Chapter 385 Removing the Fire from Underground (Bonus Chapter)
The emperor was unwilling to believe it, but every word, every fact matched Xiao Liulang's experience.
It's hateful that his pure and innocent heart was ultimately betrayed... ultimately wasted...
Listen to what his mother said.
Every word was like a knife stabbing into his heart...
The emperor's heart was bleeding...
It felt like being pulled out of an ice hole and then stabbed several times!
He stumbled and nearly fell!
His Majesty!
Eunuch Wei dared not utter a sound and could only quickly reach out to support him.
To be honest, he was terrified too.
He never expected that he and His Majesty would overhear Consort Jing's private conversation, let alone that the content would be so explosive.
Judging from Consort Jing's tone, Xiao Liulang's two murders were both orchestrated by her.
Come to think of it, who else besides the legendary Dragon Shadow Guards would have the ability to infiltrate the examination hall and cause trouble?
This is where Eunuch Wei misunderstood. Although places like the Imperial Examination Hall are heavily guarded, there are still quite a few skilled individuals who can sneak in.
However, since Consort Jing herself admitted that she "failed again," it is likely that the incident at the examination hall was also her doing.
What's worse, the conversation inside didn't stop; instead, it became increasingly shocking.
"Alright, Your Highness, please don't be angry. Be careful not to upset yourself."
It's Granny Cai's voice!
"It's not the Dragon Shadow Guards' fault, those people are too cunning. Otherwise, how could His Majesty have been deceived by them? In my opinion, the Little Divine Doctor and Scholar Xiao were all obtained by them by bewitching His Majesty!"
"But how could His Majesty have been bewitched by them? Did they drug His Majesty as well?"
This is the voice of Consort Jing.
If the emperor was only angry when he heard the beginning, he became a little confused when he heard this.
What do you mean by drugging him too?
Granny Cai's voice continued, "This medicine isn't something only Her Majesty can buy. Perhaps that pharmacist from Yan Kingdom sold it to someone else!"
The Dowager Consort Jing said, "This kind of medicine is extremely rare. It's not something he can just sell whenever he wants. Those medicinal materials are not something that can be found all over the Zhao Kingdom!"
"Money can make the devil turn the millstone, Your Majesty, you still underestimate them!"
"You mean... His Majesty values Xiao Liulang and Lady Gu so much because they also poisoned His Majesty with the white medicine?"
"Your Majesty, you have personally experienced the effects of the white medicine and the black medicine. After what happened back then, how His Majesty reconciled with you and how he turned against the Empress Dowager was all thanks to these two medicines."
The emperor couldn't hear what was said next. His head was buzzing, his vision went black, and he felt dizzy. When he finally regained consciousness, he found himself sitting on the ground.
Eunuch Wei was kneeling beside him, shaking him anxiously: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
The emperor was drenched in cold sweat.
He stammered, "Mother Consort, hmm?"
"They're gone... This servant didn't see them come out... They must have left through the back door..." Eunuch Wei's eyes reddened, and his voice choked with emotion, "Your Majesty, you scared this servant to death..."
"Help me up..." The emperor dazedly handed his arm to Eunuch Wei.
Eunuch Wei wiped away his tears and helped the emperor up from the ground: "Your Majesty..."
The emperor, like a soulless puppet, turned around blankly: "Back to Huaqing Palace..."
Shortly after the emperor and Eunuch Wei left, two figures emerged one after the other from behind the artificial hill near the urinal.
Both of them were dressed as eunuchs, but they were taller and more upright than ordinary eunuchs.
One of the eunuchs, Xiao Liulang, spoke up: "You've messed up the lines."
Gu Chengfeng, the second eunuch, curled his lip: "Where would I have said that? I just recited the lines you gave me!"
Xiao Liulang glanced at the script notebook in Gu Chengfeng's hand and said expressionlessly, "It doesn't say 'little cripple' on it."
Gu Chengfeng: "...Ahem, that was improvised, and the effect was even more unique!"
Xiao Liulang: "I'll deduct one bottle of your hair growth serum."
Gu Chengfeng: "?!"
That's going too far!
Do you think it was easy for him to agree to impersonate a woman for him? And he even had to play two roles! He didn't even hesitate when that girl asked him to imitate a woman's voice, how can this guy be even more heartless than that girl!
No, that girl is really cunning, but this guy is all bark and no bite!
She looks innocent and harmless, but she's more cunning than anyone else!
Xiao Liulang said calmly, "Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. I need to go back and take care of Jiaojiao."
Gu Chengfeng was furious: "Does she need you to take care of her? She's not really injured! She's lively and energetic, she can even climb trees to catch sparrows!"
...
After returning to Huaqing Palace, the emperor collapsed. He didn't faint, but was too exhausted to support his body. He lay on the spacious dragon bed, his face filled with struggle and despair.
Some things, if done a little earlier or a little later, would not have the same effect. This timing is just right. The effects of the black medicine on Empress Dowager Zhuang are dissipating, while the effects of the black medicine on Consort Jing are gradually increasing.
Xiao Liulang accurately predicted the emperor's tolerance level, starting with the simplest and most convincing things, and ending with the most shocking and painful truth.
It was like a knife slicing open the emperor's heart, and all those unbearable memories flowed out with the blood.
Of course, the emperor is the emperor after all. Although he is not as suspicious as the previous emperor, he is still the ruler of a country and will not condemn a person based on just a few words.
Xiao Liulang's words revealed several very important pieces of information—assassination, Dragon Shadow Guard, drugging, and a pharmacist from the Yan Kingdom.
The Dragon Shadow Guards are nothing but killing machines, devoid of any normal human thought. It's impossible to learn any truth from them, but among so many truths, as long as one is proven, it will make people believe the rest.
"Announcing Marquis Ping," the emperor said.
"Your Majesty, Marquis Xuanping has gone to Fengdu Mountain to visit Princess Xinyang. Have you forgotten?" said Eunuch Wei.
Marquis Xuanping was an important official of the court. It was fine for him to occasionally go out of the capital for a day trip, but if he really went far away, he still had to report to the court.
"I have indeed forgotten..." The emperor felt his mind was getting worse and worse. He pressed his aching head and said to Eunuch Wei, "Then summon Gu Chao."
Eunuch Wei replied, "Yes."
"Wait," the emperor called out to him.
Eunuch Wei bowed slightly: "Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"
The emperor hesitated, then waved his hand, saying, "Never mind, summon Gu Chao first."
"yes."
Eunuch Wei dispatched two top imperial guards to invite the old Marquis over as quickly as possible.
The old Marquis had no idea why the emperor had summoned him, and thought the emperor was going to make trouble for his relationship with Consort Jing again. He swore that he and Consort Jing had severed all ties and had no contact whatsoever!
"I ask you, where in Zhao Kingdom can I find a pharmacist from Yan Kingdom?"
These were the emperor's first words. The emperor was in a state of utter confusion and skipped even the basic pleasantries between ruler and subject.
The old marquis was taken aback, not understanding why His Majesty asked such a question, but he still told the truth: "There is an underground martial arts arena in the capital, where there is a pharmacist from the Yan Kingdom. Does Your Majesty wish to invite the pharmacist?"
The emperor said dejectedly, "No need. Go and buy me two kinds of medicine—black medicine and white medicine. By the way, ask them what they are used for and who has bought them."
"……yes."
Strange, what's this about black medicine and white medicine?
Despite his doubts, the old Marquis still accepted the order and went to carry it out.
The pharmacist of Yan Kingdom held a very high position in the underground martial arts arena. Ordinary people could not see him, and it was only thanks to the emperor that he found the old marquis.
The old Marquis returned quickly: "Your Majesty, I was unable to purchase any. The apothecary said that these two medicines control people; one makes people feel favorably toward the person who administers the medicine, and the other makes people feel disgusted toward the person who administers it. They are all sold out, and he couldn't reveal who they were sold to—that's the rule of the trade. But he told me that not many people buy these medicines, firstly because they are expensive, and secondly because the medicinal materials are extremely rare; it can take several years to gather all the necessary ingredients. He only refined less than ten pills this year, and they were all bought by a single customer."
one.
Therefore, it's impossible that both parties drugged him.
The answer to which side it was was already quite clear, but before seeing the medicine, the emperor still wanted to give Consort Jing one last chance.
He refused to believe that all the love he had received over the years was an illusion.
The old lord said, "That pharmacist said that if I want to buy this medicine, I'll probably have to wait several years, maybe even ten years..."
"You may leave," the emperor interrupted him.
The old marquis was startled, noticing that the emperor's mood was very strange. He asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
The emperor murmured, "I'm fine. Don't tell anyone about this."
The old marquis suppressed his doubts, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."
After the old marquis left, the emperor summoned a top imperial guard and handed him a token: "Go and summon a Dragon Shadow Guard, but don't let anyone find out."
"Yes." The imperial guard took the emperor's token and left.
The Emperor gave the Dragon Shadow Guard to Consort Jing to better protect her safety, which does not mean that he was no longer the master of the Dragon Shadow Guard.
The Dragon Shadow Guards were initially loyal to the late emperor, and after his death, they became his primary allies.
His orders superseded those of Consort Jing.
The Dragon Shadow Guards arrived quickly.
The emperor asked, "Did you ever attempt to assassinate the young physician?"
The Dragon Shadow Guard did not answer.
The emperor chuckled self-deprecatingly. Yes, the Dragon Shadow Guard couldn't answer at all, so he didn't even show the Dragon Shadow Guard the portrait of the Little Divine Doctor.
It's fine, as long as it can execute commands, that's enough.
The emperor looked at the Dragon Shadow Guard and said coldly, "Bring me all the medicine from the nunnery!"
I'll sneak in an extra chapter!
(End of this chapter)
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