Time flew past, and one month went by in the blink of an eye. At this moment, the vast Imperial Palace was still, the one hundred thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army quiet. The mood was much more oppressive and suffocating than before.
When a eunuch or maid would pass through a palace avenue, their heads would be lowered and their steps hurried. At times, they would raise their heads and quickly look around with wary expressions.
The Imperial Palace had completely changed, so much so that even the eunuchs and maids could tell that the struggle between the three Princes was getting worse and worse. Even past officials had been swept up in the conflict, with many of them being killed, and there wasn’t even a need to consider eunuchs and maids like them, whose lives were as cheap as an ant’s.
The frequency of assassinations in the palace had increased, and the Imperial Army was being mustered far more than usual.
A minor eunuch seemed to notice something and pointed at a distant figure in surprise. “Look there. So many unfamiliar faces in the palace now…”
Another minor eunuch paled and harshly rebuked, “Shut your mouth! Is that something you should be worrying about? Hurry up!” He dragged his companion away like he was fleeing the plague.
The two of them left very quickly, but the air remained saturated with tension.
The gate of Jade Dragon Palace was shut, and a domain covered the palace, blocking all sound.
At this time, Li Taiyi, Wang Jiuling, Zhou Chaoxian, and his other subordinates had gathered here.
Li Taiyi had been vigorously counterattacking over the last month, and he had finally moved out from his extremely passive position and succeeded in rescuing Wang Haibin and the court officials. However, Zhang Shougui and Zhangchou Jianqiong were still stationed on the border.
The two of them were both under the command of the Bureau of Military Personnel, and everything concerning them needed to go through a court debate. Even if Li Taiyi wanted to get them back, he would first have to go through the Bureau of Military Personnel. However, the Bureau of Military Personnel was still under the First Prince’s control, so this task was still impossible.
In the somber air, Li Taiyi turned to the nearby Wang Haibin and asked, “What is the situation?”
“Your Highness, we have already dispatched the spirit pills from the martial arts sects to the Imperial Palace, and Eunuch Li has already dissolved them in water and fed them to His Majesty, but…”
Wang Haibin dropped his head, his expression gloomy.
“It was no use. His Majesty is still unconscious.”
Everyone’s hearts sank at these words.
Li Taiyi had devoted all his efforts into curing the Tang Emperor, attempting all methods, even trying to find the most miraculous of medicines from the martial arts world. For the sake of safety, all the medicines had been inspected, and only after they were confirmed safe had they been sent into the palace.
Alas, it currently seemed that all their efforts had failed.
Is there really no preventing this?
Li Taiyi internally sighed. He had not been in this world for too long, and though the Tang Emperor had always been very harsh on him, with familial love being a difficult thing to experience in a place like the Imperial Palace, deep down, Li Taiyi still considered the Tang Emperor his true father.
Li Taiyi could also sense that the Tang Emperor deeply favored him. It was just that affection within the Imperial Palace was bound to be different from what ordinary people hoped for.
“Lord Zhou, what do the stars say?”
Li Taiyi turned to another figure in the hall.
Zhou Chaoxian was an official serving under the previous government, but at the start, he had been an astrologer who was rather skilled in the art of divination. Zhou Chaoxian had said that Li Taiyi had the aura of the true dragon on him, and the heavens had resonated with him, the Ziwei emerging. This was an important reason for Zhou Chaoxian’s choosing to follow Li Taiyi.
“This… His Majesty has been unconscious for several months. If not for Your Highness constantly sending him pills, the situation might have been even worse. Moreover, in the heavens, the Ziwei is dim and like a guttering candle, on the verge of going out at any moment. Besides that, the stars are in disarray. It appears that His Majesty is reaching the limits of his life.”
Zhou Chaoxian’s words made Li Taiyi shudder as if he had been struck by lightning, and the others were also shaken, feeling a suffocating pressure descending.
Although they had already had some inkling of this, to hear it from Zhou Chaoxian’s mouth had an entirely different meaning.
The Tang Emperor was a wise sovereign who commanded great respect both inside and outside the court. His death would be an enormous blow to the Great Tang and affect the entire empire. This was the reason for the turmoil amongst the stars.
More importantly, if Zhou Chaoxian’s predictions were correct, they didn’t have much time.
“Your Highness, the Eastern Palace is becoming more active,” Wang Jiuling suddenly said. “It’s obvious that the Crown Prince also knows about this. The day His Majesty ascends to the heavens is the moment the Crown Prince will make trouble. We must be ready.”
He knew what the Third Prince was worried about: fatherly affection, brotherly love… But now was not the time to be concerned about such things, as the Eastern Palace would not.
“Mm, has everything been taken care of?” Li Taiyi said, swiftly suppressing all other thoughts. There was no taking back a loosed arrow. Since he had made up his mind, he would not show any hesitation.
“Everything is awaiting Your Highness’s order,” Wang Jiuling immediately said as he bowed.
Li Taiyi nodded and said no more. Turning around, he looked out of the hall and began to think.
The Imperial Palace was still, but everyone could sense that a storm was imminent.
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Time slowly passed, and the mood in the Imperial Palace grew even more tense. Everyone was so quiet out of fear that even somewhat loud whispers were easily audible. Such a mood had left everyone uneasy.
Several days went by. At this moment, in Taiji Palace, the center of the storm…
A tall and slender figure with an ashen complexion lay atop a golden bed, his eyes and mouth shut.
Long illness had worn away at this majestic body, leaving behind a bony and emaciated figure with deeply sunken eyes. Even so, one could still sense that imperial aura that stood above all things radiating from his body.
This man was the supreme Tang Emperor.
It had been three months since his illness had started to act up, and the imperial physicians had thought of every method possible. Countless people were hoping to hear good news, but the ill figure on the bed showed no improvement. On the contrary, his condition only worsened.
“Raaagh!”
After some time, a pained yell resounded through the air.
The figure on the bed slightly trembled, so slightly that one wouldn’t notice unless one was paying attention.
But at this moment, it was like a thunderclap had gone off in everyone’s ears.
“Your Majesty.”
An elegant and beautiful woman next to the bed began to cry tears of joy as she gripped the Tang Emperor’s wrist.
Eunuch Li also had an expression of joy.
He and Virtuous Empress Dou had attended on him for several months, and this was the best news they had received since.
“His Majesty is awake! His Majesty is awake!” Eunuch Li yelled in joy, intending to inform the consorts and officials of this news. It had to be understood that everyone was waiting to hear that the Emperor had awoken.
“Wait a moment.”
To his surprise, Eunuch Li had only made it a few steps when a voice called him back. On the golden bed, the Tang Emperor cracked open his eyes. Though his figure was emaciated, his eyes were clear and determined.
“Your Majesty!”
Eunuch Li hastily came to a stop and kneeled next to the bed with Virtuous Empress Dou.
“Who is outside, standing guard?” the Tang Emperor said in a hoarse voice, his mind still clear.
“The Imperial Army,” Virtuous Empress Dou said.
The Tang Emperor said nothing, turning to Eunuch Li.
“This…”
Eunuch Li was hesitant, but upon meeting the august gaze of the Emperor, he gritted his teeth and finally began to speak.
“The Imperial Army has been mobilized frequently in this period of time, so not even this old slave knows which division of the Imperial Army is standing guard.”
“It’s Xuantu!” the Emperor coldly said.
“Yes!”
After a few moments of silence, Eunuch Li lowered his head and spoke.
“While Your Majesty was unconscious, the Crown Prince has been managing the empire. Although not all authority has been passed on to the Crown Prince, he truly has complete control over the Imperial Army.”
“Ha, as expected of his personality.”
The Tang Emperor closed his eyes and sighed.
No one knew a son more than his own father. Since childhood, Li Xuantu had been extremely talented in martial arts and had possessed extraordinary intelligence. Both the harem and the court were full of praise for him, all of them believing that he was the most proper successor for the throne. He was basically the perfect successor.
Yet, unbeknownst to any but the Tang Emperor, Li Xuantu’s personality concealed a severe flaw—one that would only make itself obvious on special occasions.
This was why he had always been hesitant on the issue of succession.
The Tang Emperor still lived, but Li Xuantu was already impatient enough to seize control of the Imperial Army, at the same time placing his own people in critical positions and surrounding Taiji Palace with soldiers. From a certain perspective, this was treason, but no one in the Imperial Palace cared about this.
“Eunuch Li, take Our token and summon the Grand Preceptor, the Grand Tutor, and the Ministers of the Six Bureaus. Say that We plan to entrust them with matters of state. In addition, Virtuous Dou, you no longer need to stay in the palace. In a little while, leave with Eunuch Li.”
He spoke the first part to Eunuch Li, but his final words were spoken to Virtuous Empress Dou.
“I’m not going.”
Virtuous Empress Dou had a sharp mind, and while she didn’t understand at first, hearing the Emperor’s orders to Eunuch Li made her vaguely uneasy. She tightly grasped the Tang Emperor’s hand, her expression firm.
She had a deep affection for the Tang Emperor, and he had just awoken. How could she leave now?
“Empress, listen to His Majesty,” Eunuch Li sternly said to Virtuous Empress Dou as he lifted her up.
The Imperial Palace’s situation had changed. Outside of Taiji Palace, there was a jittery and nervous air. More importantly, this was the most crucial moment of the War of the Princes.
“Hmph, none of you need to leave.” At this moment, a blunt and rude voice came from outside. “Without my order, none of you can even think about leaving this place.”
A moment later, the door opened a crack, and a tall and handsome figure strode in.