The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits-Chapter 109 Love Tale of the Embroidered Ball (19)

During the Imperial Examination chaos, the news of Emperor Zhao being attacked by enemy assassins had just reached Su Li, who was playing chess with the Crown Prince.

Upon hearing such significant news, the Crown Prince calmly blocked Su Li’s retreat with a black piece and then leisurely asked the newcomer, "Is everything prepared?"

"Everything is ready."

Su Li stared at the chessboard for a moment, then with fingers as white as jade, gently pushed a chess piece forward, instantly dispersing the Crown Prince’s siege.

"What a move, Crown Prince..." Su Li, turning her head with curiosity, asked, "How did you convince Emperor Zhao to cooperate with you in exposing the Second Prince’s treacherous ambitions?"

Xuanyuan Baiqi smiled slightly. "You underestimate the extent to which an Emperor would protect his power."

"A slumbering couch doesn’t allow for outsiders’ touch."

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A few days later, news that Emperor Zhao was severely traumatized in the Imperial Examination had spread, and every Imperial Physician from the Imperial Doctor’s Office was summoned to the palace.

The word was that Emperor Zhao might not be well.

The court had already ceased its sessions for several days, leaving the Crown Prince to handle the state affairs temporarily. Emperor Zhao issued a decree, calling all adult Princes to the palace.

Because of this turn of events, the entire Capital became somber, with people feeling apprehensive.

All ministers and generals at court kept silent, and rumors began to circulate throughout the Capital.

Behind closed doors, everyone was saying that Emperor Zhao might not survive the winter and that he reportedly couldn’t even leave his bed anymore.

The power of those allied with the Crown Prince surged, and everyone was saying the Crown Prince would undoubtedly be the next Emperor.

However, within a few days, the rumors changed.

There were whispers in the city that the Crown Prince had an insidious intent, amassing power and wielding control over government affairs while Emperor Zhao was critically ill.

Outside the city, the Second Prince, under the pretext of "cleansing the monarch’s side," gathered ten thousand soldiers from General Mu, who was previously stationed at the frontier, and tightly surrounded the entire Imperial Palace.

Xuanyuan Jian, with his sword in hand and followed by soldiers clad in armor, strode from the palace gates straight to where the Emperor was resting and recuperating.

He cleaved a bloody path through any who dared to block him, slashing down with his sword.

At that moment, high-ranking officials and a group of Princes were all kneeling outside the resting place of the Emperor.

Xuanyuan Jian entered with a laugh, "Father, your son has come late to rescue you."

The Third Prince, originally kneeling, suddenly stood up in shock and anger, shouting, "Second Brother, are you staging a rebellion?"

With old grudges coupled with new over the matter of Wen Rou, Xuanyuan Jian already harbored resentment against his brother. Without hesitation, he thrust his sword at the Third Prince.

The blade, drenched in a fierce desire for blood, sped towards the Third Prince’s vital point. If not for General Xuan at his side pulling him away, what would have fallen was not merely a lock of hair but his head.

"Xuanyuan Jian, you dare to commit violence in the palace..."

Xuanyuan Jian laughed heartily. He was bold enough to openly rebel, so what was killing a mere Prince to him?

"With Father ill and traitorous officials in court, it is our duty to relieve the Emperor of his worries."

Xuanyuan Jian looked around and proclaimed loudly, "Everyone should think carefully."

As he spoke, Xuanyuan Jian casually waved his blood-stained sword through the air.

All the able ministers and Princes present felt a chill at their necks, exchanging glances, not knowing what to do.

At that moment, the locked door was opened from the inside, and a woman dressed in a light pink palace outfit greeted everyone with a smile, waving her hand.

"Good afternoon, everyone. The Emperor is waiting for you inside, please..."

This woman was none other than Su Li.

The wide-open doors revealed a glimpse of Emperor Zhao, seated in the place of honor, with the Crown Prince standing just a step behind him.

Xuanyuan Jian knew he was finished the moment he saw Su Li.

This was a trap.

His esteemed father, the Emperor, had truly been plotting all along to clear the path for the Crown Prince.

With his eyes already red, he knew that today he could only fight a desperate battle, a matter of victory or defeat, and as long as he could ascend to that position, what did it matter if others suspected him of fratricide or patricide?

In the span of a moment, Xuanyuan Jian made his decision and swung his sword at the people in front of him, ready to create a massive slaughter.

And standing right at the forefront was Su Li, who was the first to bear the brunt.

As the tip of the sword was about to land on her head, not a single trace of the smile on Su Li’s face changed.

The panic and fear that Xuanyuan Jian had expected did not appear on her face.

He could even see his own expression of doubt reflected in her eyes.

Was she not afraid, or simply feigning calmness?

The Third Prince couldn’t help but cry out in alarm, covering his eyes immediately.

He certainly didn’t want to see such a beautiful face lose its luster right before him; that would be a waste of heavenly beauty.

But in the next second, the gruesome scene did not happen, as someone struck Xuanyuan Jian’s sword from behind, sending it flying.

Xuanyuan Jian, filled with shock and anger, turned his head and demanded, "General Mu, what is the meaning of this...?"

Soon, he figured out the reason, "Whose man are you? Xuanyuan Baiqi’s?"

The man he thought was his confidant turned out to be someone else’s plant. At this thought, Xuanyuan Jian felt as if he was going to explode on the spot.

Su Li smiled and gestured to General Mu, "General, the Emperor has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Thank you, Miss Xie," General Mu gravely returned the gesture to Su Li and stepped forward, walking past Xuanyuan Jian and said indifferently, "The Mu Family Army has always been loyal to Emperor Zhao alone."

At the head of the room, Emperor Zhao sat energetically, his face showing not a trace of illness.

Those present who didn’t know beforehand had already guessed a little, and those who had harbored other intentions all bowed their heads low to their chests, silently retracting their restless thoughts.

In Zhao Country, the tradition of father killing son wasn’t prevalent, and even though Xuanyuan Jian had made such a grave mistake, Emperor Zhao merely confined him.

After all, this was his most beloved son, even though the latter did not see it that way.

Emperor Zhao still sent many devoted servants to him, including the favored concubines and concubines from the Prince’s Mansion.

Emperor Zhao showed some favor to his son, but for those ministers who were blinded by power, he was not so lenient.

For a whole month, the Capital was in a state of anxiety, with doors tightly shut. Every few days, a high-ranking official or minor official would have their home raided by the Imperial Army, and their entire families were exiled to a land of suffering.

Within that month, the city was filled with continual cries of anguish and weeping.

As the New Year approached, the festive spirit of Spring finally began to dispel the gloom little by little.

Su Li also received a letter from her family in Chaoshan.

Old Master Su missed his daughter, who had been away from home for so long.

With everything settled here, Su Li also planned to return home for the New Year.

However, her plans were suddenly delayed by another extraordinary situation.

This time, Emperor Zhao really was gravely ill, his sickness came aggressively, and before the year had even ended, he was fading fast.

Crown Prince Xuanyuan Baiqi took advantage of the situation to ascend the throne and changed the nation’s name to Qi. One of the first things the new Emperor Qi did after ascending the throne was to appoint Mr. Wen and Su Li as his left and right chancellors respectively.

Then, one after another, policies beneficial to the country and the people began to emerge from the Hall of Supreme Harmony.