Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 394 Questioning
boom!
The door bearing couldn't withstand the brute force and broke with a screeching sound.

The gates of the Zichen Palace swung open, and a chilling wind, carrying the stench of blood, rushed in...

Xiao Wenyuan was the first to rush into the inner hall, hot blood dripping from his blade. "Your Majesty, I have come to your rescue—ah!"

The words stopped abruptly.

His expression froze, his excitement turning into shock.

On the dragon bed, the emperor, who had been fast asleep, was leaning against a bright yellow pillow. His eyes were clear and sharp, like two curved blades, staring straight at him, as if he were looking at a clown.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

The steel knife in his hand clattered to the ground.

Xiao Wenyuan was terrified, his mind went blank for a moment.

His knees buckled, as if his bones had been pulled out, and he knelt on the golden bricks with a thud. Only then did he realize that a young man dressed in a light white robe was standing quietly beside the emperor's dragon bed.

His posture was upright and elegant, and his face was calm yet unfamiliar.

"Your Majesty, I... I deserve to die..."

He stammered and couldn't form coherent sentences.

Emperor Chongzhao did not speak, nor did he have time to speak...

Li Yan, who was right behind him, rushed into the main hall.

He ran so fast he almost tripped over the threshold, cursing under his breath. Unlike Xiao Wenyuan, he wasn't in a hurry to see the ailing emperor in the inner chambers; instead, he went straight to the imperial desk and reached out to rummage through it…

Just as he touched the memorial on the table, he caught sight of Empress Dowager Chengqing lying motionless on the cushioned daybed beside the imperial desk, her eyes closed, her face ashen…

He was startled and blurted out, "Grandmother..."

After shouting, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and turned around abruptly.

Wang Chengxi stood behind him, looking at him with eyes full of disappointment.

"What is Your Highness Prince Wei looking for?"

Li Yan opened his mouth, unable to answer for a moment, and stubbornly argued, "Didn't you see the Empress Dowager lying here? Are you blind? Why don't you go and call the imperial physician?"

"Third brother!" A deep, stern voice came from the palace gate, following Li Huan's hurried footsteps.

He strode closer, coldly glaring at him, his robe stained with blood, his entire aura chilling and intimidating.

"Why is Third Brother in such a hurry? Why is he so eager to take action?"

Li Yan froze.

She raised her head slightly, her gaze meeting Li Huan's unfathomable eyes.

"What do you mean by that, Second Brother?"

"Your Majesty is unwell, yet you disregard strict orders and trespass into the Forbidden City. What are your intentions?"

Li Yan was stunned by his question, and his face turned red as he shouted, "They attacked first... I came to protect you."

"Protecting the Emperor?" Li Huan's gaze swept over the wide-open gate and looked at the corpses lying haphazardly outside the hall. "Leading the Imperial Guards to storm the palace and kill people, is this what you call protecting the Emperor?"

"What utter nonsense are you spouting..."

Li Yan was so angry at his blaming that his face turned red. Just as he was about to lash out, Emperor Chongzhao coughed from the inner palace. He was panting so hard that he looked like he was about to cough up his lungs.

"You two, get inside with me..."

Change can happen in the blink of an eye.

The wind outside the hall seemed to have stopped—

The three groups of people who were just shouting and fighting, vying to protect the emperor, were now frozen in place as if under a spell.

Inside the inner hall, Xiao Wenyuan knelt on the ground, his face ashen, trembling like a leaf, his forehead pressed against the cold gold bricks, not even daring to raise his head.

Li Huan exclaimed in surprise, "Father!" and then rushed in with delight, throwing his robes up and kneeling before the dragon bed, his voice deliberately trembling.

"Father, you're awake?"

Li Yan's face was still showing shock, and his frozen expression was particularly comical.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, he slowly shuffled inside and knelt beside Li Huan.

"Father, please forgive me... Your son has arrived late to save you..."

"Rescue me?" Emperor Chongzhao sneered. "...Should I...reward you?"

Li Yan looked embarrassed.

The chaotic sounds of fighting outside the hall had completely subsided.

Heavy footsteps approached from afar, the clanging of armor producing a cold sound.

Chen Tu strode into the hall, exuding a chilling, blood-soaked aura. Upon seeing the scene inside, he paused slightly, then knelt on one knee, his voice booming:
"We, your humble servants, failed in our duty to protect Your Majesty, allowing these villains to disturb Your Majesty's presence. We deserve to die a thousand deaths... The traitors fled in all directions, and we were unable to capture them all. The remaining rebels... are being pursued with all our might. We beg Your Majesty to punish us..."

Emperor Chongzhao waved his hand, slightly out of breath.

"Rise, you have rendered meritorious service in protecting me... Continue to patrol the palace and eliminate the remaining villains... I... will reward you accordingly..."

Chen Tu kowtowed in gratitude, clutching his injured arm, and slowly bowed as he retreated. The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Emperor Chongzhao slowly raised his eyes, "You... you armed yourselves and forced me to abdicate, do you wish for this old body of mine to be buried sooner?"

Li Yan stammered, repeatedly apologizing.

"Father, I was truly worried about your safety and acted rashly for a moment..."

Xiao Wenyuan kowtowed repeatedly, "Your Majesty, upon learning of the rebellion, I came to protect you, but unexpectedly saw Prince Wei charging at the guards. In my haste, I took action..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan's eyes reddened with rage, and he glared fiercely at him, "Xiao Wenyuan—you're spouting nonsense! Who doesn't know that your Xiao family and the Prince Duan's mansion are in cahoots? You were acting under the orders of the Second Prince..."

Xiao Wenyuan clenched his teeth.

He certainly harbored resentment towards Li Huan.

But when the time came, he had to protect Li Huan in order to preserve the Xiao family's hopes.

"Your Highness, King Wei, why are you biting me?"

Xiao Wenyuan argued with a flushed face, then suddenly kowtowed to Emperor Chongzhao, crying out in anguish, "Your Majesty, I have committed the crime of negligence, and I regret it deeply... I did not heed the advice of Prince Duan, which led to this great disaster."

Emperor Chongzhao looked at Li Huan.

Waiting to hear his explanation.

Li Huan lowered his eyes and took a slight breath.

"Father, I heard there was trouble in the palace and was worried about the safety of Zichen Palace, so I rashly entered the palace... I didn't expect to find Lord Xiao and my third brother fighting each other. I couldn't stop them in time. I am guilty..."

"You unfilial son...you treacherous minister..." Emperor Chongzhao on the dragon bed throbbed violently, his clenched fists bulging with veins, and his throat rumbling with phlegm. After a long while, he finally uttered a sentence full of anger.

"They all deserve to die!"

Before the word "death" had even left his lips, he suddenly arched his back and coughed up a mouthful of dark red blood, splattering it onto the bright yellow curtains.

"Your Majesty!" Wang Chengxi exclaimed in shock.

In that split second, Tian Shu stepped forward, firmly supporting the emperor's back, and calmly placed his fingers on the emperor's wrist.

Everyone held their breath and concentrated.

Their gazes fell upon the young man before them, and they were all filled with trepidation…

Inside the main hall, only Tian Shu remained calm and composed, his stern face as still as an abyss.

"Your Majesty must not lose your temper. Anger will only worsen your condition."

He speaks concisely and calmly, yet possesses a calming power...

Emperor Chongzhao, panting, took a deep breath and waved his hand.

"You...do you know your crime...?"

The emperor's anger was understandable.

However, her newly awakened body couldn't withstand too much exertion, and she was already panting after just a few words...

Upon seeing this, Li Huan quickly kowtowed and said, "Father, please take care of your health. It is all our fault for being so reckless and offending you..."

Emperor Chongzhao stared at him coldly, without saying a word.

"Father..." Li Yan hurriedly began, attempting to explain, "Your subject did not intend to enter the palace. It is all the Crown Prince's fault for being disobedient, which has drawn criticism from the court and the public... Your subject was worried about Your Majesty's health, and in a moment of panic, I led the troops to protect Your Majesty..."

This was the most respectable excuse he could come up with in a short time. Even though everyone knew it was just a pretext…

"Oh, is it so……"

Emperor Chongzhao was not angry, but laughed instead.

"You accuse the Crown Prince of treason, but do you have any real evidence? If there is no evidence, then you are... framing the Crown Prince, and your intentions are despicable..."

Li Yan looked at Li Huan, then at Xiao Wenyuan. Seeing that both of them were silent with their heads down, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to say, "Since Father Emperor fell seriously ill, the Crown Prince has controlled the government, appointing and dismissing officials entirely at his own discretion..."

He listed Li Zhao's various acts of tyranny...

But when they talked about Li Zhao's ruthless methods, it seemed as if they were taking credit for Li Zhao's actions—after all, after Emperor Chongzhao lost consciousness, it was Li Zhao who stabilized the court and prevented the collapse of discipline.

He stopped abruptly.

He swallowed hard and crawled forward a few steps on his knees.

"Father, the military governor of Longxi, Xiao Yan, rebelled because he was forced into it by the Crown Prince's misrule..."

"Absurd!" Emperor Chongzhao slammed his hand on the edge of the bed, his face turning purple with rage.

"If the traitor had no intention of rebelling, why would he suddenly raise an army?"

An emperor who has ruled for many years is certainly not as naive as Li Yan, who thought that a few slanderous words could shake his foundation. The emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, knew better than anyone else what Xiao Yan was thinking and why Xiao Wenyuan was so impatient.

Emperor Chongzhao glanced at Li Yan indifferently and ignored him.

"Prince Duan, what do you have to say?"

(End of this chapter)