The Emperor's sleeping quarters.
As Chu Qianli walked in, she noticed the window curtains were drawn, and the Emperor was lying on the bed.
But why were there no imperial physicians by his side?
Hadn't he been poisoned?
"This commander..."
"I am Yang Xun," Yang Xun stated expressionlessly.
"Commander Yang, may I ask... what is the Emperor's current condition?"
There was a distinct scent of medicine in the air, but it wasn't strong. It seemed someone had administered medicine previously, but everything had been cleaned up.
The man on the dragon bed was either asleep or unconscious. From this distance, Chu Qianli couldn't sense his breath.
She wanted to go closer to check, but it seemed inappropriate according to etiquette.
If he was truly poisoned, why was no one trying to save him?
What kind of situation was this?
Yang Xun glanced at her, then at the dragon bed in the distance.
"I do not know. Miss, the Emperor requested your presence here. As for the reason, please await the Emperor's instructions."
Yang Xun's mood was clearly not good, and his attitude was not particularly warm, even carrying a hint of hostility.
But at least, he wasn't impatient.
He had to carry out the Emperor's orders, regardless of his own thoughts.
"May I go closer?" Chu Qianli felt that something was amiss with the man on the dragon bed.
"You may not." Yang Xun had not received any instructions and naturally could not agree so readily.
At that moment, Xiao Shunzi's anxious voice suddenly came from outside: "Commander Yang, Prince Ling and Prince Yu have arrived, along with several ministers."
"Now?" Yang Xun was clearly a confidant of Chu Jiangnan. The number of guards who could freely enter the Emperor's sleeping quarters was very limited.
Chu Qianli observed their expressions.
It seemed they both knew these people would come, but their arrival was so swift that it appeared to have exceeded their expectations.
Were they all plotting something, or were these people plotting something?
Yang Xun asked, "Didn't Prince Yu break his leg and get injured?"
"I heard he was carried here!"
Xiao Shunzi, rushing in, anxiously asked Yang Xun, "Commander, now... what should we do? We can't hold them off outside, they'll be here any moment."
"What have they heard?"
"We haven't inquired, but they must have heard something!"
"The Emperor just..."
Yang Xun's words trailed off, but his tone was filled with unspeakable sarcasm.
Finally, he let out a cold snort, "Utterly ridiculous!"
Chu Qianli finally understood.
The Emperor had just been poisoned. Even if they had heard the news of his poisoning, they couldn't have arrived so quickly!
This meant that the news of the Emperor's poisoning had been spread long before he was actually poisoned!
The reason so many people had come together was to avoid arousing suspicion from any single party!
The person who poisoned him was truly wicked, to the point of being utterly lawless!
Looking again at the man on the dragon bed, Chu Qianli's heart sank, a sense of unease washing over her.
If the Emperor were to have any accident, or if the poison was too deep and his life was in danger, this Southern Ming would instantly descend into chaos.
They couldn't let them see that anything was wrong with the Emperor!
Chu Qianli didn't know why she was so anxious.
She only heard the commotion from outside growing louder, as if from a distance.
They couldn't be stopped!
At that very moment, the Emperor's low voice suddenly came from the bed: "Little girl, come here."
Chu Qianli's heart suddenly tensed.
What did he mean by calling her over at this time?
However, Yang Xun gave her no chance to react, escorting her towards the dragon bed.
Chu Qianli wanted to resist, but the closer she got to the dragon bed, the more she felt that something was wrong.
What was wrong was the man on the bed!