Chapter 242 The Storm is Coming
Prince Ning's body suddenly stiffened, and blood suddenly surged from his mouth. He stared at Xiao Yuancheng intently, his eyes extremely complex—shock, resentment, pain, unwillingness, and even a hint of relief. Finally, all the light quickly dimmed, and his body could not stop falling backwards.
The eunuch who was holding Prince Ning down was so frightened that his legs couldn't stop shaking.
Xiao Yuancheng gasped and yanked his sword free. Warm blood spurted out, a few drops landing on the "Longevity Cauldron," a symbol of longevity, leaving a few glaring and eerie scarlet marks on the ancient bronze vessel.
Looking at his son's instantly dead body, feeling the still painful wound on his shoulder, and then looking at the Longevity Cauldron stained by the blood of his loved one... the curses of "being recorded in history" and "the emperor killing his son" were still ringing in his ears, and Xiao Yuancheng felt an extreme chill and dizziness.
He had calculated and controlled everything his entire life, yet now he had personally taken his own son's life, and was even branded with such an unsavory reputation. The anger and shock of the past few days, the shock of his son's murder, the weakness from the blood loss, and the hidden dangers of the harsh drugs he had taken all erupted simultaneously!
"Ugh..." He felt a sweet taste in his throat and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes went black and the Emperor's Sword fell to the ground with a clang, and he fell backwards.
"His Majesty!"
Bai De'an and the leader of the secret guards were horrified and rushed forward to support the unconscious emperor. The Purple Palace was immediately in chaos, and the imperial physician was quickly sent for to frantically treat the emperor.
"Butler, butler, what should we do? Should we invite a few princes?"
Bai De'an was in a panic when he heard this and was furious. "Why invite a prince? How dare you invite a prince? Go and summon the Shangshu Ling, the Jinwuwei General... and the Zongzheng."
He named several important officials in succession, then suppressed his fear and stepped forward to check Prince Ning's breathing. Sure enough, there was no sign of life...
The imperial physician arrived in a hurry and was also shocked and frightened by the situation in the hall. His eyes were fixed on Prince Ning who was lying on the ground. He was about to go over but was stopped by Bai De'an.
"Doctor Zhang, the person you want to see is His Majesty."
Doctor Zhang was stopped by Bai De'an and instantly woke up, with cold sweat pouring down his face.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Doctor Zhang responded repeatedly, and hurriedly picked up the medicine box, trotted to the dragon bed, and took the pulse of the unconscious emperor with trembling hands.
This time, his expression turned even uglier. The emperor's pulse was disordered, slippery, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, a clear sign of rage and turbulent Qi and blood. Add to that the blood loss from the shoulder injury, and the multiple blows had already devastated his body.
He did not dare to delay and immediately used acupuncture and medicine to stabilize the emperor's heart and save his life first.
For a moment, the only sounds in the hall were the busy voices of the imperial physician and the suppressed breathing of the crowd.
Bai De'an forced himself to remain calm and gave the order confidently: "Come here, move...move the body of the Rebellious King to the side hall temporarily. No one is allowed to approach! Clean up the bloodstains in the hall!"
A young eunuch came in nimbly with something in his hand, wiped the bloodstains on the ground, and when he saw the longevity tripod that Xiao Yuancheng had carefully kept in the bedroom, he hesitated and asked the chief steward.
"Butler, the bloodstains on this tripod..."
He pointed at the blood-stained Longevity Cauldron, his voice tinged with a subtle hint of fear. This object was originally a symbol of good fortune, but now stained with blood, the contrast between the copper green and the bright red made it look particularly creepy.
Bai De'an also swallowed his saliva and said, "Wipe it off quickly!"
He then sternly ordered all the guards and palace maids in the palace: "If anyone leaks even a word of what happened tonight, all nine generations of your family will be executed!"
Everyone was silent, and bowed their heads in response.
Soon, several important officials named by Bai De'an - Shangshu Ling Shen Yushan, General Jinwuwei, Minister of Zongzheng Temple, etc., all entered the palace late at night as quickly as possible.
When they stepped into the Purple Palace, they felt the atmosphere so heavy that it was almost frozen. When they learned of the earth-shattering changes that His Majesty was in a coma and Prince Ning was executed, everyone's face changed drastically and they were horrified.
"This... this..." The Minister of the Imperial Clan Affairs Bureau looked at the body of Prince Ning, which had been moved to a side hall and covered with a white cloth. His old face turned pale and he could hardly stand.
The prince attempted to kill his father but failed, and was instead killed by the emperor himself... This was an unprecedented scandal and tragedy for the Xiao royal family!
The General of the Jinwu Guard immediately realized the urgency of the defense of the capital, and immediately asked Bai De'an and Shen Yushan, the highest-ranking person present, to send more troops to strictly guard the palace and the various royal palaces to prevent further unrest.
Shen Yushan's face was filled with grief, but his eyes held a calmness and even a hint of excitement. He subconsciously touched his arm, where he had been stabbed the previous night. He knew who had done it without hesitation.
He first went forward to carefully inquire about the emperor's condition, and then quickly discussed with other important officials and made several emergency decisions:
The news was strictly blocked, and the outside world was only told that Prince Ning died suddenly of an acute illness, and His Majesty was bedridden due to excessive grief and the recurrence of an old illness; a curfew was immediately imposed in the capital, and order was maintained by the Jinwu Guard and the Patrol Battalion; the palaces of the princes and the residences of important officials in the court were closely monitored, and any unusual movements were reported immediately.
His arrangements were well-organized and comprehensive, and he quickly stabilized the emotions and situation of everyone present. He seemed to be truly loyal.
Bai De'an felt a sense of relief as he watched Shen Yushan calmly direct his command. Yet, a complex feeling slipped through his mind. But he had no time to dwell on it. His Majesty's safety and the stability of the palace were his top priorities.
However, Xiao Yuancheng, lying on the dragon bed, had his brows tightly furrowed even in a coma, as if he was enduring endless pain and fear.
Prince Ning's dying curse, the image of blood splattering on the Longevity Cauldron, and the ambitious faces of his sons were intertwined into a nightmare from which he could not wake up, entangling him and devouring his already dwindling vitality.
That night, the candles in the Zichen Palace were lit all night long, and the heavy atmosphere made it difficult for everyone to breathe.
Qing Wu, who was sleeping, was also awakened by the noise. When she opened her eyes, Xiao Ji had already stood up and walked in from outside.
Qing Wu rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked, "What happened outside?"
The darkness obscured Xiao Ji's furrowed brows. He whispered, "Nothing, just a fire that broke out two blocks away."
Qing Wu woke up in a flash, "Fire?"
Xiao Ji came over and pushed her down again, patted her shoulder and said soothingly: "Someone from the mansion has gone to help put out the fire, it should be fine."
Then news came that there were fires in other places in the capital, which made people smell something bad.
The two could no longer fall asleep. Xiao Ji had already gone out to command the palace soldiers to defend the palace, and then took the guards to the palace of the capital garrison. The capital garrison had already dressed neatly and was directing the soldiers on patrol.
Everyone smelled the coming storm.
However, as the fire was brought under control, it seemed that nothing serious had happened. However, news was soon reported that an important official had entered the palace overnight.
It was just dawn when Xiao Ji and his men arrived at the palace gate on horseback. King Wu and King Wen were already there.
For the first time, three brothers share the same goal.
"What on earth is the Third Brother doing in there?"
"An important official has entered the palace... is this to appoint a crown prince?"
King Wen looked at Xiao Ji and said something playfully.
However, before they could knock on the door, the gate of the palace had already opened, signaling them to go straight in. This made the three of them feel even more weird.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
