novelraw Chapter 210
Chapter 210
Eunuch De looked at the panting Xiaozhuzi, his feminine brows and eyes showing a cold harshness.
"Who wrote the eight-hundred-li urgent memorial?"
When asking this, he had already guessed that something happened to Cao Liang.
Otherwise, the memorial would definitely have reached his hands first!
Xiaozhuzi panted heavily and shook his head, "This servant does not know. After the messenger delivered the memorial to the palace gate, it was taken by Han Liang, the commander of the Dragon Guard, and presented to the Emperor."
In other words, the memorial was specifically entrusted to Han Liang by Han Chong.
Thinking of this, Eunuch De couldn't sit still.
He took the memorial from Shuangxi's hands and said, "We must find the General Star!"
After speaking, he went to the Emperor's bedchamber.
The Emperor had previously been stung by Ye Chutang's poisonous wasps. The poison hadn't been completely cured, and his health had been poor, sleeping for long periods every day.
Only after taking Daoist Shancun's pills would his spirits improve slightly.
It was already the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) when Han Liang brought the eight-hundred-li urgent memorial to the bedchamber.
The Emperor was sleeping soundly, and Han Liang was stopped by the eunuch serving outside the hall.
"Commander Han, the Emperor is resting. Whatever matter you have, leave it to report tomorrow."
After being poisoned, the Emperor had become short-tempered, beating and punishing palace servants at the slightest displeasure. He didn't want to suffer an unprovoked disaster.
Han Liang knew he would be reprimanded for waking the Emperor.
But the contents of the memorial concerned the destiny of the nation and had to be shown to the Emperor.
With a chop of his hand, he knocked the eunuch unconscious, entered the bedchamber, and lit all the palace lanterns.
The bedchamber became as bright as day, and the sleeping Emperor frowned in displeasure.
"Your Majesty, this subject has an urgent matter to report!"
Han Liang's voice was firm and resounding, waking the Emperor.
Without opening his eyes, the Emperor roared in annoyance, "Someone, drag him out and behead him!"
Disturbing his peaceful dream, damn him!
Han Liang immediately knelt before the dragon bed and presented the memorial with both hands.
"Your Majesty, this is an eight-hundred-li urgent memorial from the Inspector of Liangzhou. The Qi family intends to rebel."
When the last few words fell into the Emperor's ears, he immediately sat up in shock.
His emaciated hand pushed aside the bright yellow bed curtains and took the memorial.
To let the Emperor see more clearly, Han Liang pulled up the bed curtain on the side closer to the head of the bed.
Then he saw the Emperor's face, contorted with anger.
"Outrageous! How dare they threaten Us!"
"If We do not exterminate the Qi family, We are unworthy to be the ruler of this nation!"
After speaking, he forcefully smashed the memorial onto the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood in anger.
Han Liang was terrified and hastily shouted outside, "Summon the imperial physician!"
Just as he spoke, Eunuch De entered the bedchamber.
"What happened?"
Han Liang picked up the memorial from the ground and handed it to Eunuch De.
"This is an eight-hundred-li urgent memorial sent by the Inspector of Liangzhou. Please review it, Grand Eunuch."
Eunuch De frowned and took the memorial.
"Inspector? Isn't Liangzhou governed by the Prefect?"
"Once the Grand Eunuch finishes reading the memorial, you will know why Liangzhou City is now governed by the Inspector."
Just as Han Liang finished speaking, the Emperor wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and glared at Eunuch De.
"Did you write the secret decree to the Prefect of Liangzhou?"
He was angry that the Qi family threatened him with rebellion, but even more angry that Eunuch De forged an imperial decree!
Eunuch De ignored the furious Emperor and read the memorial with a livid face.
He smashed the memorial onto Han Liang's head.
"Han Chong led a hundred Dragon Guards to defect. What is your crime?"
The memorial's cover was hard, and its sharp corners broke Han Liang's head, blood dripping onto the dark golden bricks.
"This subordinate's crime is unforgivable even with ten thousand deaths!"
He never thought that the Vice Commander of the Dragon Guards, whom he had personally trained, would betray the imperial family.
But after reading the memorial, he could understand Han Chong's decision.
Although the Dragon Guards existed for the imperial family, their main mission was to protect the peace of the country and its people.
When imperial power became a tool to persecute loyal subjects and commoners, the defection of the Dragon Guards became excusable.
Han Liang lowered his head; no one knew what he was thinking.
Eunuch De raised his foot to kick him, but was sternly stopped by the Emperor.
"Stop! It is not your place to discipline Our men!"
But Eunuch De did not withdraw his foot.
Han Liang, taking orders from the Emperor, immediately dodged Eunuch De's kick sideways.
After his kick missed, Eunuch De's face looked very ugly.
But he knew he couldn't defeat the Commander of the Dragon Guards and didn't clash head-on with Han Liang.
He withdrew his foot and threw the memorial from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, take a look at the memorial Lord Xie Yi sent overnight."
The Emperor was very dissatisfied with Eunuch De's contempt for imperial power, but remembering that he still had to rely on him for Daoist Shancun's golden pills, he could only endure it.
He picked up the memorial and opened it.
Seeing "The General Star appears in the North," his heart immediately leaped to his throat.
"When the General Star appears, times of chaos arrive, and the nation will perish."
This was a saying that had circulated since long ago, and every time it had come true.
When the Zhao family seized the empire, the General Star had appeared.
Therefore, the Emperor's fear of the General Star was greater than his fear of the Qi family.
Eunuch De looked at the pale-faced Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the Qi family cannot be kept, which is why I let the Prefect of Liangzhou do his utmost to deal with them. Unfortunately, the Dragon Guards defected, and the effort fell short of success."
The Emperor knew Eunuch De wasn't wrong.
As long as there was an opportunity to deal with the Qi family, he wouldn't miss it either.
But Eunuch De forging an imperial decree without his consent made him feel uncomfortable.
"You dog slave, is Our private seal something you can use at will?"
Eunuch De didn't care about the Emperor's insults and smiled, saying, "Please quell your anger, Your Majesty. This servant did this for your own good."
The Emperor angrily smashed the memorial in his hand at Eunuch De's feet.
"For Our own good? You botched the matter, and now everyone is saying We are persecuting loyal subjects, calling Us a foolish ruler!"
After speaking, the Emperor remembered something, and his face became even more unsightly.
"What's with the handwriting on the secret decree?"
Eunuch De calmly said, "This servant found someone to copy Your Majesty's handwriting, without a single discrepancy."
"You are bold!"
"Your Majesty, this servant had a reason for doing so."
"Speak!"
"If the matter succeeded, Your Majesty's heart ailment would be cured. If it failed, Your Majesty could shift the blame."
The Emperor sneered, "The handwriting is Ours, the private seal is Ours. How are We supposed to shift the blame?"
"The world knows that Your Majesty is seriously ill and hasn't attended court for a long time. Currently, the Crown Prince is overseeing the state."
Eunuch De stopped at the hint, but the Emperor understood his meaning.
Let the Crown Prince take the blame!
This was the best solution now, and he agreed without any hesitation.
Once the matter of exterminating the Qi family was resolved, he would just establish another heir apparent to form a balance of power with the Second Prince.
After figuring this out, the Emperor's mood improved significantly, and he found Eunuch De more pleasing to the eye.
"Tomorrow at the morning court, bring the person who copied Our handwriting to the Golden Luan Hall. Have him publicly write down the contents of the secret decree, and then sentence him to death by a thousand cuts!"
He had to kill the person who copied his handwriting to feel at ease.
"This servant receives the order."
After speaking respectfully, Eunuch De asked, "Your Majesty, since the Qi family dares to speak words of treason, how do you plan to handle it?"
Speaking of this, the Emperor's anger returned.
"The Qi family is audacious enough to threaten Us. They cannot be kept!"
Han Liang hastily appeased the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, although the Qi family handed over their military power long ago, they can still command a portion of the Qi Family Army.
Qi Yanzhou has accumulated many military merits over the years and has certainly cultivated his own forces in secret.
Now that the commoners are all on the Qi family's side, if the Qi family is forced to rebel, the throne will be in danger."
Even a cornered rabbit will bite; these words were absolutely not alarmist talk!
Eunuch De echoed, "Your Majesty, Commander Han's words make sense. Currently, the Qi family has won the hearts of the people, and they have caught hold of the Crown Prince's plot to exterminate them. It is not advisable to continue making moves against them."
He certainly did not want the Qi family to rebel and throw the world into chaos!
The Emperor did not want to leave the Qi family as a looming threat, nor did he want to force them into a rebellion.
His brows furrowed tightly into a deep scowl, and his expression was exceedingly grim.
"When do you think would be a good time to strike at the Qi family?"
Every extra day the Qi family lived was another day of torment for him!
Eunuch De did not answer the Emperor immediately. With narrowed eyes, he glanced at Han Liang.
The Dragon Guard was no longer reliable; they needed to be on their guard against them.
After pondering for a moment, Han Liang said, "Your Majesty, this humble subject believes that the best time to strike will be when the Qi family enters the Northern Territory and heavy snow seals off the roads."
At that time, travel would be blocked, making it difficult for news to spread. Even if the Qi family died, no one would know.
The Emperor looked at Eunuch De. "What do you think?"
Eunuch De felt that Han Liang's idea was not bad, but it was not good enough.
However, he did not voice this out loud and merely nodded.
"Commander Han is right. Your Majesty may want to consider it."
After saying this, he recalled the traitorous Ye Chutang.
"Your Majesty, it is highly likely that Ye Chutang has already cured the poison of the Tendon-Severing Powder. Could she also be able to cure Qi Yanzhou's fire poison?"
Upon hearing these words, the Emperor's face turned ugly once again.
"That is truly hard to say!"
He had been too careless.
He never expected that a mere woman would become the biggest unpredictable variable!
"I can hold off on touching the Qi family for now, but Ye Chutang must die!"
As long as she died, Qi Yanzhou would not live much longer either.
Eunuch De looked at Han Liang. "Lord Han, who do you think is suitable to be sent to kill Ye Chutang?"
Han Liang knew that Eunuch De was testing him.
He spoke the truth, "Currently, the Dragon Guard will protect the Qi family, so it won't be easy to kill Ye Chutang. Once they reach Dingzhou, there might be another opportunity to deal with the Qi family."
Zhao Mingxu's family was imprisoned in Dingzhou.
When the time came, even if the plan failed, they could make Zhao Mingxu take the blame.
The Emperor also felt that Dingzhou was a suitable place to make a move against the Qi family.
"Then we shall let the Qi family off for now."
After saying that, he leaned against the headboard, exhausted. His face was as pale as paper, as if he might faint at any moment.
His body had not fully recovered to begin with, and vomiting blood from anger earlier had made his condition even worse.
Fortunately, the imperial physician arrived.
Eunuch De said to Han Liang, "Commander Han, you may take your leave first."
Han Liang bowed to the Emperor. "This humble subject takes his leave!"
After he left, the imperial physician examined the Emperor.
Eunuch De still had matters to discuss, so he did not leave and waited by the side.
The imperial physician took the Emperor's pulse and administered acupuncture.
"Your Majesty is suffering from extreme anger and anxiety. You need to rest more and take some medicine to clear the internal heat and soothe your nerves."
After speaking, he wrote a prescription and handed it to the Emperor's personal eunuch.
"Take this to the Imperial Hospital and have the medicine boy brew it before bringing it over."
Not long after the eunuch left with the prescription, the Emperor's acupuncture session also ended.
After Eunuch De dismissed the imperial physician, he said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, this servant has a method that will ensure the Qi family faces certain death."
Hearing this, the Emperor immediately perked up.
"Speak quickly, what method?"
Eunuch De said to the palace servants who remained in the bedchamber to serve, "All of you, step down and close the doors behind you."
The servants filed out, and the doors of the bedchamber were shut.
He looked at the eager Emperor and spat out two words.
"A plague."
The Emperor did not quite grasp the implication of those words.
"Explain in detail."
"Although the plague in Jiangnan has been brought under control, it has not been completely eradicated. If we send an infected person disguised as a refugee to a town that the exile procession must pass through, creating a city of death, we can trap the Qi family inside and let them die."
Trading the lives of the commoners in one town for the entire Qi family was worth it!
A gleam appeared in the Emperor's eyes. "This is a good idea. As long as it is done covertly, no one will suspect me."
Just as he finished speaking, his eyes dimmed again.
"Ye Chutang's medical skills are superb; I'm afraid a plague won't be enough to trap her."
Eunuch De smiled and said, "Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. If there is no medicine, Ye Chutang's medical skills will be useless no matter how profound they are. When the time comes, we will throw in some bubonic plague and smallpox. I guarantee she will not make it out alive!"
Worry surfaced on the Emperor's face. "The method is good, but will there be any hidden dangers?"
A plague, bubonic plague, and smallpox combined were too virulent. If they spread, the entire Beichen Kingdom would be in trouble.
Eunuch De's smile grew even more sinister. "There won't be. When the time comes, we will simply burn the city to the ground!"
"Let the Crown Prince handle this, so he can atone for his crimes."
The reason the Emperor made this decision was out of fear that the plot would be exposed, making the Crown Prince a convenient scapegoat.
"This servant obeys."
After Eunuch De finished speaking, he looked at the memorial in the Emperor's hands.
"Your Majesty, regarding the appearance of the General Star, how do you plan to handle it?"
He did not know that Cao Liang had captured the people from the Wuji Sect.
Cao Liang had originally planned to claim credit from Eunuch De after obtaining the weapon blueprints and treasures.
In the end, he died, and the secret was taken with him to the grave.
The Emperor was extremely wary of the General Star and said viciously, "Find the person and kill them!"
Eunuch De also wanted to do this, but currently, they had no clues at all, making it very difficult to find the person.
"Your Majesty, finding the person is fine, but we must bring along the Directorate of Astronomy!"
The Directorate of Astronomy observed worldly affairs and could perform divinations, making it easier to find people.
"Alright, you make the arrangements. You may leave."
After the Emperor finished speaking, his spirit withered, and he closed his eyes to rest.
Eunuch De left the Emperor's bedchamber to find Xie Yi.
He told him about the task of searching for the General Star.
Xie Yi flatly refused.
"Grand Eunuch, as the Director of Astronomy, it is not appropriate for me to leave the imperial city to search for the General Star. My disciples can do it in my stead."
Eunuch De scoffed coldly, "I have no regard for those useless disciples of yours!"
The matter of the General Star was of utmost importance; there could not be a single mishap!
"This is an imperial decree. It cannot be defied!"
Xie Yi sighed softly and bowed in the direction of the Emperor's bedchamber.
"This subject obeys!"
He never expected that in his lifetime, he would still be able to leave the imperial city and see the outside world.
"Lord Xie, hurry up and pack your things. After daybreak, His Majesty's shadow guards will come to pick you up."
The shadow guards were different from the Dragon Guard; they were the Emperor's death-sworn soldiers and would never betray him.
"Alright, this lower official will pack immediately."
"Make sure you properly hand over the affairs of the Directorate of Astronomy. Do not make any mistakes that could affect the fate of the nation."
"This lower official understands."
After Eunuch De left, Xie Yi called his five disciples to him.
"I do not know when I will return from this journey. You must all speak and act cautiously, diligently observe the astrological signs, and keep a close eye on the armillary sphere."
"Yes, Master!"
"No matter what happens, you must prioritize your own lives, understand?"
"Your disciples obey!"
The Directorate of Astronomy had many trivial matters to handle. Xie Yi spent two hours explaining all the details.
By the time he went to pack his luggage, the morning court assembly had begun.