Chapter 386: Twenty Years of Life
The sky had darkened.
Yun Chu and Fan Ming, leading the Imperial Guards, surrounded a dilapidated courtyard before them.
This courtyard was once where the Empress Dowager practiced Buddhist rituals. After her death, the small yard fell into disrepair, with no one to maintain or fix its deteriorating structures, gradually becoming rundown.
Yun Chu’s gaze was icy cold. She never imagined that Chu Rui would dare to take action within the palace.
A cornered dog will jump over a wall—Chu Rui had exhausted his tricks and resorted to the lowest of schemes.
She whispered, "Leave some to guard all exits. The rest of you, follow me inside!"
Just as she was about to step forward,
Fan Ming stepped ahead first. "There might be an ambush. I'll go in first. Crown Princess, walk behind me."
He used to think the Crown Princess was merely a beautiful woman.
But after these past few days of interaction, he realized her beauty overshadowed her capabilities.
On the surface, Yun Fei and Grand Tutor Xu were in control at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, but in reality, the one calling the shots was the Crown Princess.
He had unwittingly begun to follow Yun Chu’s orders and wanted to protect her as much as possible.
If anything happened to the Crown Princess, the Hall of Mental Cultivation would lose its backbone.
Stepping inside, Yun Chu immediately spotted Qinghua Princess lying on the ground, unconscious and unknown whether dead or alive.
"The Crown Princess has arrived," Chu Rui said, sitting relaxed in a chair. "Bringing so many people—you overestimate me."
"Bold Prince Zhuang!" Fan Ming roared angrily. "How dare you kidnap Qinghua Princess? This crime warrants death!"
He made a gesture.
The Imperial Guards immediately surged toward Chu Rui.
At the same time, Yun Chu hurried toward Qinghua, reaching out to check her breathing. She was still alive. Yun Chu breathed a sigh of relief.
But—Qinghua’s hair was completely gone, deep bloody gashes marked her face, and a piece of her ear was missing… What kind of torture had she endured?
Yun Chu looked up and saw Chu Rui and the young eunuch beside him had been subdued.
But a sinister smile played on Chu Rui’s lips, stirring a flicker of unease in her.
She instructed the matron behind her to carry Qinghua quickly to the imperial hospital.
She stepped forward.
The Imperial Guards parted to make way, and she walked up to Chu Rui.
Chu Rui looked calmly at her. "Crown Princess, whether you kill or slice me, I’m at your mercy. After all, you saved this life of mine."
Yun Chu took a porcelain bottle from her sleeve and poured out a pill. "Hold his jaw."
Fan Ming roughly gripped Chu Rui’s mandible, forcing his mouth open.
Just as Yun Chu was about to toss the pill into his mouth—
Suddenly!
A sharp gust of wind came.
A short sword whizzed through the air and struck Fan Ming’s wrist.
Hit on his right hand, Fan Ming instinctively released Chu Rui.
"Pfft!"
Chu Rui spat out a mouthful of blood.
With a face full of arrogance, he said, "Crown Princess, you were ultimately a step too late."
Then, he looked toward the entrance and called out weakly, "Imperial Uncle! Save Rui'er!"
Yun Chu turned around.
She saw the Emperor standing there.
She was utterly incredulous.
The Emperor had taken medicine personally developed by Wu Yun. Without the antidote, how could he have awakened?
Beside the Emperor, supporting him, was Yun Fei.
Yun Fei shook her head at Yun Chu.
While she and Shu Fei were attending to him in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Emperor, who had been lying on the Dragon Bed, suddenly sat up and violently spat out a mouthful of black blood.
Before they could do anything, the Emperor descended from the Dragon Bed and rushed here without regard for anything else.Even without shoes and still in her inner garments, she had forcibly draped an outer robe over the Emperor...
"Rui'er!"
The Emperor shook off Consort Yun and walked barefoot toward Chu Rui.
"Fan Ming, a mere guard, how dare you lay hands on a prince personally appointed by me! Who gave you the nerve!" The Emperor's gaze swept past Fan Ming's face and landed on Yun Chu. "You truly are my good daughter-in-law, taking advantage of my serious illness to strike against Prince Zhuang. You..."
"Your Majesty!" Fan Ming knelt on the ground. "This was all my idea. It has nothing to do with the Crown Princess. Please punish me!"
The Emperor kicked Fan Ming over.
But Fan Ming didn't fall; instead, the Emperor himself lost balance and nearly collapsed to the ground.
Chu Rui hurriedly supported the Emperor. "Are you alright, Imperial Uncle?"
The Emperor gasped for breath heavily.
He had been unconscious for six days, having not eaten for many days. Driven by some inexplicable summons, he had walked here, but upon reaching his destination, his body gave out.
A group of palace attendants rushed forward to support the Emperor.
After catching his breath for a moment, the Emperor demanded, "What exactly is going on here?"
"Your Majesty, Qinghua Princess has gone missing. The Crown Princess and Lord Fan were searching the inner palace for this reason," Consort Yun spoke up. "It was Prince Zhuang who abducted Qinghua Princess..."
"Nonsense!" the Emperor snapped sharply. "Consort Yun, in charge of the Phoenix Seal, has allowed male Imperial Guards to search the rear palace. This is dereliction of duty. The Phoenix Seal is to be revoked immediately, and Consort Yun is to be confined to the Cold Palace!"
Consort Yun staggered.
She finally understood why Chu'er had been so wary of that Gu insect.
So this was its power.
Once Chu Rui and the Emperor met, the Emperor would no longer be the same as before.
"Fan Ming has abused his authority. He is dismissed from his post and will be investigated!" The Emperor's chest heaved violently. "Someone, help me back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Rui'er, from now on, you will live with me in the Hall of Mental Cultivation!"
Chu Rui bowed his head. "Yes, Imperial Uncle."
A group of palace attendants came forward, supporting the Emperor out of the courtyard and carrying him and Chu Rui on a palanquin toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Sitting on the palanquin, Chu Rui looked back and gave Yun Chu a smile.
He had used twenty years of his lifespan to infuse vitality into the child Gu inside him, enabling it to summon the parent Gu.
If he were to live to sixty, from now on, he would only live to forty—meaning he had less than ten years left.
Although the cost was great, seeing Yun Chu's incredulous expression made it all worth it.
He was curious to know what other moves Yun Chu had left.
The palanquin soon arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Chu Rui was helped down and spoke softly, "Imperial Uncle, all the palace attendants in this hall must be replaced."
He knew these people were all Consort Yun's followers.
The Emperor nodded. "Good, I leave this matter to you, Rui'er. Also, the commander of the Imperial Guards will be appointed by you. I am tired and need to rest."
His body had truly given out; he collapsed onto the Dragon Bed and fell asleep.
Chu Rui wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
He saw Grand Tutor Xu hurriedly entering the hall and smiled. "Grand Tutor Xu, how did it feel to impersonate the Emperor and review memorials these past few days?"
Grand Tutor Xu angrily retorted, "Chu Rui, you insolent brat! How dare you poison the Emperor with Gu poison? I'll take your life!"
Grand Tutor Xu drew a dagger from his robe and lunged at Chu Rui.
Chu Rui easily dodged, and Grand Tutor Xu stumbled onto the Dragon Bed, his dagger mere inches away from the Emperor."Grand Tutor Xu is attempting to assassinate the Emperor," Chu Rui chuckled lightly. "However, given your lifelong loyalty to the nation, I truly cannot bear to see such a devoted minister meet his end. Why not pledge your allegiance to me instead?"
Grand Tutor Xu gnashed his teeth: "Don't even think about it!"
"I'll give you seven days to consider," Chu Rui enunciated each word deliberately. "If you haven't surrendered your loyalty by then, the entire Xu family will become sacrificial offerings!"
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