The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 834 - 834 385 Stoking the Fire (Added )

Chapter 834: 385 Stoking the Fire (Added Chapter) Chapter 834: 385 Stoking the Fire (Added Chapter) “`

The Emperor had been unwilling to believe it, but every sentence, every word, every fact fit precisely with the experiences of Xiao Liulang.

It was hateful, his loyalty was true, yet in the end… in the end… to be betrayed like this…

And to hear what his mother, the empress dowager, had said?

Wasn’t each word a knife stabbing into his heart…

The Emperor’s heart was bleeding…

The feeling was like being pulled out from an icy hole and then viciously stabbed several times!

He staggered, nearly falling over!

Your Majesty!

Eunuch Wei dared not make a sound, hurriedly reaching out to support him.

To be honest, he was also terrified.

He had never expected that he and His Majesty would overhear what was being said at the Empress Dowager Jing’s wall corner, nor that the content would be so explosive.

From the Empress Dowager Jing’s tone, were both assassination attempts on Xiao Liulang orchestrated by her?

Thinking about it, who else but the legendary Dragon Shadow Guard could have such skill to infiltrate the Imperial College and cause chaos?

That’s where Eunuch Wei was mistaken. Although the Imperial College was tightly guarded, there were still plenty of masters capable of sneaking in.

However, since the Empress Dowager Jing personally admitted to “another failure,” it seemed that the incident at the Imperial College was also her doing.

Even more damning, the conversation inside did not stop but instead grew increasingly thunderous.

“All right, Your Highness, don’t be angry; take care that you don’t harm your health with your temper.”

It was the voice of Madam Cai!

“Speaking of it, it’s not the Dragon Shadow Guard’s fault. Those people are too cunning. If it weren’t for them, how could His Majesty be fooled? In my view, all these so-called divine physicians, all these scholar Xiao’s achievements, are nothing but their tricks to deceive His Majesty!”

“But how was His Majesty deceived by them? Did they also drug His Majesty?”

This was the voice of the Empress Dowager Jing.

If the Emperor had only felt anger upon hearing what had been said earlier, upon hearing this, he began to feel utterly bewildered.

What did she mean by also drugging him?

The voice of Madam Cai continued: “Such drugs are not only available to Your Highness; perhaps that Yan Country pharmacist sold the drugs to someone else!”

The voice of the Empress Dowager Jing said, “Such drugs are extremely rare, they’re not something that can just be sold if one wishes to sell them, those drug ingredients can’t all be found within the bounds of Zhan Country!”

“With money, one can make the devil turn the millstone, Your Highness, you’ve underestimated them!”

“Are you suggesting… His Majesty’s high regard for Xiao Liulang and the Gu Family girl is because Xiao Liulang and the Gu Family girl also gave His Majesty ‘white powder’?”

“Your Highness, you have personally experienced the effects of the white and black powders. Recall how, after that incident, His Majesty reconciled with you and how he fell out with the Empress Dowager, was it not all because of those two drugs?”

The Emperor couldn’t hear clearly what was being said after that; his whole head was buzzing, his vision went dark, and the world seemed to spin around him. When he finally regained consciousness, he found himself already sitting on the ground.

Eunuch Wei was kneeling beside him, shaking him anxiously: “Your Majesty… Your Majesty… Your Majesty…”

The Emperor’s body was drenched in cold sweat.

He numbly asked, “The Empress Dowager, where…”

“She’s gone… I didn’t see them come out… They must have left through the back door…” Eunuch Wei’s eyes were red, and his voice was choked, “Your Majesty, you scared me to death…”

“Help me up…” The Emperor said blankly, extending his arm to Eunuch Wei.

Eunuch Wei wiped away tears, helping the Emperor up from the ground: “Your Majesty…”

The Emperor, like a soulless puppet, turned around with a vacant expression: “Back to Huaqing Palace…”

Not long after the Emperor and Eunuch Wei left, two figures emerged from behind the rockery near the Greeting Room, one after the other.

Both were dressed in the attire of little eunuchs, but their statures were taller and more upright than the ordinary ones.

The one dressed as a eunuch, Xiao Liulang, spoke, “You changed the lines.”

The other one, Gu Chengfeng, pouted, “Did I? I was just following the script you gave me!”

Xiao Liulang glanced at the small script in Gu Chengfeng’s hands and said expressionlessly, “It doesn’t say ‘little limper’ anywhere on there.”

Gu Chengfeng: “…Cough, I was improvising, it adds a unique touch!”

Xiao Liulang: “I’m docking you a bottle of Hair Growth Potion.”

Gu Chengfeng: “?!”

That’s too much!

Wasn’t it hard enough for him to agree to imitate a woman’s voice for him? And he even had to play dual roles! That girl wouldn’t go easy on him even though he mastered her voice, and yet this fellow has an even blacker heart than she does!

No, that’s not right, that girl is truly ruthless, while this fellow is hypocritically ruthless!

He looks innocent and harmless, but he’s full of more tricks than anyone!

Xiao Liulang said indifferently, “Alright, enough talking. I need to go back and take care of Jiaojiao.”

“`

Gu Chengfeng was frantically exasperated, “Does she need you to take care of her? She’s not even really injured! She’s bouncing around, even able to climb trees to catch sparrows!”

…

After returning to Huaqing Palace, the Emperor collapsed, not from fainting, but from sheer exhaustion and an inability to sustain his body. He lay on the spacious Dragon Bed, his face etched with struggle and despair.

Some things, whether revealed earlier or later, wouldn’t have the same effect, but this timing was just right. The effect of the black medicine on the Empress Dowager was fading, while its effect on Consort Jing was gradually intensifying.

Xiao Liulang had gauged the limits of what the Emperor could handle and began with the simplest, most credible facts before ending with the most shocking, piercing truths.

It was like a knife slicing open the Emperor’s heart, spilling out streams of blood along with all the unbearable memories of the past.

Of course, the Emperor was still the Emperor. Though not as suspicious as his predecessor, he was still the sovereign of a nation and wouldn’t convict someone solely based on a few words.

Xiao Liulang’s words revealed several extremely important pieces of information—assassination, Dragon Shadow Guard, drugging, and Yan Country Pharmacists.

The Dragon Shadow Guards were complete killing tools, devoid of normal human thought. It was impossible to learn any truth from them, but within the multitude of truths, if one could be proven, it would make all the others believable.

“Xuanping Marquis,” the Emperor said.

“Your Majesty, the Marquis of Xuanping has gone to Fengdu Mountain to visit Princess Xinyang. Have you forgotten?” Eunuch Wei said.

The Marquis of Xuanping was a high-ranking court official, and while a day trip from the Capital City was unremarkable, a longer journey required reporting to the court.

“I indeed forgot…” The Emperor felt his mind becoming less and less reliable. He held his aching head and said to Eunuch Wei, “Then summon Gu Chao.”

Eunuch Wei complied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Wait,” the Emperor said, stopping him.

Eunuch Wei bowed slightly, “Do you have further orders, Your Majesty?”

The Emperor hesitated to speak and then gestured dismissively, “Forget it, summon Gu Chao first.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Eunuch Wei dispatched two skilled imperial guards to bring the old marquis with utmost speed.

The old marquis had no idea why the Emperor summoned him and thought the Emperor might be challenging his relationship with Consort Jing again. He swore that he and Consort Jing had cut all ties and had no further contact!

“I ask you, where in Zhan Country can one find a Yan Country Pharmacist?”

This was the Emperor’s first question, his mind so chaotic that he skipped the usual pleasantries between monarch and subject.

The old marquis was taken aback, not understanding why the Emperor would ask this, but he still reported truthfully, “In the Capital City, there’s an underground Martial Arts Arena that has a Yan Country Pharmacist. Does Your Majesty wish to consult the pharmacist?”

The Emperor said wearily, “No need. You go buy two types of medicine for me—black medicine and white medicine. Also, inquire about their uses and who has purchased them.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Strange, what black medicine and white medicine?

Despite his confusion, the old marquis proceeded to carry out the task.

The status of the Yan Country Pharmacist in the underground Martial Arts Arena was quite high, and ordinary people could not meet him. It was fortunate that the Emperor had sent the old marquis.

The old marquis returned promptly, “Your Majesty, I couldn’t buy them. The pharmacist said that these two medicines are used to control people—one induces fondness for the person who administers it, while the other induces aversion. They’ve already been sold out, and he was not at liberty to reveal to whom—it’s against their rules. But he told me that not many people buy these medicines. First, because they are expensive, and second, because the ingredients are rare, sometimes taking several years to collect. He only produced less than ten pills this year, all purchased by a single customer.”

One.

So it was impossible that both sides had been drugged.

As for which side was involved, the answer was already clear, but, until he saw the medicine himself, the Emperor wanted to give Consort Jing one last chance.

He was unwilling to believe that years of affection he felt were nothing but an illusion.

The old marquis said, “The pharmacist mentioned that anyone wanting this medicine might have to wait a few years, maybe even ten…”

“You may leave,” the Emperor interrupted him.

The old marquis was surprised and sensing that the Emperor was in a very unusual mood, he asked with concern, “Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”

The Emperor murmured, “I am fine. Do not speak of this matter to anyone.”

Suppressing his doubts, the old marquis bowed and complied, “As you command.”

After the old marquis left, the Emperor summoned a skilled imperial guard and handed him a token, “Take this and call for a Dragon Shadow Guard to come here, and make sure no one notices.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The imperial guard took the Emperor’s token and departed.

The Emperor had given a Dragon Shadow Guard to Consort Jing to protect her safety, but that did not mean he was no longer the master of the Dragon Shadow Guard.

The Dragon Shadow Guard was primarily obedient to the late Emperor, and upon his death, they were to obey the current Emperor above all others.

The Emperor’s command superseded that of Consort Jing.

It wasn’t long before a Dragon Shadow Guard arrived.

The Emperor asked, “Have you ever attempted to assassinate the young divine doctor?”

The Dragon Shadow Guard did not respond.

The Emperor laughed at himself, of course, the Dragon Shadow Guard couldn’t answer; he hadn’t provided a portrait of the young divine doctor for them to acknowledge.

No matter, their ability to carry out orders was sufficient.

The Emperor looked at the Dragon Shadow Guard with a cold expression and commanded, “Bring me all the medicines from the Nunnery!”