allonlinenovel Chapter 511 Hoping for Your Prompt Return
Chapter 511 Hoping for Your Prompt Return
At this time, with Yun Shang leaving the capital, Prince Ying began to frequently enter and leave the palace.
The sudden close relationship between the uncle and nephew left officials in the court puzzled, but some had already subconsciously tried to curry favor with Prince Ying.
After about three months, Prince Ying began to frequently summon officials from the Six Ministries under the pretext of "assisting in governing the country."
At first, it was just a routine discussion, but gradually, some people began to be secretly recruited.
The first person to pledge allegiance to Prince Ying was just an insignificant official in the court.
The day after he joined Prince Ying's service, Prince Ying publicly recommended him to the emperor during court, and the man was promoted from a fifth-rank official to a fourth-rank official.
Such scenes continued to unfold.
Officials from the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and other departments secretly pledged their loyalty to Prince Ying.
In the second month after the Emperor and Empress's wedding, the Empress was diagnosed with pregnancy. In the following three months, three more concubines became pregnant with the Emperor's children. However, the Empress had a difficult childbirth and gave birth to a weak eldest prince.
Less than three months later, the eldest prince died.
The remaining three concubines gave birth one after another, and all of them gave birth to little princesses.
The untimely death of the eldest prince caused quite a stir in Shengjing. Rumors about the emperor's poor health spread like wildfire, and for a time, carriages and horses came and went in an endless stream in front of the Prince Ying's mansion.
On this day, Prince Ying was hosting a banquet for his trusted confidants in his residence.
After several rounds of drinks, an official, emboldened by the alcohol, said, "Your Highness, the Emperor is now facing a shortage of heirs, and the Great Zhao empire must have someone to inherit it..."
Prince Ying paused, his eyes gleaming: "Watch your words. His Majesty is in the prime of his life; why worry about not having an heir?"
"I misspoke," the official quickly apologized, but then lowered his voice, "but if something were to happen, Your Highness, as the late Emperor's younger brother, would be the most suitable..."
"Shut up!" King Ying suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his face grim. "You dare to utter such treasonous words? Are you truly not afraid of death?"
The officials present all knelt down and begged Prince Ying to calm his anger.
Prince Ying appeared extremely angry, but after a long while, he calmly said, "Considering your unwavering loyalty to me, I will pretend I never heard these words."
The man quickly responded.
Everyone fell silent, but then Prince Ying changed the subject: "However... my nephew is weak and frail. As his uncle, I should indeed share more of the political affairs and help him out."
Although King Ying's words sounded grand and dignified, everyone present understood their meaning perfectly.
After the banquet, several trusted officials tacitly stayed behind.
royal palace.
"I remember Yun Shang left the capital in early spring." The Emperor stood under the corridor, gazing at the gloomy sky. "Little Fu Zi, what season is it now?"
Xiao Fuzi was a trusted confidant of the emperor and one of the men Yun Shang had left behind to protect him. He respectfully bowed his head and replied, "Your Majesty, it is early autumn now, and Lord Yun has been away from the capital for a year and a half."
“A year and a half…” the emperor sighed softly, “It’s been so long.”
After saying only two sentences, the emperor suddenly started coughing violently, and Xiao Fuzi quickly handed him a handkerchief.
When the emperor removed the handkerchief, Xiao Fuzi saw bloodstains on it and her pupils contracted.
He nearly cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty—"
The emperor raised his hand, stopping him from writing down what he had written down. "Don't make a fuss."
Xiao Fuzi's eyes reddened, and she choked back sobs as she whispered, "Your Majesty, your health... This servant will go and summon the imperial physician immediately!"
"No need," the emperor stopped him again. "I know my own body well, and I already have the best doctors in the world to treat me."
Unfortunately, it wasn't an illness, but poisoning, and some poisons are incurable.
"Little Fuzi," the emperor's voice was weak, "I can't hold on much longer. Send a letter to Yunshang and tell him to come back as soon as possible."
Xiao Fuzi's tears fell directly to the ground, her lips trembled, and her throat seemed to be blocked by something, and she could only respond after a long while.
Meanwhile, in Xiaozhou, a thousand miles away.
Yu Wan was hanging out the freshly washed clothes to dry in the yard when she was suddenly embraced from behind by a pair of warm, large hands.
"Guess what I brought back?" Yun Shang whispered in her ear, holding an oil paper package in his hand.
Yu Wan turned around and smelled a familiar aroma: "Is it that layered meat pie shop in the east of the city?"
"You have a really good nose." Yun Shang let go of her, smiled and unwrapped the oil paper package. The meat pie inside was still steaming. "Eat it while it's hot. I'll take care of the rest of the clothes."
Since leaving the capital, they have rented a small courtyard to stay in every place they visit for a period of time. Now they have been in Xiaozhou City for about ten days and are preparing to go to the next place.
Yu Wan took the meat pie, took a bite, and the crispy crust wrapped around the savory meat filling made her squint her eyes in satisfaction.
She watched as Yun Shang skillfully shook out his wet clothes and hung them on a bamboo pole in the courtyard. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and dappled his body, making his features appear even more exquisite and otherworldly.
"Yun Shang," Yu Wan asked between bites, "where are we going next?"
Yun Shang continued his actions, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Where do you want to go? We've never been to Qingzhou or Liangzhou, or... how about we just go out to sea and take a look?"
Yu Wan tilted her head and thought for a moment, just as she was about to answer, when she suddenly heard several rhythmic knocks coming from outside the courtyard gate.
The two exchanged a glance, Yun Shang's eyes darkened slightly, and he strode towards the courtyard gate.
He opened the door, and there was no one outside, but there was a white dove pecking at food on the ground.
Yun Shang caught the white dove, closed the door, and skillfully took a small bamboo tube from the dove's leg.
Yun Shang quickly opened the letter and glanced at the handwriting on it—it was Xiao Fuzi's handwriting, which was slightly messy and obviously written in a hurry.
"His Majesty is seriously ill and hopes for your swift return."
Those eight short words felt like a heavy hammer blow to Yun Shang's heart.
He gripped the letter tightly, his knuckles turning white, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Yu Wan noticed his unusual behavior and stepped forward to ask softly, "What's wrong?"
Yun Shang handed her the letter: "Something bad is going to happen in Shengjing."
After reading the words on the note, Yu Wan's expression changed: "Are we... going back to the capital?"
Yun Shang was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "We must go back."
He looked up toward the capital, his voice low, "His Majesty's health is worse than I imagined. If His Majesty falls seriously ill and into a coma, Prince Ying will definitely take action."
Although he had not completely withdrawn from the court during the year or so he had been away from the capital, he was far away and inevitably overlooked some things. If Prince Ying were to take control of the situation, it would not be easy for him to change it.
Yu Wan reached out and grasped Yun Shang's hand, feeling the coolness of his palm. She smiled and said, "Then let's go back."
Yun Shang looked ashamed. "I promised to take you to Qingzhou and Liangzhou. I broke my promise."
Yu Wan waved her hand dismissively, "There will be plenty of opportunities to go in the future, there's no rush."
That night, the two packed their belongings quickly and set off for the capital before dawn the next day.
Along the way, either secret guards would suddenly appear, or white doves would land on their carriage.
Yun Shang was constantly busy, repeatedly reading and replying to letters.
Looking at his furrowed brows, Yu Wan knew that the emperor's condition was probably very bad.
Five days later, they arrived at the outskirts of Shengjing City.
From a distance, the city gate was heavily guarded, and people entering and leaving were carefully checked.
Yun Shang reined in his horse, looked into the distance for a moment, and then told Yu Wan to get off the carriage.
Yun Shang's appearance was too outstanding, so he deliberately dressed in a low-key manner and used rouge to cover his face throughout the journey.
That's why they weren't discovered by King Ying's men.
At this moment, the two were dressed in the simplest linen clothes, their faces were dark, and their bodies were hunched, looking like the most ordinary farming couple.
The two took a detour through the west gate.
The checks at the west gate were much more lenient than those at the east gate, and although some people noticed them, they did not make a fuss and quietly let them into the city.
After the two sat down in a teahouse, a middle-aged man dressed in coarse linen clothes soon appeared at their table.
The middle-aged man looked around and laughed heartily, "This teahouse is doing really well, it's completely full."
"If you two don't mind, may I sit down here and have a cup of tea?"
Yun Shang didn't even look up, seemingly not caring who the other person was at all. "Please go ahead."