Chapter 1288: Poison Neutralization (3)
Editor:
Atlas Studios
Yan Du looked at him solemnly and said, "Since His Majesty is fine, why do the Forbidden Troops frequently appear around our residences? What is Rong Xuan trying to do by privately mobilizing the Forbidden Troops?"
"There are traitors in the capital. Prime Minister Rong is doing this for the safety of the ministers." A hoarse voice sounded behind everyone.
Everyone turned around and couldnât help but gasp when they saw Qi Haoran staring at them with a frosty gaze.
Although his clothes were covered in mud, his boots were stained with mud, his hair was disheveled, and his face was haggard, he was staring at them with bright eyes, making them shudder.
Qi Haoran strode over and stood beside Rong Xuan. He nodded slightly at Yan Du and said, "Since Minister Yan has doubts, why donât you go to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to inquire? As spying activities have been rampant in the capital recently, I want to capture all of them in one fell swoop. Prime Minister Rong originally wanted to use himself as bait to lure them out. Because he was worried that the ministers would be affected, he sent the Forbidden Troops to pay more attention to your residences. Since youâre not afraid, why donât you share some of the burden for Prime Minister Rong and use yourself as bait?"
Qi Haoran was spouting nonsense, but the ministers could not rebut. With the elderly and young to take care of in their family, how could they dare to use themselves as bait to lure the traitor out?
Therefore, they were all speechless.
Anxious about his big brotherâs situation, Qi Haoran was not in the mood to talk to them. He waved his hand and said, "Iâll leave this matter to the Minister of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to discuss with you. Prime Minister Rong, I still have something to discuss with you."
Rong Xuan hurriedly bade farewell to everyone and led Qi Haoran to the harem.
As Yan Du watched them leave with a dark gaze, he said in a low voice, "Seeing as King Rong rushed back in such a sorry state, something must have happened to His Majesty."
Although it was a whisper, all the officials present heard it.
Some of the officialsâ hearts skipped a beat, and their brain circuits miraculously synchronized with Yan Duâs. However, there were also some who felt at ease and glad. They patted their chests and said, "No matter what, with King Rong back, the court wonât be in chaos."
"Thatâs right, thatâs right. Although King Rong is domineering and unreasonable, heâs a pillar of the country. Although His Highness the Crown Prince is young, he possesses both talent and morals. With King Rongâs support, Great Qi wonât fall into chaos."
Yan Duâs body stiffened. He glanced at the courtiers without batting an eyelid and sneered in his heart.
The ministers who had other thoughts also glanced at those people and thought to themselves, "Idiots."
The current Emperor was the first emperor of Great Qi, and it had only been 14 years since the founding of the country. Even a dynasty that had a long history would fall into chaos when it came to the replacement of the Emperor, let alone Great Qi.
Although the Crown Prince was virtuous and capable, he was only 15 years old after all. Considering he had five younger brothers, it was all too easy for him to change.
Opportunities to gain merits from the Emperor were not always available.
One example would be Prime Minister Rong, who owed what he had today because he had followed the current Emperor before he took the throne, earning him merit. Not only had he been the Left Prime Minister for 14 years, but he had also obtained the title of Duke and could pass the hereditary privilege to five generations!
At this moment, the hearts of many ministers were burning, especially those who had daughters who had given birth to princes. Their hearts almost floated to the sky.
However, Yan Du thought more deeply than them.
Although the Emperor had appointed him to this position after he ascended the throne, he had been suppressed by Rong Xuan for more than ten years. The Crown Prince was also very close to Rong Xuan because of the Emperor, plus there was also Fan Zijin. Once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would have no chance of standing out.
In the previous dynasty, the Yan Family was suppressed by Qin Fang and Emperor Jingyan. Later on, because of the unjust case of his father âbetraying the countryâ, the Yan Clan was suppressed by the world. Although he had been supporting his clan for more than ten years, the Yan Clan was still a level lower than the other aristocratic families and others who had suddenly risen to a high position.
Now was an opportunity.
Qi Haoran and Rong Xuan didnât know what Yan Du and the others were thinking. But even if they knew, they wouldnât take it to heart.
The military seal of the West Mountain camp was in the hands of the Emperor. Although Qi Haoran had been dismissed, he could still command the generals there. With the military authority in his hands, he was not afraid of the courtiers causing trouble.
The only thing Qi Haoran was worried about now was the poison in his big brotherâs body.
Seeing that Qi Xiuyuan was still unconscious, Qi Haoran looked at him worriedly and turned to Rong Xuan. "Have you found out how His Majesty was poisoned?"
Eunuch Wan immediately knelt down and said, "King Rong, the gardener in the imperial garden placed a few pots of trace orchids near the pavilion that His Majesty frequents the most. His Majesty likes to admire the flowers as they sway in the wind. Unexpectedly, someone buried spices similar to the fragrance of the flowers at the root of these orchids. His Majesty inhaled a lot of incense when he viewed the flowers up close, and over the course of one month plus, the poison in His Majestyâs body was slowly drawn out."
"What about the gardener?"
Eunuch Wan said sadly, "After His Majesty fainted at the court assembly, he threw himself into the well and committed suicide. It was also because he died that we discovered it was those pots of flowers."
Otherwise, how could they find the pots of flowers in the imperial garden when the palace was so big?
The spices were buried so discreetly, making it harder to discover them.
After the Emperorâs accident, they had been investigating his food and clothes for clues, but they did not expect that the culprit was the orchids.
With the death of the gardener, all clues were cut off. Now, they could only investigate the way the orchids entered the palace and the people around the gardener, but the results were minimal.
Qi Haoranâs expression darkened. He looked at Yuan Hui and asked, "You still havenât found anyone suitable?"
Yuan Hui shook his head and was about to speak when Li Jinghua said, "You guys should talk in the outer hall."
Yuan Hui glanced at him and turned to leave. Rong Xuan, Eunuch Wan, and the others hurriedly followed. After everyone left, Qi Haoran comforted her softly. "Royal Sister-in-law, donât worry. I wonât let anything happen to Big Brother."
Li Jinghuaâs tears almost fell. She choked and said, "Fourth Uncle, although His Majesty hasnât woken up, he has always been conscious. I just donât want them to discuss this in front of His Majesty."
Shocked, Qi Haoran hurriedly squatted down to look at Qi Xiuyuan.
Tears slowly welled up in the corners of Qi Xiuyuanâs eyes. As Li Jinghua wiped them for him, she said gently to him, "I know. His Majesty must be very anxious to wake up, but the State Preceptor said that itâs better for His Majesty to sleep for the time being. That way, the poison will spread slower." At this point, Li Jinghua couldnât help but cry. She looked up at Qi Haoran. "Fourth Uncle, this is already the fourth day since His Majesty fell into a coma. Everyone in the court is in a panic. Please take charge."
Qi Haoran said softly, "Rest assured, Royal Sister-in-law. I wonât let anything happen to Great Qi."
Qi Haoran took one last glance at Qi Xiuyuan before turning around and striding out.
When Fan Zijin rushed over, he saw him still in a sorry state. So he went forward to touch his clothes and immediately frowned. "Didnât you say that youâve been back for an hour? Why are you still wearing wet clothes? Since Eldest Cousin has already collapsed, what if you, too, fall sick?"
He then went to scold the people serving Qi Haoran. "Even if King Rong doesnât pay attention to such things, donât tell me you guys are blind? Didnât it occur to you to prepare hot water, clean clothes and shoes for him?"
As Qi Haoran walked towards the side hall, he said, "Alright, donât blame them. I went to see Big Brother as soon as I entered the palace. They couldnât possibly go there to take me away."
If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.