Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 111 The Queen's Order

The token with the word "Xuan" on it was cold and unfamiliar. Hu Bugui stroked the deep lines on the back of the token, and his heart was filled with doubts. These assassins were well-trained, but they knew nothing about the person behind the scenes. They were obviously being deliberately controlled. And this token with the word "Xuan" on it was more like a symbol of some kind of identity, controlling everything in the dark.

"Could it be... they are coming for the prince?" Wu Tao's voice was trembling. These assassins sneaked into the palace, but their target was not money, which made her think of the undercurrents in the court recently, and various forces were ready to make a move.

Hu Bugui did not answer, but held the token tightly in his hand, his eyes becoming more and more profound. He knew that as the emperor's younger brother, he had military power and had long been a thorn in the eyes of some people. However, he never thought that these people would be so bold as to attack him directly.

At this moment, the sound of hurried horse hooves broke the tranquility of the night. A guard ran into the mansion in a panic, knelt on the ground, and reported in a trembling voice: "My lord, it's bad! There's news from the palace that the emperor... the emperor is seriously ill!"

This news was like a thunderclap, exploding in the silent night sky. Hu Bugui and Wu Tao were both startled, their faces turned pale in an instant.

"When did it happen?" Hu Bugui asked in a deep voice, suppressing his uneasiness.

"Your Highness, just now, news suddenly came from the palace that the Emperor had a sudden illness and the imperial doctors were helpless..." The guard's voice became smaller and smaller, almost inaudible.

Without time to think, Hu Bugui immediately jumped on his horse and headed straight for the palace. Before leaving, he looked at Wu Tao deeply and said in a deep voice: "You wait for my news in the mansion, and don't act rashly."

Although Wu Tao was worried, he knew that he could not help and could only watch Hu Bugui disappear into the night.

Inside the palace, the lights were bright, but the atmosphere was extremely depressing. When Hu Bugui arrived outside the emperor's bedroom, he was stopped by several guards.

"Your Highness, the Queen has ordered that the Emperor is in poor health and no one is allowed to visit him." The guards said expressionlessly, but there was a hint of unquestionable firmness in their tone.

"How dare you! I am the prince of the current dynasty and the emperor's younger brother, why can't I visit him?!" Hu Bugui was furious and shouted harshly.

However, the guards were not moved at all, and just repeated coldly: "The Queen has ordered that no one is allowed to visit!"

At this moment, a woman in gorgeous clothes came out of the bedroom, with a trace of anxiety and fatigue between her brows. She was the current queen and Hu Bugui's sister-in-law.

"Sister-in-law, my brother..." Hu Bugui asked anxiously, but was stopped by a look from the Queen.

"Bugui, come with me." The queen said in a low voice, and then took Hu Bugui to a side hall.

"Sister-in-law, what happened to my brother? Why won't you let me visit him?" Hu Bugui asked in a low voice, his heart full of confusion and anxiety.

The queen sighed, a trace of worry on her face, and said: "The emperor...is very ill, and the doctors can't diagnose the cause. They just say that he was poisoned by some strange poison."

"Strange poison?" Hu Bugui was shocked. "Who is so bold as to murder the emperor?"

The queen shook her head and said in a low voice, "This matter is of great importance, and I dare not jump to conclusions. It's just..." She paused and looked at Hu Bugui sharply, "Bugui, you have to be careful, some people will do anything for the throne!"

Hu Bugui's heart trembled. He knew who the queen was referring to. In recent years, as the emperor grew older, the fights between the princes became more and more intense. In order to fight for the throne, they had already used all means.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I will find out the truth and protect your safety!" Hu Bugui said with a flash of cold light in his eyes and a firm tone.

 Royal Court (Continued)

The night was deep, but the inner court of the palace was brightly lit, as if it were daytime. Hu Bugui said goodbye to the queen and walked along the palace road with a solemn expression. His brother was seriously ill, the murderer was unknown, and there were undercurrents in the palace. All of this made him feel uneasy. He decided that he must find out the truth as soon as possible and find out the culprit behind the scenes!

The first thing he thought of was the Imperial Hospital. His brother had always been in good health, so how could he suddenly be poisoned? Although the imperial doctors could not diagnose the type of poison, they might be able to provide some clues. However, when he arrived at the Imperial Hospital, he found that the atmosphere here was extremely strange. The imperial doctors all looked panicked and hesitated to speak.

"Your Highness, why are you here?" When the head of the Imperial Hospital saw Hu Bugui, he hurried forward with a hypocritical smile on his face.

"I came here to ask about my brother's condition." Hu Bugui glanced coldly at the doctors around him, "You are all experienced old doctors in the palace. Don't you really have no solution?"

The doctors looked at each other, but no one dared to speak. Finally, the head of the hospital said, "Your Highness, the emperor's condition is too strange, and we are really powerless..."

"Strange? What's strange?" Hu Bugui pressed on step by step, his sharp eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.

The head of the court had beads of sweat on his forehead, and he stammered, "This... I dare not speak nonsense..."

"Don't dare to speak nonsense?" Hu Bugui sneered, "Don't dare to say it, or can't say it?"

At this moment, a young imperial physician suddenly knelt down and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, please make the decision for the Emperor!"

Hu Bugui's heart moved, and he asked quickly: "What do you know? Tell me!"

The young doctor looked around and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, the emperor...he is not sick at all, but poisoned! Moreover, the person who poisoned him is..."

"Where is it?!" Hu Bugui asked anxiously. However, before the young doctor could finish his words, his eyes suddenly rolled up, foam came out of the mouth, and he fell to the ground and died!

Hu Bugui was horrified and reached out to feel the young doctor's breath, but found that he was no longer breathing. He was filled with shock and anger, and he knew that he had fallen into a carefully designed trap!

Meanwhile, the palace was not peaceful. Wu Tao was alone in her room, anxiously waiting for news about Hu Bugui. Suddenly, she heard a fight in the yard. She was startled and quickly got up and walked to the window, only to see several men in black besieging a general in armor.

Although the general was outnumbered, he was a skilled warrior, and the long sword in his hand flew up and down, forcing the men in black to retreat step by step. However, the men in black gathered more and more, and the general gradually lost his strength and was injured in many places.

Wu Tao was extremely anxious when she saw this. Although she didn't know what happened, her intuition told her that this must be related to Hu Bugui! She couldn't just watch the general being killed!

Thinking of this, she didn't bother to think too much, grabbed a pair of scissors and rushed out.

"Stop!" Wu Tao rushed to the man in black and shouted loudly.

The men in black were startled by the sudden sound and turned to look at Wu Tao. In the moonlight, they saw Wu Tao's face clearly and burst into laughter.

"Where did you come from, little girl? How dare you meddle in our affairs?" A man in black said with a sneer, "If you know what's best for you, get out of here right away. Otherwise, don't blame us for being merciless!"

"Who are you? Why did you attack the general?" Wu Tao asked sternly, trying to remain calm.

"Young lady, you ask too many questions!" said the man in black, raising the knife in his hand and slashing at Wu Tao.

Wu Tao screamed, closed his eyes, and waited for death to come.

However, the expected pain did not come. She slowly opened her eyes, only to see the general standing in front of her, with the sword in his hand piercing the chest of the man in black.

"Are you... okay?" The general turned to look at Wu Tao with a look of concern on his face.

Wu Tao shook his head, but before he could say anything, the general's face changed, his body swayed, and he fell to the ground.

"General!" Wu Tao exclaimed and hurried forward to support the general.

"Ahem..." The general coughed up a mouthful of blood and said weakly, "Young lady, hurry up... They... They are..."

"Who are they?" Wu Tao asked anxiously.

The general tried to speak, but he had no strength left. He used up his last bit of strength, tightly grasped Wu Tao's hand, and said with difficulty: "Hurry... hurry up and tell... tell the prince... the palace... the palace..."

The general lost consciousness completely before he could finish his words.

Wu Tao was filled with grief. She didn't know what the general wanted to tell her, but she knew that the matter must be very urgent! She stood up quickly and ran out of the palace. She wanted to go to the palace and tell Hu Bugui everything that happened here!

At this time, Hu Bugui was still trapped in the Imperial Hospital. He looked at the body of the young imperial physician, his heart filled with anger and powerlessness. He knew that he had to find the murderer as soon as possible, otherwise, the next victim might be himself, or... Wu Tao!

He walked out of the Imperial Hospital and looked up at the night sky, his heart filled with confusion and uneasiness. The Imperial Palace, a place he was once so familiar with, now became so strange and dangerous. He didn't know who he could trust and where he should go.

At this moment, a guard hurriedly ran to him, knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "My lord, it's bad! The princess... the princess..." The guard's words were like a bolt from the blue. Hu Bugui's heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition came to his mind. "What's wrong with the princess? Tell me!" He asked in a stern voice, his tone full of anxiety and worry.

"The princess...she ran out of the palace alone, saying that she had something urgent to do and needed to go to the palace to see the prince!" the guard answered tremblingly, not daring to look up at Hu Bugui's face.

"What?!" Hu Bugui was shocked when he heard this. He knew Wu Tao too well. If nothing serious had happened, she would never be so reckless. The general's last words suddenly flashed through his mind, and he immediately understood about 70% of it.

"Damn it! I fell into a trap!" Hu Bugui cursed in a low voice. He knew that all this was deliberately arranged by someone, with the purpose of luring him away and then attacking Wu Tao! And he, foolishly, stepped into this trap!

"Prepare the horses! Enter the palace immediately!" Hu Bugui didn't have time to think, he immediately jumped on the horse and galloped towards the palace. He was extremely anxious and prayed that Wu Tao would be fine, otherwise, he would never forgive himself!

In the palace, Wu Tao ran into the palace gate breathlessly, but was stopped by the guards outside the imperial study. "Princess, the emperor is resting, no one is allowed to disturb him!" The guard said in a cold tone, without any concessions because of Wu Tao's identity.

"I have an urgent matter to discuss with the prince. It's urgent!" Wu Tao explained anxiously, but the guards remained indifferent.

Just when Wu Tao was at a loss of what to do, Hu Bugui finally arrived. He dismounted, pushed aside the guards blocking his way, walked quickly to Wu Tao, looked her up and down, and was relieved to see that she was fine.

"What happened? Why did you suddenly come to the palace?" Hu Bugui asked in a low voice, with a hint of blame in his tone.

"Your Highness, something happened! I..." Wu Tao was about to tell Hu Bugui the general's last words before he died, but suddenly remembered the general's instructions, asking her to tell Hu Bugui in person and not let anyone else know.

"Let's go inside and talk." Wu Tao took Hu Bugui's hand and walked into the imperial study.

In the imperial study, the emperor was still unconscious, and several imperial doctors stood by with worried faces. Hu Bugui dismissed his attendants and asked Wu Tao to explain the whole story in detail.

When Hu Bugui heard that the general was assassinated by a group of men in black and told her that something happened in the palace before he died, his face became more solemn. He knew that this matter was not simple at all and there must be a huge conspiracy behind it!

"What else did the general say? Who are those men in black?" Hu Bugui asked.

Wu Tao shook his head and said, "The general didn't say who those men in black were, but before he died, he grabbed my hand and said, 'In the palace... in the palace...' It seemed like he wanted to tell me something, but..."

Hu Bugui pondered for a moment, and suddenly seemed to have thought of something. His face suddenly changed and he exclaimed: "Not good! My brother... I'm afraid he is not sick, but poisoned! And the person who poisoned him is most likely..."

Hu Bugui did not say anything more, but Wu Tao already understood what he meant. If the emperor was really poisoned, then the most likely person who poisoned him was one of the other princes who coveted the throne!

"You mean... someone wants to usurp the throne?!" Wu Tao exclaimed, his tone full of disbelief.

Hu Bugui nodded and said in a deep voice: "It seems that my brother is seriously ill. The situation inside and outside the palace has gotten out of control. The other princes are trying to win over various forces and prepare to launch a coup! We must find the antidote as soon as possible to save my brother, otherwise the whole country will fall into chaos!"

Wu Tao heard this and suddenly felt an unprecedented fear and helplessness in her heart. She was just an ordinary girl from modern times and had never thought that she would be involved in the ancient court struggle. But she knew that now was not the time to be afraid. She had to face this sudden crisis together with Hu Bugui!

Wu Tao covered her mouth in disbelief, her heart beating violently. In modern society, plotting to usurp the throne was only a plot in TV dramas, but now it was actually happening in front of her, making it difficult for her to digest it for a while.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He walked to the emperor's bedside and carefully observed the emperor's complexion. His originally rosy face was now sallow, his lips were purple, and his breathing was weak, completely different from his former majestic image.

"Your Highness, have you found anything?" an old doctor asked in a low voice. He was the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau and had superb medical skills and was deeply trusted by the emperor.

"Doctor Wang," Hu Bugui said in a deep voice, "Do you remember that a few days ago, my brother complained of chest pain and loss of appetite?"

Doctor Wang twisted his beard and recalled the scene at that time: "It is true. I diagnosed it as a cold and prescribed some cold-dispelling medicine, but..."

"But your royal brother's condition has not improved, but has become more serious, right?" Hu Bugui took over his words.

Doctor Wang nodded, his face full of confusion and worry: "I have been practicing medicine for many years, and I have never seen such a strange disease."

"What if it's not a cold, but poisoning?" Hu Bugui lowered his voice and stared at Doctor Wang sharply.

Doctor Wang was startled and his face turned pale: "Your Highness means..."

"This is a serious matter, and I am not sure either." Hu Bugui pondered for a moment and made a decisive decision, "Doctor Wang, please secretly take my brother's blood and hair. I need to verify it further."

Doctor Wang knew that this matter was of great importance, and nodded solemnly: "I understand, Your Majesty, please rest assured."

A few days later, Doctor Wang brought news that a chronic poison was indeed detected in the emperor's blood and hair. This poison is colorless and odorless and difficult to detect. Long-term use will gradually weaken people and eventually cause organ failure and death.

"It is indeed so!" Hu Bugui clenched his fists, a cold light flashing in his eyes, "Who on earth is so vicious that he dares to murder the emperor!"

"Your Highness, the most urgent task now is to find the antidote, otherwise..." Wu Tao said worriedly.

"You're right." Hu Bugui calmed down and turned to look at Doctor Wang. "Doctor Wang, do you know what this poison is? Do you have an antidote?"

Doctor Wang was embarrassed and shook his head: "Your Majesty, this poison is very rare. I have only seen records of it in ancient books. As for the antidote..."

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the door, followed by a sharp voice outside the door: "The Queen has arrived!"

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other, both of them were shocked. Why did the queen suddenly come here? Could it be that...she already knew something?