Chapter 63 Chapter 63 [VIP]
Wei Cong is always the closest to them.
The emperor's attendants were all highly trusted people.
Although the current imperial army is not as strong as the previous one, they are all the elite among the elite.
The assassin moved so quickly that an afterimage was left.
The sharp blade was stabbing towards Yuan Mu.
If the emperor had not helped her, she might have died on the spot.
Even if an arrow from a distance penetrates deep, it can never be so sharp as to pierce the heart.
But the knife just now was aimed directly at the heart.
Yuan Mu was blocked by the emperor behind him, and watched helplessly as blood instantly soaked through his robe, and the light golden dragon pattern was dyed into a rich dark red.
The rusty smell spread out in an instant.
The guard had never expected that the emperor would block the knife for Yuan Mu, and was slightly stunned.
The assassination attempt has clearly failed.
He drew out the sharp blade and was about to commit suicide the next moment.
The guards reacted extremely quickly and pinned the man down immediately, but even faster was the dagger in Yuan Mu's palm.
Her face was splattered with blood, her eyebrows were raised, and there was still a confused realization in her eyes.
Yuan Mu pulled the dagger out of the man's chest and said in a trembling voice, "Keep his life, and then interrogate him carefully."
The people serving nearby reacted very quickly and immediately replied, "Yes."
At the same time, the imperial physician also rushed over.
All trips were interrupted.
Yuan Mu didn't even bother to wipe the blood off her face. The emperor was suddenly assassinated, and there were too many things facing her.
The first thing is to block the scene and all news.
The night before killing Yuan Ji, Yuan Mu did not sleep well the whole night.
She once thought that it was probably the most dangerous thing she had ever done in her life.
The emperor is an extremely powerful person and he is used to controlling everything.
But at the same time, he would arrange everything so that Yuan Mu would not have to do any hard work.
But now, the emperor is away, Yuan Mu is the one in power, and she must deal with all the remaining matters.
She summoned the emperor's close ministers.
The difference in information is the most critical. Many times, rebellion can happen overnight.
Fortunately, this is Yuan Mu's territory.
She immediately issued a secret order to seal off the city and began to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Yuan Mu immediately ordered his men to interrogate the guards and personal soldiers who were serving nearby.
The blade was poisoned, and the emperor's wound was in his heart.
The imperial doctors gathered together and tried to save the patient for three hours.
The mastermind behind this was afraid that a simple assassination attempt would not be fatal. The poison in the blade was extremely complex, and even the Royal Envoy looked hesitant.
Yuan Wei stayed by Yuan Mu's side.
His expression was gloomy, and he whispered, "Don't be afraid, your Majesty's attendants will generally be fine."
"The key lies in you. Someone wants to kill you," Yuan Wei's eyes were cold, "and the person I just bribed killed you before returning to the capital."
If something like this had happened a year ago, Yuan Mu's mind would probably have been completely messed up.
But now, she has become much calmer and her ability to handle things is much stronger than before.
Yuan Mu had just wiped her face clean, but the blood on her body was still heavy.
"Who do you think would hate me so much?" She pursed her lips. "Hate me so much that they want me dead?"
Yuan Wei looked at Yuan Mu with pity: "This is too much."
"There are quite a few concubines living in Nangong now," he said softly, "but do you know? When the late emperor was still alive, the harem was not big enough for concubines to live in."
Yuan Wei said slowly, "There are so many people crowded together, there's no room for them to stay."
Why did they disappear?
It's not because they died of illness.
It was because they participated in the palace coup that year that the emperor executed them all and buried them alive with him.
Even their own children were killed or disabled.
The harem is so large that many people may not see the former queen a few times in their entire lives.
But when the previous emperor killed his wife and abandoned his son, countless people were involved.
The power struggle is fierce and cruel.
This is a life-and-death game, and only the winner can survive.
Yuan Mu half closed her eyes, she was silent for a moment, and said softly: "We have to go back."
"We have to go back now," she whispered. "We can't stay here any longer, and we can't delay it any longer."
Yuan Wei had the same idea.
The person behind this must be an extremely powerful person, and his mind must be extremely sharp.
You have to know that when the emperor was looking for Yuan Mu, he spent so much time and effort, but he was completely unsuccessful.
But this person did it, and even succeeded in bribing the people around the emperor.
Several names flashed through Yuan Mu's mind.
Her cold face was filled with chill, and her eyes were filled with coldness.
The bleeding from the emperor's wound has stopped.
But the poison on the blade was too strong, and he had been in a coma. If the poison was not completely removed, he would probably be killed.
Yuan Mu lifted the curtain, she.
His knuckles were cold, his face was cold too.
But even when he was unconscious, he was still...
The imperial physicians were all in the inner chamber, and the royal court officials lowered their heads.
That was written by the emperor himself a long time ago.
Yuan Mu heard him say that he had made a will before.
But she still didn't expect that he had even prepared an imperial edict to give her full authority in case of an accident.
What is going on with this person?
Was he hoping to die soon so that he could hand over power to her?
Yuan Mu looked at the emperor's face and tears suddenly fell.
But she had no time to be sad.
When the emperor's condition improved a little, Yuan Mu immediately ordered people to prepare to return to Beijing.
The army that had been stationed in Beiting for a long time also returned at this time.
The person leading the troops happened to be Gao Shen, the former governor of Shuofang.
When Concubine De got into trouble, the Gao family had already gone through a period of mourning and chaos, but it was later when Gao Shi got into trouble that pushed the Gao family, which was once at its peak, into the abyss.
The emperor was surrounded by his own army and a powerful imperial guard.
There is no need for more people to clear the way and escort.
When Gao Shen handed over the message, Yuan Mu was silent for a moment, but nodded gently: "Okay, let him come over."
The march was very fast.
The weather is getting colder and the waterway is no longer accessible.
But because they were taking the official road and were mainly cavalry, it didn't take long for them to reach Lingzhou.
Now all the people in power in Lingzhou have changed.
The newly appointed Shuofang Jiedushi was a general who had risen through the ranks. He was introverted and not good at scheming for personal gain, but he was very efficient in his work.
On the first day of October, Yuan Mu successfully led his men to Lingzhou.
Her tense mind relaxed a lot when she returned to this familiar city.
The emperor has not yet woken up, and the royal envoy is studying the detoxification issues every day.
The man who attempted the assassination was severely punished, but he still refuses to confess and has attempted suicide several times.
But after learning that he didn't know what kind of poison was on the blade, Yuan Mu lost interest in this person.
She was dressed in a snow-white fox fur coat and spoke softly, "After returning to the capital, I will exterminate this man's clan."
Yuan Mu's eyes were clear and her face was gentle, like a noble lady who was well cared for in the inner chambers.
But everyone could see clearly that there was a cold and murderous look in her eyes.
That kind of coldness can only be possessed by someone with blood on his hands.
Winter comes earlier in the north, and Yuan Mu fell ill twice along the way.
She coughed twice, holding the hand warmer and walked into the inner room.
The emperor rarely went out and was very secretive about the news around him. The news that Yuan Mu released was the news that she was seriously ill.
He had to take care of her all the time, and from outside it seemed that he was staying by her side all these days without taking off his clothes.
Therefore, after arriving in Lingzhou, Yuan Mu did not order a banquet.
She was just resting here for a short while, and she would have to speed up her return to Beijing tomorrow morning.
But everyone in the Gao family came to visit on their own initiative.
The eldest princess of Qin sent a visiting card, saying that she wanted to meet Yuan Mu and attend to the imperial concubine's illness.
Yuan Mu had a fever two days ago and still looks listless.
Even when the emperor was far away at the border, there were still matters that required his decision.
She was very tired from reading documents these days, but fortunately, his close ministers were there, as well as Yuan Wei, the former treacherous minister.
Yuan Mu looked at the visiting card.
Her fever had just subsided and her stomach had been feeling uncomfortable for the past few days. She originally didn't want to see anyone, but when she saw that the person writing the letter was the Grand Princess of Qin, she nodded in agreement.
Gao Shen's wife passed away early.
There aren’t many female members of the Gao family, especially those of high rank.
Apart from the Grand Princess of Qin, there were her sister-in-law and sister-in-law Gao Han.
Yuan Mu had some impression of this girl.
She was a little surprised. Gao Han was still unmarried?
But Yuan Mu did not act like an annoying elder and asked too many questions.
She simply asked about the recent situation of the Grand Princess of Qin.
The princess has been married into the Gao family for some time.
Perhaps it is because this generation of the royal family has had some bad luck with offspring.
The eldest princess of Qin State had been married for a long time, and finally there was good news. She was just over three months pregnant, and her pregnancy was not very obvious yet.
She was wearing a plain long dress and looked a little haggard due to severe morning sickness.
It was the same when Yuan Mu was pregnant with A Fei.
She said comfortingly, "It will be much better in a while. Ask your husband to prepare more of your favorite food."
Yuan Mu supported his chin with a gentle expression.
She was extremely beautiful, with eyes and eyebrows like a painting, and every frown and smile was vivid and startling, as if she were a goddess who was not affected by worldly affairs.
The fairy spirit lingers, as cool as the moon.
The only drawback was that Yuan Mu was very weak, and there was always a hint of illness between his brows.
If there were a good doctor around, he would be able to see that this was a sign of a short life.
The Grand Princess of Qin laughed and said softly, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will remember this."
Her sister-in-law was a very quiet person and didn't say anything from beginning to end.
However, Gao Han's condition seemed to be not right.
She only found out later that the person who had unintentionally caused trouble for her in the bookstore that day was actually Yuan Mu.
From then on, every time Gao Han heard Yuan Mu's name, he would feel a little scared unconsciously.
Yuan Mu asked a few simple questions, and then they had dinner together and did not stay indoors for long.
The garrison is located in the government office.
Yuan Mu had stayed here before. The moonlight in the courtyard was like clear water, and the scenery was quite nice.
Accompanied by maids and guards, they came to the outer room together.
Compared with the exquisitely crafted scenery of Jingzhao, Yuan Mu has always liked the rough and wild scenery of Bianzhou.
It could be because she had been a caged bird for too many years, or it could be because of the alien nature in her blood.
"How's your relationship with your husband?" Yuan Mu asked casually. "Who usually looks after you?"
The eldest princess of Qin's family lost her mother early, and her relationship with the emperor was not very close, but she was still a member of the royal family.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." Her voice was gentle, but her expression contained a forced smile.
Just as she was about to say something, Yuan Mu suddenly held her hand.
Yuan Mu raised his eyes and saw a man and a woman in the darkness not far away.
The young man had a tall and straight figure, and the woman was at least six or seven months pregnant, with a bulging belly.
The young woman's voice was filled with tears and tenderness: "This is our child. I don't want to abort it. Even if you kill me, I won't abort it..."
The young man's hand rested on her belly.
"Then, Le Niang, what do you think we should do?" he asked in embarrassment. "The princess already has a child. You can't give birth to a grandson before she does."
Although he said this, there was clear concern in the young man's eyes.
“It must be a girl,” the woman cried, “she won’t get in your way.”
The second wife of the Gao family and Gao Han, who had been silent all night, suddenly spoke.
Madam Gao Er pursed her lips, lowered her brows and said, "Your Majesty, I feel a little uncomfortable in my stomach and would like to rest for a while."
Gao Han said in unison with her: "Your Majesty, I want to go to the west to take a look. Is this possible for you?"
Yuan Mu didn't say much. She turned around calmly and said softly, "Okay."
"You should go and rest first, Second Lady," she raised her eyes, "Where does Ah Han want to go? Take us there."
There is a garden in the west, but it is too cold now and many flowers have withered.
"I didn't have time to ask before," Yuan Mu asked softly, "Is there anyone else with your husband?"
"I have two concubines," the Grand Princess of Qin said slowly, "I have never been able to conceive, so I decided to have two of them for you, my lord."
She was a princess, and there was no need for her to be so humble.
But the Gao family had very few descendants in this generation, and Gao Shen was a little worried about the eldest grandson.
The eldest princess of Qin was easy to talk to, virtuous and respectful, so she took the initiative to carry the person.
But she didn't expect that not long after that, she herself became pregnant.
Even a fair judge cannot judge family disputes.
The emperor was not very close to her, but she was still a member of the royal family.
Did the Grand Princess of Qin understand that by doing this, she was throwing the royal family's reputation on the ground to be trampled upon?
"What's wrong with you?" Yuan Mu said in a slightly cold voice. "If you don't have any children, why do you adopt someone from a side branch? How can a prince consort take a concubine?"
The previous dynasty, the Yuan clan, was a foreign dynasty that emphasized the power of the maternal clan, and the princesses were treated very well.
The prince consort usually lives with the princess in the princess's mansion.
Even today, most of the princes-in-law still live with the princess in the princess's mansion.
It is rare in the world for a woman like the Grand Princess of Qin to take a concubine for her husband on her own initiative.
What's more, the Gao family is no longer the glorious and prestigious family it once was.
Gao Han looked anxious, suppressing his fear and said, "My Lady, things are not what you think."
Her voice became lower and lower: "Brother originally didn't want to take a concubine..."
But Yuan Mu didn't have the time to listen to Gao Han's words anymore.
She whispered to the Grand Princess of Qin, "Ask Gao Shen and your husband to come see me."
After she finished speaking, she left.
Yuan Mu has a slender figure, but her back is like a sharp sword, revealing the murderous aura of a superior.
Gao Han broke out in a cold sweat when he heard her blunt words.
She supported herself weakly on her arms, her face full of fear, and asked anxiously, "What should I do, sister-in-law?"
The Grand Princess of Qin hid her hands on her stomach, her long eyelashes drooping as she whispered, "Let's go inform my husband and the commander first."
Yuan Mu was the person I met in the library.
After not seeing her for a long time, she looked even more beautiful. She was a young woman in her twenties, at the prime of her youth.
Even with a snow-white crane cloak, her face is still captivatingly beautiful.
Yuan Mu's aura is much stronger than before.
She looked calmly at the two people who were kneeling and bowing.
Gao Shen had seen many big scenes and remained relatively calm, but his eldest son was not so calm.
The young man's forehead was covered in sweat, and he was panicked when he spoke: "Your Majesty, all this trouble is caused by me alone. It has nothing to do with Le Niang and the princess."
He actually spoke well of his concubine first.
Yuan Mu said softly, "I am not interested in the cause of this matter."
"You just need to tell me," she stroked the hand warmer, "whatever you want to do."
"I, I will have Le Niang abort the child," he said with a trembling voice, "and then send her and the other woman to a Buddhist temple for asceticism."
He continued, "From now on, I will treat the princess wholeheartedly..."
Yuan Mu said nonchalantly, "That's your child, and he's already that old. How can you just abort him?"
"It's all good that you have this intention," she said, stirring the ashes in the Boshan incense burner. "But this won't happen again. Do you understand?"
Yuan Mu stared at the young man.
He felt as if he had been pardoned, and he kowtowed hurriedly, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your forgiveness. I will never do this again."
Gao Shen didn't say much. This time, the one who caused trouble was his eldest son, so he didn't say much from beginning to end.
As they left, Yuan Mu looked at him deeply.
But she said nothing else.
Yuan Mu only gave the Grand Princess of Qin one final instruction: "Focus on your pregnancy and don't worry about anything else for now."
She held Yuan Mu's hand, her long eyelashes dark and deep.
The Grand Princess of Qin lowered her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, you must take care of yourself."
Yuan Mu said softly: "You must take care of yourself too."
She turned around and went back to her inner room, taking one last look at the emperor before falling asleep.
The wound on his chest was very deep and severe. The imperial carriage was stable and safe, but the bloodstain was still hideous and somewhat terrifying.
The emperor was a person who cared a lot about appearance and age.
Although Yuan Mu didn't know why a man like him cared so much about these things.
She stretched out her fingertips and lightly touched the back of his hand.
The emperor had many scars on his body.
He had encountered many assassination attempts, and the first time they met was when he was stabbed deeply in the abdomen.
He was very annoyed by these marks and often wore a robe during nighttime intimacy.
The emperor always hoped that he would look his best when Yuan Mu saw him.
His thoughts are often very similar to Mu Ai's girl's.
Compared to her previous obsession and passion, after so much time, her feelings for him have actually faded a lot.
But the emperor's love for her always seemed to be as deep as his first love.
There was a lot of pain, entanglement and unspeakable past between them.
But this time, Yuan Mu hopes that the emperor will be fine.
His poison has not yet been cured.
Detoxification is not a difficult thing, but the difficult part is finding the source of the poison and then prescribing the right medicine.
The imperial physician could only suppress the poison temporarily. If the poison could not be removed after a while, there would be big trouble.
This is also why Yuan Mu is in a hurry to return to Beijing.
She concealed the irritability and murderous intent in her eyes, calmed down all her thoughts, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
It was very fast to march with the army.
Yuan Mu had sent a letter to the palace earlier. When the little prince heard that she was coming back, he was so happy that he couldn't sleep for several days.
It didn't take too long to get from Lingzhou to Jingzhao, and even the journey was expedited. We finally arrived back on October 8th.
When Yuan Mu arrived in Jingzhao, it was dusk.
The golden sun sets in the west, and the red clouds stretch for thousands of miles.
Yuan Mu and his men almost fought their way back to the palace. She had never been so anxious or nervous before.
It was not until she stepped into Shaoyang Palace that her tense heartstrings finally relaxed a little.
After a long journey through wind and snow, we finally returned safely.
The little prince is about to turn four years old. He has grown a lot taller and his speech is clearer.
He trotted into Yuan Mu's arms, crying, "Mom, Ah Fei misses you so much..."
The little prince was a very precocious child, and this was the first time he cried so hard in front of her.
Yuan Mu picked him up and said soothingly, "Mother is back, Ah Fei."
After coaxing the child for a while, she took his hand and took him to dinner.
"Mammy said you haven't had a good meal or sleep these past few days," Yuan Mu said softly, "You should go to bed early today."
The little prince nodded heavily and replied, "Okay, Ah Fei will listen to mother."
Yuan Mu hugged the child and said, "I'm sorry I missed your birthday. How about we celebrate your birthday on the winter solstice this year?"
The little prince sat on his little chair and said obediently, "Okay, mother."
He smiled sweetly, and his light blue eyes were full of light.
Shaoyang Palace is the prince's residence in the imperial palace, very close to Ziwei Palace. This is Yuan Mu's first time here.
He had a quarrel with the emperor because of her, and last year he moved out of Ziwei Palace to live on his own.
Yuan Mu felt a little angry when he thought of this.
How could the emperor allow the little prince to live outside at such a young age?
Although she knew that he was surrounded by many people, she was still angry with the emperor.
"Your father is ill, and he's afraid of passing his illness on to you," Yuan Mu said slowly, "Let's go see him later."
The little prince was still angry with the emperor. He hummed, then whispered in Yuan Mu's ear, "Mother, I only miss you, not father."
Yuan Mu was amused by him. She accompanied him for dinner and told him a story.
There was a smile on her lips and her eyebrows were curved.
Yuan Mu did not leave Shaoyang Palace until the little prince fell asleep.
But as soon as she stepped out of here, the smile on her face disappeared completely.
Yuan Mu said softly, "Go to the palace."
Ye Ting is the inner prison of the palace. Because it is located in the palace, it is extremely secretive, and the laws inside and outside are different. Compared with Dali Temple, it has many advantages.
But those imprisoned here were mainly nobles or members of the royal family.
Yuan Mu's great-uncle was a famous general, but he was a close relative of the previous dynasty.
Every time he went on a campaign, the Yuan family members would be locked up in the Ye Ting.
Yuan Wei was often detained here when he was young.
Xi Rongjing and the Xi family were also imprisoned here.
The environment in the Ye Ting is depressing. It is located on the west side of the imperial palace. The environment is cramped, gloomy and dark.
Through the dark vertical bars, Yuan Mu saw Xi Rongjing again. The once gentle and refined young man now looked disheveled and as haggard as a servant.
His hair was not tied in a crown and was hanging loosely.
After learning the truth, the emperor originally wanted to execute Xi Rongjing.
He was lucky because before he could be executed, something happened to the emperor.
Xi Rongjing was held in solitary confinement.
It was very quiet here, almost dead silent, with only the sound of dripping water being particularly clear.
He raised his eyelids and looked at Yuan Mu in surprise: "You are still alive?"
"Of course I'm still alive," Yuan Mu said with feigned regret, "but Mr. Xi, you may not live much longer."
Perhaps he has already accepted the inevitable death.
Xi Rongjing's expression didn't change much. He sighed softly, "You're willing to destroy my mother's clan just for this kind of thing. Should I say that Your Majesty is deeply affectionate or heartless?"
His lips curled up, and he bent his fingertips to smooth the loose hair on his forehead.
Yuan Mu said word for word: "He deceived his superiors and subordinates, murdered loyal officials, and intended to usurp power."
She said in a resounding voice, "Aren't these crimes enough for you to die a hundred times?"
Yuan Mu's slender body was wrapped in a crane cloak.
Her eyes and brows were colder than before, she was at ease and indifferent. When she lowered her eyes slightly, she looked exactly like the emperor.
Yuan Mu looked at Xi Rongjing and said, "Just those one hundred plus lives alone are enough to torture you to death a hundred times."
But Xi Rongjing refused to listen to Yuan Mu's words.
He just stared at her intently, as if he wanted to greedily remember every moment of her.
His eyes were so dark and sick, his pale face was sunken, and his cheekbones were more prominent.
Xi Rongjing whispered, "Well, I am guilty."
He stared at Yuan Mu, his voice gradually slowing down: "Come closer, A Luo, let me see you again, okay?"
Xi Rongjing was so crazy that Yuan Mu began to doubt whether he still had the sanity of a normal person.
She didn't want to look at him anymore and turned her face away.
Yuan Mu simply asked, "Does the assassination attempt on me have anything to do with you?"
Xi Rongjing's expression suddenly paused, as if he had suddenly fallen back into reality from the world of hysteria.
He sneered and said, "What assassination? Isn't the queen still alive and well?"
But Xi Rongjing's mind worked very quickly.
He deliberately made an exaggerated expression, covered his lips and said in surprise: "Could it be that someone blocked the assassination for you?"
Xi Rongjing really knew the inside story.
Yuan Mu raised his eyes and looked at him intently: "What is the source of the poison?"
"Do you want to know?" Xi Rongjing smiled exaggeratedly and leaned back. "My Lady, spend a night with me and I'll tell you."
His eyes were dirty, completely devoid of the clarity they once had.
Yuan Mu was disgusted by Xi Rongjing's words.
She didn't want to say anything more to him, and said with a gloomy look, "Find out after the investigation."
After saying this, Yuan Mu left the Ye Ting directly.
The first night back in the palace passed quietly.
But the problem lies ahead.
The emperor was still in a coma, so he could not attend court meetings, discuss matters, or issue decrees.
When people are asked outside, Yuan Mu can still help cover it up, but everything will be revealed after returning to Beijing.
She now hoped that the killer was at Xi Rong's level, so that she could find out the source of the poison.
But unfortunately, he was not the one who started it.
Yuan Mu looked at the documents presented by the Ye Ting, and then went to see Xi Rongjing in person.
At one moment, she wanted to kill him.
But Yuan Mu finally held back. As long as Xi Rongjing was still alive, he would be useful.
She was now waiting for two things.
One is that the killer behind the scenes jumps out himself, and the other is that the poison in the emperor is removed.
After returning to Jingzhao, the staff of the Imperial Hospital never stopped the work of detoxification.
What is being announced to the public now is that the emperor is unwell and is still recuperating. It is normal for him to get sick after staying at the border for so many days.
The behavior of the imperial physicians gathering in the palace for several days was also unconsciously ignored by the outsiders.
But this is not a long-term solution.
If we want to detoxify the poison through exhaustive methods, it will take an unknown amount of time, and the emperor may not be able to wait until that time.
Fortunately, Yuan Mu has been in good health recently.
She was very busy with her duties, and in order to allow the imperial doctors to focus on detoxifying the poison, she even skipped the process of taking the emperor's pulse.
From the day he returned to Beijing, Yuan Mu was busy non-stop until mid-October.
October 19th is the winter solstice this year. According to past custom, the emperor would go to offer sacrifices to heaven in person.
The emperor had not appeared in public for many days and had not even summoned his close ministers once.
Even though Yuan Mu had his edict, noisy voices still gradually arose.
The noisiest sound among them did not come from anyone else.
It was Gao, who was once deeply trusted by the emperor.
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