Prince Lu knew the character and strength of Duke Hu Tongtian, and he was very likely to mobilize troops to attack the capital to retaliate against the emperor's actions.
This thought stirred a sense of unease in King Lu, who realized that he had to take decisive action to deal with this potential threat.
Just then, Chief Guard Huang quietly approached Prince Lu and whispered, "Your Highness, this is a golden opportunity to get rid of Duke En."
"Why don't we strike first..." Chief Guard Huang's voice trailed off.
Upon hearing this, King Lu's eyes grew larger and larger until they bulged out, revealing a hint of ruthlessness and determination in them.
"Good!" King Lu nodded and immediately made arrangements. "You will immediately lead a team of assassins to guard the four city gates. Anyone who dares to send a message to the military camp to request reinforcements will be killed without exception!" His voice was cold and showed no hesitation.
"Yes, Your Highness." Chief Guard Huang respectfully accepted the order, and then flattered, "Your Highness is majestic and imposing."
King Lu's fat face revealed a smug smile. He plotted, "By stirring up trouble and taking advantage of the chaos, I will demand back double the value of the lost wealth."
He then ordered, "Select another top-notch assassin and have him infiltrate the Duke's mansion. Make sure that old scoundrel is killed." The Prince of Lu's tone grew increasingly fierce, revealing that his hatred for the Duke of En had reached its peak.
Finally, Prince Lu did not forget to instruct Chief Guard Huang: "Before you go, go to the princess's residence. I'm sure my princess sister will send someone to help you." The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a sinister smile. Joining forces to kill Duke En was something that even members of the royal family would be willing to do.
"Your subordinate obeys." Chief Guard Huang bowed respectfully, then waved his hand, and a large group of assassins dressed in black flew out like ghosts and quickly disappeared outside the palace.
Duke's Mansion
The Duke of Enguo's sudden illness and bedridden state plunged the entire Duke's mansion into tension and anxiety.
After leaving the palace, he hurried back to the Duke's mansion. The Duke felt a little hungry and drank a bowl of bird's nest soup served by a servant.
Bird's nest is a rare tonic with many health benefits, and Duke Enguo happily drank the bowl of bird's nest.
Unexpectedly, not long after, Duke Enguo began to experience severe nausea and vomiting, followed by severe diarrhea, causing him great pain. At the same time, his wife, who had shared the bird's nest with him, remained perfectly healthy, leaving Duke Enguo completely baffled.
"What exactly did I eat?" Duke Enguo pondered the reason while enduring his physical discomfort.
He recalled the scene in the Empress's palace, where the tea he drank was given to him by a servant. Normally, a servant would never dare to poison tea. So where exactly did the problem lie?
If the poison was in the bird's nest soup, then the lady should have shown the same symptoms. But now only the Duke of Enguo is suffering so much, which is really strange.
The more Duke En thought about it, the more confused he became. "Did I eat something wrong, or was I poisoned?" He realized that the situation was serious and sent someone to the palace to invite Imperial Physician Wei.
Duke Enguo was vomiting and had diarrhea, and he barely had the strength to even sit on the toilet.
He groaned in pain, completely unaware that the bird's nest he had consumed had been poisoned by a rat, and that no one had witnessed the process.
At that time, the servants brought the bird's nest soup, placed it on the table, and then left.
A maid with alluring, seductive eyes gently stepped forward.
"Master, I'm here to serve you."
The maid bowed and gently helped Duke Enguo remove his outer garment, which was an ordinary thing to do.
The other servants, however, wisely lowered their heads and silently withdrew, seemingly knowing what their master was about to do and that they should stay away.
Inside, Duke Enguo's fingers gently and skillfully stroked the maid's delicate little hand. His hand moved slowly, gently grasping the maid's little hand, feeling the soft skin and slender bones.
Immediately afterwards, as if guided by an invisible force, Duke Enguo's other hand quietly reached towards the maid's chest. That hand, like a nimble snake, silently slipped through the maid's clothes and touched her warm and soft skin.
The maid trembled slightly, but she did not resist. Instead, she obediently let the Duke of Enguo's hand remain there.
Then, Duke Enguo used a little force to pull the maid to the bedside... In this brief moment, Duke Enguo's desires were greatly satisfied.
Just then, an extremely tiny mouse darted over like lightning and quickly crawled to the bowl of bird's nest soup. It opened its small mouth and spat something from its stomach into the bowl, then vanished without a trace like a bolt of lightning.
After satisfying his hunger, Duke Enguo slowly stood up. He felt increasingly empty inside, so he reached for the bowl of bird's nest soup, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.
The moment he put down the bowl, a strong sense of discomfort surged forth like a tidal wave. His stomach suddenly felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, the pain excruciating, as if it were being torn apart.
Immediately afterwards, Duke Enguo began to vomit and have diarrhea, suffering terribly. Even though the imperial physician rushed over and prepared medicine for him to drink, he could not stop the terrible symptoms.
Physician Wei was terrified, his face as pale as paper. He muttered to himself, "Even such strong medicine can't stop it. This Duke En has probably contracted a terrible plague!"
In the midst of the chaos, Physician Wei hastily made up an excuse, saying, "This humble official must return to the palace to fetch a more effective medicine." Before he finished speaking, he fled the Duke of En's mansion as if his feet were greased, fearing that he too would be infected by this terrible plague.
At this moment, Duke Enguo was already on the verge of death from diarrhea, and his body was extremely weak. The fear in his heart gradually turned into anger, which he took out on others. He gritted his teeth and roared, "It must be that wretched maid who defiled my body!"
Without hesitation, he gave the order: "Drag Hong Mei out and beat her to death!"
The poor beauty who had just been serving the Duke of Enguo with all her heart and made him feel incredibly comfortable was dragged out like a dead dog and died tragically in the courtyard.
Upon learning that Duke Enguo was seriously ill, the Duchess was extremely anxious. She paced back and forth in the courtyard, her steps hurried, like an ant on a hot pan, filled with urgency.
"Why hasn't the imperial physician arrived yet?" The Duchess muttered to herself, glancing frequently at the door, as if the physician would appear at any moment if she waited long enough. Her brows were furrowed, and a fine layer of sweat even appeared on her forehead, revealing her extreme anxiety.
"What exactly is wrong with Master?" The Duchess clenched her hands tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms. Her voice was filled with worry and fear.
No one answered her.
The master and servants of the Duke's mansion were in a state of extreme panic. They were all speculating whether the Duke's sudden illness was caused by someone sent by the princess.
At midnight, someone quietly came out of the palace with shocking news: "Lord Duke, something terrible has happened! The Emperor discovered those two women, personally killed the Empress, and ordered the killing of everyone from our household who was sent to the palace."
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