Before the Third Prince could come to his senses, he only heard a cough. He looked in the direction of the cough and involuntarily called out, "Grandfather..."
"What are you afraid of? Why don't you go and see how His Majesty is doing?" Xiao Shi said in a low voice.
"Oh..." The Third Prince ran over in fear and shouted, "Father, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it. I meant it. As long as you pass the throne to me, I promise you will live a comfortable life."
"You...you are not..." The emperor opened his eyes wide and stared at the third prince angrily. He was so angry that he closed his eyes and fainted.
Just then, a cacophony of footsteps and the clash of weapons could be heard outside the doorway. Then, a group of armored Imperial Guards rushed in, wielding spears and with stern faces, they quickly surrounded the entire Hall of Mental Cultivation. Leading the charge was a tall, stern-faced general: General Guan, the commander of the Imperial Guards.
General Guan walked towards the Third Prince step by step, with a heavy sense of oppression in every step. His eyes were cold and sharp, making people shudder. When he walked in front of the Third Prince, he stopped and looked at him coldly.
"General Guan...what...what does this mean?" the third prince asked stutteringly, his voice full of fear and confusion.
General Guan did not answer, but just looked at the third prince quietly, with a barely perceptible light flashing in his eyes.
Suddenly, a deputy commander of the Imperial Guard came over quickly, saluted General Guan, and whispered a few words to him. General Guan's face changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.
At this time, Deputy Commander Wei came over and said, "Brother Guan, something bad has happened! Your family just came to tell you to go home quickly. They said your seriously ill mother is dying. You should go back immediately!"
Hearing this news, General Guan's face turned gloomy. He clenched his fists, his heart filled with anger and worry. He knew that if he left here, the emperor would be in danger, but he couldn't ignore his seriously ill mother.
"This... but now something serious has happened in the palace. How can I leave?" Commander Guan looked troubled, his brow furrowed, his tone revealing deep worry and uneasiness. He knew what was happening within the palace at the moment was crucial, and he shouldered the responsibility of protecting the palace, but he was also concerned about his seriously ill mother at home.
"Brother Guan, filial piety comes first in everything! Go back and see your mother first and fulfill your filial duty as a son, and then hurry back to the palace to handle affairs. Leave the affairs of the palace to me!" Wei Shou urged anxiously, gently patting Commander Guan on the shoulder, trying to make him put his worries aside.
"But the Emperor..." Commander Guan hadn't finished his words when Wei Shou pushed him away. He was torn between conflict and confusion. On the one hand, he was worried about the situation in the palace, and on the other, he was concerned about his mother's condition. However, Wei Shou's resolute attitude made it impossible for him to stay.
"Hurry, hurry back!" Wei Shou, after sending Commander Guan away, a subtle smug smile crossed his face. He knew this was a rare opportunity; he could seize it to control the situation and achieve his goals. Commander Guan hurried away, feeling heavy-hearted and worried.
At this time, although the Crown Prince was in the Eastern Palace, he was fully aware of what was happening in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The secret guard lurking in the Hall of Mental Cultivation received the Crown Prince's order and continued to lie in wait.
Zhaohua hurried back to the Eastern Palace and breathlessly reported to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, Commander Guan has already pretended to go home as per your orders."
The Crown Prince nodded grimly, expressing his satisfaction. He stood up, looked at Zhaohua with a determined gaze, and said in a serious tone, "Zhaohua, you will stay in the Eastern Palace and be responsible for protecting the Crown Princess. I will personally go and deal with those traitors who dared to rebel!"
Zhaohua replied respectfully, "As you wish, Your Highness."
Before he had finished speaking, the Crown Prince, accompanied by a group of guards, marched menacingly towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Their steps were steady, their postures erect, revealing an unshakable majesty and determination.
At this time, Chengji and his men were quietly approaching Xiao Shi's army. Unbeknownst to Xiao Shi's soldiers outside the city, a large army was preparing to surround them in the shadows, like a turtle in a jar. After a long journey, these soldiers were resting in their tents and waiting for orders.
Meanwhile, Lian'er successfully gathered information about the situation in the Yangxin Palace and immediately reported it to Concubine Xiao. Upon hearing the news, Concubine Xiao couldn't hide her smile, feeling immensely excited and satisfied. She recalled her years of fighting with the Empress, and now she could finally hold her head high.
It turns out that when the emperor was choosing his empress, Concubine Xiao was originally supposed to be chosen, and the empress dowager had always supported her. However, the emperor insisted on choosing the current empress. Because of this, Concubine Xiao has long harbored resentment towards the emperor. Now, she feels that she has finally defeated the empress and become the most powerful person. The most noble woman in the world should belong to her.
Doctor Liao was taking the emperor's pulse. He was the Third Prince's man. He had already diagnosed that the emperor was poisoned, but he kept silent. He only said, "Third Prince, I will give the emperor acupuncture first to see if he can wake up."
"Okay, hurry up," the Third Prince said anxiously, and then he began to rummage around in the Yangxin Palace, searching for the whereabouts of the imperial seal. "Eunuch Xu, you've been with our father all day, so you must know where the imperial seal is, right?"
When Eunuch Xu heard this, his heart tightened and he quickly replied, "Third Prince, you are too kind. I am just a servant. How could Your Majesty tell me where such an important thing is?"
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince's eyes flashed with dissatisfaction and suspicion. He stared closely at Eunuch Xu, as if trying to find some clues from his expression. However, Eunuch Xu remained respectful and didn't reveal any flaws.
The Third Prince continued to search the Yangxin Palace, leaving no corner untouched. As he searched, he secretly thought that if he couldn't find the seal, then his subsequent plans would be impossible to implement and everything would become difficult.
Eunuch Xu stood aside, nervously watching the third prince's every move, silently praying in his heart that the emperor would wake up as soon as possible to stop the chaos.
After acupuncture treatment, the emperor finally regained consciousness. He weakly opened his eyes, looked at the Third Prince, and said weakly, "You bastard, what are you looking for?"
When the Third Prince saw the Emperor regain consciousness, he showed no sign of panic or guilt. Instead, he confidently replied, "Father, of course I'm looking for the Imperial Seal! Where did you hide it? Tell me quickly!"
The emperor was so angry that he was shaking all over, his eyes wide open, and he cursed in a trembling voice: "Rebellious son, how dare you treat me like this!"
However, the third prince acted like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water and sneered: "Hmph, now that things have come to this, I will no longer hide it. Since you are unwilling to tell me the whereabouts of the jade seal, that's fine. As long as you write the abdication edict and pass the throne to me, I can look for it slowly." After saying that, the third prince also deliberately emphasized his purpose.
"You..." The emperor was so angry that he almost fainted again. But before he could finish his words, the third prince quickly took out a pen and paper, placed it in front of the emperor, and urged: "Write quickly, don't waste time!"
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