Free Web NovelChapter 409: Chapter 411: Assassination
Wu Wang was cunning, but at the end of the day, he was just a servant. Li Ji didn’t plan on wasting too much thought on him.
Li Ji planned to pin a trumped-up charge on Wu Wang. He would arrest him without a second thought and then use the opportunity to thoroughly investigate his background and connections, hoping to unearth the true mastermind pulling the strings.
As a mere servant, Wu Wang had no reason to sow discord between the Emperor and Prince Dongyang. There was nothing in it for him.
The only reason he would go to such great lengths to stir up trouble was that he must be plotting something for the true mastermind behind him.
However, what Li Ji hadn’t expected was that a major incident would occur in the Imperial Palace that very night.
This incident threw his plan into disarray.
That night, the Emperor was staying in the Moon Viewing Pavilion.
His body still hadn’t fully recovered. On top of that, with so much happening recently, he was feeling dejected and had no interest in any strenuous activities.
He held the Seventh Prince, pacing back and forth inside the room and coaxing him to say "Father Emperor."
But the Seventh Prince was only two months old; he was far too young to speak. He could only stare at his Father Emperor with wide, dark eyes, a look of innocent confusion on his face.
Hua Qingqing emerged, having changed into her sleeping robes. Her long, black hair cascaded down her back. Her skin was as smooth as fine jade, her lips rosy and full. Even without a touch of makeup, her beauty was so captivating one couldn’t look away.
Childbirth hadn’t ruined her figure. If anything, it had made her even more graceful, lending her an alluring, womanly charm.
She walked up to the Emperor and asked in a soft voice.
"Are you tired, Your Majesty? Why don’t you let me hold him for a while?"
The Emperor said he wasn’t tired; he wanted to hold the Seventh Prince a little longer.
Of his seven sons, only the Eldest Imperial Son and the Crown Prince had ever been held by the Emperor after their birth. This was especially true for the Eldest Imperial Son; as the Emperor’s first child and the legitimate son of his original Empress, the first-time father had doted on him, practically raising him by hand.
Unfortunately, the Eldest Imperial Son was short-lived and died at a young age.
As for the princes and princesses who followed, while the Emperor never mistreated them, the novelty of fatherhood had worn off. He generally didn’t pay special attention to any one child’s upbringing.
Because of this, he had missed many opportunities to build a bond with his children.
Before he knew it, his children were all grown up.
Grown children were far less endearing than they were in their youth.
The Emperor deeply regretted not spending more time with his other children when they were small, and now he was pouring all of that remorse into the Seventh Prince.
He wanted to build a bond with the Seventh Prince while he was still young.
He had to make his youngest son understand that there were many things in this world far more important than imperial power.
Things like the bonds of family.
After lulling the Seventh Prince to sleep, the Emperor handed him to the wet nurse.
The wet nurse carried the Seventh Prince to the adjacent room to sleep.
Hua Qingqing came forward to help the Emperor change his robes and wash up.
The Emperor looked at Hua Qingqing’s lovely face and asked in a warm voice.
"With Prince Dongyang causing such a commotion, you must have all been terrified, hmm?"
Hua Qingqing’s hands, which were unfastening his knotted buttons, paused.
She pursed her red lips and said in a soft, delicate voice.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid.
At that time, Qiong’er and I were locked inside Chaoyang Palace. The place was bare, and the outside was heavily guarded.
I didn’t know what was happening outside, or whether Qiong’er and I would make it through. I was sick with worry.
I was terrified they would suddenly fly into a rage and kill us all.
My only thought at that time was to see Your Majesty one last time.
As long as I could see you one more time, I could die without any regrets."
As she finished, her voice choked with emotion, and the rims of her eyes reddened.
She quickly turned her head away and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with her handkerchief, saying with embarrassment.
"I’ve lost my composure. Your Majesty must find me ridiculous."
The Emperor was quite moved.
He reached out, gently turning her face back toward him. He looked down at her reddened eyes, his heart filling with tenderness.
Hua Qingqing wasn’t like the other women in the palace. She was genuinely devoted to him. Even at the brink of life and death, he was the one she cared about most.
The Emperor sighed softly.
"I failed to protect you. The fault is mine."
Though he could not return her love in equal measure, he was willing to cherish her, to dote on her all the more.
Hua Qingqing hurriedly grabbed his hand and said in a tearful voice.
"Your Majesty, you mustn’t say that. You are the Emperor; you have already done more than enough for me. I am truly content, I am."
The more she spoke like this, the more his heart went out to her.
He pulled Hua Qingqing into his arms and sighed with a sense of resignation.
"Ah, you are just too naive. I truly worry... what would become of you if I were no longer here?"
Hua Qingqing nestled against his chest as if he were her entire world, her voice soft and full of adoration.
"If you were gone, I would not want to live on alone. I would follow you."
The Emperor had heard many declarations of love, but few were as direct and sincere as Hua Qingqing’s.
’What a silly girl,’ the Emperor thought with helpless fondness.
He hadn’t planned on anything happening, but after Hua Qingqing’s heartfelt declaration, he couldn’t help but want to be closer to her, to reciprocate the love she showed him.
And so, after they disrobed, they tumbled onto the wide, soft bed.
In the midst of their passion, a figure suddenly vaulted in through the window!
The Emperor heard the sound and was instantly alert.
He yanked the blanket over himself and Hua Qingqing while yelling sharply.
"Assassin!"
The word had barely left his lips when the doors were thrown open, and Wu Wang rushed in with two young eunuchs.
As soon as they entered, they saw an assassin in black raising his blade to strike at the Emperor!
The two young eunuchs were so scared their legs turned to jelly, and they let out a terrified scream.
"Your Majesty, look out!"
In that split second, Wu Wang charged forward without a thought for his own safety, using his body as a shield in front of the Emperor.
The assassin’s blade slammed into Wu Wang’s shoulder.
Blood sprayed through the air!
Wu Wang let out a pained groan.
The assassin wrenched his blade free, kicked Wu Wang aside, and prepared to raise his weapon to strike the Emperor again.
Ignoring his wound, Wu Wang struggled back up and clung desperately to the assassin’s leg, roaring through the pain.
"Your Majesty, run!"
His movements hindered, a vicious light flared in the assassin’s eyes. He changed the direction of his blade, preparing to finish off the meddling eunuch with a single strike.
Fortunately, the Flying Dragon Cavalry arrived just in time.
Surrounded by them, the assassin was quickly subdued.
Knowing there was no escape, the assassin bit down hard on a poison capsule hidden in his teeth.
By the time the Flying Dragon Cavalry realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
The assassin spat black blood and convulsed, dying on the spot as the poison took hold.
Wu Wang was carried away for emergency treatment.
The assassination attempt left the Emperor enraged. He ordered a thorough investigation, vowing to uncover the assassin’s true origins!
