Emperor Yongping's illness seemed to be getting serious, and no one knew whether he wanted to conceal it or revealed it on purpose. The neutral factions became more and more intense, and not only spread the news privately, but some people also began to mutter openly. The emperor was only in his early thirties and should have been in the prime of life. Who would have thought that an assassination would lead to such a situation? It was really sad and lamentable.

As the year was coming to an end, the court meetings had ended and Emperor Yongping had put down his pen, as if he was concentrating on recuperating from his illness. The people serving him were the eunuchs he had grown up with, and the imperial physicians, no one else.

This time, even Concubine Zhang and her son were not summoned under his nose.

On the contrary, the Queen would go to Emperor Yongping every now and then, under the pretext of reporting on the affairs of the harem, to show her presence and demonstrate her status as the mistress of the harem.

Emperor Yongping was also indulgent and seemed easy to talk to.

Xu Huaiyi only went there once, and that was for official business, to discuss the defense of the palace during the New Year holidays. Commander Xiao was also there, and he changed from his usual cautious demeanor to boastful to Emperor Yongping. His purpose was self-evident.

He wanted to be responsible for the defense of the palace.

Xu Huaiyi was more than happy to have this, but he didn't want to be promoted anymore. He only wanted to avoid making mistakes at work, not to make any achievements. How could he possibly take the initiative to take on tasks?

Do you really think guarding the palace during the Chinese New Year is a good job? Haha, it's obviously a big trouble.

He didn't want to provoke them, but seeing how enthusiastic and earnest Commander Xiao was, he became suspicious, wondering if Commander Xiao was planning to cause any trouble in those few days.

It’s a good opportunity!

I just don't know whether Emperor Yongping was the smartest one and lured the enemy into a trap, or whether Commander Xiao had a plan and took advantage of the opportunity to rise to the top and support the Fourth Prince to take the throne.

He had some vague guesses, but he pretended not to know and played dumb. After returning home, he mentioned it to Gu Huanxi, "I'm afraid that the New Year this year will not be peaceful. You have an idea in your mind. If it really doesn't work, you can find an excuse to decline the palace banquet, right? So as to avoid being implicated..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Huanxi immediately asked nervously, "Who wants to cause trouble? Are you trying to force the emperor to abdicate?"

Xu Huaiyi pondered, "It's Commander Xiao and the Queen. They shouldn't force the emperor to abdicate. They don't have enough bargaining chips. The Imperial Guard has at least half of my people. If we really fight, the outcome is hard to predict. Besides, there are three camps outside the capital. The Xiao family doesn't have the ability to take down so many troops. I guess they might want to secretly force Emperor Yongping to depose the crown prince and re-establish the fourth prince..."

"How to force? Threaten with your life?" Gu Huanxi frowned, "Aren't you afraid of backfiring?"

Xu Huaiyi was also a little confused. "In theory, the two of them shouldn't take such a risk. However, the current situation is indeed not optimistic for them. If they don't take action now, they may not have another chance. Can they be willing to accept this?

After all, in the battle for the throne, if you take a step back, you will be doomed. Our two families are almost at loggerheads. If Xiaoyu takes the throne, the Xiao family will definitely not be in a good situation. The father and daughter know this well. It is normal for them to want to fight hard in the end. It is better than ending up like the Zhu family and Concubine De, right?"

Gu Huanxi said, "So, they were frightened by your treatment of Concubine De this time, and they have a sense of crisis and urgency?

Is that why we have to act hastily and try to catch you off guard?

But Emperor Yongping is not a pushover, and his shadow guards are not just for show. If he wants to force them, how can a dignified emperor bow his head?"

Xu Huaiyi thought of something, his eyes sparkled, and his tone became excited, "It's not impossible to make Emperor Yongping bow his head. Now is indeed an opportunity. Who told Emperor Yongping to be poisoned? When a person is suffering from illness and unable to break free, what does he desire most?"

He asked and answered himself, and suddenly realized, "Of course it's the good doctors and the magic medicine. Whoever can save them can grasp their lifeline, then can we control them however we want?

Changing the crown prince is not impossible at all, and the possibility is very high. Emperor Yongping must be very afraid of death, and he is wary of Xiaoyu and me. Without any emotional ties and with the temptation of the magic medicine, he doesn't need to worry too much..."

Gu Huanxi felt complicated for a moment, as if something was blocking him. If Emperor Yongping abandoned his son Xiaoyu without hesitation for his own health, how much of the already weak father-son relationship would be left?

Emperor Yongping might not care, but how would Xiaoyu feel?

She didn't want it to come to this. She would rather Commander Xiao led his troops to force the emperor to abdicate, put a knife to Emperor Yongping's neck and threaten him to write an edict to depose and enthrone the crown prince, than the possibility that Xu Huaiyi guessed.

"Where did they find this magic medicine? Didn't you ask Doctor Jiao in a roundabout way? It is possible to develop an antidote for that kind of poison, but the key is speed. A delay of one minute will cause irreversible damage to the body. It will be almost impossible to recover afterwards. Are they trying to deceive Emperor Yongping?"

"That shouldn't happen. Emperor Yongping is not a fool. Will he let them fool him? Especially when it comes to his own life, he must be extremely cautious. I guess that even if the medicine they found cannot cure the disease, it can alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms and thus prolong his life?"

My goodness, if that’s the case, then Emperor Yongping might really be shaken!

Anyway, he won't suffer any loss. If he is cured, he will benefit. If he is not cured, he will just sacrifice a small fish. Maybe, the real candidate for the crown prince in his heart is the fourth prince. This time, he can finally go with the flow!"

Gu Huanxi thought of another possibility, "You say, they didn't ask someone to refine some kind of elixir, did they?"

Xu Huaiyi paused and blinked, "Did Meng Yao give the elixir to the late emperor?"

In the later years of his life, the late emperor was in very poor health. The reason was that he had failed in his self-torture spree. The remaining toxins in his body had corroded his internal organs, causing him to be weak and powerless. He would faint easily if he had any emotional fluctuations or was too stressed out, and he might even vomit blood and fall into a coma. Compared with Emperor Yongping, their conditions were very similar!

Gu Huanxi thought so too. "But if that's the case, could it be that Commander Xiao and Meng Yao had some connection back then?"

Xu Huaiyi frowned and recalled, "At that time, Commander Xiao was still the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, and he was considered to be in power, but he was very low-key in his conduct. With Marquis Dingyuan in front of him, he was even more low-key. As for whether he had any relationship with Meng Yao, it's hard to say.

When Meng Yao got into trouble, the three departments conducted a thorough investigation, but they did not find anything wrong with Commander Xiao. Maybe he did it in secret?

However, Commander Xiao should be someone the late emperor trusted and valued. Otherwise, Emperor Yongping would not have promoted him without hesitation as soon as he came to power. It is likely that the late emperor had given him advice before he dared to use him.

So, when the late emperor secretly took the elixir presented by Meng Yao, Commander Xiao was probably one of the people who knew about it..."

The founding emperor once set a rule for his descendants that no matter what the purpose was, they were not allowed to take elixirs. This was an iron rule, but it was broken by the previous emperor. It can only be said that the more powerful an emperor is, the more afraid of death he is, and he would even ignore the words of his ancestors.

Of course, he had to take the pills secretly, but there were always a few people he couldn't avoid, such as the eunuchs who served him closely and the people who ran errands for him to get the pills.

The late emperor certainly wouldn't dare to bring the Taoist priest into the palace, so he could only refine it outside and then have someone he trusted secretly deliver it to him.

Commander Xiao is most likely the person who was responsible for delivering the medicine back then!

It is only natural that he has extra pills and even has the Taoist priest and the prescription in his hands!

After hearing this, Gu Huanxi couldn't help but sigh, "Could it be that the father and son are going to follow the same path?

"Eh? That's not right. After the previous emperor passed away, the cabinet investigated the cause of death. Didn't the imperial physician reveal the secret that the elixir was poisoning? Emperor Yongping should have known about it. Why would he fall for it?"

Xu Huaiyi sneered, "Don't forget that when one is desperate, he will try any possible means. As long as it can bring him hope, even if it means fighting poison with poison, he will be willing to try it. Didn't the late emperor know that there was something wrong with the elixir? But didn't he still not resist the temptation and secretly use it?"

The founding emperor was a man of both military and civil skills. Since he said that elixirs should not be taken, there must be a reason. The late emperor knew it more or less, but when people are desperate, no matter how clear they are, they will want to give it a try, just in case it works.

Emperor Yongping might not be able to escape.

Gu Huanxi was speechless for a moment.