Chapter 196: The Shunhe Emperor's Head Is Buzzing

"General, how much longer do we have to wait?"

Shi Xiao rubbed his growling stomach and looked at him with a pitiful face.

He'd only had a single bowl of porridge in the morning, and after all this fuss, he was starving long ago.

His stomach was growling so loudly that Lu Xing gave a helpless, anxious sigh.

"Hold on a little longer. Once the matter is done, I'll treat you to a big meal."

At those words, Shi Xiao perked right up.

"That sounds great! Let's go to Wangjiang Tower — I heard their chef is on par with the imperial kitchen."

Even as he spoke, he swallowed hard, his face full of longing.

Seeing this, Lu Xing shook his head helplessly.

"Look at you — no ambition at all."

While the two were talking, a dust-covered soldier hurried toward the great hall.

Inside the hall, the Shunhe Emperor had only just managed to calm himself and was about to have the Muyuan Kingdom general summoned in, when he heard a young Eunuch outside the hall report.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Governor of Yunzhou has sent an eight-hundred-li express messenger with urgent news!"

The Shunhe Emperor's brows knit slightly.

"Let him in."

A soldier clad in the armor of the Yunzhou garrison rushed into the hall and dropped to his knees with a thud.

"Reporting to the Xiyue Emperor, five days ago our Governor received reports from the county magistrates of several cities below, saying that a large body of troops had appeared within the borders — roughly estimated at over two hundred thousand!"

The Shunhe Emperor shot to his feet.

"How could this happen?!"

"Where did those people come from?"

The soldier replied.

"It seems they came from the south."

The Shunhe Emperor's brow tightened.

"The south?"

"What about the Nan Jing garrison? What about Zhou Old General? With so many people, surely they noticed something?!"

Suddenly, as if realizing something, the color drained from his face in an instant — pale as paper.

Could it be…

As if confirming the thought in his heart, another soldier came running — also from Yunzhou, just like the previous one.

He scrambled into the hall in a panic, half-falling, half-crawling.

"Reporting to the Xiyue Emperor, the Cheng banner — it's the Cheng Family Army! The Cheng Family Army has rebelled!!!"

Boom!!!

The Shunhe Emperor felt as though a thunderbolt had exploded inside his head.

His skull was buzzing.

In an instant, he couldn't hear anything at all.

He reached out and braced himself against the writing desk, barely managing not to collapse.

The Cheng Family — it really was the Cheng Family!

The Imperial Officials in the hall also revealed looks of horror one after another.

The Cheng Family Army has rebated!!!

"Th-this — what are we to do?"

"The Capital and its surroundings now have fewer than fifty thousand troops. We can only send word as quickly as possible for the border garrisons to rush to our aid!"

Several Imperial Officials looked toward the Shunhe Emperor and shouted in unison.

"We beg Your Majesty to issue an Imperial Decree!"

But the Shunhe Emperor showed no reaction at all — as if he hadn't heard them. He simply stood there in a daze, his lips moving slightly, as though muttering something.

Only the Eunuch Chief Shi Gui, who stood closest to him, heard it.

What their Xiyue Emperor was saying was:

The Cheng Family people have returned!

The Cheng Family has come to take revenge on me!

Hearing this, Shi Gui's eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

My Xiyue Emperor — you mustn't lose your own footing first!

He hurried forward a step, intending to quietly remind the Emperor.

Don't think about the Cheng Family's affairs for now — the Imperial Officials are all waiting for your order, waiting for your decision.

But the moment he drew near, the Shunhe Emperor suddenly flew into a rage.

"Get lost!"

With that furious roar, the Shunhe Emperor lifted his foot and kicked Shi Gui in the stomach, sending him flying two meters away.

Shi Gui knelt on the ground, his body curled in agony.

The Shunhe Emperor pulled a treasured sword from behind the Dragon Throne and slashed at the air several times.

"Get lost!"

"Don't come any closer!"

This display terrified everyone in the hall, their faces draining of color as they screamed one after another.

The next moment, with a heavy thud, the Shunhe Emperor collapsed to the ground.

He fainted.

"Your Majesty!"

"Imperial physician, go fetch the imperial physician!"

Poor Shi Gui had taken a heavy kick for nothing, and now his stomach was aching terribly, his face deathly pale, cold sweat pouring all over his body.

Even so, he still painfully crawled on his belly toward the Shunhe Emperor.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you all right?"

The hall had turned into complete chaos, and the Crown Prince once again stepped forward to steady the crowd.

"Guards! Quickly escort Father Emperor back to his sleeping quarters!"

Then he looked toward the Imperial Officials in the hall.

"Everyone, don't panic. The rebels are still very far from the capital. As long as we dispatch troops to intercept them at various points in time, we can minimize the damage!"

Soon, the Imperial Officials walked out of the hall with heavy hearts.

Seeing this scene, Shi Xiao grew even more furious, and growled in a low voice.

"General, look at them! What do they mean by this?!"

"You're still waiting here, and they're already leaving court!"

Lu Xing's brow was tightly furrowed as well.

He wasn't angry at this point, but his suspicions were confirmed—something had happened, and it was no simple matter.

As he was pondering, a young Eunuch suddenly ran over.

"This Servant greets General Lu."

"Your Majesty has issued an Imperial Decree. The two of you may return now. His Majesty is temporarily unable to receive General Lu."

After saying that, the young Eunuch hurried off into the distance.

"Hey!"

Shi Xiao chased after him a couple of steps.

"What do you mean by this? Are you playing us?!"

"General, these Da Yin people have really gone too far!"

Lu Xing gave him a look telling him to calm down, and carefully observed the hurrying, slightly panicked Imperial Officials passing before them.

Before entering Taiji Hall, these people had been impossibly arrogant, always looking at them with contempt.

And now, they were actually politely nodding at them, even smiling at them?

It seemed this trouble really was no simple matter.

Lu Xing's expression remained unchanged. He politely nodded back at each Imperial Official who glanced his way, then turned and gave Shi Xiao a look, and the two of them headed out of the palace.

On the way back, Lu Xing whispered in Shi Xiao's ear.

"Once we're back at Yi Zhan, go find out if anyone left today. Remember, it must be done in secret."

"Also, have that Prince's Son Sheng come find me."

"Yes!"

……

At the palace gate, the crowd was blocked by the Imperial Guard.

"How dare you! What do you mean by this?"

"Why are you blocking us from leaving?!"

"Exactly! I still have official duties to attend to. If there's any delay, which one of you can bear the responsibility?!"

"……"

"Quiet!"

The Imperial Guard Commander led his men to block the palace gate and cupped his hands toward the crowd.

"My apologies, everyone. An assassin just appeared in Taiji Hall. His Majesty has ordered us to conduct a search. Please be patient. Once we've inspected each of your Horse Carriages and attendants one by one, we'll let you out of the palace one at a time."

Saying so, he cupped his hands toward the Imperial Officials.

"We are acting under Imperial command. Please cooperate with us, if you'll excuse us, excuse us."

When things had been put this way, with an Imperial Decree used to pressure people, who could still say anything?

One by one, the inspections went by. As the Imperial Officials each returned home, fewer and fewer people remained, and the Imperial Guard Commander's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Sir, still nothing."

A subordinate walked up to the Imperial Guard Commander and quietly voiced his suspicion.

"What if the assassin was originally a Eunuch or palace maid in the palace itself, and never intended to leave the palace at all?"

Hearing this, the Imperial Guard Commander's face grew even darker.

If that were the case, it would be even more troublesome.

He hurriedly gave orders.

"Quickly send more men to properly protect His Majesty and the Empress Dowager's sleeping quarters. Arrange more people as well, patrolling in shifts for twelve hours at a time!"

By the time Lu Xing and the other walked out of the palace gate, it was already past noon.

Shi Xiao was so hungry he didn't even have the strength to curse anymore, only wanting to find a place to have a big meal as soon as possible.

"General, do you think searching like this will really catch the assassin?"

Lu Xing casually glanced to the side, and his gaze suddenly paused at a certain spot.

"Who knows?"

"Maybe they've already gotten out long ago."