The palace gates bustled with a constant stream of people.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yun recounted the events that had transpired within the palace.
It turned out that since last night, the Crown Prince's faction had made deadly moves against Prince Duan's people, imprisoning several of his officials.
Enraged, Prince Duan, following his strategists' advice, also began to deal ruthless blows to the Crown Prince.
Their strategy was to abandon the Crown Prince's followers and target the Crown Prince directly.
First, they exposed the Crown Prince's illicit affairs in the harem to the Emperor.
Of course, that was not the main point.
The crucial detail was that the two imperial concubines, whom the Crown Prince had violated, were diagnosed with a venereal disease commonly found in brothels.
As they resided in the harem, they could not have come into contact with such people themselves.
The source, therefore, lay with the Crown Prince.
Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoqi frowned.
She had, in fact, learned about the Crown Prince's venereal disease shortly after the Dragon Boat Festival.
At that time, she had been entrusted by Shen Yun to diagnose and treat Prince Duan and his son at Prince Duan's estate.
Coincidentally, the Crown Prince had paid a visit, feigning concern, to see Prince Duan and his son.
Su Xiaoqi had detected a peculiar odor emanating from him, similar to the rotten stench of decaying fertilizer in the soil.
She had immediately concluded that the Crown Prince was suffering from an ailment.
She had assumed that he would at least take care of his health and refrain from his promiscuous activities until he recovered.
To her surprise, he had not visited brothels again but had instead extended his reach into the imperial palace.
Seeing the look in Su Xiaoqi's eyes, Shen Yun understood her misunderstanding and softly explained,
"The Crown Prince's lewd behavior with Concubine Jia and Lady Jia is not a recent occurrence.
There were rumors even before he was granted his own residence within the palace."
Shen Yun's gaze grew unfathomable as he spoke.
Some of the details were so disgusting that he feared they would soil his young lady's ears.
Yet, if he didn't speak, he worried his lady wouldn't understand the cause of the matter, making it impossible for her to provide treatment.
After a moment of hesitation, under Su Xiaoqi's clear and bright gaze,
He kissed the corner of her lips and whispered the entire truth.
It turned out that the Crown Prince had long been entangled with two of the youngest imperial concubines in the palace.
They were twin sisters who had entered the palace a year ago. Seeing the Emperor's advanced age and feeling unwilling to accept their fate, they had developed feelings for the young Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince, already a lecherous individual who disregarded all consequences, had eventually succumbed to their advances.
The three of them would meet periodically.
Thus, the Crown Prince had transmitted the venereal disease to the sisters soon after he contracted it himself.
At that time, although the Emperor's health was slightly declining, it did not prevent him from favoring his beautiful harem consorts.
Especially these two sisters, who were summoned the most frequently.
In this way, the venereal disease was transmitted to Emperor Xingzhao.
It mixed with his pre-existing ailments, exacerbating his condition.
However, at that time, his sudden illness was so severe that no one paid attention to this aspect.
Consequently, the matter went uninvestigated.
But the imperial physicians who attended to Emperor Xingzhao were aware of it.
He dared not reveal it but confided in a close friend of his family.
That person happened to be an associate of Prince Duan.
"Originally, Prince Duan considered this a family shame and did not wish for it to be publicized.
However, the Crown Prince's previous schemes were too ruthless; he had orchestrated the deaths of the families of the Minister of Rites' Left and Right Vice-Ministers.
Now he intends to extend his reach to the Ministry of Revenue.
To protect the imperial treasury, Prince Duan has no choice but to proceed."
Therefore, even knowing it would cause the Emperor's old illness to relapse, they could no longer afford to wait.
If they delayed any longer, who knew how many more officials would fall victim to the Crown Prince's faction.
Su Xiaoqi's heart stirred, realizing this might be the final battle.
The Emperor was gravely ill, and at this critical juncture, the Crown Prince had angered the Emperor, making the dethronement of the Crown Prince inevitable.
However, Emperor Xingzhao needed more time.
Su Xiaoqi made a decisive move and rose to follow Shen Yun into the palace.
Entering the palace gates was easy, but reaching the main hall of the Emperor's Hall of Mental Cultivation proved difficult.
Consort Huang had already received the news.
She knew that her son's actions had caused the Emperor to fall gravely ill.
Rumors circulating within the palace suggested that the Emperor intended to depose the Crown Prince.
How could this be allowed?
She had been a consort to the Emperor for most of her life, over twenty years, and now aspired to experience the role of Empress Dowager once her son ascended the throne.
Therefore, at this crucial moment, how could such a matter as deposing the Crown Prince occur?
Consort Huang, with a somber expression, gazed at Emperor Xingzhao lying on the imperial bed.
He was old, completely old.
His hair was white, his face swollen and aged, and a few age spots were faintly visible at his temples.
His eyebrows were so sparse they were almost invisible.
Yet, he was still breathing raggedly, emitting hoarse grunts of dissatisfaction.
He wanted to live; she could tell. He hadn't lived enough, and this Emperor certainly hadn't reigned enough.
But in her eyes, he could die now.
She fervently wished for him to breathe his last breath immediately.
Unfortunately, she had just heard that someone outside intended to save him.
It was said they had brought the formidable divine physician from last time.
She could not permit this.
Absolutely not.
Consort Huang stood up and declared with great authority,
"Come,
Guard the palace gates for me. No unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter."
Consort Huang had been the most favored consort in the imperial palace for over twenty years.
The palace staff dared not disobey her orders and responded in unison.
Meanwhile, Shen Yun was already knocking on the doors of the main hall.
However, the reply he received was that Consort Huang had issued an order, and no one was permitted to enter.
Shen Yun's heart sank.
They had planned meticulously, accounting for everyone in the Crown Prince's faction, including Duke Huang of the state, Marquis Yong'an's estate, and the Liu family and their associates.
They had completely overlooked Consort Huang, who resided within the harem.
Su Xiaoqi was also aware of Consort Huang's formidable influence.
In fact, she had considered it early on, but she had assumed Shen Yun's intelligence would lead him to devise a solution.
As they stood in silence, a person approached rapidly from ahead and anxiously addressed Shen Yun,
"Brother Xuzhi, Consort Huang has ordered the palace gates sealed.
What shall we do?"
Shen Yun looked at him. The approaching person was Wang Enze.
He and his father were crucial figures in Prince Duan's faction, and naturally, he would be present on such an occasion.
Furthermore, he appeared more concerned than anyone else.
Shen Yun said, "The Emperor is gravely ill, and as his subjects, our primary concern is naturally His Majesty's health.
Consort Huang, residing in the harem, has no authority to interfere in matters of the front court."
Wang Enze found his words reasonable but glanced at the tightly shut doors of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and said,
"His Majesty's health is naturally paramount, but the doors are sealed. What can be done?"
Shen Yun replied, "Within the main hall, there must be many who are loyal to the Emperor. Let us call out to them."
"What if they do not listen, or if they have already been apprehended by Consort Huang's people, what then?"
The two men exchanged words, each with their own ideas and strategies, so neither was willing to propose a solution first.
After all, Consort Huang was within, and her favor for over twenty years was not earned in vain.
The two feared that if they failed to deal with her this time, she would retaliate later.
Su Xiaoqi could no longer stand it, cleared her throat, and said, "Perhaps we should invite the Eldest Princess?"
The Eldest Princess's actions were beyond reproach, and she did not regard Consort Huang with any deference.
Shen Yun nodded; this was a good idea.
A messenger was dispatched, and the Eldest Princess arrived shortly.
She looked at the closed palace gates and, after listening to Su Xiaoqi's account of the situation in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, was enraged.
She immediately stood at the palace entrance, hands on her hips, and loudly cursed, "Bold Huang Yamei, how dare you, you insolent wretch, to imprison my father!"
The Eldest Princess's voice was extremely loud, and Consort Huang, within the hall, heard her clearly.
Upon hearing the Eldest Princess attribute a crime akin to treason to her the moment she arrived, Consort Huang also became angry and, with a furious roar, was about to rush forward to open the hall doors and argue with her.
Fortunately, the eunuch by her side, Eunuch Min, restrained her.
"Your Ladyship, Your Ladyship, please reconsider. The hall doors must not be opened!"