Fu's performance and was very satisfied.
It seems he was overthinking things; Anfu is a rare and loyal subject!
However, in front of everyone, he did not say much, but simply put his hands behind his back and watched them massacre the imperial kitchen with an inscrutable expression.
After about fifteen minutes, the noise gradually stopped.
Xuejian came out from inside with her sword drawn, blood still dripping from the tip.
A few streaks of bright red stained the silver-white robe.
"Your Majesty, all the rebels have been executed!"
As for the remaining spies in the palace, eight or nine out of ten were eliminated.
If they were all killed, it would inevitably arouse Sima Lie's suspicion, so they had to leave some to cover their tracks.
Passing Xuejian's figure, Qin Yu's gaze fell on Anfu.
At this moment, he stood hunched over in the distance, not daring to approach easily.
It must be something that happened yesterday that left him feeling uneasy!
Coming to his senses, he immediately frowned and snorted coldly.
"I had no idea that so many spies had emerged in the palace. I hate spies more than anything in my life, and I will investigate this matter thoroughly!"
"Anfu, come in, I have something to ask you!"
When Qin Yu called his name, An Fu was slightly taken aback, and a bitter feeling spread through his heart.
He watched the emperor grow up and served him wholeheartedly from childhood to adulthood.
Is the Emperor now starting to suspect him?
Anfu shook his head dejectedly and followed.
Upon entering the room, Qin Yu casually sat down in a chair and gave Xue Jian an order.
"Xuejian, stand guard outside the door. No one is allowed to approach!"
"yes!"
Xuejian, with her keen insight, closed the door and stood in front of it, sword in hand.
Inside the room, Anfu knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
“Anfu is utterly loyal to the Emperor and dares not harbor any selfish motives. But if the Emperor does not trust this old servant, I am willing to die for the Emperor with just one word!”
Now that there were only two people left in the room, Qin Yu dropped his pretense, quickly got up to help the other person up, and laid his cards on the table.
"Who said I was going to execute you? With treacherous officials in power and the country in turmoil, if I continue to be muddle-headed, I fear I will hand over this empire to someone else! My previous neglect of you was merely a temporary measure. Sima Lie is an ambitious man; if I hadn't neglected you, you would probably have already met your demise!"
"Today is just one part of my plan. By taking this opportunity to eliminate the spies that Sima Lie planted in the palace, I will have more breathing room and be able to revitalize the court and purge the treacherous officials in the future!"
These words left Anfu stunned on the spot.
After realizing what had happened, he stood up with Qin Yu's help, bursting into tears of joy and nodding repeatedly.
"Your Majesty has finally come to your senses! Good, very good! Since Your Majesty already has a plan in mind, this old servant will not say more. If there is anything that Your Majesty needs, please do not hesitate to give the order, and this old servant will repay you with my life!"
That foolish emperor had previously misunderstood him and acted recklessly.
Anfu is still willing to die for him; his loyalty is commendable!
With a sigh of regret, Qin Yu looked troubled and let out a deep sigh.
"But now all the ministers in the court are under Sima Lie's control, and I have no capable people at my disposal. I'm afraid it will be difficult to accomplish anything great!"
Upon hearing this, Anfu lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment.
After a moment, he respectfully cupped his hands and made a suggestion.
"To be honest, Your Majesty, besides this old servant, there is another person willing to assist you! This person is none other than the Pillar of State, Duke Zhang Tang!"
Zhang Tang?
Qin Yu frowned, searching for the relevant memories.
At that time, the foolish emperor, instigated by Sima Lie, exiled the loyal minister Zhang Tang to a horse farm.
This departure lasted for several years.
But Zhang Tang was mistreated by a foolish emperor. It was already good enough that he didn't hold a grudge against him. How could he be willing to assist him?
Qin Yu was very puzzled.
Seeing that Qin Yu hadn't spoken for a long time, An Fu quickly explained.
"Your Majesty may not know this, but before the Duke of Zhuguo left, he specifically instructed this old servant to protect Your Majesty. If one day Your Majesty comes to your senses, go and find him, and he will do everything in his power to help you!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu no longer doubted it and was overjoyed.
Although Zhang Tang had long since left the court, he was a trusted minister of the late emperor, with his students and former officials spread throughout the land!
If he could truly put aside past grievances and assist him, then he would have another strong tree to rely on.
Qin Yu laughed heartily and nodded in agreement.
"Very well, the Duke of Zhuguo's loyalty is commendable. After I have eliminated the treacherous officials, I will certainly treat the Duke of Zhuguo well!"
"Then this old servant will go back and begin preparations to arrange the meeting between His Majesty and the Duke of the Pillar State!"
Anfu's face flushed red, and he hurriedly prepared to leave.
Qin Yu suddenly remembered something and quickly called out to An Fu.
"Wait! Since you are a Taoist alchemist, do you have any saltpeter for alchemy? Could you give me some?"
The corpse in that secret room has begun to decompose and will soon be exposed if it is not dealt with promptly.
After much deliberation, the safest course of action was to dispose of the body in a secret chamber. Saltpeter is extremely corrosive, so burying the emperor's body in a thick layer of saltpeter would eliminate all traces of the corpse within a few days.
Anfu paused for a moment, then asked in bewilderment.
"This saltpeter is extremely dangerous. What does Your Majesty need it for?"
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