Chapter 377: The Demon Lord Junzhu's Slacking Daily Life Chapter 377: Stabilizing the Crown Prince's Position

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

He gently stroked Xin Hong's head, his voice soft as he comforted him: "Child, don't be afraid. If the Imperial Physicians can't cure her, I can still find Jianghu doctors. There are many capable people and strange scholars in this world; perhaps someone can cure your Mother Empress's illness."

Hearing the Emperor's words, Xin Hong's crying gradually subsided; he seemed to have gained a glimmer of hope from his father's words.

The Emperor turned his head, looking at the Empress on the bed, his eyes filled with concern and worry.

He ordered the Imperial Physicians: "Starting today, you will take turns caring for the Empress; you must ensure she recovers soon and can walk on the ground." The Imperial Physicians hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, received the order, and left.

The Emperor walked out of Fengyi Palace, his mood heavy. He summoned the guards on duty that day, his face gloomy as he asked: "What exactly happened? Why did the Empress suddenly fall ill?"

However, after an interrogation, the guards all stated they did not know how the fire started, which made the Emperor's brows furrow even tighter.

However, after a thorough investigation, a shocking truth surfaced — someone had actually poured a large amount of gasoline around the sleeping palace!

This discovery made the Emperor furious; he was determined to find the mastermind behind the attempt on the Empress's life at any cost.

After several days of meticulous investigation, the truth finally came to light — it was actually Xin Tong's doing! Upon hearing this news, the Emperor's heart sank into an ice cellar, turning half-cold.

He had originally thought Xin Tong was merely a spoiled, playful child, yet never expected he could actually commit such a vicious act of harming someone.

The Emperor immediately summoned Xin Tong to Yudi; this was the first time in his life he ordered heavy punishment for Xin Tong, having him severely beaten with thirty heavy strokes.

For a young child, these thirty heavy strokes were undoubtedly a nightmare, nearly costing him his little life.

The Emperor thought that after this severe punishment, Xin Tong would reflect in pain, repent his mistakes, and reform from then on, never repeating his errors.

However, things went contrary to his wishes; Xin Tong not only showed not the slightest remorse, but instead harbored resentment toward the Emperor.

Meanwhile, the Empress's body gradually recovered, and she could go out and move about.

In fact, the Empress knew very well in her heart that the previous incident had intricate connections with Xin Tong. However, thinking that she could no longer speak now, her position as Empress probably could not be kept for long either; after all, no country would tolerate a mute Empress.

The Empress secretly mused that in the future she would likely have no further involvement with Xin Tong; since that was the case, there was no need to bother calculating anything further.

However, who could have predicted that on that very day, while the Empress was leisurely strolling in the Imperial Garden as usual, she would encounter a sudden, unexpected change.

At that time, the palace maid beside the Empress was sent away by Xin Tong for some reason, and the Empress did not notice this abnormality.

Just as she strolled to the pond's edge, the unsuspecting Empress was suddenly shoved by a powerful force, instantly falling into the pond.

Although the pond water was not very deep, for a frail woman like the Empress it was enough to submerge her head.

The Empress struggled desperately in the water, her hands continuously slapping the water surface, trying to attract others' attention.

However, due to extreme fear and panic, she wanted to cry for help, but her throat could not produce a single sound.

And the instigator — Xin Tong, after committing this evil deed, actually slipped away like a ghost, vanishing without a trace.

Just as the Empress was struggling bitterly in the water, the palace maid who had been sent away by Xin Tong happened to return.

When she saw the Empress's miserable state struggling in the water, she was so frightened her whole body trembled, nearly unable to stand. She steadied herself slightly, then immediately screamed at the top of her lungs: "Someone come! Help!"

However, by now the Empress had gradually lost strength; her movements slapping the water grew weaker and weaker. By the time the guards rushed over upon hearing the news, the Empress had almost completely sunk to the bottom.

A dozen or so guards saw this and without hesitation all jumped into the water; guided by the palace maid, they began searching everywhere for the Empress's figure.

However, because the pond area was large and underwater visibility was blurry, the guards could not determine the Empress's exact location for a time.

After a difficult search, the guards finally found the Empress's figure in a corner of the pond. They hurriedly swam over and dragged the Empress out of the water.

However, by this time the Empress had long since lost her breath; her body had turned cold and stiff.

When the Emperor learned of the Empress's death by drowning, it was like a bolt from the blue; the anger in his heart was instantly ignited.

Although he already guessed in his heart this was most likely Xin Tong's doing, out of caution he still ordered a thorough investigation, to avoid wronging an innocent person.

Xin Tong was still young and immature in his actions; when doing bad deeds he didn't even know to erase traces, so he was discovered this easily.

Upon learning this, the Emperor decided to send Xin Tong to the most famous local temple, hoping he could repent there and eliminate some of his sins.

Xin Hong had actually long guessed this evil deed was Xin Tong's doing; however, when he realized he wanted to retaliate against Xin Tong, he discovered Xin Tong had already been sent away.

Xin Hong couldn't help feeling the Emperor's move was to protect Xin Tong; this made him dissatisfied with the Emperor, and from then on he was no longer close to the Emperor.

Not only that, Xin Hong also secretly cultivated his own power, determined to eliminate Xin Tong. Time flew; Xin Tong finally reached the age of capping, and the Emperor summoned him back to the palace.

However, the relationship between these two had long since become like fire and water; each regarded the other as a mortal enemy.

Now, Xin Hong gazed at Xin Derui lying on the bed, his heart filled only with endless irony and hatred.

He resented Xin Derui's inaction, allowing Xin Tong to be so vicious from childhood; he hated Xin Tong's coveting of the throne even more, and Huangdi's indulgence of Xin Tong for the sake of guarding the Xin family's realm.

Xin Hong knew deeply that if not for Huangdi's status, his Mother Empress would never have been forced to marry the Emperor. All of this made him full of resentment and dissatisfaction toward this so-called father.

If after the first fire, Xin Tong had been decisively sent away, then Mother Consort might not have encountered that accident.

However, things have come to this; the murderer who killed Mother Empress was Xin Tong, but his Huangdi is actually an outright accomplice as well.

Xin Derui said with a grave expression: "Now Dachang's army has already swept through Yi Xin Cheng like a broken bamboo, and Ye Wu has already met his end in the Yellow Springs. Now, Huangdi's body deteriorates daily; the only one who can be relied on is you."

He took a deep breath and continued: "You will lead the Twenty Thousand Great Army to Yiran City; you must hold the city and repel all those enemies with ulterior motives and ambitious designs."

"This campaign concerns not only the nation's safety, but can also establish your prestige in everyone's hearts, stabilizing your position as Crown Prince."