GBP Chapter 174 Making a grand appearance
Chapter 174 Making a grand appearance
Eunuch Gao hurriedly presented an urgent report from Jiangnan to Emperor Wen in a panic. After Emperor Wen received the report, his originally calm face suddenly became gloomy, as if covered by a layer of dark clouds.
At this time, the court was in a dead silence, and the ministers did not even dare to breathe. Emperor Wen signaled Wen Yanghao to continue reporting. Wen Yanghao pursed his lips and said in a trembling voice: "The young general An Junyuan of the An family army was unfortunately poisoned and his life or death is uncertain at this moment!"
When Emperor Wen heard this, he frowned slightly, raised his head and looked at Wen Yanghao, and asked: "The military affairs are far away from the capital and the situation is complicated. Where did you get this news, Mr. Wen?"
Wen Yanghao answered without hesitation: "Your Majesty, I have a distant cousin who runs a pharmacy in Nandu, where the troops are stationed. This matter has caused an uproar in Nandu. He informed me through a carrier pigeon and asked me to find a miracle doctor to treat General An!"
When An Qingxuan, who was standing in the queue, heard the news, he felt as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue. His eyes went dark and he fainted on the ground. His face, which was already as pale as paper, became even more bloodless, as if the light of life had disappeared from him.
When Emperor Wen saw this, he was horrified and shouted loudly: "Quick, quick, quick! Help Lord An back to the side hall! Call the imperial physician to treat him immediately!" His voice was full of anxiety and concern, as if An Qingxuan's life and death was more important than his own.
Hearing Emperor Wen's order, the eunuchs around him did not dare to be negligent. They acted quickly, lifted An Qingxuan up nimbly, and walked carefully to the side hall. They knew that An Qingxuan held a very important position in Emperor Wen's heart. If An Qingxuan had any problem, they, the servants, would probably be blamed.
Emperor Wen was extremely anxious at this time. He followed the eunuchs closely and came to the side hall. Looking at An Qingxuan lying unconscious on the bed, Emperor Wen frowned even more. He prayed secretly, hoping that An Qingxuan would be safe. At the same time, he kept urging the imperial doctors to find a way to cure An Qingxuan's illness as soon as possible.
The imperial doctors were busy feeding An Qingxuan ginseng soup and pricking his acupuncture points with silver needles. After a long while, An Qingxuan slowly opened his eyes. He felt his body was extremely heavy, as if he was being pressed down by a mountain.
When Emperor Wen saw An Qingxuan wake up, he felt relieved. He hurried to the bedside and comforted him, "My dear An, you finally woke up! I was really worried just now. But don't worry, Luo Xiaoliu has already rescued Junyuan! I will investigate this incident thoroughly and give you justice!"
When An Qingxuan heard Emperor Wen's words, he was filled with gratitude. He tried to stand up and wanted to salute Emperor Wen, but he almost fell down due to lack of strength. Emperor Wen quickly supported him and said with concern: "My dear An, you haven't recovered yet, so you don't need to be so polite."
An Qingxuan's face was pale, and he said weakly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern! The An family is grateful for your kindness this time. But... I am weak now and can no longer serve Your Majesty..." When he said this, he couldn't help but shed tears.
Emperor Wen patted An Qingxuan's hand and said gently, "My dear An, just focus on recuperating. Don't worry about other things. I will handle them properly. When you recover, I still have many important things to discuss with you."
An Qingxuan nodded with emotion and expressed his gratitude to Emperor Wen again. At this moment, his heart was full of respect and loyalty to Emperor Wen. He secretly vowed to work harder in the future to repay Emperor Wen's kindness.
Emperor Wen looked at Eunuch Gao with a gloomy face and ordered in a cold tone: "Give Minister An a seat in the main hall!"
Eunuch Gao did not dare to neglect it and quickly waved his hand to signal the eunuchs around him to take action. They quickly and carefully carried a beautifully carved soft chair and placed it in the center of the hall.
After completing all this, Eunuch Gao personally stepped forward to support An Qingxuan and slowly escorted him back to the main hall. Throughout the process, Eunuch Gao appeared to be extremely cautious and respectful, as if he was afraid of making any mistakes.
Emperor Wen's face turned even darker. He clenched his fists tightly, glared at the soldier who brought the urgent report, and asked in a stern voice, "Have you caught the person who poisoned me?"
The soldier was frightened by the Emperor Wen's majesty, but he still replied calmly: "Your Majesty! The person who poisoned is General An Junyuan's deputy general Liu Lin!"
Emperor Wen frowned even more and asked, "Where is this person now?"
The soldier lowered his head and answered with a trembling voice: "Liulin has committed suicide by taking poison!"
Emperor Wen's heart was filled with a nameless fire. He gritted his teeth and continued to ask, "What kind of poison did An Junyuan take?"
The soldier swallowed his saliva and uttered two words with difficulty: "Ge Du!"
At this time, the new Minister of Justice Luo Cheng stood up and said, "Your Majesty! Yesterday, I sealed off the mountain in the north of the capital. It was full of kudzu vines! This mountain belongs to Tian Youhai, a wealthy businessman in the capital!"
This sentence was like a huge rock thrown into a lake, stirring up thousands of waves. The court officials began to whisper, and their eyes turned to Prime Minister Li Mingfu who was standing beside them. Everyone knew that Tian Youhai was related to the Prime Minister's wife, and Luo Cheng's accusation at this time was undoubtedly directed directly at Prime Minister Li Mingfu.
Luo Cheng was originally a local judicial official with no background, but he was appreciated by Emperor Wen for his outstanding talents and upright character and was directly promoted to the Minister of Justice. He was independent of all forces in the court and was dedicated to serving Emperor Wen.
Emperor Wen looked at Li Mingfu sternly and asked in a stern tone: "Prime Minister! I remember that Tian Youhai is your wife's cousin! What do you think about this matter?"
Li Mingfu stepped out and answered respectfully, "Your Majesty, if Kudzu is used alone, it is a highly toxic poison! However, if it is used with other medicinal herbs, it will become an excellent wound medicine! The soldiers of Dazhao have long relied on the wound medicine of Youli, but this time my cousin has signed an agreement with the Royal Clinic, promising to supply Kudzu to the Royal Clinic for use in the preparation of wound medicine!"
After Li Mingfu finished speaking, his eyes immediately fell on An Qingxuan who was sitting on the soft chair.
An Qingxuan seemed a little exhausted at this time, but he still responded: "Your Majesty! It is true! The Ministry of War has recorded this matter!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wen raised his eyes and glanced at the Minister of Revenue Kang Peiyi who was standing next to the Third Prince. Seeing this, Kang Peiyi immediately stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty! According to the investigation, the household registration information of Liu Lin, the person who poisoned An Junyuan, shows that he and Madam Liu who is beside the Empress are aunt and nephew!"
As soon as these words came out, it was like a heavy bomb dropped into the court, causing an uproar immediately... The officials were whispering to each other, talking about it, and their shock was beyond words. The entire court fell into chaos in an instant, and the originally solemn atmosphere was broken.