Chapter 479: The Old Emperor Suddenly Kicks the Bucket

The two sides fought, and both suffered heavy losses.

The trouble began as a farce and ended as a farce.

In such a situation, no solution could be reached through discussion—it was nothing more than both sides stating their positions and probing each other's bottom line. As for the old Emperor, he remained unconscious, but at least everyone was allowed to see him, proving that the old Emperor was indeed unconscious and indeed still alive.

Things couldn't keep deadlocked like this forever!

Yu Yu Zhaoan was still weighing the pros and cons.

The Imperial Princes and Princes were also tangled in hesitation and struggle, always feeling as if they were missing out on a fortune. The throne was within reach, yet it seemed to slip away. This one miss would cost them and their descendants for generations.

Chen Chen Guanlou watched from the sidelines, planning to see the show through to the end. No matter who became Emperor, his goal was military power—to drive a nail firmly into the Three Great Camps.

The meritorious nobles tacitly stood on the same front as Chen Chen Guanlou, tacitly beginning to act in silence, inserting themselves into the Three Great Camps.

As for whether the old Emperor should abdicate, whether he should be deposed, which Imperial Prince should inherit the throne—well, the civil officials could make most of the decisions on this matter, with the meritorious nobles assisting from the side. The civil officials held the reins of governance, the meritorious nobles held the military generals; both understood each other perfectly and had long shared a tacit understanding.

Pan Pan Niangzi's heart pounded wildly.

The day's chaos had ended, but she began to grow nervous, looking for a chance to leave the Palace of Supreme Harmony.

Why?

Because during the day's chaos, he had poisoned the old Emperor.

According to plan, she was supposed to give the old Emperor a lethal poison. But when the moment came to act, she privately changed her mind, swapping the killing poison for one that would put him into an endless sleep.

She had disobeyed her master's orders. Watching the old Emperor unable to wake, knowing even fiercer battles would erupt in the palace, she was terrified. Terrified of both sides.

With such a huge incident and such an ugly scene, would the palace allow their group of palace servants to witness it and spread the word? Better not wait until the next day when an order comes down to grant them all poisoned wine—by then, running would be too late.

But how to escape the Palace of Supreme Harmony was a real test of her wits.

Over this matter, she couldn't sleep at all through the night, tossing and turning, unable to rest.

Suddenly, a great commotion came from the front. She sat bolt upright from her bed, pricking up her ears to listen. The other palace maids in the same room were also startled awake; everyone felt uneasy and whispered, "What happened?"

"We don't know!"

"Should we go out and look?"

"Absolutely not. In the palace, the more you know, the faster you die."

"But what if they need us, and we're not there—will we get dragged into it?"

"Getting dragged into it is still better than losing our lives."

"Enough talk, hurry up, get out of bed and dress properly, stand by at all times. Remember—don't look, don't inquire. When those above assign us tasks, we do them. If no one calls for us, we pretend we know nothing."

"Well said!"

Pan Pan Niangzi silently put on her clothes, hiding in the darkness. Her heart beat fast; she had a particularly bad premonition.

Not until a matron passed by did they learn: Your Majesty had passed away!

How could that be!

Pan Pan Niangzi stood dumbfounded on the spot.

She had clearly not used a lethal poison, only one that would keep a person unconscious. How could it be that after just a few hours, the person was dead?

Impossible! Impossible!

She couldn't have used the wrong poison.

She had been exposed to poisons since childhood; her understanding of poisons was more precise than her own menstrual cycle.

Exactly which step had gone wrong?

She bit her lip, dealing with the surrounding palace maids while thinking deeply. Could it be that within the Palace of Supreme Harmony, besides her, someone else had secretly poisoned the old Emperor?

Why hadn't the imperial physicians detected it?

Was the poisoner more skilled than her?

She felt a deep fear—a fear of death. She had a premonition that death was not far from her.

She had to leave the palace—she absolutely had to leave the palace quickly.

If she delayed, she really would die inside the palace.

In the middle of the night, the silent imperial palace suddenly came alive, with people coming and going.

Especially the Palace of Supreme Harmony, ablaze with lights, crowded with people.

Several high-ranking ministers received the news and rushed to the sleeping hall at the first moment. Looking at the old Emperor on the bed with his eyes tightly shut, none of them could believe it—the old Emperor who had plagued the realm for years was actually dead.

"Has Your Majesty truly passed away?" Seeing Li Li Liangcheng still immersed in his emotions, Yu Yu Zhaoan stepped forward first to question the imperial physicians.

The imperial physicians all wore expressions as though mourning a parent, nodding. "When he was discovered, he was already gone. We tried everything, but it was beyond saving."

"What good are you?" Yu Yu Zhaoan suddenly erupted. "There were always people by Your Majesty's side—why couldn't you discover it in time, why couldn't you rescue him in time? Dereliction of duty! You all deserve to be buried with Your Majesty."

The moment the words "buried with him" were spoken, every palace servant and imperial physician in the sleeping hall dropped to their knees in unison, kneeling crisply and decisively. They only begged for their lives.

The only one who did not kneel was Qiu Qiu Defu. He stood guard by the bed, his expression grief-stricken. "Is Chancellor Yu accusing me?"

Yu Yu Zhaoan snorted coldly. "Your Majesty suddenly passed in the middle of the night—Eunuch Qiu, you bear an inescapable responsibility."

Qiu Qiu Defu slowly shook his head, his expression grief-stricken and angry.

His gaze calmly swept over the assembled ministers. "You're right—I do bear an inescapable responsibility. However, His Majesty has been unconscious for many days, and to this day no one has investigated the altar explosion case; the true culprit remains at large. May I ask if Chancellor Yu should also bear responsibility?

Furthermore, His Majesty was unconscious for many days without waking. The imperial physicians had long warned that His Majesty could pass at any moment... I also warned you all to discuss a solution early on, not to delay. What did you do?

Fighting for power and profit, arguing day after day. Who among you truly hoped His Majesty would recover? Only I, from the bottom of my heart, hoped His Majesty would wake. As for the rest of you—you've long been hoping His Majesty would pass. If the altar explosion case isn't resolved, everyone here is implicated."

"Eunuch Qiu has lost his mind, talking nonsense."

"Eunuch Qiu is simply overcome with grief and speaking out of turn."

"Heh! What are you trying to do? Pin the label of madness on me, then use the chance to drive me out of the palace and wipe me out? In your dreams! His Majesty's funeral arrangements—I will oversee every step. The matter of succession—I will also oversee every step. Don't even think about pulling any tricks."

"Eunuch Qiu, no one is targeting you. It's just that His Majesty suddenly passed, and everyone is heartbroken. You are overwhelmed with grief, and after many days of toil without rest, perhaps tonight we should arrange for someone else to keep watch, and you should go rest."

"I'm not tired! If you want to cast me aside and act on your own, let me tell you—don't even dream of it! I won't hide it from you—His Majesty once gave instructions that I should keep a close eye on all of you, to see exactly who harbors treason in their bones."

"Enough, enough, mercy where mercy is due. Eunuch Qiu's loyalty to His Majesty is beyond doubt—why must you target him?" Chen Chen Guanlou suddenly stepped forward to speak up for Qiu Qiu Defu. "His Majesty has passed; the palace is in a thousand tangled threads, and many matters still need Eunuch Qiu to step forward and arrange. If you are so impatient as to target Eunuch Qiu, the world will spit on you."