usatvline Chapter 250 The Disaster of Genocide
Chapter 250 The Disaster of Genocide
The emperor's expression was still solemn. He slowly swept his eyes across the faces of the ministers one by one, and said in a serious tone: "My dear ministers, the situation is unclear and dangerous. You should pay more attention to the people around you and observe carefully for any unusual behavior. If you find anything, report it to me immediately."
The ministers hurriedly responded respectfully, shouting in unison: "Your Majesty is wise, and we will keep it in mind!"
Just as the emperor was about to ask everyone to leave, Lord Lin, the Minister of Personnel, stepped forward.
His face was filled with more worry. After bowing, he said with a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, I heard recently that there were some strange diseases in the clinic. The disease was extremely severe. The doctors were helpless and more than a dozen people had died."
Lord Lin paused, his expression of worry growing even more intense, and continued, "The sick person first has a fever all over his body, as if he were in a furnace, and then he starts coughing non-stop. The cough is heart-wrenching to hear."
At this point, he shuddered, his eyes filled with fear and worry, and his body trembled slightly, as if the plague would afflict him at this moment. He then added: "He would die within a few days. It is really terrible."
When the emperor heard this, his face suddenly changed and he had a bad feeling in his heart.
He recalled that a few days ago in Chuxiu Palace, the Imperial Concubine had asked him to take a sugar pill, saying that the pill could cure the epidemic and that the epidemic might spread to the capital soon.
At that time, the Imperial Concubine gave him a large bottle of sugar pills, saying that they were given by Shen Yiran. She also emphasized that he should let his trusted ministers take them, and told the ministers to go back and tell their families to stay at home as much as possible to prevent infection.
The emperor quickly turned to the eunuch Defu beside him and said, "Defu, go get the medicine bottle quickly." Eunuch Defu responded and ran to the inner room.
Not long after, Eunuch Defu hurried back with an exquisite porcelain vase and handed it to the emperor with both hands.
The emperor took the porcelain bottle, looked around at the ministers, and said in a deep voice: "My lords, I have some pills here that have a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on the epidemic.
I will give each of you 20 pills. You can take them back and give them to your loved ones. Each person can only take three pills. When you return, you must inform your family members. It is best not to go out in the near future to avoid infection."
Upon hearing this, the ministers all showed gratitude on their faces.
Eunuch Defu took the medicine bottle handed back by the emperor and distributed the medicine to the ministers in order.
He held the bottle in both hands with a serious look. He first walked towards the minister who was nearby, bowed slightly, then gently opened the bottle cap and poured out twenty pills into his palm. He counted them briefly and handed them to the minister, saying softly, "Sir, please keep them. His Majesty has given me twenty pills each. Don't lose any."
The minister quickly took it with both hands and said gratefully: "Thank you, eunuch, and thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
The other ministers came forward one by one to receive the medicine. Each of them took three pills first, and then carefully put the remaining pills into their arms and patted them gently, as if to make sure they were safe.
Then, the emperor waved his hand and said, "My dear ministers, this is the end of today. Please leave. Prime Minister Ren will stay."
The ministers bowed and left one after another. After a moment, only the emperor and Prime Minister Ren were left in the imperial study.
The emperor's eyes fell on Prime Minister Ren, and he asked sternly, "My dear Ren, can you tell anything from the reactions of the ministers just now?"
Prime Minister Ren bowed quickly, stood up, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I just noticed something suspicious.
When we were discussing just now, I happened to see that the Minister of War, Mr. Zhang, looked absent-minded and anxious, totally unlike his usual calm and capable demeanor. I was really puzzled. How could he be so absent-minded when it comes to matters concerning the safety of the country?
The emperor nodded slightly, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, and said: "Humph, I also found that there is something wrong with Mr. Zhang. Mr. Ren, in your opinion, what is the point of this?"
Prime Minister Ren frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that Lord Zhang is very close to the Crown Prince. Now the Sixth Prince is in danger of death at the border, and there are undercurrents in the court. He looks like this now, I am afraid that the Crown Prince has made some moves."
Upon hearing this, the emperor's face grew gloomier. He slammed the armrest of the dragon throne and shouted angrily, "I knew this rebellious son would be restless! He has not yet appointed a crown prince, but he is already trying to stir up trouble. If he succeeds, this country will be destroyed in an instant!"
After saying this, the emperor stood up angrily and paced back and forth in the imperial study. The hem of his dragon robe rustled as he walked.
Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Ren hurriedly tried to comfort him, "Your Majesty, calm down. Although there is suspicion, there is no solid evidence yet. Your Majesty might as well send someone to secretly monitor Mr. Zhang's every move. Once you have solid evidence, it won't be too late to make a decision."
The emperor stopped, took a deep breath, and said slowly: "Ren Aiqing is right. I will leave this matter to you. You must get to the bottom of it. If anyone dares to rebel at this critical moment, I will never let him off easily!"
Prime Minister Ren clasped his fists respectfully and saluted, saying loudly: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best to find out the truth and live up to your trust!"
At this time in the East Palace, Yu Gongchen also summoned his trusted ministers to discuss the rebellion.
Inside the main hall of the East Palace, the candlelight flickered and light and shadows danced eerily on the walls, as if demons were dancing wildly, adding an eerie and terrifying atmosphere to the planning of this conspiracy.
Yu Gongchen was dressed in gorgeous prince's attire, sitting on the main seat. His eyes were like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, revealing a sinister and vicious look. A slight sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he looked like a sinister and vicious person.
The king's uncle sat at the bottom, his face full of flesh trembling with his expression, his triangular eyes revealing greed and cruelty.
He rubbed his hands and spoke first, impatiently: "Your Highness, this is truly a godsend opportunity! The Sixth Prince died suddenly at the border, and the throne will be yours sooner or later. We must plan carefully and take that position firmly as soon as possible."
After saying this, he chuckled. The laughter sounded particularly harsh in the eerily silent hall, and it echoed in the air, as if to spread the scent of conspiracy further.
The Minister of Rites, Lord Jiang, bowed slightly, with a flattering smile on his face, and quickly agreed: "What the uncle said is absolutely right, Your Highness, you are the eldest son, and the throne should be inherited by you.
It's just that the emperor is getting old and confused, and he has been slow to appoint Your Highness as the crown prince, which is really infuriating. Now the opportunity is right in front of us, we can't miss it."
As he spoke, he secretly observed Yu Gongchen's expression, and when he saw the prince nodded slightly, he was delighted, and the flattering look on his face became even stronger. His body leaned forward unconsciously, as if he wanted to get closer to Yu Gongchen to show his loyalty.
Minister of Revenue Shen Huaiyan frowned, his face full of worry. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, although the timing seems good, it is a serious crime of treason after all. If the news leaks out, it will be a disaster for the whole clan. We have to be extremely cautious."
His voice was trembling slightly, and as he spoke, his eyes kept glancing towards the door and window, as if he was worried that someone was eavesdropping. His body also shrank back slightly, revealing his inner fear.