amaotonovel Chapter 253 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (153)
Chapter 253 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (153)
Taking advantage of the fire that broke out in the Emperor's bedroom kitchen the night before, when everyone was busy carrying buckets of water to put out the fire and in a state of chaos, the young eunuch sneaked into the Emperor's bedroom.
Although he had guessed that things would get chaotic when the fire started, he still hadn't expected that the eunuchs serving the emperor would go out to try and put out the fire.
However, De Cheng scolded him, telling him to get back immediately. All he had to do was stay by the Emperor's side no matter what happened, and even if the fire reached him, it was not his business!
De Cheng's face was gloomy, and in the firelight, his face was shadowed, and for some reason, it looked somewhat ferocious.
The eunuch he reprimanded was his godson. Eunuchs in the palace had no other options; those without ability could only eke out a living and pitifully wait to die...
Those with some ability will often take in a few godsons, as a way of showing them care and nurturing. When they get old, they can be taken care of and live a peaceful and comfortable life until their death.
De Cheng's godson was usually very shrewd and worldly-wise, but he was also too perceptive. Being too slick was not a good thing, and De Cheng had scolded him more than once.
"Godfather... I understand, I'll go back right away!" Bao Yi bowed respectfully in response. He had originally wanted to come out and help his godfather, but now that his godfather was scolding him, he didn't dare to say a word back. He bowed respectfully and turned to go back.
"How did you know there was a fire?" De Cheng raised his eyebrows and suddenly called out to him.
Although the Emperor is now on his last breath, he is not in a coma and unaware of the outside world. On the contrary, any slight disturbance will aggravate his pain. It seems that he is unable to fall into a coma and can only consciously endure his own decay.
The person hasn't passed away yet, but their body already looks like it's been in a coffin for several days.
Therefore, the doors and windows in the dormitory were all sealed with thick cotton to block out outside sound and light.
The entire room was lit by only a small oil lamp. Anyone entering or leaving had to tiptoe and hold up their clothes to avoid making any rustling sounds, let alone speak.
The people who went in to serve the emperor were rotated every half day, and no one else was allowed to enter casually. Too many people would make the emperor more uncomfortable and suffer more. When the imperial physicians came to see him, they had to wait outside first.
Bao Yi was guarding the Emperor tonight, how did he know there was a fire outside? Mingming saw the fire just as De Cheng rushed out immediately, and everyone tried to keep the sound of pouring water as quiet as possible.
"Speak!" De Cheng shouted sternly!
"Yes...yes, I heard someone shouting that there's a fire outside and they need help!" Bao Yi replied quickly.
He's quick-witted and very clever; otherwise, Decheng wouldn't have taken him in as his godson.
Hearing his godfather's question, his eyes darted around, and he immediately realized what was happening. All the color drained from his face, and he stood there, trembling uncontrollably...
"Godfather—"
"Go back!" De Cheng didn't say anything more, but quickly ran towards the Emperor's bedroom.
The kitchen was the one that caught fire, which was located quite far from the emperor's bedroom in this palace. Even if there was a fire, it wouldn't have been called to the inner room so quickly.
That—this is very likely a diversionary tactic!
The purpose of transferring the people serving the emperor away might be...
The two quickened their pace in the firelight, their figures moving like ghosts as they raced towards the bedchamber. Along the way, Bao Yi shouted to passing eunuchs and maids, "Summon the guards! Quickly, summon the guards—"
Back in his room, not caring about making any noise, De Cheng pushed open the door. In the dim light of the room, he could hear the Emperor groaning in pain, and a small, thin figure appeared beside the table.
Seemingly completely unprepared for someone to suddenly return and barge in, he jumped up, his whole body trembling like a startled bird, his neck suddenly twisting at an extreme angle!
He faced the two people at the door, paused for a moment, then suddenly, as if he had just realized what was happening, crouched down, and rushed toward the door! As he passed the table, he overturned the dim little oil lamp.
The flame struck the ground, brightened for a moment, and then went out, plunging the entire sealed room into complete darkness.
He was going to run—
Bao Yi stared wide-eyed into the darkness, not daring to miss a single detail or take a single step back.
He knew he had made a grave mistake. While serving the emperor, he had fallen for a diversionary tactic, leaving the emperor alone here, his current situation unknown.
Although he could hear the emperor's voice, he didn't know what the little eunuch had done to the emperor when he left!
The Emperor can continue to be plagued by illness like this, even after his death...
But if it is because of his dereliction of duty tonight, even being executed by slow slicing would not be enough to atone for it!
Bao Yi was now praying desperately that he could catch that damned thing with his own hands, so that he could atone for his sins and even if he died, he would not suffer a great torment!
With this thought in mind, he held his breath and opened his arms to De Cheng, standing side by side.
abruptly—
A figure darted out from the dark corner, crouching low, and rushed toward the gap between their arms.
The enemy was in the shadows, while they were in the light. The man was too fast and his pounce was too powerful. The man knew that he was now a fish in the net and could only fight back with all his might.
In that situation, he couldn't see his face clearly from the people outside. If he could have rushed out, shaken them off, and blended into the crowd of firefighters, he might have been able to get away with it...
After all, tonight was too chaotic. The fire in the small kitchen was burning so fiercely for some reason that even though everyone was trying to put it out, it just kept getting bigger and bigger.
The flames shot up several feet high, billowing thick smoke that made people cough incessantly, their faces smeared with soot, and no one could tell who was who next to them.
Bao Yi also knew that if he escaped, he would be doomed!
Both of them were determined to go all in. Just as the other person was about to rush out, Bao Yi shouted, his feet sprang off the ground, and he slammed into the other person with all his might, his hands clawing and scratching fiercely forward!
His fingers snagged on the fabric of the clothes, and Bao Yi pulled with all his might, causing his head to slam hard against the man's ribs with a "bang," making him dizzy and causing his nose to bleed.
In an instant, the pungent smell of blood in his nose made him nauseous, but he fought with all his might and dared not relax for even a moment!
"Don't let go!"
Bao Yi heard his godfather's voice, but his vision blurred and he couldn't see anything. He could only rely on instinct to hold on, his body being dragged forward on the ground by the other man's desperate struggle...
I don't know how much time passed, maybe a moment, or maybe a while, when someone held down the man's body and pressed him firmly to the ground, and Bao Yi was finally freed from being dragged.
He turned his head and saw his godfather panting heavily, his hat askew, looking more disheveled than ever before, with a piece of his shirt torn open.
He was in front of him, and together with Bao Yi, they held the man down. The man was like a live fish. De Cheng had served the emperor for many years, and almost no one in the palace dared to underestimate him, so naturally no one fought with him.
De Cheng was panting heavily, his eyes flashing with malice. He saw the little eunuch with his head down being grabbed by two guards. He stepped forward, grabbed his hair, lifted his face up, and slapped him hard with his other hand. After a few slaps, the little eunuch bled from his mouth and nose.
"Godfather—the Emperor, the Emperor he..."
"His Majesty is alright," De Cheng whispered in his ear. Bao Yi's body went limp, and he almost collapsed. He finally felt a little better.
"Stop talking nonsense and shut your mouth! Whether you can save your life depends on your own fate!" De Cheng said quietly.
Bao Yi has indeed made a big mistake this time.
Bao Yi was filled with hatred and went over to look at the little eunuch who was being pressed to the ground.
He looked familiar, but he had served the Emperor far too many times, and Bao Yi didn't recognize anyone who didn't serve the Emperor.
"Bang-"
Bao Yi kicked him in the shoulder. If he could, he would have kicked him in the head, but that wouldn't have been enough to vent his hatred!
He clearly dragged himself down with him! He can't even survive on his own, yet he's trying to drag others down with him!
The young eunuch was trembling like a leaf, unable to utter a word, blood flowing from his mouth and nose. He seemed to have lost his soul in fear and had no reaction to Bao Baoyi at all.
The imperial physician has already arrived to check on the emperor's condition. The emperor was not harmed. Judging from the appearance, the young eunuch had not even gotten close to the emperor after entering.
"Take care of yourself first!" De Cheng pulled Bao Yi aside and whispered to him, "Wrap up the wound on your hand."
After listening to his godfather's words, Bao Yi looked down at himself in a daze and suddenly discovered that there was a wound on the back of his right hand and arm where the flesh had been torn open and blood was gushing out, wetting his sleeve.
The cut was clean-cut, it looked like... it was made with a knife!
That brat, he even brought a knife?
Because he was too nervous and couldn't see anything clearly, Bao Yi didn't know what had happened, let alone that he had been cut by a knife and couldn't feel any pain at all.
When Bao Yi grabbed the young eunuch, he struggled to break free and pulled out a small knife from his waist. Fortunately, De Cheng reacted quickly and kicked the knife away just as it reached Bao Yi's hand.
The next thing to do was to invite several princes over overnight, and the inner court took the little eunuch away for interrogation. They thought they would see the result soon, but the little brat was so stubborn that he has been delaying until now.
"I'm truly sorry, I've offended the eyes of the princes," Admiral Lin said sarcastically.
"Why did you trespass?" Ji Shuqin asked coldly.
"This servant...this servant deserves to die! This servant was bewitched! This servant just wanted to find something valuable to cure my sister's illness..." He wailed, his face, already bruised and swollen beyond recognition, contorted into a grimace.
"There's nothing in the Emperor's bedroom."
The emperor's bedroom has been cleaned and tidied up countless times; it was a room specifically for the emperor to recuperate.
Forget about gold, silver, and jade artifacts; anything that could make a sound was taken away, leaving the place utterly bare.
Those who serve in the palace, who doesn't know or understand?
"This servant...this servant believes there is still something else," he murmured.
"But someone is coercing you? I have already sent people to protect all your family members outside the palace. No one can threaten them. If you have any secrets, you can speak frankly. I will not let anyone harm your family."
Ji Shuqin said solemnly that he had already given the instructions when he came here.
The messenger just reported that his family has been found; his sister does indeed have lung disease and is now terminally ill.
But his sister... didn't get lung disease now, she's had it for many years. Back then, his family fled here and couldn't send him to the palace, so they lost contact. They only reconnected in recent years.
He didn't treat his sister's illness earlier or later, but now suddenly... Ji Shuqin also believes that he is not telling the truth.
"Continue the investigation. Besides his family, find out if he has any other acquaintances or close associates, both inside and outside the palace," Ji Shumin said immediately after hearing the report.
"Your Highness, please grant me a quick death! I truly have no other secrets! I... I simply cannot bear to see my younger sister die at such a young age!"
"Please, please have mercy! Even if you have to execute me by slow slicing or chop me into mincemeat, please spare my family's lives! Please have mercy!" He didn't say anything else, just kept repeating this over and over.
“Maybe he really does want to steal something. Do you expect him to make up some nonsense?” Ji Shuling said impatiently.
“Father is fine now, shouldn’t we be searching for renowned doctors to treat him? Let’s drag this servant out and execute him as a warning to others!” He looked at Ji Shuqin and Ji Shumin.
"Second brother, don't be anxious. This is a capital offense, and he won't be spared sooner or later. Commander Lin and the eldest brother both feel that there are other hidden circumstances. What's wrong with investigating him again?"
Ji Shumin spoke slowly and deliberately, his eyes fixed on Ji Shuling, making Ji Shuling look away uncomfortably.
"Fine! You're brothers, how can I control you..." Ji Shuling said indignantly.
"What does the Second Prince mean by this! We are brothers, but what does this matter have to do with us being brothers?" Ji Shumin immediately saw through Ji Shuling's deliberate attempt to steer the conversation in the opposite direction.
"Take him away." Amid Ji Shuling's resentment, Ji Shumin waved his hand, signaling Admiral Lin to take the man away.
Ji Shuling pretended to visit the Emperor, and then left first.
Ji Shumin then returned to Ji Shuqin's palace.
Ji Shuqin pushed Ji Shumin's wheelchair: "Min'er, I heard from your sister-in-law that you should walk around more often so that your legs can recover better."
"It's still so comfortable here. I'm sorry to trouble you, Your Majesty." Ji Shumin sat calmly, showing no intention of getting up.
Ji Shuqin shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. He loved seeing his younger brother so full of life.
"What do you think of what he said, Min'er?" Ji Shuqin asked him.
"However I see it..." Ji Shumin scoffed mockingly, "I don't believe a single word of it."