Hou Ye's palm heart is a black lotus

Chapter 716 Blood Relatives (First Update)
A heavy, oppressive aura gripped the heart!
Anyone could hear the anger in his words!

Fan Chengzhuo, an official of the imperial court, was secretly poisoned by someone. If it hadn't happened today, everyone would probably still be in the dark!
Thinking about it carefully, how terrifying!
Especially... the people sent from the Southern Barbarians haven't even arrived in the capital yet, but this Gu poison technique has already been used on the officials in the capital!
How could Emperor Muwu not be furious!

This vast capital city is probably already riddled with holes!
"Your Majesty, calm down."

Surprisingly, Ye Chutang spoke first. Her eyes were lowered, and her tone remained calm and composed.
"It cannot yet be confirmed that Lord Fan's illness is caused by poisoning. In my opinion, we still need to observe him carefully."

These words did not serve as any consolation to Emperor Muwu at this time.

If it were just ordinary poisoning, how could such strange bluish-black blood streaks appear on Fan Chengzhuo's arm?

Moreover, in such a short period of time, a person's energy and spirit were completely drained, turning them into a useless person!
Emperor Muwu had long heard of the Nanhu's witchcraft, especially since Tuoba Yu was currently imprisoned in the palace, and the Nanhu royal family was rushing over with their entourage...

All of this left him no choice but to overthink!
What's especially strange is...

"Fan Chengzhuo," Emperor Mu Wu said in a deep voice, "step forward and answer."

Fan Chengzhuo was unable to move at this time, but the guards reacted quickly and immediately carried him forward.

Fan Chengzhuo barely managed to kneel and prostrate himself on the ground.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

"I'm asking you," Emperor Mu Wu seemed to have lost his patience, "you've been on sick leave for so long, did you already know your body had become like this?"

Fan Chengzhuo's heart skipped a beat.

"Your Majesty, this humble subject...this humble subject only felt a slight cold before, but it lingered for a long time, so I stayed home to recuperate. As for...as for this..."

His voice was very weak, and as he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at his arm.

"I was unaware of this situation before... I fainted once yesterday and only woke up this morning. Perhaps... perhaps this has just happened..."

It sounds like even he himself doesn't know where this line of blood came from.

Naturally, they knew nothing about anything related to "poisoning" or "gu".

"is it?"

Emperor Mu Wu, however, did not seem to believe it. His old and sharp eyes fell on Fan Chengzhuo, as if trying to find a flaw in his face.

"To be honest, you haven't been sick for very long, but it seems unusually serious. I remember when I saw you last month, you were full of energy, and now you've become like this in the blink of an eye. I heard you didn't even call the imperial physician?"

The last sentence, seemingly casual, struck Fan Chengzhuo's heart like a heavy hammer!

His face turned even paler, and he knelt down and kowtowed to defend himself.

"Your Majesty, please understand. I, I am truly ashamed of my actions!"

Emperor Muwu remained motionless, as if waiting for his explanation.

Fan Chengzhuo was drenched in cold sweat, and every word he uttered was a struggle.

“Your humble servant knows he has made a mistake and has been unable to sleep day and night since being demoted. After falling ill, he has been worried and his health has deteriorated. However, he dared not bother others and did not ask the imperial physician to examine his pulse... That is why it has been delayed until today.”

There is some truth in this.

From a once-glorious Minister of Justice, he was demoted to a fifth-rank official and was secretly despised and avoided by countless people.

But... not only did they not invite the imperial physician, they didn't even invite a regular doctor?
Emperor Muwu looked at him, his tone softening slightly.

"Your health is paramount; there's no need for this. Even a better doctor would have been better than this." Fan Chengzhuo coughed a few times, then smiled bitterly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but I never expected my illness to become so serious..."

"Speaking of which, the servants in Lord Fan's residence are really too negligent," Ye Chutang suddenly said. "The other day when I met Lord Fan, I had already written down a prescription and told him to take the medicine carefully and take care of his health. But judging from Lord Fan's condition, the servants in your residence have not taken good care of him, and haven't even brewed a single dose of the medicine?"

As Ye Chutang spoke, a faint coldness appeared between her brows and eyes.

"Even though Lord Fan has no family by his side, these servants are all paid monthly wages and should be doing their jobs properly. How come Lord Fan is being bullied by these servants now that he is ill?"

Before Fan Chengzhuo passed the imperial examination, he had been married off once in his hometown, which made many prominent families who wanted to take him as their son-in-law quite regretful.

Some people suggested that he divorce his wife and remarry, but he refused sternly and even kicked the woman out of the house, never to see her again.

This incident became a widely praised story, with everyone saying that Fan Chengzhuo was deeply affectionate and loyal.

But when he later sent someone to his hometown to bring his wife to Beijing, he learned that she was already seriously ill and died not long after.

Fan Chengzhuo was deeply saddened and never married again.

However, this only made him more famous, and he rose through the ranks to become a high-ranking official.

If it weren't for what happened later, he would be in an even higher position of power now.

Fan Chengzhuo's face stiffened, and he almost uncontrollably wanted to turn around and look.

But he still held back.

Xie Anbai, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, his tone neither warm nor cold.

"Miss Ye and her family love each other dearly and have supported each other through years of hardship, which is truly rare. I'm afraid they don't understand that some families only think about harming each other, and some can even abandon their own parents. As for relatives... it's better to have none than to have them."

These words instantly touched a nerve with Xie Anjun.

He immediately jumped up and shouted, "Who are you insulting?!"

Xie Anbai glanced at him amusedly, "Why is Marquis Zhongyong so agitated? I only said a few words, and I didn't even mention you. Why are you so angry?"

"you--"

Xie Anjun then realized he had lost his composure, his face burning with embarrassment, wishing he could disappear into a hole in the ground.

Xie Anbai seemed unaware of how harsh his words were, and raised his chin slightly.

"These things vary from person to person; there are bad ones and good ones. Look, I see that Lord Zheng cares a lot about Lord Fan. I heard that the two are cousins ​​and don't see each other often, yet they still care so much about each other. It's truly touching."

As he spoke, his expression grew increasingly wistful, as if he were recalling something.

"However, in the beginning, it was Lord Fan who disregarded his own health and went to the palace to clear Lord Zheng's name... Such friendship is even more precious. I really envy him."

Xie Anbai spoke these words with a very serious expression, his sincerity reaching its peak.

He was really speaking from the heart.

But to Fan Chengzhuo, it was a death sentence!
Fan Chengzhuo's lips trembled a few times. "Between blood relatives, this is how it should be... Besides, I know he's innocent, how can I just stand by and watch him—"

Emperor Mu Wu suddenly laughed.

"Even now, you still say he's innocent?"