Emperor Jingming fell forward, terrifying the assembled officials.
“Your Majesty—” Cries of alarm rose from all sides, reaching Emperor Jingming’s ears like the buzzing of mosquitoes.
He no longer cared about losing composure in front of his ministers, clutching his chest as cold sweat poured down.
Pan Hai supported most of Emperor Jingming’s weight, asking softly, “Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”
Emperor Jingming’s voice was barely audible: “Help… help Us inside…”
Pan Hai dared not say more and hurriedly assisted Emperor Jingming away.
The great hall had fallen into chaos.
The officials looked at each other in confusion.
“Hadn’t His Majesty recovered? How could this—”
“Indeed, His Majesty’s condition is truly worrying…”
“Could His Majesty have another hidden ailment?”
“Minister Zhang, mind your words!”
Shortly after, a eunuch came out and announced, “Ministers, please disperse.”
The officials were unwilling to leave. They swarmed around the eunuch, bombarding him with questions: “How is His Majesty?”
The eunuch repeatedly assured them, “Ministers, please be at ease. The Imperial Physician has examined His Majesty, and there’s no serious concern…”
“But what exactly is His Majesty’s condition? Has his previous illness not fully healed?”
The eunuch, sweating profusely, wiped his forehead and said, “This humble servant doesn’t know the specifics. Ministers, please return and await further news.”
“With His Majesty ill, how can we, as his subjects, return and calmly await news?”
“Indeed, we need to know His Majesty’s exact condition before we can leave with peace of mind.”
The eunuch coughed lightly, “His Majesty truly has no serious ailment. Asking you to return is also His Majesty’s wish. If you don’t leave, are you defying the imperial order?”
The officials were momentarily stunned.
The eunuch seized this opportunity to quickly slip away.
After the eunuch left, the officials looked at each other, sighed, and departed with heavy hearts.
Leaving the imperial city, they found the sky overcast, its gloomy appearance matching their current mood.
Could it be that the fortunes of Great Zhou were about to change?
The question lingering in the officials’ minds soon spread both within and outside the court, causing widespread anxiety.
Emperor Jingming, his face pale, asked the Imperial Physician, “What exactly is Our ailment?”
The Imperial Physician, trembling with fear, replied, “Your Majesty, it seems you’ve suddenly developed a heart condition…”
“A heart condition?” Emperor Jingming recalled the piercing pain from earlier, his expression worsening.
The feeling of helplessness brought on by the pain overwhelmed him, giving rise to an ominous premonition.
Could it be that his time was up?
He had never thought an emperor could live forever, but he certainly didn’t want to face such a crisis at this moment.
With an unworthy heir apparent, if something were to happen to him now, the empire would be in danger.
He would truly die with unfinished business!
As Emperor Jingming thought this, sorrow welled up in his heart, and his eyes grew moist.
“Is it serious?” After the intense pain subsided, Emperor Jingming barely had the strength to speak, asking weakly.
The Imperial Physician, drenched in cold sweat from the question, stammered, “This humble servant will first prescribe some medicine for Your Majesty to take…”
Emperor Jingming’s lips trembled, vaguely understanding.
They weren’t even sure of the cause of his illness.
Emperor Jingming’s mood worsened further. He waved his hand, signaling the Imperial Physicians to withdraw.
The Empress, who had hurried over, looked equally distressed. She grasped Emperor Jingming’s hand and asked, “Your Majesty, when did your chest pain begin?”
Emperor Jingming leaned against the soft pillows, his forehead covered in a cold sweat, and replied weakly, “Just as the court was about to be dismissed. There was no pain before.”
He also found it strange. His previous illness had been brought on by anger at the Crown Prince, and he had almost fully recovered. How could he suddenly develop a heart condition?
The Empress wiped the sweat from Emperor Jingming’s forehead with a handkerchief. After a moment of silence, she said softly, “Your Majesty, don’t you find this illness suspicious?”
“Hmm?”
The Empress pressed her lips together, “Perhaps it’s not an illness at all.”
“What are you thinking?” Emperor Jingming’s gaze deepened.
The Empress hesitated for a long while before saying, “I just recalled the Fifteenth Prince’s assassination and the incident at Qingliang Mountain. The dancer who poisoned Fifteenth Prince and Consort Yang both died suddenly from heart conditions—”
The Empress dared not continue, anxiously observing Emperor Jingming’s expression.
Emperor Jingming’s expression changed dramatically, his hand trembling uncontrollably.
He had vaguely suspected this but dared not dwell on it. Now that the Empress had voiced it, he could no longer deceive himself.
His sudden, excruciating chest pain—could it be that someone was trying to harm him?
“But Nursemaid Duo is dead…” Emperor Jingming frowned at the Empress.
The Empress was equally perplexed, furrowing her brow in silence.
Emperor Jingming’s expression grew even more troubled. He asked in a trembling voice, “Could it be… that Nursemaid Duo still has accomplices in the palace?”
“Your Majesty, it’s not impossible—”
Before she could finish, Emperor Jingming suddenly clutched his chest, instantly drenched in sweat.
The Empress panicked and called out loudly, “Imperial Physician, Imperial Physician—”
Several Imperial Physicians rushed in, helplessly watching Emperor Jingming writhe in agony.
“Are you all useless?” The Empress, who rarely raised her voice, shouted angrily.
The Imperial Physicians knelt en masse, begging forgiveness.
The Empress had no time to further reprimand them, focusing on massaging Emperor Jingming’s chest.
After a while, Emperor Jingming finally endured the pain, his entire body soaked in cold sweat.
Seeing Emperor Jingming in such a state, the Empress sternly ordered, “All of you, withdraw!”
The Imperial Physicians and attending eunuchs all retreated, leaving only Pan Hai present.
This ordeal left Emperor Jingming even weaker. He struggled to open his eyes and look at the Empress.
He knew the Empress must have something urgent to say if she had dismissed everyone.
“Your Majesty, perhaps we should summon Princess Yan into the palace to take a look.”
Emperor Jingming’s eyelids trembled.
The Empress gazed intently at Emperor Jingming and said softly, “Could Your Majesty’s heart condition be similar to Prince Fu’s eye condition? In any case, let’s have Princess Yan come and examine you first.”
Emperor Jingming nodded and then said, “There’s no need to specially summon Seventh Son’s wife into the palace. They should have received news by now and will be entering the palace soon.”
If his chest pain was related to Nursemaid Duo, it would be unwise to expose Seventh Son’s wife.
Sure enough, before long, eunuchs came to report that several princes and their consorts had entered the palace to visit.
From the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had also arrived.
Pan Hai came to the hall where everyone was waiting, looked around, and said, “His Majesty summons Prince Yan and Princess Yan to enter.”
Everyone’s expressions immediately became subtle. After Yu Jin and Jiang Si followed Pan Hai away, they looked at each other.
Father Emperor had suddenly fallen ill, yet he summoned Seventh Brother and his wife first.
Prince Lu stroked his chin, muttering, “I never realized Father Emperor favored Seventh Brother the most!”
Princess Lu gave him a look and whispered, “Say less.”
Prince Qi maintained a calm exterior, but his heart sank.
True feelings are revealed in critical moments. What did it mean that Father Emperor summoned Seventh Brother and his wife first at this time?
Could it be that if the Crown Prince fell, his greatest rival would be the Seventh Brother?
The chest pain was unbearable, and Emperor Jingming no longer cared about others’ thoughts. Moreover, Seventh Son and his wife had indeed relieved many of his worries, so he didn’t mind showing some favor.
After Yu Jin and Jiang Si paid their respects, Emperor Jingming said directly, “Seventh Son’s wife, come and see what’s wrong with my body.”