"Your Majesty will die if you do that!"
"You, you, you!" Empress Wang pointed at Hua Tuo and scolded, "How could you say such a thing? His Majesty is the Son of Heaven. What good will it do you if he dies!"
"Since Your Highness knows His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, please agree to my request and administer treatment quickly!" Hua Tuo said calmly, "If anything happens to His Majesty due to Your Highness's refusal, it will be a capital offense!"
"Fine, kill me first, and then kill His Majesty!" Empress Wang was furious. "Now that we are mother and child alone, anyone can bully us. Hurry up and do it!"
"Your Highness!" Hua Tuo was about to persuade her with earnest words when he saw Ye Feng give him a look and quickly stepped back.
"Your Highness, Hua Tuo may have spoken inappropriately, but it is all for the sake of saving His Majesty. Please make up your mind soon!" Ye Feng cupped his hands and said to the woman, suppressing his anger.
"You are all birds of a feather, wishing for His Majesty to die now so that you can become emperor. How could I possibly agree!" Empress Wang pointed at the group and scolded, "His Majesty will not agree either!"
Lu Zhi and Ye Feng looked at each other. After deep thought, Lu Zhi spoke solemnly, "Does Your Highness truly refuse Hua Tuo's treatment?"
"Indeed!" Empress Wang snorted coldly. "If you want to harm His Majesty, you will have to go through me!"
"Guards, drag her away!" Lu Zhi wasted no time and waved for his men to act. "Take good care of her. No one is to let Your Highness out without my orders!"
"Lu Zhi, you traitorous rebel!" Empress Wang cursed, but was firmly held by the guards. "You will die a terrible death, and His Majesty will never forgive you!"
"His Majesty would only forgive me if he were alive. But in Your Highness's hands, does he even have half a day to live?" Lu Zhi retorted righteously. "In that case, I can only ask Your Highness to leave for now and give His Majesty a chance to live!"
With a gentle wave of his hand, the guards dragged Empress Wang away. Empress Wang was enraged and blurted out curses, "Lu Zhi, you traitorous rebel! What face will you have to see His Majesty then!"
"Lu Zhi, Ye Feng, you beasts! Have you forgotten His Majesty's kindness!"
"Let go of me, let go of me! I am the Empress of the Great Han!"
The two men waited until Empress Wang's curses faded into silence before speaking.
"Hua Tuo, how exactly can we ensure His Majesty's safety?" Ye Feng was very curious about what Hua Tuo had said to elicit such a strong reaction from Empress Wang.
"Reporting to my lord, nothing special. As long as the silver needles are used to make His Majesty vomit what he has eaten, he will be safe." Hua Tuo explained with a serious expression. "However, this method is extremely harmful to the body, which is why Empress Wang objects."
That's it? Ye Feng was disdainful. If he was dying, why worry about inducing vomiting? He truly didn't understand Empress Wang's logic.
"His Majesty has fainted. Can he still be induced to vomit?" Ye Feng suddenly remembered Emperor Ling's condition and quickly asked.
"If it were an ordinary person, of course not. But if it were me, as long as the body is not cold, I have a hundred percent certainty!" Hua Tuo said confidently.
"In that case, please, sir, act quickly!" Lu Zhi urged, afraid that any further delay might lead to more complications.
"Prince Chu, may I have a word in private?" Lu Zhi gestured respectfully in a direction. "There are some matters that only Prince Chu might know."
"Alright!" Ye Feng stepped forward and stated his guess without hesitation, "Lord Lu means that His Majesty's poisoning was not accidental, but that someone acted deliberately."
"Exactly. The only way to deal with this now is through severe torture. If we can find the culprit, what are Prince Chu's thoughts?" Lu Zhi asked cautiously.
"You handle it as you see fit, but one thing is certain: an incident like today must never happen again!" Ye Feng said earnestly. "I cannot stand by and watch my subordinates suffer injustice. Of course, if anyone dares to cause trouble for Lord Lu, I will help you."
Lu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. The imperial eunuchs' intervention earlier was not due to him, Lu Zhi. It was largely because Emperor Ling was already gone, and Ye Feng was effectively the master of Liangzhou, which was why the eunuchs acted!
"Does Prince Chu have any other instructions?" Lu Zhi asked softly. "What if I implicate someone I shouldn't have?"
"I believe my people would not do such a thing. Even if they did, I will not shield them!" Ye Feng said righteously. "Once things here are settled, I will go and persuade those commoners. You can rest assured, Lord Lu!"
Lu Zhi's expression changed. On the surface, Ye Feng claimed he would not shield anyone, but by saying he would not shield his own people, it subtly implied that if his people were involved, Lu Zhi would not be able to act against them.
"Alas, I owe you, Prince Chu, a favor!" Lu Zhi sighed, then straightened up with renewed vigor. "I want to see who dares to lay a hand on His Majesty and overthrow the entire Han Dynasty."
"His Majesty has awakened!" an excited voice rang out. Ye Feng coughed lightly, and Lu Zhi immediately snapped back to attention.
"Prince Chu, why don't we go and see together."
"Good!"
As the two entered, they saw the copper basin filled with food scraps being carried out by a maidservant, while another person was feeding water spoonful by spoonful. Hua Tuo quickly tidied his things and whispered, "His Majesty has just recovered from a serious illness. Please take good care of yourself and avoid any further harm."
"Thank you, sir. I..." Before he could finish, Emperor Ling saw Ye Feng, and his brow furrowed instantly. He said coldly, "I did not summon you. Why is Prince Chu here..."
Hua Tuo stepped forward to Prince Chu and respectfully said, "Prince Chu, I shall take my leave then!"
Emperor Ling immediately understood that Ye Feng had found someone to save him. He could not make trouble now and could only clench his fists, swallowing his pride and anger.
"May I know what His Majesty ate to suffer this disaster?" Lu Zhi quickly asked. "Please tell us clearly, Your Majesty, so that I may find the true culprit behind this."
"My dear minister, there is no need to rush. You have already rendered great service by saving me. Go and rest. We will discuss this matter another day!" Emperor Ling said with a forced smile. "Do not harm yourself for my sake; it is not worth it!"
Ye Feng stared at Emperor Ling and chuckled. Emperor Ling, who was usually vengeful, had never been so generous. There must be something fishy going on.
"Does Your Majesty truly not remember who made the move?" Ye Feng said coldly. "If that person acts again, Your Majesty may not be as fortunate as this time."
"You dare to threaten me!" To Emperor Ling, no matter what Ye Feng said, it was a naked threat, especially when used against him. "Don't think you can be reckless just because you saved me. Prince Chu, I advise you to be honest, or I will show no mercy!"
"Oh, I really would like to know how Your Majesty intends to show me no mercy!"
Ye Feng maintained a faint smile, but to Emperor Ling, it was brimming with mockery.
As a subject, he had failed his duties, yet he himself was powerless and could only rage impotently.
"I have a terrible headache. If there is nothing else, you may withdraw!" Emperor Ling lay back on the couch and hastily dismissed them. "Lu Zhi, for your many years of service to the Han Dynasty, I advise you that associating with some people will only ruin your reputation of many years!"
Lu Zhi turned to look at Ye Feng and calmly replied, "Your Majesty need not worry. As long as Your Majesty can cure the Great Han and bring peace and prosperity to the people, I will not regret even death."
"Good, good, good." Emperor Ling's gaze was profound. "Lu Zhi, do not forget what you said to me today!"
"Lu Zhi dares not forget, nor can he forget." Lu Zhi responded, then turned and strode out. Ye Feng followed him silently. After a while, he quietly asked,
"Lord Lu, are you truly not regretting it?"
"Prince Chu, there is no need to test me. As long as the people live in peace and prosperity, Lu Zhi has no regrets. I implore Prince Chu to act quickly, otherwise the noble families..." Lu Zhi said with concern.
"Let them come if they want. I have nothing to fear. If they don't come, then something is truly wrong!" Ye Feng said meaningfully. However, if he wanted to act, those refugees outside must be dealt with properly. This was also what he had promised Lu Zhi.
Back at the General's mansion, Ye Feng looked relaxed. He took the towel from Diao Chan and wiped his face. "Fortunately, this time it was a close call."
"I don't know what poison His Majesty was afflicted with. The situation in Liangzhou is truly hard to understand. My lady..." Diao Chan looked up and saw Ye Feng leaning close to her. The ambiguous atmosphere made her blush.
"My lord, it would be best to stay a little further away, otherwise..." Diao Chan was stunned for a long time and could not form a complete sentence. She quickly changed the subject, "My lord, are you not going to tell me who made the move? I am extremely curious!"
"If my beauty wishes to know the truth, what are you prepared to offer in exchange? I do not do business at a loss!" Ye Feng said with a playful smile. "Especially when it comes to a beauty, I wish I could take more and give less!"
Diao Chan pretended to be angry. "If my lord is unwilling to say, let me guess. It couldn't be that Emperor Ling poisoned himself to frame my lord, only to have his plan backfire? That would be too foolish!"
"If Emperor Ling were half as clever as you, my beauty, I would not be so bored!" Ye Feng teased, and then tossed the towel into the copper basin. "Never mind, I have other matters to attend to. My beauty will have to spend another night alone!"
"Is my lord going because of those people outside the city?" Diao Chan thought for a moment and quickly grabbed Ye Feng. "If that is the case, I will not let my lord go, even if it costs me my life!"
Ye Feng knew that although Diao Chan could be temperamental, she was never unreasonable. If she said this, there must be a reason. "What are your wise opinions, my beauty? Why not tell me so I can learn from a woman who is as capable as any man!"
"My lord only knows how to tease me!" Diao Chan smiled coyly. "But does my lord feel that it is much colder this year than in previous years?"
"Please continue, my beauty!"
"Precisely because of this, those commoners are already lacking in food and clothing, to the point of cannibalism. They have even vowed that anyone who dares to persuade them will be torn to shreds and eaten alive. My lord, that place is forbidden!"