good season

When Emperor Yongjia arrived at Wuji Palace, the retired emperor was already barely breathing and was on the verge of death.

"How was the Emperor Emeritus poisoned?" Emperor Yongjia asked in a deep voice.

Wang Daban cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus was meditating when he suddenly swayed. I was serving him at the time and rushed forward to support him. His condition was exactly the same as it is now."

In other words, once the poison in the Emperor Emeritus took effect, it was already incurable.

Emperor Yongjia's gaze swept across everyone's faces like a knife, finally landing on Zhao Guanyue: "Guanyue, where were you at that time?"

Zhao Guanyue hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I was still in the incense room when Wang Daban sent someone over, and that's why I rushed over here."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than an angry voice rang out from outside: "Zhao Guanyue, you're lying!"

Emperor Yongjia's tightly furrowed brows twitched almost imperceptibly; it was the Third Prince's voice.

The Third Prince strode in and bowed respectfully to Emperor Yongjia: "Father, I just searched Zhao Guanyue's boudoir and found this!"

As he spoke, he waved behind him, and a eunuch walked in tremblingly, carrying a sandalwood tray in his hands.

Emperor Yongjia's gaze fell on a porcelain jar above and he asked, "What is this?"

The Third Prince glared at Zhao Guanyue and said to Emperor Yongjia, "Your Majesty, this was found in Zhao Guanyue's boudoir. I have already asked Physician Jiang and Physician Han to identify it, and they both recognized it as 'Ghost Flower Seed,' a deadly poison from Japan. Those who are poisoned by this will have symptoms just like the Emperor Emeritus. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can summon Physician Jiang and Physician Han, and they will know the answer."

Emperor Yongjia nodded slightly, and Shi Daban immediately went out. Physician Jiang, Physician Han, and more than a dozen other physicians were waiting outside the door. Upon hearing the announcement, Physician Jiang and Physician Han came in.

Emperor Yongjia pointed to the porcelain bottle and asked, "Do you recognize this poison?"

Physician Jiang stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, although this poison comes from Japan, it is not uncommon in Dayong. More than twenty years ago, there were many cases of people being harmed by this poison along the southeast coast. Physician Han and I were ordered to go to the southeast coast to assist the local government in solving the case. We personally saw many patients who were injured by this poison. Their symptoms were no different from those of the Emperor Emeritus. Later, the case was solved, the murderer was caught, and we followed the clues to catch a Japanese merchant. We also found a large amount of 'ghost flower seeds' in the merchant's house. The color and smell of those 'ghost flower seeds' were exactly the same as those in this porcelain bottle.”

The old physician Han added, "Back then, I was also present and even tried this poison. Alas, this poison takes effect slowly, usually seven to ten days, but once it takes effect, there is no cure."

Emperor Yongjia frowned deeply and asked, "Is there no cure?"

Both Physician Jiang and Physician Han wore grave expressions: "We are incompetent."

Emperor Yongjia then looked at Imperial Physician Han, who was standing beside the retired emperor. Imperial Physician Han was the cousin of the old imperial physician Han, and his medical skills were even better than those of the old imperial physician Han.

"Can't even Imperial Physician Han resolve this?"

Imperial Physician Han knelt down, lifting his robe: "Your Majesty, please forgive my incompetence. I still have no way to cure this poison."

Emperor Yongjia looked up to the sky and sighed deeply, covering his face with his sleeve, unable to utter a sound of grief.

The third prince cried out urgently, "Father, it was Zhao Guanyue who poisoned Grandfather! You must avenge Grandfather! You cannot let him get away with this!"

Emperor Yongjia sighed again, his gaze towards Zhao Guanyue filled with reproach: "Guanyue, the Emperor Emeritus treated you well, why did you plot against him?"

Zhao Guanyue pursed her lips tightly and remained silent.

Emperor Yongjia was annoyed by his son's lack of ambition and shook his head helplessly. He asked the Third Prince, "Do you know how he poisoned the Emperor Emeritus?"

The Third Prince then looked at Wang Daban: "Daban, where is that string of incense beads?"

Wang Daban hurriedly waved his hand: "I've put away that string of incense beads. I dare not take it out. What if it hurts His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, Physician Jiang said, "Soaking the fragrant beads in water will not harm others as long as they do not accidentally ingest the water."

The Third Prince said, "Wang Daban, why don't you hurry up and bring the incense beads?"

Wang Daban agreed and walked away with small steps. A moment later, he came back carrying a large bowl. What was soaking in the bowl was a bracelet made of eighteen fragrant beads.

The incense beads were made of sandalwood, but as soon as they were soaked in water, the water turned a bright pink, a color that was unsettlingly vivid.

The Third Prince gritted his teeth when he saw the basin of peach-colored water: "Zhao Guanyue, this is the evidence of your crimes. You soaked the fragrant beads in the ghost flower seeds. The fragrant beads absorbed the deadly poison of the ghost flower seeds. Seven days ago, you presented this string of fragrant beads to the Emperor Emeritus. The Emperor Emeritus wore the fragrant beads on his body and played with them every day. The poison in the fragrant beads entered the Emperor Emeritus's body. On the seventh day, which is today, it finally took effect!"

Zhao Guanyue, you are so vicious and cruel!
"If it weren't for Physician Jiang and Physician Han having seen this poison in their younger days, you would have gotten away with it today."

To prove that the incense beads were indeed poisonous, the Third Prince had a live chicken brought in and poured the water that had been used to soak the beads down its throat. A moment later, the chicken flapped its wings and collapsed to the ground. Although it was still alive, it did not move.

At this point, the evidence is conclusive that Zhao Guanyue poisoned the Emperor Emeritus.

Emperor Yongjia was furious: "Zhao Guanyue, how dare you! Guards, draft an edict: Zhao Guanyue is vicious by nature and of low character, unworthy to be Emperor Xiaokang's heir. His imperial surname is revoked, and he is to be changed to the surname Li. He shall be executed by slow slicing as a warning to others!"

Where is Lu Qian?

Lu Qian walked in from outside: "Your subject is here."

"Lu Qian, investigate whether Li Guanyue has any accomplices. Once found, all of them should be imprisoned and executed immediately!"

Several Imperial Guards stepped forward and bound Zhao Guanyue—no, now Li Guanyue—with all their might.

Lu Qian led his men to search Wuji Temple, but they did not find Shen Wangxing or Niqiu. The Third Prince was secretly pleased to see him return empty-handed.

Those two boys have already been bribed by me, otherwise where would the beggar girls in the boudoir have come from?

Wasn't it those two kids who put it in?

Those two lads are greedy and loose-lipped. They can betray Zhao Guanyue to me, and they can also betray me to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In this world, only the dead are truly reliable.

At this very moment, those two boys must have already gone to become ghosts.

Although this was the Emperor's order, and Lu Qian was one of the Emperor's men, there were so many people in the Embroidered Uniform Guard that there were bound to be some who were not of one mind with Lu Qian, so we could not be careless.

Unable to find Shen Wangxing and Niqiu, Lu Qian had no choice but to capture more than a dozen Taoist priests. Zhao Guanyue and the other two had been staying at the Taoist temple with the Emperor Emeritus and had dealings with these priests, so they might know something.

The retired emperor remained in the same condition. Emperor Yongjia looked at his pale face and closed eyes and sneered inwardly.

You want to protect your grandson? Can you even do it? You can't even protect yourself!

Now you can only lie here like a living dead, while your grandson is changed to the surname Li by me and expelled from the royal family.

Soon, he will be torn to pieces and go to see that fool Zhao Xian.

I just don't know, which of you, grandfather and grandson, will die first, you or him?
Oh, and when you get to the underworld and see Zhao Xian, be sure to tell him that I made sure he had no descendants, no descendants at all!

Just then, a palace attendant came in from outside: "Your Majesty, Prince Fu and Prince Lu have both come after learning that the Emperor Emeritus has been poisoned, and they are outside now."

No sooner had the first eunuch finished speaking than another eunuch rushed in: "Your Majesty, the Duke of Dingguo and the Duke of Weiguo have also arrived."

"Young Master Xiao from the Princess's residence has arrived!"

"The Imperial Clan Court Commander Zhao Chen has arrived!"

Emperor Yongjia frowned; they had arrived quickly. Upon learning that the Emperor Emeritus had been poisoned, Emperor Yongjia did not order a news blackout. On the contrary, he wanted everyone to know that the Emperor Emeritus had been poisoned, and that the culprit was Zhao Guanyue.

"Let them in."

"Your Majesty, my brother, please open your eyes and look at your younger brother! Your younger brother is here! Your younger brother is here!"

Prince Lu rushed to the bedside and burst into tears. His movements were so violent that he knocked over Prince Lu's heir, who was supporting him. Prince Lu's heir knelt on the ground, opened his mouth wide, and cried out in a deafening voice.

Prince Fu came alone. There was no heir in Prince Fu's mansion. His good-for-nothing son was still farming on the estate, and his grandson Zhao Tingluo was still young. Prince Fu did not let him come along because he was worried that the old man Prince Lu would use this as an excuse to cause trouble. However, when he saw that only Prince Lu's heir had come and not those two rascals, Prince Fu was relieved. We are indeed brothers.

Seeing Prince Lu and his son crying their hearts out, Prince Fu hugged the Third Prince without saying a word: "Third Prince, Third Prince, good child, tell me quickly, what exactly happened? Your grandfather was perfectly fine, how did he end up like this?"

The Third Prince was taken aback. Why was this old man asking him this?

He had no choice but to recount the events. Upon hearing that Zhao Guanyue had poisoned him, Prince Fu gritted his teeth and was about to go and fight Zhao Guanyue when he was stopped by the Duke of Wei, who entered shortly afterward: "Your Highness, please calm down. His Majesty has already sentenced him to death by a thousand cuts, avenging the retired Emperor."

Prince Fu looked at Emperor Yongjia: "Lingchi? Really?"

Emperor Yongjia nodded: "Yes, I have made my judgment."

Prince Fu seemed to finally feel relieved, but the next moment, he started again.

"Where is Consort Li? Why didn't Consort Li come? She was the Emperor's favorite. Why didn't she come to see him off on his final journey?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Lu stopped crying: "And Consort Meng, let her come too."

Prince Fu glared at him: "What is Consort Meng doing here? She has not been able to give birth to a prince. There is no need for her to come. Let Consort Li come instead. There is no Empress Dowager in the palace. Consort Li is equivalent to the Empress Dowager!"

As he spoke, Prince Fu looked at Zhao Chen and asked, "Don't you agree?"

Zhao Chen hummed in agreement, but then looked at Emperor Yongjia: "Consort Li is virtuous and kind, and is the birth mother of Your Majesty. She should be the Empress Dowager. Now, Your Majesty, the retired emperor, earnestly request Your Majesty to bestow the title on behalf of your father."

Appointed on behalf of his father!

Such things happened in previous dynasties and in this dynasty as well, but the emperor cannot bring it up on his own initiative. However, it is perfectly legitimate for two princes of the imperial uncle level and Zhao Chen, a senior member of the imperial clan and the head of the Imperial Clan Court, to bring it up.

The emperor had been on the throne for many years, but his birth mother was only a concubine, which was by no means a source of pride for the emperor.

However, the retired emperor was still alive, and Emperor Yongjia could not grant a title to his birth mother before him. All he could do was wait until Consort Li died to posthumously confer a title, but even if he did, the retired emperor had to die before Consort Li.

If the retired emperor were to cultivate immortality and live to become a centenarian, Consort Li would only ever be a consort until her death.

But now the opportunity has arrived.

Emperor Yongjia had a sudden thought: Yes, since the retired emperor is about to die, why not take advantage of him before he dies and make full use of him?

There is a difference between being posthumously honored and being granted an official title while still alive.

Although Emperor Yongjia also looked down on Consort Li, his birth mother, he did not want future historical records to show that he had been emperor for many years while his birth mother could only be posthumously honored, which would only make him a laughing stock.

"Alright, someone, go and fetch Consort Li here. The young princes may also come along."

Emperor Yongjia was referring to the youngest prince, not the other princes. After all, apart from the third prince in front of him, the fourth and fifth princes were still alive, one waiting to die in the imperial prison and the other waiting to die in his residence.

Cining Palace.

Since learning that the Emperor Emeritus had died from poisoning, Consort Li has been in a state of high excitement.

She never dared to dream that the Emperor Emeritus would die before her.

Everyone says that the Emperor Emeritus has attained enlightenment. Consort Li even dreamed that the Emperor Emeritus lived for two or three hundred years, outliving her, Emperor Yongjia, and all the princes.

After waking up from the dream, she was so frightened that she drank a bowl of calming soup.

Now that's good, that old man is finally going to die, and he'll never know that secret until he dies!
After a brief moment of joy, Consort Li began cursing again, saying that the old man was too wicked and had never made her empress before he died.

Thinking about it this way, Consort Li became anxious and uncertain again.

Just then, a eunuch rushed into Cining Palace, panting, and said to the eunuch at the door, "Quickly, quickly go and inform the Empress Dowager, His Majesty, His Majesty, His Majesty has sent someone to fetch her, she, she is here!"

Upon learning that Emperor Yongjia had come to fetch her, Consort Li was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Old Madam Wei, who was resting with her eyes closed.

"Sister, should I go?"

Old Madam Wei snorted coldly: "That's your husband. Even though you're just a concubine, your husband is dying. Can you not go? Do you dare not go? If you don't go, do you think your son will let you off the hook?"

Consort Li bit her lip hard to keep herself from retorting.

That's how it is. This cousin of mine has always been like this, always saying that I am a concubine.

I've already risen to the rank of Imperial Concubine Dowager, but if my cousin opens her mouth, I'm still just a concubine!

All these years later, in my cousin's eyes, I am still that poor relative who relied on the main branch, an unworthy collateral relative.

In my cousin's opinion, everyone in the palace except the empress was a concubine, and so were the imperial concubines!

If I were the Empress Dowager, she wouldn't dare utter the word "concubine" even if she had the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard!
Consort Li gritted her teeth, but could only swallow her words.

She dared not refute, fearing that Old Madam Wei would bring up that matter again.

Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything to Old Madam Wei. If Old Madam Wei died in the palace, people outside the palace would spread the news. So she dared not, and could only endure it.

Fortunately, Madam Wei was even older than her and had suffered from a serious illness; the imperial physician said she wouldn't live much longer.

"Come here, change your clothes!"

Unbeknownst to Consort Li, no sooner had she left Cining Palace than Zhao Tingluo led several people into Cining Palace and approached Old Madam Wei.

"Madam, do you still remember me? My name is Zhao Tingluo. I am the grandson of Prince Fu, the grand-nephew of the Emperor Emeritus, and, moreover, a true descendant of the founding emperor, without a doubt!"

Half an hour later, Consort Li, accompanied by the Empress, arrived at Wuji Temple in plain clothes.

Several young princes followed closely behind.

Emperor Yongjia did not issue an edict summoning the eldest princess in the capital, as well as other members of the imperial family, but the empress and Consort Li saw a group of imperial family members disembarking from their carriages in front of the Wuji Temple. Even the hostages of the Eighth Prince in the capital had arrived.

Consort Li squinted her eyes. Why were there so many people?

Suddenly, she saw a familiar face. She was startled, rubbed her eyes, and looked again, but the person had already disappeared.

Her heart pounded. "I must be seeing things," she thought.

Otherwise, how could I have seen Xu Lang? (End of Chapter)