NOVEL WEB
Chapter 227
Zhu Zilin left, and the guards who were staying at the inn also left with him.
Li Yao felt that she could go home now.
From the Capital City to Yi Prefecture, if she rode two fast horses back and forth, it would only take four days to get there.
So she went to the horse market, intending to pick two horses, but Jia Zhanliang brought several people and hurriedly found her.
"Did someone make things difficult for your business?"
"That's not the case," Jia Zhanliang said, "It's irrelevant to us, but it's a big deal. Grand Marshal Xu has been removed from office and put in prison by His Majesty!"
To remove and investigate a Grand Marshal, and one who has just made great military achievements on the borders?
This seemed unreasonable no matter how you looked at it.
But Li Yao didn't want to care about these things. Grand Marshal Xu's military exploits were illustrious, and his status was lofty, so he probably wouldn't be easily executed, at most he would have his family assets confiscated and be exiled.
"Miss Li, actually this matter is also closely related to us," Jia Zhanliang said mysteriously, "This morning I heard rumors in the alleys that His Majesty..."
"What happened?" Seeing him hesitating, Li Yao asked, "Just say it directly."
"Alright, His Majesty's health is failing, and he may not live much longer..."
Jia Zhanliang didn't dare utter the last few words, but Li Yao naturally knew what he wanted to say.
The Emperor was going to kick the bucket.
How coincidental.
In the letter to the barbarian chieftain, the Crown Prince said that he would ascend the throne by the end of the year, but that letter was written before the beginning of spring, how could he have calculated when the old Emperor would die?
If the old Emperor really was going to die, then there was only one possibility.
He was secretly killed by the Crown Prince.
If the Crown Prince ascended the throne and became the Emperor, he would definitely be detrimental to Prince Liu Yun of Yi Prefecture, and might even revoke his princedom and take Yi Prefecture back under his control.
Then, it would be easy for an Emperor to deal with her.
It seemed it was time to release what was in her hands.
"You take your family and leave the Capital City first, and stay somewhere else for a while," Li Yao said to Jia Zhanliang, "The Capital City might get chaotic."
"What about you?" Jia Zhanliang said, "I happen to have a manor in the outskirts of the capital, why don't you come with me to avoid the storm for a while?"
"No need." Li Yao thought for a moment and said, "Pick some more reliable people and help me deliver some letters as fast as possible."
"I'll do as you say!"
Li Yao didn't buy a horse either, and found another inn to stay in.
In the middle of the night, she brought the letters with her, and stealthily approached the imperial palace under the cover of darkness.
Sneaking into the barbarian king's palace at night, sneaking into the Right Minister's mansion at night, these were nothing difficult for her.
But this imperial palace was the most heavily guarded place in the world, and now she was going to break in, she had to say, she was quite excited and it was very challenging.
Those guards patrolling every three steps and five steps were not vegetarians.
After warming up, Li Yao, dressed in black, quickly climbed over the high wall of the imperial city like a nimble black cat, using grappling hooks.
Liu Yun had mentioned some layouts of the imperial palace intentionally or unintentionally to Li Yao before, and she had taken note of them. Now they indeed came in handy.
Slipping into the garden, avoiding the patrolling guards over and over again by using trees, rockeries and the like, Li Yao finally reached the vicinity of the bedroom palace.
But the Emperor's bedroom palace seemed a little different tonight.
The bedroom was brightly lit, with at least hundreds of guards outside the palace gates, and all those palace maids, eunuchs and the like were forced to kneel in a row in the open space.
There were also several anxious imperial physicians standing uneasily outside, waiting.
It looked like the Emperor really was seriously ill?
But on second thought, it was impossible. If the Emperor was seriously ill, why would the palace maids and eunuchs not be by his side to serve him, and instead be forced to kneel outside?
Li Yao climbed onto the roof at the relatively weakly guarded back of the bedroom palace, and gently lifted some of the roof tiles.
Fortunately, although the imperial palace was luxuriously built, it had no ceiling, allowing her to see the situation below clearly.
At this time, the Emperor was wearing casual clothes, his face haggard and weak, lying limply on the wide dragon bed.
Next to the bed stood a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a yellow robe. If she was not mistaken, this should be the current Crown Prince.
"Father," the Crown Prince said coldly, "Why are you still so stubborn? You've controlled this world for too long. Now that your health is failing and your eyes are blurred with age, why must you still cling to it and not let go?"
"Humph, you're just impatient," the old Emperor sneered, "As long as I don't die for one day, don't expect to get your wish. If I hand this world over to you, I'm afraid it will soon be in chaos. As the Emperor of Daling, how could I just stand by and watch this happen?"
"I am impatient," the Crown Prince said. "I was named Crown Prince at the age of fourteen, and now I'm fifty-eight! Forty-four years! I've waited forty-four years! Let me ask, who else in this world can wait forty-four years for one thing?"
The old Emperor turned his face away, not even looking at the Crown Prince.
The meaning was very clear, no matter what, he would not voluntarily abdicate.
Seeing that he was still so stubborn, the Crown Prince seemed a little angry and said, "Three days. I'll come again in three days. If Father still doesn't agree to abdicate by then, don't blame...your unfilial son!"
After leaving this vicious remark, the Crown Prince turned and left.
The old Emperor on the bed closed his eyes, but there were tears glittering at the corners.
This was the imperial family, for the sake of a throne, the son would even kill his father.
The Crown Prince walked out of the bedroom quickly. Seeing that he was not in a good mood, everyone lowered their heads in fear.
"Deploy more men to guard His Majesty's bedroom well! I don't want a single fly to get in!"
"Yes!"
"Your Highness," the captain of the guards asked, "What should we do with these palace maids?"
"His Majesty is uncomfortable and is disturbed by people making noise, so palace maids and eunuchs are useless now."
Hearing this, the group of palace maids and eunuchs quickly kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Crown Prince, spare our lives..."
But the guards behind them had already drawn their swords and executed them all. They acted decisively and swiftly, without even blinking an eye.
"Esteemed imperial physicians."
"Your Highness, your orders?"
"You will be busy these few days, be sure to give His Majesty the best medicine," the Crown Prince said. "Within three days, I want you to cure His Majesty!"
"Yes!"
After the Crown Prince left, the captain brought hundreds more men to surround the entire bedroom palace tightly.
Seeing this formation, Li Yao couldn't help sighing inwardly, the guards were really strong, worthy of being imperial guards.
But she had no intention of leaving immediately either. After waiting on the roof for a while, she lifted some more tiles and slid down into the bedroom palace with grappling hooks and ropes.
The old Emperor, who had his eyes closed, suddenly opened them when he heard footsteps next to him.
When he saw Li Yao's outfit, a wry smile appeared on his face: "You, did the Crown Prince send you to kill me?"
"No."
No?
The old Emperor was a little surprised.
At this time, sneaking into the imperial palace, wearing night clothes, with her face covered, and holding a shiny dagger in her hand, you actually didn't come to kill?
"I don't believe you."
"Whether you believe it or not, I didn't come to kill you, but to save you."
The old Emperor felt this was absolutely the most absurd thing he had ever heard.
Who else in this world could save him?