Clasping Fang Wenrui’s hand, Fan Siyun beamed with joy. “Master, this physician is so remarkable! Surely you ought to reward him handsomely.”
Fang Wenrui did not speak, but his complexion grew darker by the second. Having an affair behind his back and siring children with another man was egregious enough—yet now, Fan Siyun actually wanted him to foot the bill to support her lover?
Tugging at his sleeve, she pressed further, “Master, what do you say?”
Meeting her smiling eyes, Fang Wenrui let out a chilling sneer and delivered a stinging slap across her face.
Clutching her stinging cheek in disbelief, Fan Siyun stammered, “Master, it’s me!”
“You’re precisely the one I’m hitting!”
“Master.”
“Do not call me that! You’ve probably wished me dead for years so you could fly off into the sunset with this wretched scoundrel, haven’t you?”
Fan Siyun turned ashen. How could he know? She had hidden it so well!
“Master, listen to my explanation.”
Fang Wenrui suddenly gasped for breath, looking as though he might faint again at any second. To keep the scene from descending into utter chaos, Su Zhouyue pointed at Wulang, who was still kneeling on the floor. “Why are you just sitting there? Hurry and administer acupuncture to the Minister!”
Wu Lang scrambled up, pinching a silver needle between his fingers to strike. But before he could land it, Fang Wenrui shoved him violently away. The needle plunged straight into Wu Lang’s own flesh, eliciting a sharp yelp of agony.
Su Zhouyue: “?”
Is this man truly a physician?
Tong Anying asked, “Mother, should we call for another doctor?”
Su Zhouyue nodded, but Fang Wenrui pushed himself to his feet. “No need. Marquis, Madam, I apologize for making a mockery of myself before you. I shall take my leave.”
Fang Wenrui shoved Fan Siyun aside, but she broke down in torrential tears. “Master, think of our three sons! Think of how I knelt half the night in the pouring rain just to beg for your medicine! Master, please, think back on it!”
Fang Wenrui suffered from a heart ailment.
Half a year ago, an attack had left him in excruciating agony, baffling even the imperial physicians. It was Fan Siyun who, upon hearing of a miracle worker, knelt through the freezing rain for half the night to obtain life-saving medicine for him.
Even if the children were not his, after more than a decade of marriage, Fan Siyun must have harbored at least some genuine affection for him. Listening to her tearful pleas, Fang Wenrui’s heart began to soften.
There was even a story about begging for medicine?
Tong Anying could hardly wait and probed her system internally: What medicine?
Let me take a look. Whoa, they were ruthless! They had already plotted to poison Fang Wenrui half a year ago.
So, it wasn’t some miracle cure, but slow poison. Those two really singled Fang Wenrui out to ruin him, didn’t they?
“Pfft!”
Fang Wenrui spewed a mouthful of blood and collapsed, completely unconscious.
The following day, during the imperial morning court.
Noticing the Minister of War’s vacant seat, the Emperor frowned. “Where is Minister Fang?”
Tong Baibo stepped forward. “Your Majesty, Minister Fang suffered a sudden bout of fury and agitation at my estate yesterday. The imperial physician stated he will require a couple of days to convalesce.”
“Such a thing happened?”
“Indeed, Sire.”
After the court dismissed, the Emperor detained Tong Baibo for a private audience.
The other court ministers were not at all surprised.
Although the rank of Marquis was hereditary, noble scions usually retained only an empty title after three generations, falling far behind court officials who held real power. But the Tong clan was an exception, its descendants were exceptionally capable.
Tong Baibo had become a trusted confidant of the throne, while Tong Yibin’s handling of cases in the Ministry of Justice consistently earned the Emperor’s highest praise. Not to mention, Tong Baibo’s third son and fourth daughter were both studying at the Imperial College, destined for promising futures.
It was commonplace for the Emperor to detain Tong Baibo in private. Still, while the other ministers envied such royal favor, none truly desired it.
That was the Son of Heaven, after all. As the saying went: accompanying the sovereign is like accompanying a tiger. Even if such good fortune fell into their laps, many simply lacked the backbone to bear it.
Outside the grand hall, Lin Yu exchanged a glance with the Crown Prince. Neither had caught wind of anything, entirely unaware of why the Emperor had held Tong Baibo back this time.
Tong Baibo himself did not know either.
He bowed and asked, “Your Majesty, is there an urgent matter with which this subject may share your burdens?”
“An urgent matter, indeed.”
The Emperor walked over, took Tong Baibo’s hand, and led him into the imperial study behind the throne room.
Noticing his posture, the Emperor asked in amusement, “Marquis Tong, what ails you?”
Tong Baibo wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Your Majesty’s warmth fills this subject with trepidation.”
The Emperor burst into laughter. After granting him a seat, he teased, “Marquis Tong, an old fox like you is still frightened of us?”
“Before the imperial majesty of the Son of Heaven, how could this subject not tremble? I must not lose sight of my station.”
The Emperor’s smile deepened.
He knew Tong Baibo was a rare, loyal subject. However, Tong Baibo possessed an unyielding temperament, sometimes speaking bluntly without minding the Emperor’s face in the slightest. The Emperor regarded him with a mix of fondness and exasperation.
Yet recently, Tong Baibo’s conduct had noticeably softened and become far more circumspect.
This was by no means a bad thing. If Tong Baibo offended too many factions and they banded together against him, even the Emperor might find it difficult to intervene. Ultimately, the most important thing was for Tong Baibo to know how to protect himself.
“Your Majesty, what matter has prompted this audience?”
The Emperor regarded Tong Baibo, his regal visage now brimming with unadorned curiosity. “Tell Us, what exactly happened to Fang Wenrui?”
Tong Baibo fell silent.
So, Your Majesty kept me back just for the palace gossip.
Tong Baibo hesitated. “Those are Minister Fang’s private family affairs.”
The Emperor scoffed, “Spare Us the evasions.”
With no other choice, Tong Baibo laid out the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.
The Emperor remarked pointedly, “Could it truly be such a coincidence?”
Pretending not to catch the test in the Emperor’s tone, Tong Baibo lowered his gaze. “It was indeed just such a coincidence.”
It seems His Majesty can hear Anying’s thoughts as well.
Tong Baibo quietly sighed in relief. Those who could hear Anying’s inner voice were all fundamentally virtuous; this at least proved the Emperor was an enlightened ruler.
Hearing Tong Baibo’s reply, the Emperor chose to accept it. Both men maintained an unspoken understanding regarding Tong Anying’s inner voice.
“We warned Fang Wenrui long ago to treat all his children equitably. For today’s disaster to erupt, he shares no small part of the blame.”
“Indeed, Sire.”
“In that case, does Marquis Tong believe Fang Wenrui can continue to occupy the position of Minister of War?”
Here it comes.
Tong Baibo’s heart skipped a beat. “This subject would not presume to know.”
“Since you do not know, Marquis Tong would do well to give it careful thought.”
“Understood.”
“You may withdraw.”
“Yes, Sire.”
As Tong Baibo stepped out of the study, he crossed paths with Xue Lin.
Though Xue Lin was still a youth, he already possessed an imposing, sharp presence.
Tong Baibo clasped his hands. “Heir Apparent.”
“Marquis Tong.”
Xue Lin entered the imperial study. The Emperor smiled warmly. “A-Lin, we have an amusing tale here. Would you care to hear it?”
“Imperial Uncle, I have no interest in such trifles.”
“Fair enough.” The Emperor wiped away his smile and asked, “have all the assassins been captured?”
Si Chen, who stood beside Xue Lin, stepped forward. “All have been captured, Your Majesty, but none survived.”
The Emperor’s gaze turned cold. “A-Lin, you have been targeted by death squads.”
“Yes.”
“Leave this matter alone; We shall investigate it personally.”
“Imperial Uncle, allow me to investigate it myself.”
Seeing his stubborn resolve, the Emperor had no choice but to yield. “Very well. We heard you received word in advance this time. Which capable person provided the tip?”
The image of Tong Anying’s face, brushed by apricot blossoms, flashed across Xue Lin’s mind. He replied indifferently, “It was merely a coincidence.”
“Oh?” The Emperor’s interest was piqued. “Marquis Tong’s fourth daughter also happened to ‘coincidentally’ expose the private scandal of the Minister of War.”
Xue Lin, who had been about to depart, paused and took a seat off to the side. Eunuch Wang promptly signaled an attendant to serve him tea.
The Emperor asked, “What are you doing?”
“Imperial Uncle, didn’t you mention having an amusing tale to tell?”
The Emperor: “?”
“Did you not just say you had no interest?”
“I’m still young,” Xue Lin said calmly. “It is only natural that I am prone to changing my mind.”
The Emperor: “?”
He truly is the scourge my late imperial brother left behind.
My brother. Come to think of it, the anniversary of his and the Princess Consort’s passing draws near.