He then conveyed a few things he heard to Mu Shaoling.
That eunuch truly is no good, just another dog for Prince Le.
"Keep a close eye on him! Donāt let him come in here."
"Yes."
"Also, send word of todayās palace events to the various residences."
"Yes."
Mu Shaoling said a few words and then returned to his bedroom. He needed to brew medicine. This room in the palace had a secret chamber, which was another reason the Emperor had him live here.
Now his time was tight; he needed to research two medicines, one to fight Prince Leās illness, the other to detoxify the Emperor. With such little time, it couldnāt be wasted on palace intrigue.
Meanwhile, outside the palace, Old Mu had already received the Emperorās decree, and the military amulet had been handed over. The outside of the palace was in an uproar.
Baili Yan had been confined to his room for a long time without emerging, and as for the Luo Residence, it was a picture of cold desolation.
Even the Ye Residence lacked its usual liveliness.
"Mother, whatās wrong with Father?" Seeing Ye Ziāan sitting there holding a chess piece, yet not moving, Yangyang asked, "Heās been sitting there for a long time."
Lele also inquired, "Mother, has something happened?"
"Your granduncle was stripped of his military authority."
A general deprived of his authority is like a tiger trapped in a cage, utterly useless.
"Why would this happen?" Lele was taken aback.
"Alright, this isnāt something we can discuss. You and Yangyang go back to do your homework." Yang Chuxia asked, "Where have you sent Uncle Ye Er? Have him return to stay by your side soon. Thereās been a lot happening lately; we canāt afford more problems."
"Understood, Mother." Lele nodded but didnāt mention where Ye Er had gone.
After the two children left, Yang Chuxia brewed a cup of hot tea for Ye Ziāan, "Here you go!"
Ye Ziāan took it, paused, and said, "Today in the palace, Prince Le managed to ensnare the Emperor with just a cup of tea."
"Are you saying that stripping our uncle of his military power wasnāt the Emperorās intention, but rather??"
"Yes." Ye Ziāan shook his head, "He acted without knowing."
"Itās strange." Yang Chuxia said, "With his skills, why not directly induce the Emperor to abdicate to him?"
"Actually, Iāve always had a concern." Ye Ziāan paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "If he induced the Emperor to abdicate now, neither the court nor the people would accept it readily, and even if the Emperor woke up, he would have questions. But thatās not the crucial part; the crucial part is my worry that he has already had the Emperor write a decree of succession, which, regardless of who becomes Emperor in the future, will create a mess."
Ye Ziāanās concern was not unwarranted. After all, the Emperor, in such a condition, wouldnāt remember what he had done.
"So what do we do now?"
"Wait!"
Ye Ziāan pulled her over, sitting her on his lap, "By the way, the autumn hunt has already passed, and thereās still no news of Qingrui and Qingtong."
"No news from that side yet." Yang Chuxia shook her head, "Weāll know when they come around later."
Luo Linhao and Yang Xiayunās wedding is set for December; surely people from Funan will come by then.
"I wonder if Father and Mother will come over." Ye Ziāan added.
Upon hearing his words, Yang Chuxia realized that Ye Ziāan was feeling sentimental. Especially after witnessing the unpredictable and ruthless changes in the imperial city, his longing for family grew stronger.