allonlinenovel Chapter 310 Riot
Chapter 310 Riot
Amidst the clinking of glasses and the dim lighting, the songs and dances in the main hall had changed time and again, and the crowd was growing weary and wanted to go back to rest.
Yuwen Wuji also wanted to go back to rest early, but today's banquet was not only attended by his ministers, but also by envoys from various countries, so he naturally could not leave early.
As the final dance ended, it was time to announce our departure. Just then, a scream jolted everyone sober.
Yuwen Wuji looked at the source of the sound with great displeasure, only to see the little eunuch suddenly fall to the ground and then convulse.
"what happened!"
The palace maids who were close to the eunuch also screamed and scattered in all directions.
"Silence! Silence!" Li Wei shouted, and the Imperial Guards immediately rushed into the palace.
As soon as Chengcheng entered the hall, his sharp, eagle-like eyes swept over everyone in the hall before landing on the dead eunuch.
The Imperial Guards cleared a path for him on both sides, and he walked over with measured steps.
Everyone held their breath after he appeared, fearing they might offend this formidable figure. However, a few people from Beiqing and Donglin seemed quite interested.
The people of Beiqing knew perfectly well why this farce was happening today, while the envoys from Donglin were just hoping to see Dachen in chaos.
All the guests were herded to one place by the Imperial Guards like ducks. Xie Liwei took advantage of the chaos to stab Dongfang Shi. Dongfang Shi turned around fiercely, and the two exchanged blows twice before being stopped by the Imperial Guards.
Unbeknownst to Dongfang Shi, in the chaos, Xie Liwei had taken advantage of the confusion to slip a piece of fabric behind his belt.
Chengcheng walked up to the eunuch, who was already convulsing and unconscious, foaming at the mouth, his life hanging in the balance.
Remembering the reactions of the people from Beiqing who had previously performed snake venom treatment, some people were so frightened that they jumped onto the table or chairs without regard for their image.
"It's a snake! It's that snake!"
"What happened? Didn't the people from Beiqing keep a close eye on that snake? How did it get into the banquet hall?!"
"Good heavens! That snake is so venomous! Someone! Seize that beast at once!"
Chaos erupted in the banquet hall, with many nobles making fools of themselves. Some remained calm, but even they were thrown into disarray by the jostling and pushing.
"Don't push me!"
"Yes, my hairpin fell off!"
"Oh, my shoes! My shoes!"
A cacophony of chaotic noises filled the air.
Even Yuwen Wuji, who was sitting at the head of the table, was in a panic, having no idea how many snakes there were!
The imperial guards had already examined the eunuch's body but found no trace of the snake; it had vanished somewhere. Furthermore, the lights in the entire hall weren't very bright, so even though the snake's markings were vivid, they were difficult to spot in the dim light.
"Please refrain from arguing and leave the hall in an orderly manner!"
Under the supervision of the Imperial Guards, those near the main gate left first. Those third-rank officials were incredibly grateful that they were only third-rank, since they were close to the gate!
After a group of people were evacuated, a woman's shrill scream was like a drop of water thrown into a pot of boiling oil. The crowd instantly erupted into chaos, losing all order. Centered on the woman, people scattered frantically in all directions, rushing towards the gate as if their lives depended on it, scattering the imperial guards in disarray.
Yuwen Wuji was furious when he saw this. These were his subjects!
His younger brother, Prince Xuan, remained calm, as did Prince Xiaoyao and his wife. The two of them stood on the table, unlike the others who wanted to escape.
"Your Majesty, please be careful!" Li Wei shielded Yuwen Wuji behind him, demonstrating his loyalty.
Yuwen Wuji was very pleased.
He watched the chaos unfold with a grim face, his heart filled with resentment towards Bei Qing. If they had kept an eye on that beast, this farce wouldn't have happened!
After everyone had fled, only Prince Xuan, Prince Xiaoyao and his wife, Shichen from Beiqing Donglin, and the imperial guards remained in the main hall. Dongfang Shicai calmly jumped down from the table. His tone was extremely contemptuous: "So, all the ministers of your country are cowards who fear death."
Yuwen Wuji was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed, but he couldn't utter a rebuttal.
Just then, one of the Imperial Guards spotted the snake hanging from the roof beam. He exclaimed, "Commander, a snake!"
Chengcheng looked up at the snake, raised his sword and slashed at it, only to see the snake shoot eastward like an arrow.
The snake was already coiled around Dongfang Shi's head. When the voice rang out, he subconsciously looked in the direction of the Imperial Guards. When he realized they were looking in his direction, his heart sank and he immediately turned around.
But he was too late. The snake bit his neck and was then cut in two by Chengcheng, who rushed up to him.
A gasp rippled through the crowd, especially among the people of Beiqing. Tuoba Hongyun couldn't understand why the snake, which had been given a drug to attract snakes, hadn't attacked Song Yaozhu but instead attacked Dongfang Shi!
Her original intention was to poison Song Yaozhu with snake venom, so that Yuwen Wuji could use the medicine he had to threaten her, inevitably leading to a scene where Yuwen Wuji and the Xie family would break off relations.
But now everything is in chaos!
Upon seeing this, one of the envoys from the East immediately rushed towards Tuoba Hongyun, grabbed her by the neck, and threatened, "Why don't you, Beiqing, hand over the antidote!"
They had witnessed the snake's venom firsthand; it had killed a person in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea!
The people of Beiqing were also caught off guard, not expecting the people of Donglin to suddenly launch an attack. Although they had no weapons, for a master, killing someone doesn't require weapons at all.
Prince Tuoba Yunwu of Beiqing calmly said, "There are only two antidotes. One has already been taken, and the other has been given to the Emperor of Da Chen. You should ask the Emperor of Da Chen for the antidote."
Song Yaozhu sneered. At this point, Beiqing still wanted to sow discord between Dachen and Donglin.
"This beast was brought by your Northern Qing, how could you only prepare two antidotes!" King Xuan sneered. "You are clearly trying to shift the blame onto us and Eastern Lin, shirking your own responsibility!"
"That's right! This thing was brought by your Beiqing, and now that someone has been injured, you think you can just wash your hands of it!"
The Donglin people glared fiercely at the Beiqing people, wishing they could devour them alive.
"Brother, save me!" Tuoba Hongyun was being choked, and a feeling of suffocation made her vision begin to black out.
She couldn't understand why the snake, which was supposed to attack Song Yaozhu, had attacked Dongfang Shi instead!
Beiqing has truly suffered a double loss this time, offending both the powerful states of Da Chen and Dong Lin!
"Your Majesty, the Regent's life is of utmost importance. Why not give the Regent the antidote we just used?" Prince Xuan advised.
Yuwen Wuji was a little reluctant, after all, that kind of medicine was indeed very precious.
Just as he was hesitating, a woman's voice suddenly interrupted him.
"Wait a minute, Your Highness. The fact that Beiqing can't control this beast and let it harm people shows its ill intentions. How can we know that the medicine they presented to the Emperor is the antidote? What if it kills the Regent? Wouldn't that play right into their hands?"