AWB Chapter 266 Dead End
Chapter 266 Dead End
Inside the palace
Chen Xianlin stood at the entrance of the palace, watching Zheng Yuxiang and the others walk further and further away until their figures disappeared from sight, only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
After the person had walked away, she turned to the servants behind her and ordered, "Quickly, close the palace doors!"
As the palace doors slowly closed with a dull "bang," the interior became unusually quiet, leaving only Chen Xianlin and Xue Huaiyu inside.
Chen Xianlin took a deep breath, composed herself, and then slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on Xue Huaiyu on the bed.
Xue Huaiyu seemed to sense Chen Xianlin's gaze. He quickly stood up, his movements somewhat hurried, as if he were a little nervous.
He straightened his clothes, then bowed respectfully to Chen Xianlin and said, "Your Majesty the Empress!"
Chen Xianlin stared at him expressionlessly, and after a moment of silence, finally asked, "Where is the Emperor?"
Xue Huaiyu was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting Chen Xianlin to ask so directly about the Emperor's whereabouts. He hesitated for a moment, then replied softly, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is fine, but..."
The words were on the tip of his tongue when Xue Huaiyu suddenly stopped, a troubled look on his face. Seeing this, Chen Xianlin felt even more uneasy. Her brows furrowed, and she pressed, "What's wrong with His Majesty? Tell me quickly!"
Xue Huaiyu quickly said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, the Emperor is fine. He has just fainted temporarily due to the effects of the medicine!"
"Your Majesty should go and see for yourself!" he said, bowing his head.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xianlin glanced at Xue Huaiyu suspiciously, then said, "Take me to see him."
Xue Huaiyu nodded, then turned and led Chen Xianlin toward one side of the palace. The two passed through a hidden door and entered a secret room.
The walls of this secret room were covered with thick wooden planks, the floor was carpeted, and a faint fragrance filled the air.
Ever since the real Xue Huaiyu fell into a coma, Chen Xianlin had felt that something was amiss.
She discovered that Xue Huaiyu's symptoms were exactly the same as those of Consort Shu, and Xue Huaiyu's were even more severe.
The moment Chen Xianlin realized something was amiss, she immediately sent someone to arrest the old man and question him, but she never expected that someone else would act even faster than her.
The old man was already dead when he was found, and the trail went cold.
"Damn it!" Chen Xianlin couldn't help but curse when she thought about it.
"Have you found out what medicine the Emperor is taking?" Chen Xianlin asked, her eyes fixed on Xue Huaiyu's face, her tone revealing a hint of weariness.
"Your Majesty, Lord Chen is already investigating the old man's background, but so far he hasn't found any clues. Lord Chen also asked if Your Majesty has found any accomplices of that old man hiding in the palace?" Shan Yan smiled and answered honestly.
"Not for now!" Chen Xianlin frowned, her tone unconsciously carrying a hint of impatience.
She had been investigating the old man's accomplices for some time, but hadn't found any useful clues.
Looking at the unconscious Xue Huaiyu in front of her, Chen Xianlin's doubts deepened.
The real Xue Huaiyu is currently unconscious, and the 'Xue Huaiyu' standing here is a fake. He is actually Shan Yan, the disguise master that Chen Tongyu hired to disguise Chen Ruoyao.
Xue Huaiyu is now in a coma, which is absolutely detrimental to Chen Xianlin.
Although she didn't poison Xue Huaiyu, she couldn't escape responsibility, since she was the one who found the person who administered the drug.
If an investigation were to be conducted in the end, even if she denies it, there would be no evidence to prove that she did not instigate it.
Chen Xianlin had also considered either preventing Xue Huaiyu from waking up, but if she did that, wouldn't the Prime Minister have no scruples at all? At that point, it would be uncertain who would win the position!
Fortunately, Zheng Yuxiang did not disappoint her today and still chose to force his way in, which gave her a good excuse to put him under house arrest.
She only has one month. She either finds the real culprit behind this, or...
Thinking of this, Chen Xianlin became extremely nervous. Her heart seemed to be driven by an invisible force and began to beat wildly.
Chen Xianlin couldn't help but cover her chest with her hand, trying to calm her racing heart.
Prime Minister's Mansion
In the study
"Father! Why are you like this today...?" Zheng Luoqi couldn't help but ask the question that had been on her mind as soon as she returned to the Prime Minister's residence.
"You want to ask me why I was so impulsive today, first by forcing my way into the inner courtyard, giving him the opportunity to confine me, and then wondering why I didn't expose Xue Huaiyu, this fake?" Zheng Yuxiang said calmly with a slight smile.
“I do have some doubts, but not about these. I’m wondering when Father discovered that today’s events were a setup by the Chen family!” Zheng Luoqi asked after a moment of thought.
Zheng Yuxiang chuckled and said slowly, "Although Chen Tongyu was at the court meeting today, he was outwardly at odds with me!"
"However, when I actually went to break into the inner courtyard, he didn't stop me. He put on a good show, and his repeated attempts to stop me were just empty words. The imperial edict was also full of loopholes!"
"Isn't this just an attempt to make us suspicious?"
"So the Chen family must have other plans. Today's blocking of the Qiangzhou water conservancy proposal is one of them, and the other is definitely related to Xue Huaiyu."
"Xue Huaiyu is currently in a coma. They should be the ones worried, not us. The person who drugged him was brought in by the Empress. If this is investigated, what explanation will the Empress give?"
"Now that things have come to this point, they might just go all the way. They now have two choices: either find the real culprit who drugged him, or make sure Xue Huaiyu never wakes up again!"
"Today, I just want to confirm whether Xue Huaiyu has woken up or not. If Xue Huaiyu hasn't woken up, it will prove that the Chen family has already started to make their move!"
"As for that fake emperor, it was probably a delaying tactic by Chen Tongyu, who was afraid that we would discover that Xue Huaiyu was in trouble!"
"That's why he orchestrated this whole thing. For the next month, he'll definitely try everything to kill me. Now that things have come to this, there's no turning back!"
Zheng Luoqi frowned slightly, a hint of realization flashing in her eyes. "Father had already suspected it; today he was just going along with it, letting him think he had succeeded?"
Zheng Yuxiang nodded slightly, a deep meaning in his eyes.
"That's right. A month of confinement is ostensibly her punishment of me, but in reality, it's a time he's buying for himself."
Zheng Luoqi pondered for a moment, then whispered, "Father, is the breakthrough point in this situation Consort Shu?"
Zheng Yuxiang stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked through the window at the distant palace wall: "Not bad!"
A fierce glint suddenly flashed in Zheng Yuxiang's eyes. The moment Zheng Luoqi met Zheng Yuxiang's gaze, he immediately understood the other meaning in Zheng Yuxiang's eyes, nodded without hesitation, and said softly, "Your son understands!"