Chapter 378: Moving the Grave to the Dragon Vein
After Prince Zhuang finished his report.
The Emperor coughed violently.
Gao Gonggong spoke up at the right moment: "Your Majesty, Lady Li has prepared some nourishing soup. Perhaps we should let Lady Li come in and serve Your Majesty some soup. It might make you feel better."
The Emperor's voice was extremely cold: "Send her away."
"Imperial Uncle, Rui'er has something to say, though I'm not sure if I should." Chu Rui looked up at the Emperor, and only continued after seeing the Emperor nod, "Now that Your Majesty is seriously ill and the Crown Prince is away on campaign, the palace is unsettled. Indeed, many are not trustworthy, but there are still those who are."
As the Emperor looked into Chu Rui's eyes, he suddenly felt dizzy.
What happened next, he had no recollection of. All he knew was that he had issued an order for Shu Fei, the biological mother of the Seventh Prince, to move into the Hall of Mental Cultivation to attend to his illness.
Chu Rui stood at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, watching Shu Fei inside attending to the Emperor, and couldn't help but smile.
He was curious about what methods Yun Chu would use next.
Just as the order was issued, many court officials arrived together.
Since the morning court sessions had been canceled, officials would come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation at this time every day to report matters to the Emperor. While they could handle minor issues themselves, major decisions required the Emperor's approval.
First and second-rank officials had all arrived, along with some officials responsible for implementation.
In total, over thirty officials had come, kneeling in a dense crowd.
The Emperor rubbed his temples.
Lately, his health had been poor, and he often felt as though he was forgetting things.
The more disoriented he became, the more suspicious he grew.
It seemed like no one around him could be trusted.
He raised his hand and said calmly, "If you have matters to report, do so. Otherwise, you may leave."
The first and second-rank officials hurriedly reported major issues one after another. Matters requiring funds from the national treasury were of utmost importance and were discussed at length.
Finally, Yun Ze stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, a few days ago, while I was in Ningxi handling land reclamation matters, I discovered a grave on Dragon Vein Mountain."
The Emperor frowned: "What do you mean?"
"The dragon vein is a feng shui treasure of the imperial mausoleum, the resting place of the royal family of our Great Jin Dynasty. Yet, someone has built their ancestral grave in the dense forest of the dragon vein," Yun Ze said word by word. "I specifically asked the Grand Astrologer to investigate, and he said that Your Majesty's prolonged illness might very well be due to someone siphoning off the dragon vein's energy!"
"What? How could this be?!"
The Emperor's expression changed dramatically.
Since last year, he had been constantly ill. He had taken countless medications, yet his health showed no signs of improvement.
Previously, Yi'er had told him that he was afflicted with Gu poison. He had specifically summoned all the physicians from the Imperial Hospital to diagnose him, and every one of them said it was a common cold, with no symptoms of poisoning.
He had Gao Gonggong bring in physicians from the common folk for diagnosis, but the conclusion remained the same.
It was from that point on that he began to doubt Yi'er.
Thus, even though he had issued the edict for Yi'er to campaign against the Eastern Tomb Kingdom in a state of confusion, he had not revoked the order.
Suppressing his anger, the Emperor said, "Minister Yun, explain this in detail. Someone, go quickly and summon the Grand Astrologer!"
Yun Ze cupped his hands and replied, "This matter is of great importance. Before it was fully investigated, I did not dare to report it. Therefore, I took the liberty of sending someone to investigate the owner of the grave. The grave belongs to someone with the surname Gao, a resident of the capital. The grave was moved there last November. If it weren't for villagers reclaiming land in the dense forest, it might have taken three to five years for anyone to discover that an outsider's grave had been placed on the dragon vein..."Upon hearing him say his surname was Gao, Chu Rui's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
When Yun Chu went to the Yun residence yesterday, could it be that instead of sending a message to Consort Yun to create chaos in the rear palace, he was actually targeting Gao Gonggong?
Sure enough, the next moment, Yun Ze continued: "The owner of that tomb is Gao Gonggong's grandfather. The smaller tombs beside it belong to Gao Gonggong's biological father and mother..."
Minister Du of the Ministry of Justice stepped forward: "Gao Gonggong, by attending closely to the Emperor, has nurtured ambitions and dared to move his ancestral graves onto the dragon vein. This is a capital offense!"
Marquis Pingjin gritted his teeth: "No wonder the Emperor's health has been deteriorating—it was Gao Gonggong's doing. Although Gao Gonggong has served the Emperor for many years and deserves some credit, his attempt to sever the foundation of the Great Jin Kingdom is intolerable to heaven and earth. I beg Your Majesty not to be soft-hearted!"
A voice came from outside—it was Gao Gonggong's: "Your Majesty, the Grand Astrologer has arrived."
The Emperor's voice was icy cold: "Gao Gonggong, enter the hall with the Grand Astrologer."
For some reason, Gao Gonggong felt a chilling aura. He secretly glanced at Chu Rui.
Chu Rui kept his eyes downcast, standing silently in his place.
Yun Chu's move was directly aimed at Gao Gonggong. Unprepared, there was no need for him to get involved.
If one Gao Gonggong died, another would take his place.
It would cause him no harm whatsoever.
The Emperor spoke word by word: "Grand Astrologer, Minister Yun has informed you, hasn't he? What is your view?"
Ding Yiyuan made a hand gesture and then fixed his gaze on Gao Gonggong. He descended the steps and circled around him.
Gao Gonggong felt an indescribable fear enveloping him.
"Your Majesty!" Ding Yiyuan turned around, his voice filled with disbelief. "This humble official has detected dragon aura within Gao Gonggong... Having served Your Majesty for many years, the dragon aura should only surround him. Yet now, I find it has penetrated his internal organs... By moving his ancestral graves to occupy the dragon vein, Gao Gonggong has absorbed the dragon aura, causing Your Majesty's health to decline! If Gao Gonggong is not executed, once the dragon aura is fully drained, even Bian Que reborn could not save the Dragon Body!"
Gao Gonggong was incredulous, his knees giving way in terror as he knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, this servant is innocent! This old servant has always been loyal to Your Majesty, without any selfish motives... As for those ancestral graves, this old servant knows nothing! Someone must be framing me..."
"Hah, who would go to such lengths to frame a eunuch?" Marquis Pingjin sneered. "It is Your Majesty's excessive trust that has given him ideas above his station!"
The Grand Secretary cupped his hands: "The Grand Astrologer accurately predicted the earth dragon's upheaval, proving his abilities. Your Majesty, please make a decision swiftly!"
"You! You!"
The Emperor trembled with rage, his fingers shaking.
The Grand Astrologer had accurately foretold several natural disasters—he had no reason to doubt his words.
He and Gao Gonggong had grown up together since childhood. In their youthful ignorance, he often had Gao Gonggong sleep and dine with him. This was his most trusted person, his most valued friend.
Yet he never imagined Gao Gonggong would do such a thing!
"Your Majesty, this old servant is innocent!"
Gao Gonggong crawled over and clung to the Emperor's leg.
At that moment.
Ding Yiyuan abruptly drew the Emperor's Imperial Sword and shouted sternly: "Contact with the Dragon Body can rapidly weaken it! Your Majesty, step away quickly!"He swung his sword, and Gao Gonggong's arm was severed clean off.
Gao Gonggong himself was stunned, then used his other hand to clutch at the Emperor's Dragon Robe: "Your Majesty, this old servant is truly wronged! I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly!"
The Emperor began coughing violently.
He firmly believed that if Gao Gonggong touched him, it would drain his imperial vitality, making him grow weaker and weaker.
No wonder his illness had been worsening despite prolonged treatment.
So the true culprit had been right beside him all along.
"Fan Ming!"
The Emperor shouted loudly.
Fan Ming, who was guarding outside the hall, quickly entered and saw a severed hand on the floor, dripping with blood. His face immediately changed color.
Seeing the Grand Astrologer holding a precious sword, he thought an assassination attempt had occurred.
"Kill Gao Gonggong!" the Emperor commanded sharply. "Kill him!"
OpenNovel