My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 190 Recollections 2.13 - The Taoist

Upon hearing this, Fu Tingyu was stunned for a moment, a look of disbelief flashing across his face. "How could that be?"

"Actually, His Majesty's health has been poor for some time now."

Consort Chen sighed deeply, "At first it was just a minor illness, so he didn't take it to heart."

"Unexpectedly, his condition suddenly worsened recently, and he is now bedridden and unable to get up."

Fu Tingyu's expression changed drastically.

That's it!

This explains why, even knowing that attacking him would carry great risks, some people still took action.

It seems that someone couldn't hold back any longer and planned to do something underhanded while Emperor Xuande was seriously ill.

Having figured this out, Fu Tingyu's expression turned serious when he looked at Consort Chen again.

Several thoughts flashed through his mind, and his gaze fell on Consort Chen's face: "Father's illness, could it be..."

Although he hadn't finished speaking, Consort Chen understood his meaning perfectly.

Under Fu Tingyu's suspicious gaze, she slowly shook her head.

But this doesn't mean she's denying it; it simply means she doesn't know either.

Because of Emperor Xuande's sudden illness, apart from a few close attendants attending to him, everyone else was kept out of his palace.

Even the imperial concubines were not allowed to visit him.

Even when questioned, the imperial physicians remained silent due to Emperor Xuande's orders.

"Therefore, before His Majesty has fully recovered, the affairs of the court will be handled by the Prime Minister and the ministers of various departments."

"As for the affairs of the inner palace, they were entirely entrusted to the Empress."

Upon hearing this, Fu Tingyu's heart skipped a beat.

He knew that the matter of his attack would probably be dropped.

As expected, it happened just as they thought.

Because Emperor Xuande was seriously ill and had no mind for anything else, the matter of the drill ground was entrusted to his close attendants and the Empress for investigation.

The investigation results came out quickly.

The horse went mad that day because the palace servant who was feeding it accidentally fed it poisonous grass.

The fact that Crazy Horse would ignore everyone and charge straight at Fu Tingyu as if it had a clear objective was simply an accident.

Finally, when the investigation results came out, the palace servant who fed the horses, along with a group of eunuchs who had failed to supervise properly, were all punished.

Even the companion who managed to dodge Fu Tingyu's arrow amidst the chaos had already succumbed to his injuries after falling from his horse before the investigation could begin.

The Empress acted swiftly and decisively, and together with the close attendant who sided with her, she handled the matter flawlessly.

Not only were all the witnesses and physical evidence destroyed, but they also forcibly suppressed the rumors.

With this, the case is now completely closed.

Fu Tingyu not only suffered a shock himself, but Chu Heng, who saved his life, was also punished.

In order to save him, Chu Heng shot the attendant, who was the son of a court official, off his horse.

Although the arrow did not hit the companion, it caused him to fall from his horse, thus costing him his innocent life.

Therefore, as punishment, Chu Heng was severely punished with twenty strokes of the cane.

Although Consort Chen and her entourage were dissatisfied with this outcome, they could only silently swallow their anger.

A month later, Emperor Xuande's illness became increasingly serious.

Outside Chonghua Hall—

"Your Highness, you may enter now."

After receiving approval, Fu Tingyu took a bowl of medicine from the palace maid and strode into the hall.

The smell inside the bedroom was pungent.

Upon closer inspection, the strong medicinal smell was mixed with a hint of the decaying odor of a dying person.

Fu Tingyu approached the couch and looked up.

Emperor Xuande was sitting on his dragon bed with his eyes slightly open.

His face was so thin that his cheekbones protruded high, his eyes were sunken, his lips were pale, and he looked emaciated.

It really did look like a dying lamp that was about to go out.

"Father."

Fu Tingyu lowered his eyelashes and placed the medicine in front of Emperor Xuande, saying, "It's time for you to drink your medicine."

As Fu Tingyu approached, Emperor Xuande's cloudy eyes shifted slightly, staring intently at him, while his chapped lips twitched slightly.

Upon seeing this, the several imperial physicians who were attending to him immediately took the medicine and gathered together to examine it.

After a while, and after several people took turns checking it, the bowl of medicine was returned to Fu Tingyu's hands.

"Your Majesty, there is no problem with this medicine."

Emperor Xuande then trembled slightly with his eyelashes, opened his mouth, and let Fu Tingyu feed him the medicine spoonful by spoonful.

But he was truly terminally ill, and could no longer even control his swallowing.

Almost half of the bowl of medicine spilled out from the corner of his lips, which he could not close.

Given the Xuande Emperor's current state, it wouldn't be surprising if he were to pass away any moment from now.

Fu Tingyu's heart began to pound.

Ever since he learned that Emperor Xuande was seriously ill, he had been deeply troubled by a profound sense of unease.

Although the sudden death of this tyrannical ruler was a good thing.

But I'm afraid that when that time comes, my good days with Consort Chen will be over.

After Emperor Xuande finished drinking the medicine, he lay down again.

Fu Tingyu carefully wiped the soup from the corners of his mouth before handing the medicine bowl to the palace servant and turning to leave.

Just as he was about to step out of the palace gate, he bumped into two people.

Upon closer inspection, one of them was Guo Lianhai, the chief eunuch of the Xuande Emperor, while the other was someone he had never seen before.

The man appeared to be in the prime of his life, yet his hair and beard were completely white.

He was dressed in Taoist robes, and his whole demeanor exuded the air of a reclusive master.

"Greetings, Seventh Prince."

Guo Lianhai quickly bowed to him in greeting, but the white-haired Taoist, despite clearly hearing his identity, didn't even glance at him.

"This servant has other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first."

Before Fu Tingyu could speak, Guo Lianhai straightened up and hurriedly led the man inside.

Fu Tingyu narrowed his eyes slightly, turned his head to look at the backs of the two people, and relying on his extensive knowledge from reading countless books, he guessed the identity of the person in almost a second.

The sixteenth year of the Tianlong reign, the month of Chen—

When Emperor Xuande was critically ill and on the verge of death, his chief eunuch introduced him to a wandering Taoist priest.

The Taoist priest called himself "Tianji Daoren," claiming that he could communicate with the gods above and the underworld below, and that he possessed divine power, enabling him to prolong the lives of others.

Perhaps out of desperation, Emperor Xuande actually believed this person and kept him in the palace to treat his illness.

Two months later, Emperor Xuande, who had been half-buried, miraculously recovered.