But why would he do that?
Was it to point the finger at the First Prince, thereby sowing discord?
His suspicion of the Ninth Prince had now extended to Noble Consort Wei and Duke Wei, so their every move was met with this immediate reaction.
The imperial physician arrived late at night. Upon seeing Duke Wei's eyelids already bruised and swollen, he frowned more deeply than anyone.
"The silver needle was inserted too deeply. Your Grace, this eye may be beyond saving."
After a careful examination, the imperial physician delivered this conclusion. Duke Wei had weathered countless storms in his life; losing an eye was a small matter as long as his life could be saved.
"Proceed," he commanded.
Since the eye was ruined, it could not be kept. Otherwise, an infection could spread to other areas and cause more troublesome complications.
His tone was as indifferent as if it were someone else being blinded.
The imperial physician couldn't help but admire the Duke. Truly a man who had seen great events!
He then produced the anesthetic powder, administered some to the Duke, and after making all preparations, swiftly removed his left eyeball along with the silver needle.
"Fortunately, the needle was not poisoned, or the poison would have spread throughout your body by now."
The imperial physician spoke while stitching the wound on the Duke's eye.
Duke Wei remained silent throughout the procedure, but the marks on the armchair where his hands had gripped, the beads of sweat on his forehead, and his pale complexion spoke volumes of the agony of losing an eye.
At this moment, Duke Wei not only harbored extreme hatred for Zhu Hong but was also deeply displeased with the foolish and incompetent Liang Quanbin!
He was useless for success but a master of failure.
Since he had to cut off a limb to save himself this time, and Liang Quanbin was so unreliable, he decided to eliminate him and perhaps frame him to shift the blame.
While the imperial physician was stitching his wound, Duke Wei's mind was occupied with how to deal with Liang Quanbin.
Poor Liang Quanbin, still recovering from his own serious injuries, had no idea he would be killed by the Duke to whom he had sworn absolute loyalty.
After the wound was suthed, the imperial physician wrote a prescription.
The medicines were for pain relief, anti-inflammation, and sedation.
Duke Wei was old. Losing an eye so suddenly would be difficult to endure even for a man in his prime.
He was astonished by the Duke's resilience. The imperial physician's respect for the Wei family grew, thinking that if he could endure such pain, what else could he not achieve?
Therefore, his service became even more diligent.
In the palace, Emperor Qi had not slept since learning of Duke Wei's assassination. It was only when the imperial physician reported that Duke Wei's left eye had been severely injured and removed that Emperor Qi, and even Eunuch Wang, who was attending him, were astonished.
"He really removed it?"
"Your Majesty, I personally removed it. The silver needle was inserted too deeply, and I was unable to reverse the situation. To save Duke Wei's life, this was the only recourse."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qi sighed deeply and immediately instructed Eunuch Wang.
"Quickly, send more of the palace's healing elixirs to Duke Wei's mansion. Also, personally inform Duke Wei that I will not let this assassin go unpunished!"
"Yes!"
If Emperor Qi had been suspicious upon first hearing the news, he now felt much more regret and sympathy for Duke Wei.
No one was foolish. Sacrificing an eye as bait, especially at his age, and risking his life if a mistake was made!
Therefore, Emperor Qi began to seriously consider whose influence the assassin belonged to.
What was the motive for assassinating Duke Wei at this particular time?
That night, many people in the palace and in the homes of officials outside were sleepless.
The next day, at the morning court, Prime Minister Bai, who had been recuperating for many days, appeared.
His complexion had improved considerably, and he appeared energetic.
With him present, the Great Jin seemed to have an anchor. Even though the news of Duke Wei's assassination the previous night had caused unease in the court, no one dared to discuss it excessively at this moment.
Emperor Qi also had dark circles under his eyes at the morning court.
If it weren't for the investigation into the assassination, he would not have wanted to attend the morning court today.
Upon seeing Prime Minister Bai, he, like other ministers, felt a sense of relief.
"Is Prime Minister Bai's health much improved?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. This old minister is much better."
"That is good. Great Jin cannot do without Prime Minister Bai, and neither can I!"
After offering his praise, he then brought up the matter of Duke Wei's assassination.
"What are Prime Minister Bai's thoughts on this?"
All eyes in the court turned to Prime Minister Bai, eager to hear his opinion on the matter.
However, Prime Minister Bai shook his head. "This old minister has not been attending court and has been recuperating, rarely leaving home. Therefore, I have only just learned of Duke Wei's assassination."
While his words implied a desire to evade the issue, they were also plausible.
He had indeed been recuperating since leaving court, and after Bai Chao'an's departure, the Bai family had no one in the court. It was reasonable that he might not have known about this matter.
Emperor Qi was somewhat displeased but could not show it on his face.
He then turned to others and asked, "What do all of you, my loyal ministers, think?"
Those who had been on good terms with the Wei family naturally spoke of Duke Wei's dedication and loyalty, suggesting he must have inadvertently offended someone to suffer such a calamity. The word "someone" easily led to speculation.
The Ninth Prince was currently powerful, and striking at Duke Wei would be striking at his wings. It was clear that those individuals were intentionally or unintentionally steering the conversation towards Prince Ke's mansion.
However, they did not directly target the First Prince but instead focused on the Li clan, the maternal family of Princess Ke.
"I have heard that many farmlands outside the city this year have suffered from excessive rainfall, and officials with grain fields in the court have mostly granted some reduction in grain levies to the tenant farmers. Duke Wei took the lead in this matter, and many outside have praised his benevolence. However, the Li family does not seem to agree, disregarding the plight of the tenant farmers and still demanding the same amount of grain as in previous years, which has incurred considerable public resentment."
These words were directed at the Li clan, and thus indirectly at Prince Ke behind them.
As soon as he finished speaking, the First Prince's faction launched a fierce counterattack.
"Minister You, be careful not to let your tongue slip. How dare you bring hearsay from outside to the Emperor and make baseless accusations? When did my Li family forcibly collect grain?"
"Lord Li, do not panic. Whether the grain was forcibly collected or not, His Majesty will send someone to investigate. A single question will reveal whether I have spoken falsely!"
He was also a man of conviction, and since the Li clan had handed them a handle, why would they not use it!
Hearing this, that Lord Li began to look somewhat guilty. Although he hadn't forcibly collected the grain, when his steward reported the situation, he had indeed said that the levy should be according to the usual practice.
At the time, he hadn't known that heaven would be so harsh on the land. Now, it had become a sharp weapon to stab them back!
Seeing his guilty demeanor, the Ninth Prince's faction became even more aggressive. When you are down, strike harder. If not now, when would be a better time to cause a stir and weaken the First Prince's faction?