The emperor recovered from his illness after a few days.
The moment the news came out from Dezhang Hall, Prefect Dengcheng finally breathed a sigh of relief and immediately arranged a banquet to celebrate.
But the court officials who came from Yongdu were all on edge.
They had long noticed that something was wrong with the emperor, and had been quietly observing and guessing his intentions.
Xie Zhaolin had rested for such a long time that he looked radiant when he appeared again.
He sat on the dragon throne, his eyes slowly sweeping over everyone below.
Xie Guanzhi pursed his lips tightly, his expression extremely numb.
"Your Majesty, this is the Hundred Flowers Banquet of Dengcheng Mansion. Today, we are using this banquet to celebrate..."
Before Prefect Dengcheng could finish the second half of his sentence, he was drowned out by the sound of drums and music at the banquet.
He cleared his throat and wanted to continue speaking loudly, but suddenly there was a sound of armor colliding outside the hall. A silver figure staggered in from outside the hall, and then fell to his knees with a thud.
This posture scared everyone.
Even the guards behind the emperor subconsciously put their hands on their swords.
"Wait—" The emperor waved his hand to stop them.
He frowned slowly and looked at the people below.
Only then did everyone see clearly that the man who suddenly broke in was wearing the royal armor of a Wei Dynasty lieutenant.
"Your Majesty, urgent news from the border!" He said loudly while trying to adjust his breathing, "The Northern Di army marched south, and after waiting for two days, they suddenly broke through the three towns of Changyuan, Yongkai, and Xinghu—"
As he spoke, beads of sweat appeared on the captain's forehead.
At the same time, the emperor's expression suddenly changed.
The three towns of Changyuan, Yongkai and Xinghu
The Wei Dynasty and the Northern Di had a total of nine towns bordering each other, all of which were heavily guarded.
In the past, when the Northern Di went south, they only dared to bypass the Nine Towns and act arrogantly in small towns with few guards around.
But this time, not only did they dare to enter nine towns, they even broke through three of them
The main perspective of "Fu Ming Tang" is concentrated on the harem, and no related plot is told.
Therefore, upon hearing this, not only did the emperor and his courtiers change their expressions, but even Wen Qingci, who was usually calm, had his eyes slightly shaken.
At this moment, all the drumming and music stopped.
There was complete silence all around.
Everyone's faces turned extremely ugly.
Seeing that the emperor did not speak, the captain had to continue: "I just received news that the Northern Di tribe changed their leader this winter. The new leader is the uncle of the original leader. He is ruthless and unified the tribes in just a few months... He is very ambitious."
"What about now?" The emperor's hand clenched the armrest of the dragon throne without knowing when, "Are you still fighting?"
His face looked extremely ugly.
The emperor pressed his forehead, took out a bottle of Fuxuanhua Dan from the side, and poured it into his mouth without counting.
Yongdu is close to the northern Di territory and can be reached by fast horse in just over a day, so the emperor has always been able to control the war situation in real time.
But Dengchengfu is different...
By the time the news reached Xie Guanzhi's ears, it was already a little late.
Not to mention that the emperor was still pretending to be sick and deliberately delaying time.
So after observing for a few days, they no longer hesitated and headed directly south to the important town, catching it by surprise.
-Compared to several small cities, Changyuan, Yongkai and Xinghu have more food, livestock, gold and silver.
The captain shook his head hurriedly: "They looted the three towns, and then left before our reinforcements arrived."
The Beidi left, but this was not good news for the Wei Dynasty.
In the past, they acted recklessly and only sought to survive.
But this time, not only did they dare to attack the three towns, they even knew how to restrain themselves. After plundering enough capital, they went back to recuperate.
The new leader of Beidi is definitely a formidable opponent.
Wen Qingci's left hand suddenly felt numb.
After entering the book, he has always been puzzled about one thing:
The neighbors of the Wei Dynasty were relatively peaceful. There had not been a large-scale war for a hundred years in history. Even if a war broke out, it was only a small conflict.
But the original book says that Xie Bufeng survived a near-death experience on the battlefield, losing half of his life before he crawled out from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
This sounds a bit illogical.
Now Wen Qingci finally understood, perhaps the war mentioned in "Fu Ming Tang" was between the Wei Dynasty and the Northern Di!
The last bit of hope in his heart was extinguished at this moment.
The Northern Di have already withdrawn their troops, and now the Wei Dynasty can only try to make up for its loss.
The emperor gave a series of orders, and the captain immediately responded and stepped down from his seat.
After he left, the whole room fell silent.
Even though the emperor had taken so many Convolvulus pills, his forehead still hurt.
He stretched out his hand and pressed it hard on top. After taking a deep breath, he finally raised his eyelids with difficulty: "Xie Guanzhi, what happened these days?"
The emperor directly called the second prince by his name.
Xie Guanzhi gathered his sleeves, slowly stepped away from his seat and bowed to the person on the throne. He told him the contents of the documents he had been working on for the past few days, one by one.
None of the court officials present paid attention to what he said; they were all silently observing the emperor's expression.
Even Concubine Hui subconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
At the end, Xie Guanzhi paused for a few seconds and said, "About seven days ago, the garrison reported that the northern barbarians were invading the border town, and hoped that Yongdu would send troops to reinforce."
There was almost no ups and downs in his words, and they sounded particularly calm.
"Okay, okay..." The emperor laughed slowly, "How did you handle it?"
The young man was silent for a moment, then spoke truthfully, "As usual, send more troops."
This incident indeed exceeded everyone's expectations.
After all, no one knew that Beidi had actually changed its leader.
If we look into it more deeply, the culprit should be the emperor himself who pretended to be sick and ignored the affairs of state.
However, after sitting on the throne for more than twenty years and being flattered every day, he had already considered himself the Dragon Emperor.
The emperor can do no wrong.
Moreover, the matter was already done, and he had to reduce Xie Guanzhi's prestige at this time so that he would not be disturbed in vain.
Xie Guanzhi had long been silently charged with the crime of "increasing troops beyond his authority", and the great victory of the Northern Di added another charge against him, namely "failing to do his job well".
"Same as usual?" The emperor repeated Xie Guanzhi's words and finally laughed slowly.
He clenched the teacup in his hand.
Wen Qingci immediately realized that the emperor must be having a headache again.
As expected, the emperor once again took the jade bottle containing the Convolvulus Pill into his hands.
However, just when he habitually wanted to pour out the contents, he found that the bottle in his hand had been empty without him noticing.
Wen Qingci frowned.
Before the southern tour, I had prepared an excessive amount of Convolvulus Pills, but I didn't expect the emperor to finish them so quickly...
But considering how he swallowed the food without even counting, this doesn't seem too surprising.
The emperor's hand pressed heavily on his temple.
The pain at this moment was particularly unbearable for him who had become accustomed to relying on the Convolvulus Pill.
Under the attack of severe pain, he even lost a bit of his previous disguise.
The emperor lowered his eyes and enumerated Xie Guanzhi's crimes.
Not only did he exceed his authority in mobilizing troops, but he also mobilized them in an unfavorable manner.
“… Even if you come to power in the future, you will not be able to use it.” The emperor gritted his teeth and gave Xie Guanzhi the final conclusion.
inability.
This is a more plausible excuse than "overstepping authority in an emergency."
When he pretended to be sick a few days ago, some court officials had already guessed his intention.
But after hearing these words, everyone couldn't help but look at each other.
What the emperor said was a little too outrageous.
The invasion by the Northern Di happened suddenly, and even if the emperor himself took action, the situation would not change at all.
Not to mention that Xie Guanzhi had no experience in handling state affairs.
They didn't understand how this royal father and son could fall out in just a few days.
All we know is that once the emperor said this, Xie Guanzhi's downfall has become inevitable.
If he doesn't change his mind at this time, his career as an official will probably come to an end...
After a few seconds of silence, an official whose name Wen Qingci couldn't remember suddenly walked out from the table.
He first paid a great tribute to the emperor, and then suddenly enumerated the crimes of Jingzhao Yin Yi Guanxuan.
Things like "corruption and bribery" and "selling official positions" were all poured out like beans, and the speed at which they changed their attitudes according to the wind was extremely fast.
Upon hearing this, Concubine Hui's face instantly lost all color.
"I hope Your Majesty will understand! Father... uh, no, Lord Jingzhao Yin, I have never done these things!"
Although Yi Guanxuan was considered the emperor's confidant, he was old and had been injured in the last palace coup, so he did not participate in this southern tour.
The emperor's head was aching so much at this time that he glanced at Concubine Hui and ignored her. Instead, he directly ordered: "The Dali Temple should investigate this matter strictly."
His tone was full of impatience.
Upon hearing this, Concubine Hui collapsed to the ground.
She was the first concubine selected to enter the palace after the emperor ascended the throne. She was of ordinary family, but her whole family rose to prosper because of her favor.
The Yi family had no roots in Yongdu. In order to blend in with the rich and powerful, Yi Guanxuan did a lot of unchecked things in his early years...
He even had interactions with the nobles who were dealt with a while ago.
But at that time, neither Yi Guanxuan himself nor Concubine Hui cared.
After all, they all knew that they were not the type of people the emperor was targeting.
But now, the sense of panic has finally come.
Concubine Hui's body couldn't help but tremble.
The three words "Dali Temple" mean that the emperor will never take this matter lightly.
By then, the entire Yi family would probably follow in the footsteps of the nobles of the previous dynasty.
Xie Guanzhi, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised his eyes, gritted his teeth and looked at the emperor coldly.
This look was filled with ridicule and hatred.
There is also a subtle determination.
*
The banquet ended in silence.
The first thing the emperor did after returning to Dezhang Palace was to call Wen Qingci over.
At this time, his headache became more severe, and the hand pressing on his temple began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Fu Xuan Hua Dan... cough cough..." the emperor said with difficulty, "Are there any more, cough cough...?"
Wen Qingci immediately stepped forward and opened the medicine box: "I still have one bottle here."
Fortunately, he had an extra bottle with him when he left Yongdu.
Eunuch Xian hurriedly took the medicine.
Before Wen Qingci had time to say anything, he saw the emperor tilt his head back and pour the contents of the medicine bottle into his mouth.
Wen Qingci: “…”
The emperor ate Convolvulus pills without any restraint.
He eats whenever he feels pain and never endures it.
Seeing this, Wen Qingci couldn't help feeling guilty.
The Convolvulus Pill is non-toxic, but excessive consumption will cause drug resistance, which was already evident in the emperor early on.
It was both unexpected and reasonable.
But the problem is... the Convolvulus Pill is about to run out.
What will happen after the medicine is stopped is not even recorded in the medical books of the Divine Doctor Valley.
After taking a bunch of Convolvulus pills, the emperor's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little.
He threw the jade bottle in his hand aside, and Eunuch Xian hurried forward to pick it up.
Wen Qingci hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether he should step down or take the emperor's pulse.
"I was helpless in dealing with Xie Guanzhi..." At this moment, the emperor suddenly spoke slowly, "My dear minister, think about it. The last time he looked at me, he was clearly full of hatred."
Isn't this all forced by you
Wen Qingci couldn't help but clench the silver needle and said silently in his heart.
The next moment, the emperor suddenly opened his eyes wide, stared into the distance and muttered to himself: "If I don't kill him, one day, he will come to kill me."
The emperor's tone was relatively calm, but he showed a distressed expression while speaking.
But such calmness made Wen Qingci shudder.
He heard a hint of madness in Xie Zhaolin's words.
Convolvulus odoratus is just a painkiller, not a specific medicine for treating heavy metal poisoning.
Without the influence of headaches, the emperor seemed to be much calmer during this period, so much so that Wen Qingci almost forgot that heavy metal poisoning can also cause emotional instability and even mental abnormalities.
The emperor was suspicious and regarded everyone around him as his own kind.
The brief period of stopping medication ignited his emotional fuse.
The emperor suddenly picked up a blueprint from the desk.
Wen Qingci took a closer look and realized... this was actually the design drawing of the Chen Mausoleum that he had built for himself.
Finally, he stood up again, walked quickly to the window and looked at the Yinchuan Grand Canal not far away.
"It's fixed, it's fixed..." The emperor said, and he actually laughed, "It's fixed as scheduled."
Then he suddenly kicked over the copper incense burner beside him.
The choking smoke spread throughout the hall, and Wen Qingci felt a familiar tingling sensation in his chest and lungs.
The emperor could no longer suppress his madness.
Seeing this, Eunuch Xian's face changed, and he quickly winked at Wen Qingci: "Mr. Wen, you go first."
Obviously, he didn't want people to see the emperor losing his composure.
Wen Qingci was curious about the emperor's symptoms.
But seeing him like this, I knew I couldn't stay here any longer.
He immediately picked up the medicine box and quickly left the back hall.
The emperor has "recovered" and Wen Qingci no longer needs to live in the side hall.
He left Dezhang Hall and walked towards his residence.
However, when they were halfway there, Wen Qingci stopped as if he had thought of something.
He once again recalled the ending of Xie Guanzhi in the original novel—he failed in the palace fight and committed suicide.
Xie Guanzhi has always looked down on Yi Guanxuan.
Wen Qingci believed that even if the emperor thoroughly investigated the Jingzhao Yin, he would definitely not find out much about the second prince.
He will not commit suicide out of fear of crime.
After this incident, Xie Guanzhi had completely lost the possibility of becoming the crown prince.
Even to preserve his reputation, the emperor would not force him to commit suicide.
So... Xie Guanzhi was probably just too proud and arrogant to accept this.
Thinking of the look Xie Guanzhi gave him at the table, Wen Qingci's heart suddenly sank.
Without thinking too much, he immediately turned around and walked quickly to the other side of the palace.
At this time, the emperor had deprived Xie Guanzhi of all his power and imprisoned him in a corner of the palace.
After Wen Qingci hid the medicine box in his hand in a hidden place, he used his lightness skills to move towards there.
It took only a cup of tea to reach the heavily guarded courtyard.
Wen Qingci's movements were a little hasty as he had just inhaled a lot of smoke and dust in the Dezhang Hall.
As soon as he landed, he coughed uncontrollably twice.
Although I tried my best to suppress it, the sound still came out faintly.
The soldiers patrolling around seemed to have heard something, looked at each other and walked over here.
Wen Qingci immediately pressed his fingers to his throat, trying to stop the cough with the pain, and turned around to look for a place to hide.
However, before his fingers touched the skin, a familiar yet unfamiliar breath attacked him from behind.
Someone put one hand on Wen Qingci's lips and put another hand around his shoulders. Before he could react, he gently used force to bring him to the dark corner.
The two bodies were suddenly pressed tightly together.
Wen Qingci:!!!
His nerves tensed up instantly.
The heart started beating wildly.
Unlike Wen Qingci, the man had an exceptionally high body temperature and his muscles were thin but powerful, like a cheetah in the wild.
The light honey-colored arms covered with scars and with strong muscles easily locked Wen Qingci in his embrace, instantly restricting all his movements and making him unable to move.
Wen Qingci's originally pale skin was now slightly red from being pressed.
My breathing became disordered due to nervousness.
"Don't move, they'll be gone soon."
The young man's slightly deep voice came from behind Wen Qingci's ear.
The faint vibrations spread along the bones throughout the body, turning into a tingling sensation.
Wen Qingci's fingers trembled slightly uncontrollably.
(End of this chapter)