The Emperor Rui was immersed in his own world at this moment. Even after returning to his sleeping quarters and seeing Huo Qiyuan and the others disappear, he still held onto the fantasy that everything that had happened before was just a bad dream.
However, all of it shattered when Emperor Rui took off his heavy cloak and felt the strange garment he was wearing against his inner clothing.
That wasn't a nightmare! No! It was a nightmare! Just a real, existing nightmare!
Huo Qiyuan had truly returned, and he had come back to seek revenge. Not only that, but he demanded that Emperor Rui issue a self-incriminating edict, overturn the case of the King of Bingjian's manor, and publicize all the past events...
The most serious demand was that he wanted to annex the Great Yu Dynasty into the Hua Xia Dynasty, and he wanted Emperor Rui to hand it over willingly.
If Emperor Rui complied, then as long as the royal family members had not committed any crimes or oppressed the people, they could all live peacefully as ordinary citizens.
Otherwise, the Hua Xia Dynasty and the Great Yu Dynasty would go to war. If it came to that, the fate of the other members of the royal family might not be as simple as becoming ordinary citizens...
In fact, after returning to his palace, especially upon seeing the crowd surrounding him, Emperor Rui had considered struggling, and even harbored a dangerous thought.
Regardless of whether the people around him truly cared about him or supported him, at least he was still on the throne and could exercise imperial power.
Emperor Rui couldn't help but wonder, with so many imperial guards in the palace and so many hidden guards, what would Huo Qiyuan's chances of winning be if he fully counterattacked?
But then Emperor Rui remembered how Huo Qiyuan had taken him away, openly and brazenly, right in front of the imperial guards and hidden guards.
If he could comfort himself by saying it was dark when he was taken away, then he was returned during a period of chaos in the palace, and he had walked back right under the noses of all the palace maids and eunuchs.
In broad daylight, under the bright sun, they had moved through the anxious crowd as if they were entering an empty space, yet no one had seen them.
What made Emperor Rui fearful went far beyond that! That strange place, and when they left the ice chamber, he saw that the ice coffins of Huo Sizhun and his wife had also disappeared.
Although Chonghua Palace was remote and didn't have many patrols, it was still within the palace grounds. How were those two large and conspicuous ice coffins carried out?
Thinking of those strange experiences, Emperor Rui's body trembled uncontrollably!
Could they still win like this? What use was having more people? They were not people at all! No matter how many people they passed, it was like passing through an empty realm for them...
The atmosphere in the sleeping quarters was eerily strange. People stood around him, a crowd knelt before him, and at the door, a group of concubines waited to present themselves to Emperor Rui.
The ministers didn't know what was wrong with the Emperor. Since they had seen him, he had sat by the bed without saying a word, his eyes blank. He hadn't spoken a single word for so long.
Several princes had initially believed their hopes were dashed, but upon seeing Emperor Rui's state, a flicker of expectation ignited in their hearts.
Having disappeared for so long for no reason, it was unlikely he would be alright! Looking at Emperor Rui, had he gone insane after experiencing something? If that were the case, they would have another chance!
However, these princes still harbored some resentment towards the assassins. Since they had gone to all the trouble of taking the person away, why didn't they just kill him outright? That would have saved them a lot of trouble!
Such rebellious thoughts were only dared to be entertained in their hearts. They claimed to be there to show concern for the Emperor, but in this eerie atmosphere, no one dared to be the first to speak.
Thus, the princes in the sleeping quarters began to exchange glances stealthily.
"You go first!"
"Why don't you go?"
"I'll go after you!"
"Whoever wants to go, go. I'm not going!"
"Heh! Who do you think you're fooling? If you don't go, I won't either!"
"Go or don't go, I don't care!"
If looks could fight, the sleeping quarters would have been in ruins. In the end, gazes drifted throughout the hall, and after much time, no decision was reached.
The princes then turned their attention to the ministers. Someone had to be the first to step forward!
The Grand Tutor was an old official of two dynasties, and he had once been Emperor Rui's teacher. Moreover, he was related to the Empress. In this complex situation, he naturally became the one chosen by everyone's gazes to speak first.
If it were the Emperor Rui of the past, the Grand Tutor wouldn't have been so apprehensive. However, Emperor Rui's personality and temper had changed so much in recent years that he didn't know how to begin.
After pondering for a long time, he decided to start by inquiring about Emperor Rui's health.
"Your Majesty, you must have been startled. Is your imperial body well? The imperial physicians are waiting outside the hall. Shall we have them come in to check your pulse? So that we old officials can feel at ease."
Emperor Rui raised his eyes and looked calmly at the group of old foxes, kneeling and standing in the sleeping quarters.
Although his expression was impassive, how could Emperor Rui be unaware of their little schemes?
They wanted to see how long he would live, didn't they?
"No need! My health is fine. I couldn't sleep last night and went to Chonghua Palace alone to sit for a while."
As Emperor Rui's words fell, everyone in the sleeping quarters had their own thoughts. Not being able to sleep was normal, and going to Chonghua Palace was also normal.
However, for an Emperor to go to Chonghua Palace alone in the middle of the night without bringing anyone along, and to do so while evading the sight of all the palace's hidden guards, was rather abnormal.
While there were many secret passages in the palace that could be used to avoid certain people's eyes and reach other places, all of this was inexplicable when it came to the Emperor.
Especially now, when the Great Yu Dynasty was in turmoil, with feudal lords and princes all eyeing it covetously, even the magnificent imperial palace was not necessarily safe.
Therefore, starting from a few years ago, no matter where Emperor Rui went, he was always accompanied by a large number of people, both openly and covertly, for protection. He would absolutely never venture out alone.
Emperor Rui knew that this explanation would not convince them, but he did not intend to explain further. Having reached this point, whether they believed him or not was no longer important.
After a period of calm analysis, Emperor Rui had now abandoned the foolish thoughts that had surfaced in his mind about resisting or fighting Huo Qiyuan to the death.
This was for the best. Emperor Rui knew that Huo Qiyuan was a man of his word. Although taking this step was difficult, at least his sons and daughters still had a chance to survive.