Chapter 98

As soon as the palace maid saw Emperor Hongming, she immediately cried and lunged towards him: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please spare this servant. All those things were done by the servant at the behest of Concubine Shu. My family was under her control, and I had to follow her orders."

Concubine Shu? What is it about Concubine Shu? Emperor Hongming was surprised, but his hand subconsciously squeezed the purse at his waist. He ignored the palace maid's cries and looked seriously at Chen Bing: "What do you mean by bringing these two people here?"

Chen Bing did not answer. The matter was about Concubine Shu and the Grand Prince's mother, so it was not convenient for him to watch. He turned around and went to the outer room.

This palace maid's mental state is highly abnormal. She was like crazy as she was kneeling on the ground and kowtowing: "The Empress is virtuous, and this servant did not want to kill her. It is all because of Concubine Shu's orders!"

Empress? As soon as he heard the ambiguous words of the maid, Emperor Hongming's cloudy eyes immediately exploded with a burst of light. He walked up to the maid like a bloodthirsty wolf, breathing so fast that he could barely speak, "What did you...you say? How did the Empress die?"

His chest rose and fell sharply, obviously not breathing well. Frightened, Eunuch Su immediately ran up to ease Emperor Hongming's breathing: "Your Majesty, don't be anxious, don't be anxious!"

While soothing Emperor Hongming, Eunuch Su carefully looked at the maid on the ground. He saw her face under her messy hair and was surprised: "You are the grand palace maid beside Concubine Shu? After the death of Concubine Shu, didn't you also die of illness?"

The palace maid obviously fell into a frenzy, unable to hear the words of Eunuch Su. She kowtowed like a madman and shouted with fear on her face: "Your Majesty, please spare this servant. It was Concubine Shu who ordered this servant to push the Grand Prince into the water! It was the Third Prince who caused The Grand Prince to fall off his horse, not this servant!"

The Emperor has just slightly stabilized his breathing, but because of the palace maid's words again, he held his chest, pointing at the palace maid: "Tell me! Tell me clearly, how Yuan Yuan died!"

He saw the old physician, who was showing his age, and turned to Eunuch Su and said, "Ask him, ask him for me!"

The old Imperial Physician, whose words were good even when he was dying, told the story of his mistakes in the past: "Your Majesty, when the Empress died of illness, it was Concubine Shu who sent me to put poison in the medicinal soup for the Empress."

"This drug progresses slowly. First, the skin becomes red and itchy, then it ulcerates. If left untreated, it will heal itself. If combined with a certain medicine for the skin, it will invade the body's internal organs, and finally, the body's organs will fail and cause death. This drug was also given to the Grand Prince. However, the Grand Prince usually takes medicine that contradicts the one for the treatment of the skin. Therefore, the Grand Prince only survived because of the medicine he used..."

With the old doctor's words, all the symptoms of the Empress before she died flashed before the eyes of Emperor Hongming. He remembered that the Empress suddenly had rashes on her skin, so she did not sleep for several days. His Yuan Yuan was afraid that he would get sick and kept him outside the room.

At that time, the eldest prince's face also showed such a disease. He only thought that the eldest prince was close to the Empress, so he contracted this disease.

The Empress's body was declining day by day after her skin healed, so everyone did not link the rash to the Empress's weakening health later on.

Eunuch Su was shocked by the words of the old physician who said that the Empress had not revealed any illness before. Still, eventually, her internal organs failed like an old man at such a young age.

The old doctor's words made Su Eunuch Su's heart burst with chills. If this person's words are true, then this Concubine Shu wanted to put the Empress and the prince to death at the same time. Ah, if it were not that the prince has been weak since childhood...

Thinking of this, Eunuch Su subconsciously had some suspicions in his heart. The Grand Prince was weak. Could it also be because of Concubine Shu's actions?

It is not surprising that Eunuch Su is now slightly thinking about the Grand Prince. Although the Grand Prince has never visited Emperor Hongming in Jing Yang Palace, the food and clothing are the same. The medicinal soup drunk by Emperor Hongming is also improved many times.

Not to mention the Grand Prince's diligence in political affairs, just looking at the miracle medicine he took the trouble to find for Emperor Hongming, Eunuch Su doesn't believe that the Grand Prince is really as cold-blooded, ruthless, and treacherous as he appears to be.

And Eunuch Su was used to seeing dirty affairs in the palace. He knew that after the Empress's death, the Emperor's favored Concubine Shu brought harm to the Grand Prince. He could think of the Grand Prince's complicated feelings for Emperor Hongming, so he slowly had his own thoughts in mind.

But it was the first time that Emperor Hongming heard such words, and Eunuch Su was afraid that Emperor Hongming would not be able to bear it, so he paid close attention to Emperor Hongming's face.

He only saw this old Emperor's face was expressionless. Emperor Hongming listened to the old physician's words and turned his head to look at the murmuring palace maid.

"It was the Third Prince who pushed the First Prince..."

"It was the Third Prince who burned the First Prince's schoolwork..."

"It was the Third Prince who caused the First Prince to fall from his horse..."

"It was the Third Prince..."

Emperor Hongming's face changed several times, first in shock, then in bewilderment, and finally showing extreme pain.

Finally, his gaze sullenly swept over the two kneeling on the ground. After a long time, his lips shivered, spitting out the words, "I do not believe!"

"It must be that sinful son who sent someone to deceive me. Do you think that I will believe this made-up story?"

Emperor Hongming was furious. He angrily brushed off the ornaments on the table with one sleeve and pointed at the old physician and the palace maid, "Take them down and beat them with eighty boards! How dare you make up lies to deceive me! This is a crime of deceiving the Emperor. Execute their clans!"

The dying physician was not frightened by Emperor Hongming's anger. He knelt down and said, "I am telling the truth. I have done all the bad things and lost my conscience. In my early years, my family was ruined, and all my relatives passed away for no reason. It was all because of retribution. I only hope that this confession can accumulate virtue for the next life."

At this time, Chen Bing led another group of people in.

These people were all death row inmates in the Imperial prison. They were fed with the poison taken by the Empress before, and their conditions at various stages were presented in front of the Emperor's eyes.

Emperor Hongming's eyes were red like weeping blood. He carefully looked through several death row inmates and suddenly staggered and fainted as he closed his eyes.

"

"

Qing Yun left the Capital and quickly rushed towards Xiangzhou.

At night it rained lightly, and his entourage was afraid he would catch a cold and get sick, so they discussed staying at an inn along the road.

After bathing, Qing Yun looked at the secret report that came to him and pulled the corners of his lips.

The Third Prince has people in the Capital, so he naturally also placed eyes in the Third Prince's side. When he heard about the conflict between General Qi and the Third Prince as well as Yang Hui's performance in the secret report, Qing Yun focused on the sentence "General Qi was so angry that he flung his sleeves and left" and lightly hummed.

He passed by this place with his men and horses. He saw some men around who were dressed as farmers but had muscular arms and legs, so he naturally knew that this place should be the residence of Qi Yue and the Third Prince.

On this trip to Xiangzhou, Qing Yun did not bring too many people with him. Still, with that man's resourcefulness, he should not be unaware of his arrival.

Heh, who cares if he comes or not.

Qing Yun retracted his thoughts, looked at the news from the Capital from Chen Bing, and put pen to paper to write down a prescription.

Emperor Hongming has long since reached the end of his life span, and it was Qing Yun who used medicine to keep him alive. But after all, in this world, there is no method to change fate against the heavens. Emperor Hongming takes medication frequently, but the effect is not as good as before.

So to keep Emperor Hongming alive, Qing Yun would have to take the trouble to improve the remedy.

When he thought of the performance of Emperor Hongming, the sarcastic smile at the corner of his mouth became even bigger. There is no telling how the Emperor would react if he knew that the woman he thought was virtuous and loving was actually a poisonous woman. And that the third prince, who was considered righteous and broad-minded, was a hungry wolf with a dark mind that could trap even his own brothers.

Although Chen Bing said that Emperor Hongming was furious, Qing Yun was not afraid that he did not believe it. The reason is that Emperor Hongming is certainly not unbelieving but simply does not dare to let himself believe.

Qi Yue led several brothers into the inn, and while he asked for wine from the waiter, he secretly observed several guards with swords at a table next to him.

"Boss, from the Capital." The military commander winked at him.

Scanning the mark on the hilt of the guard's sword, Qi Yue knew that these people were not only from the Capital but also from the imperial palace. They heard that the first prince had left the Capital to go south, and if they count the days, they should have arrived here if they are fast.

His eyes subtly glanced towards the guest room upstairs. Is the Grand Prince now also in the inn?

But apart from these few guards, there are only a few imperial horses outside the inn, two carriages, and no military escort. If it was the prince traveling, the procession was a bit too shabby.

Lowering his head and taking a sip of the liquor, Qi Yue suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu with his current doubts.

When he went to the Qing Yang House to assassinate the Grand Prince, he felt that the Grand Prince was not surrounded by enough people. Eventually, the Grand Prince was really not in, and it was only the youth in the room.

Thinking of this, Qi Yue's eyes flashed a strange color. Then, today...may also be him?

This thought made Qi Yue immediately jumped up, and also, the vague doubts in his heart were suppressed.

Recently, Qi Yue's irritable mood because of the Third Prince's move to provoke war has slowly improved. He thought about what the young man would do if he were faced with the situation he is currently facing.

The Third Prince is bent on attacking the Capital with troops. Yang Hui and his persuasion are not of any use, while the youth was able to persuade the oppressive and gloomy prince without a hint of fault.

Qi Yue sighed with lament. He turned his head slightly sideways, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking slowly down the stairs. He immediately forgot the wine in his hand.

Is it really him?

The military commander also saw that person and was immediately astonished. He remembered that this young man named Xiang Feng had fought with their General, so he might recognize him.

But the military commander thought for a moment and put his heart at ease. Although the young man recognized the General's identity before, he and the General were both masked at the time. Now, if they do not make a move, they may not necessarily be recognized.

As soon as they saw Qing Yun come downstairs, several guards at the neighboring table immediately stood up and said respectfully, "Gongzi!"

"No need to be polite." The youth waved his hand and walked over towards this side in a leisurely manner.

As the young man walked in, the military commander's heart tightened. He thought that the youth was able to fight their General to a draw, and martial artists are very sensitive to the scent of others, so what if he recognized them by instinct?

The General was ordered to guard the north. As a rule, he could not return to the Capital from the north without the Emperor's decree, let alone with three troops.

If the youth recognized their identity, they could be branded as rebels immediately, and perhaps even the Third Prince would be exposed. Then, all of them would be wiped out.

The military commander clenched his fist under the table, but when he looked up, he saw his general looking like he was charmed, and his eyes were almost glued to the young man. He immediately covered his face and sighed.

General, ah, General, you must remember that you went to murder someone, not to go on a blind date ah. How come you are not even a little self-conscious of being caught but is full of joy like meeting an old lover?

As if sensing someone's increasingly heated gaze, the military commander saw the young man turn his face toward this side of the table.

Qing Yun's gaze playfully swept over the masculine man staring at him. This man was tall with a muscular body, which lined with the gray clothing on his body perfectly. The man's features are also extremely profound. The sharpness of the wind and sand of the border brought some indescribable charm to this man.

But now, this mature and majestic face reveals an air of foolishness, which inexplicably reminds people of some kind of large dog that is outwardly ferocious but silly in front of its master.

The focused, fiery gaze that had been watching him for several worlds almost undisguisedly revealed to Qing Yun the identity of this man.

Pleased by this person's silly expression, Qing Yun snickered in his heart. This foolish appearance is still pretending to be a farmer?

Feeling the pair of slightly upturned eyes sweeping over himself, Qi Yue felt hot where the man's gaze was, and his ears could not help but become red.

Does he recognize me?

There is no panic in his heart. Instead, Qi Yue felt an unprecedented surge of joy in his heart. The planning and calmness in his head all flew to the clouds. He simply stood up and stared at the youth with a burning gaze: "Long time no see, Gongzi, how have you been? "

Hearing Qi Yue's words, the military commander was so frightened that he fell under the table.

So, he was worried about being recognized, but the main person just announced himself.