Chapter 286: Vague Words (2/2)

The doctor was no fool. He gave Qi Yun a polite smile and humored him without giving him any useful information. Qi Yun had no choice but to let the doctor leave. He'd have to cross the bridge when he came to it.

He didn't know what Prince Duan had said to the emperor, but it was obvious that the emperor had grown distant from him again. He'd been delivering medicine to the emperor himself in the past, but the emperor sent him a message, telling him to focus on affairs in the court and to not worry about anything else.

Others would a.s.sume the emperor was being considerate, but he knew it was a sign that the emperor was suspecting him again. However, he hadn't found out anything about Prince Duan's previous conversation with the emperor. He thought Prince Duan had merely made a few harmless remarks behind his back.

The emperor was ill, and Nan Xun had made all the necessary arrangements. Nothing could stand in his way. He didn't think Prince Duan would be able to stir up that much trouble. He put aside his worries and stopped dwelling on it, trying to tell himself that the emperor was merely being considerate. He didn't even tell Nan Xun about the recent turn of events, thinking it unnecessary.

The emperor was relieved rather than disappointed that Qi Yun hadn't been waiting outside the palace the past couple of days. His reaction confused his personal eunuch. In the past, the emperor would always ask for Qi Yun if he stopped visiting. Why did the emperor seem happy about Qi Yun's absence?

The eunuch couldn't figure out a reason. The royal family was always difficult to predict. He shook his thoughts away.

This day, the emperor asked the eunuch to send for an official who was loyal to him, seemingly to talk about business.

The official bowed to the emperor and looked up at him. “What has Your Majesty asked me to come for?”

The emperor's eyes were vicious. His face was pale due to his illness, but his presence was as strong as ever, if not stronger.

“I want you to scout around the palace,” he said bluntly. “Don't let anyone notice you. Gather information in secret.”

The official was befuddled, but he nodded without a word and walked away. He reported back to the emperor at night.

“The palace was surrounded by Prince Nan Xun's men. Every gate is guarded by his people as well. Has something happened lately?”

The emperor wanted to keep the information on a need-to-know basis before he went to the bottom of the situation. Thus, he made a dismissive gesture without a word and told the official to not tell anyone. The official nodded despite his confusion and walked away.

The emperor was left alone in the room. He gazed deeply into the distance. He knew Qi Yun often met up with Nan Xun. He'd a.s.sumed the two brothers were just close. Prince Duan's words made him realize what was happening. The two of them must have been in cahoots for a long time, aiming to take the throne. He'd thought Qi Yun was a pure-hearted man, but now it seemed he was the shrewdest of them all. He'd managed to played everyone!

The emperor's thoughts turned to Qi Chen. He'd heard about how Feng Baiyu helped Qi Yun take care of some of the cases in the court. He must have been planted by Qi Yun in order to trick Qi Chen into committing treason. Qi Yun might have sent Feng Baiyu to seduce Nan Xun as well so that the general would support him.

The emperor put all the blame on Qi Yun. He'd completely forgotten about the young man who loyally stayed at his side while he was sick. In his place was a shameless villain who'd do anything to further his goal.

It was a sleepless night for both the emperor and Qi Yun. Qi Yun had informants by the emperor's side. He knew who the emperor had met with, but not what they'd talked about. Nonetheless, he was sure Prince Duan was somehow involved.

The next morning, the emperor sent for Prince Duan, who didn't show any reaction when he got the message. Qi Chen watched him, wondering what he was planning.

“You know he'll ask for you, don't you?”

Prince Duan huffed, his eyes turning sharp. He s.h.i.+fted his gaze to Qi Chen. “They aren't that difficult to deal with. It ends up benefiting me that they treated me as such a serious threat that they secretly took the precaution to maintain control over the palace. They made one mistake: I didn't plan to storm the palace. I want the emperor to willingly hand us his power.”

“How do you know Royal Father will believe you?” Qi Chen was still confused.