Wei Dongling was startled. Trembling all over, she said, "Nanny Ruan! I've brought out the imperial edict! You must save him!"
Nanny Ruan's face looked gloomy. Sighing, she said, "Girl, I'm afraid it's already too late."
Murong Yuchen was breathing more out than in. His face ashen, he leaned against Wei Dongling's arm. Weakly, he murmured, "Elder Sister of the Emperor, I've long known that I was poisoned by an incurable toxin and couldn't live long... Elder Sister of the Emperor, listen to me... If Murong Yunqian can sit on that throne, so can you, Murong Wanlin..."
These words were like a thunderclap, leaving Wei Dongling's mind blank.
Watching Murong Yuchen slowly close his eyes, Wei Dongling's hand trembled. His body went limp and slowly slumped onto her. He never woke up again.
It was only the time it took to drink a cup of tea when Cuihuan drove the carriage back to the small courtyard where they lived. She reached out to lift the carriage curtain and saw Wei Dongling holding Murong Yuchen, sobbing uncontrollably. The Ninth Prince in her arms had a sallow complexion and was completely lifeless.
Wei Dongling's heart was as dead as a dry tree. Dejectedly, she picked up Murong Yuchen's body and gently placed it in the middle of the main hall.
When Pinhao rushed over in a hurry after receiving the news, it was already pitch - black outside. Uncle Li and the others were all in mourning clothes, and had prepared the coffin, paper money, white candles and so on. Everyone was quietly keeping vigil beside the body. Wei Dongling was bending over, burning paper money one by one in the copper basin.
"Ninth Highness!" Pinhao's eyes were blood - red with grief and indignation. He threw himself on Murong Yuchen's body and cried his heart out. His master was gone, and now he hadn't even been able to save the Ninth Prince! How could he face his master in the future!
That night, the wind was extremely cold, blowing the paper money flying all over the sky. Wei Dongling was so cold that her bones ached. Nanny Ruan saw that she was in a daze and shivering all over, almost unable to hold the paper money in her hand. She felt a bit sorry for her and said to Cuihuan beside her, "Help the girl go back to the room and rest for a while. She can't catch a cold."
Cuihuan nodded, but Wei Dongling refused to leave no matter what and insisted on keeping vigil until dawn.
When it was broad daylight, Wei Dongling, who had been dozing off on the table for a while, was woken up by Uncle Li. Rubbing her swollen eyes, Wei Dongling looked at everyone blankly.
Uncle Li said in a deep voice, "Girl, Lord Shen secretly sent a message. The Emperor passed away last night. The palace is in chaos now."
"What!" Wei Dongling widened her eyes and said in a trembling voice, "He was still alive yesterday. How could he be gone just overnight?"
Nanny Ruan lowered her head and sighed, "When I felt the Emperor's pulse yesterday, I found that he was at the end of his tether. I used silver needles to pierce the acupoints to make him have a moment of recovery."
Wei Dongling stood there in a daze for a long time without saying a word. The Ninth Prince had just passed away yesterday, and the Emperor had died last night?
Wei Dongling remembered the words the Emperor had said yesterday, trying to protect her, and felt a dull pain in her heart. Although the Emperor was just the biological father of this body and didn't have a deep - seated affection with her, and he had even always refused to listen to her advice and insisted on his own way, finally ending up like this, it was really disappointing and regrettable.
When the Emperor was on his deathbed and issued an imperial edict to pass the throne to the Ninth Prince, he must have come to his senses, right? It was a pity that it was too late!
Nanny Ruan looked at Wei Dongling and asked, "Don't you plan to do something?"
Wei Dongling looked blank.
Nanny Ruan said earnestly, "Don't you really think carefully about what the Ninth Prince said to you before he died?"
Wei Dongling trembled and self - deprecatingly laughed, "Nanny Ruan, I have no grand ambitions. I just want to keep my family safe and sound. Look at all the scheming and treachery in the palace. I really hate it to the core. Moreover, it's lonely at the top."
Nanny Ruan was a bit displeased and asked in a deep voice, "Then are you willing to see the Tenth Prince sit on that throne while the common people in the world suffer?"
Wei Dongling sighed wearily with a tired face, "Nanny Ruan, I'm not capable enough. I'm afraid I can't do anything."
Uncle Li frowned and said, "You have us. We are your strong backers."
Cuihuan nodded and said, "You also have the Tianchao soldiers and the Northwest Iron Cavalry waiting in Nanfeng Ridge! You promised General Cui the position of the Great General of Assisting the State! Have you forgotten?"
Wei Dongling felt blank in her mind and began to feel a bit nervous.
Nanny Ruan said coldly, "Over such a long time, what kind of hardships haven't you experienced? We've never seen you afraid of anything. Why are you hesitating when it comes to sitting on that throne?"
Wei Dongling clenched her fists tightly and said nothing.
At this moment, Pinhao suddenly rushed in and hurriedly shouted, "Miss Wei, something bad has happened! There's trouble at General Qi's mansion!"
Wei Dongling was stunned. General Qi's mansion?
Pinhao said in a deep voice, "I just heard the passers - by on the street talking about it. They said that the yamen servants were proclaiming that General Qi had disloyal intentions and had led a lot of people into General Qi's mansion to raid it."
"What?" Wei Dongling was extremely anxious when she heard this. Could it be that Murong Yunqian was jealous of the marriage alliance between the Yu family and the Qi family and took the opportunity to suppress the Qi family immediately after the Emperor's death to check and balance General Qi's subordinate generals on the border? Wei Dongling quickly asked, "Where's Yu Zixi?"
Pinhao shook his head and said, "I don't know!" After Qi Jinxuan was secretly and properly placed by Yu Zixi, Pinhao hadn't seen Yu Zixi.
Wei Dongling was so anxious that she was sweating all over. Now that General Qi's mansion was being raided, what had happened to General Qi? The most important thing was! What about Second Master Qi?
Wei Dongling was in a complete panic. She hurriedly went to change her clothes and shouted to Uncle Li, "Second Master Qi has been kind to me. I have to go there!"
Uncle Li nodded and went out with her without saying a word.
Afraid of attracting attention, Wei Dongling only took Uncle Li and Pinhao with her. The three of them drove the carriage in a hurry towards General Qi's mansion.
Pinhao whipped the horse all the way. The carriage soon arrived at the back door of General Qi's mansion.
Seeing that there were indeed a large number of officers and soldiers surrounding General Qi's mansion, Wei Dongling secretly thought something was wrong. She took out a black veil to cover her face and jumped off the carriage.
Uncle Li and Pinhao also covered their faces and followed her.
Wei Dongling walked to the side door of the general's mansion, leaped onto a dead tree beside it, and craned her neck to look at the situation in the courtyard.
At this moment, General Qi's mansion was in complete chaos. There were cries and screams everywhere. All kinds of maids and servants were being grabbed and tied up by the officers and soldiers and taken away. There were constant scoldings and roars. Those who tried to resist and escape were surrounded and beaten up by several officers and soldiers.
Wei Dongling gritted her teeth in hatred. She found a corner where it was not easy to be discovered and fluttered down, gently landing on the eaves of General Qi's mansion. She stepped on the roof tiles and rushed towards the main hall in a hurry.
All around her were sounds of shoving, scolding and wailing. Wei Dongling, together with Uncle Li and Pinhao, shuttled on the roof, looking around. There were many familiar faces among the people tied up in the courtyard, but she couldn't find Second Master Qi at all. Wei Dongling was in a complete panic. Where was Second Master Qi? And what about Aunt Wu and Qi Jinlan? Where had the three of them gone? Were they still hiding in the back courtyard and hadn't come out?
Wei Dongling rushed towards the back courtyard along the eaves in a hurry.