eurekapd Chapter 522 Joy of Life 78
Chapter 522 Joy of Life 78
Therefore, Lin Ruofu only said two words to Emperor Qing before he suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed to the side, powerless.
But Eunuch Hou didn't have so many concerns. He was a rootless eunuch, and he was already this old. He had no parents, children, or grandchildren.
My only thought now is to save up as much money as possible so that I can enjoy my old age in peace after I leave the palace.
But now, facing this sudden calamity and with his life hanging by a thread, he has no more worries and only thinks about taking revenge on Li Chengqian and Li Yunrui before he dies.
Therefore, he is now speaking freely and without reservation, spilling out everything he has seen and heard.
The atmosphere inside the Imperial Hospital was so oppressive it was almost suffocating.
After Emperor Qing arrived, all the imperial physicians were driven out of the palace.
Only Emperor Qing, Lin Ruofu, and Eunuch Hou remained in the hall.
Upon hearing this mind-blowing news, Emperor Qing's face first showed shock, then disbelief, and finally, a surge of rage rose within him, his mind filled with the impossibility.
Emperor Qing stood by the bed, suppressing his anger. His gaze gradually turned icy as he followed Eunuch Hou's narration, as if it could freeze the surrounding air.
Every word his father-in-law said on the bed felt like a stone, crashing down on his heart.
As he listened, Emperor Qing's expression suddenly became somewhat bewildered, and a sense of absurdity welled up in his heart, making him unable to help but want to laugh.
Did the Crown Prince and Li Yunrui have an affair?
How can this be?
How could the two of them possibly have an affair?
How could such lewd things possibly exist in this world?
Shock, embarrassment, anger, utter madness.
Emperor Qing's eyes were bloodshot, and anger appeared on his face. As his emotions spiraled out of control, his internal energy began to fluctuate violently, causing his clothes and hair to dance wildly without wind, as if a demon god had descended upon the world.
The tables and chairs inside the hall were instantly thrown into disarray by this surge of true energy, with a constant clattering and clanging sound.
Eunuch Hou stared in shock at Emperor Qing, whose true energy was surging. His expression changed drastically, and in an instant, as if he had realized something, a look of understanding flashed in his eyes: "Your Majesty, you are that... uh..."
"Shut up!" Emperor Qing roared, grabbing Eunuch Hou by the neck and spitting out angry words through gritted teeth: "Nonsense! How could the Crown Prince and Li Yunrui have an affair! You must be lying, right?"
As Hou Gonggong's face began to turn purple from suffocation, he managed to say with his last breath, "Your Majesty, this servant dares not deceive Your Majesty. Everything I said just now is true, without the slightest falsehood."
At this moment, Emperor Qing's rationality was on the verge of collapse, and he could not listen to what Eunuch Hou was saying.
His fingers tightened suddenly, and with a 'crack', Hou Gonggong's throat was snapped.
The light in Eunuch Hou's eyes faded, his last glimmer of life vanished, and his body went limp as he collapsed.
At this moment, Emperor Qing's heart was filled with endless anger and disappointment.
Li Chengqian was the crown prince he had carefully groomed, the future emperor on whom he placed high hopes, yet he did such a disgraceful thing.
Emperor Qing was unwilling to admit that he had failed in his parenting, so he blamed everything on Li Yunrui: "It's all that woman's fault. She seduced the Crown Prince."
Seeing this, Lin Ruofu gave a bitter laugh, spat out the ginseng that was keeping him alive, and silently murmured in his heart, "Son! I'm useless, I can't avenge you." His eyes were filled with deep regret.
Lin Ruofu felt extremely unwilling, but what he learned today meant that he would never live again.
He didn't know if anyone was plotting this behind the scenes, but at this moment, he was already deeply involved and unable to extricate himself.
He could certainly use his dying state to plead for some benefits for his family before Emperor Qing, and Emperor Qing would certainly agree.
But he can't say anything or do anything right now, only in this way can he protect his two children to the greatest extent possible and prevent them from being affected.
Having spent half his life navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, Lin Xiang, whose very being had ingrained scheming and calculation into his very being, thought only of his two children in the final moments of his life.
……
The azure sky suddenly changed color, and thick dark clouds gathered from all directions directly above Kyoto, pressing down layer upon layer as if to swallow the entire world.
An extremely oppressive atmosphere permeated the air, silently seeping into every corner, making even breathing incredibly heavy, as if the whole world was holding its breath, awaiting the impending storm.
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted, and a thunderclap shook the heavens and earth, causing the entire palace to tremble and filling everyone with fear.
Immediately afterwards, a ferocious bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, like an enraged dragon, dancing wildly between heaven and earth with world-destroying power, instantly illuminating the entire world before being swallowed by deeper darkness.
'Plop, plop—'
Accompanied by continuous thunder, large raindrops began to fall without warning, first sparsely hitting the ground, then becoming more and more dense, as if the Milky Way had burst its banks, pouring down and enveloping the whole world in a hazy curtain of water.
The East Palace was shrouded in darkness, with only the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the interior.
Listening to the torrential rain outside the palace, Li Chengqian looked at Emperor Qing in front of him with a pale face and his eyes were full of fear.
He already knew that the assassins he had sent out had encountered Ye Wan en route, causing the assassination operation to fail and allowing Lin Ruofu and his companion to return to the capital alive and successfully meet Emperor Qing.
Therefore, it is highly likely that the two of them had already informed Emperor Qing about the matter concerning the imperial estate.
However, he still clung to a sliver of hope, straightened his back, and tried to appear more imposing, his voice filled with doubt and confusion: "Father, why? Why did you disregard my dignity and send the Imperial Guards to escort me and my aunt in the rain..."
"laugh!"
When Emperor Qing heard Li Chengqian call out the word "aunt," he immediately let out a contemptuous sneer, and the cold tone instantly silenced Li Chengqian.
The flashes of lightning illuminated Emperor Qing's expressionless face with exceptional clarity.
His brown eyes were filled with indifference, and his voice, seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, was low and sarcastic: "You guys are disgusting!"
His Majesty really knows!
At this moment, the last glimmer of hope in Li Chengqian's heart was completely shattered.
His heart felt as if it had fallen into an icy lake, a bone-chilling cold that made his body tremble slightly.
Li Chengqian knew exactly how much his father valued the imperial reputation, and he was also well aware of his father's ruthless and cruel nature. The phrase "womanly kindness" would never apply to Emperor Qing.
Even if he were Emperor Qing's biological son and the Crown Prince of Daqing, after committing such a shameful act of immorality and incest, he would never receive the slightest leniency from Emperor Qing.
Li Chengqian's face grew increasingly pale. He wanted to say a few more words in his defense, but when he saw Emperor Qing's icy gaze, he instantly lost all his courage.
His body went limp uncontrollably, and he collapsed to the ground, bursting into tears and sobbing uncontrollably, his face covered in snot and tears.
He knew that everything he had was over.
The position of crown prince, the future heir of the Great Qing Dynasty... all of these will be gone from him. More than ten years of hard work will be in vain, and he may not even be able to save his life in the end.
The Empress looked at her weeping son, her eyes filled with bewilderment.
She was just drinking in the palace when Emperor Qing suddenly summoned her here. Her mind was still blank, and she had no idea what had happened.
Could it be that His Majesty knows that the mother and son were among those who attempted to assassinate Fan Xian in Niulan Street?
The Empress looked up, her gaze piercing through the dimly lit hall, landing on the man on the steps who was both familiar and strange, someone she both loved and hated.
The dim light in the hall prevented her from seeing Emperor Qing's expression, but she could clearly feel the extreme coldness in his eyes, which made her tremble involuntarily.
She hadn't seen Emperor Qing for a long time since the fire more than a decade ago.
Emperor Qing seemed to sense the Empress's gaze. He rose and walked down the steps, slowly approaching her. In a low and gentle voice, he whispered in her ear, "Look at the good son you've raised."
The voice was extremely soft and gentle, like a lover's whisper, but the content of the words was like a sharp dagger, instantly breaking through the queen's defenses.
The Empress was still pondering what trouble the Crown Prince had recently caused and why he had angered Emperor Qing so much.