Chapter 220 (1/2)

Chapter 220: Plan of Attack

”Something must have happened in the palace,” Jun Huang said, meeting Nan Xun's gaze. ”If the illness claimed the emperor's life, all we've worked for will be for nothing. We must return as soon as we can. We can't let this affect our plan.”

Nan Xun nodded. ”We'll depart tomorrow and rushed back.”

The next morning, Jun Huang and Nan Xun hurried toward the imperial city of Northern Qi. They dared not even stop to rest. When they arrived at the city, they were again informed of the emperor's condition.

Nan Xun told Jun Huang to wait at his manor before going to the palace to check the validity of the news. He was stopped by a eunuch at the door.

The eunuch was the one the emperor trusted the most, and he was friendly with Nan Xun. Nan Xun frowned. ”What happened? Wasn't the emperor hale and hearty when I left? How did he suddenly fall ill?”

The eunuch made sure there were no unwanted eyes before whispering, ”It's not a simple disease. The emperor was poisoned. He almost didn't make it.”

Nan Xun stilled. It took a moment for him to recover. He rushed into the room. Qi Yun was at the emperor's side attending to his needs. Nan Xun relaxed a little. At least Qi Yun knew what should be done at time like this.

Qi Yun helped the emperor sit up. The emperor's face was pale, and he had lost a lot of weight. The dragon robe hang loosely over his slight frame. He coughed with his hands on the bed to keep himself upright. Slowly, he said, ”I order you to find the one who poisoned me, Nan Xun.”

Nan Xun knelt on the floor and cupped his hands in obedience. The emperor told him to be at ease before beckoning him over. He didn't know what the emperor wanted, but he obliged anyway.

The emperor pointed at Qi Yun. ”Qi Yun's still too inexperienced. Let him a.s.sist you in your investigation. Offer him some guidance during the process.”

Surprised, Nan Xun glanced up at the emperor. Realization dawned on him when he saw the way the emperor looked at Qi Yun. The emperor had grown more and more fond of Qi Yun for his company. It bode well for their plan. Nan Xun nodded agreeably. ”With the fourth prince's help, the truth will be revealed soon enough.”

The emperor was p.r.o.ne to exhaustion after being poisoned. The brief conversation was enough to drain him. Qi Yun hurriedly help him lie down.

The emperor waved a hand at Nan Xun to dismiss him. ”You must be tired from traveling nonstop. You're free to go now. The investigation can start tomorrow.”

Nan Xun bid them farewell. Before he left, he snuck a few glances at the father and son. Qi Yun patiently smoothed a hand over the emperor's back to help him breathe. He poured water for the emperor upon request, and ma.s.saged the emperor's legs to relax the muscles. It was clear that he took his role as the emperor's caretaker seriously.

Nan Xun walked out of the room, leaving the father and son their privacy.

As soon as he arrived at the manor, Jun Huang came up to him, asking him how the emperor was. Nan Xun told her everything in details, including how the emperor treated Qi Yun. Jun Huang nodded, her brows drawn closely in deep thoughts.

”What are you going to do?” asked Nan Xun.

Jun Huang mapped out the interrelations.h.i.+p between different factions in her head. ”Originally, I planned to deal with Qi Chen first. He couldn't be allowed to remain as the crown prince even if we were to let him live. Unfortunately, the emperor has fallen ill. If we took Qi Chen down now, Northern Qi would fall into chaos. A country must not be without a leader. Now that the emperor is ill, no accidents should befall Qi Chen.”

”Why don't we put Qi Yun on the throne now?” suggested Nan Xun.

”No, we can't,” she said without hesitation. ”Qi Chen is the crown prince. We need the emperor to take the t.i.tle away from him. If we push for Qi Yun to become the crown prince without the emperor's support, the trust and affection Qi Yun has worked hard to earn will vanish immediately, and we'll risk exposing ourselves That's not a trade off we should take. We must not do anything reckless until the day Qi Chen's t.i.tle is taken away.”

Nan Xun nodded in agreement to her a.n.a.lysis. ”Then are we to do nothing?”

”Of course not. It's time that we make a move against Eastern Wu. If we let them do whatever they want, they won't even realize how many deaths they're responsible for.”

Jun Huang's tone was frigid. Even the sun s.h.i.+ning on her face couldn't melt the ice encasing her heart. Nan Xun silently took her hand in his, trying to offer comfort.