Chapter 49: Following Him Or Not? (1/2)
Translator: Li Wenting
Proofreader: Prof. Zhu Yuan
“Launch a thorough investigation! Find out the full truth!” The Emperor almost cracked up!
It turned out to be Wusi Poison!
The result of the poison test set tongues wagging. The Lord Ming got injured by the Wusi Poison. Then the Wusi Poison appeared on the treasures the Emperor gave to the Lord Ming. Unavoidably, people suspected there might be a link between those two events, so the Emperor was indeed suspected of intending to poison the Lord Ming.
The prestige Beiming Xuan enjoyed in Tiansheng was too great to be easily undermined. The Emperor summoned Beiming Xuan back to the capital in order to weaken his authority bit by bit. And the Emperor planned to destroy Beiming Xuan without arousing public indignation.
But now? The public wrath would never be assuaged until the full truth of the Wusi Poison case was found out!
Beiming Xuan raised the corner of his mouth frostily upon seeing the Emperor’s flushed cheeks.
The Emperor was the one who did wrong in the first place. It was impossible for him to escape unscathed from being punished.
There was no pie in the sky!
“Your Majesty, are you planning to find out the full truth right now and explain to me?”
The Emperor felt as if a great crash of thunder was booming around his ears upon hearing Beiming Xuan’s frosty words. Then he turned to Beiming Xuan.
That handsome guy was standing with his hands clasped behind his back. His solemn expression was like that of a god, and his eyes were as dark as the impenetrable blackness of the night. Beiming Xuan’s grave face made the Emperor feel as though he was restrained from venting his anger, having no room for making retort.
What was Beiming Xuan saying?
“Explain” to him?
Beiming Xuan just brought that into the open? He was accusing, without reservation, the Emperor of being the wire-puller of the assassination attempt in the Yun Palace? Before that, people could merely make groundless guesses. Nobody dared to build a direct link between the Emperor and the assassination attempt. However, Beiming Xuan’s words finally confirmed all the suspicions, for people had always regarded whatever he said as absolute truth.
The Emperor felt nothing but hatred for Beiming Xuan!
He could barely control his temper. With murderous look in his eyes, he turned to Beiming Xuan. Beiming Xuan, however, remained unmoved.
Staring fixedly at him, the Emperor found a cold smile on his lips.
Was Beiming Xuan laughing at the Emperor’s incapability of handling the crisis?
The Emperor ground his teeth as he clenched the armrest, his knuckles whitened.
“It was due to my carelessness that my brother was nearly put in danger. I will launch a thorough investigation and find out the full truth. I owe you an explanation.”
The Emperor would not admit that he was one of the backstage manipulators in the assassination attempt. Neither could he afford to ignore what Beiming Xuan had said. He had to phrase his response in that way.
Fortunately, Beiming Xuan didn’t intend to box the Emperor into a tight corner. He spoke to the Emperor as he raised his eyebrows: “Okay, I’m looking forward to learning the full truth of the Wusi Poison case.”
Anger crept into the Emperor’s mind. Beiming Xuan accentuated deliberately the phrase “Wusi Poison” as he spoke, so that nobody could ignore what happened in the Yun Palace.
The Emperor had to make his order clear as he tried to repress his fury: “Seal off the city. Never miss any clues about the Wusi Poison case. Launch a thorough investigation!”
Everyone was put on alert upon taking the Emperor’s order.
It seemed as if a tiny sound would drive them panic-stricken. The festive cheers for Beiming Xuan’s return suddenly disappeared.
The imperial guards were deployed across the capital. The Emperor’s bodyguards started to conduct interrogations from senior officials to junior officials. And all the officials in the municipal government office were also bustling around.
Every effort they made was for the benefit of Beiming Xuan. The Emperor’s direct order plus Beiming Xuan’s prestige imposed a huge burden upon the officials. None of them dared to slacken the efforts.
The Emperor thought Beiming Xuan had been given an unfair advantage. Everyone was bustling around for the benefit of Beiming Xuan.
The whole nation from top to bottom was working to protect Beiming Xuan.
And the Emperor was the one who gave this order!
The Emperor was so angry that he almost spit blood. He rose from his chair, knitted his eyebrows and gave the order: “Return to my palace!”
It wouldn’t be improper for the Emperor to return to his palace right now, since the commotion caused by the Wusi Poison case had destroyed the joyful atmosphere. What’s more, the Lord Ming was directly concerned in this case. The Emperor would be criticized if he behaved as if he was still in the mood for continuing the welcoming ceremony.