On the other side, several teams of people in the East Gate, West Gate, and even in Nanwu were searching with all their might for news of Bai Juechen. After a full day and night, they hadn't heard any useful information.
However, the rumors in the palace were spreading more and more widely. Helian Qi hadn't attended court for two days, which had raised concerns among the ministers. It could only be blamed on Helian Qi's usual dedication and punctuality in attending court. His absence this time was truly out of the ordinary.
On this day, Dongfang Yi was wiping Helian Qi's body in the Qianqing Palace when a shout came from outside the palace: "Prime Minister Dongfang requests an audience!"
Hearing this, her heart skipped a beat. She didn't expect her father to come so soon. So she immediately walked out and happened to meet the man wearing a purple sand hat eye - to - eye.
"Why is it you? Where is the Emperor?!" Prime Minister Dongfang frowned and asked.
He didn't doubt his own daughter but was truly worried about the Emperor's health. Seeing her here, he was naturally a bit anxious.
Dongfang Yi stared steadily at the man below the hall, let out a long sigh, then walked down and said to the man, "The Emperor was poisoned and hasn't woken up yet."
She knew her father's loyalty to Helian Qi, so she wasn't afraid to tell him this. It was also good to have someone to share this burden with.
After hearing his daughter's words, Prime Minister Dongfang almost fainted. He stared with wide eyes and asked, "So the rumors outside are true? The Emperor was assassinated outside the palace?"
Dongfang Yi nodded and then added, "It's true that the Emperor was poisoned. I've already sent people to look for a divine doctor."
"Child, you're being foolish!" Prime Minister Dongfang shouted. His eyes were full of grief and his tone was full of helplessness. He never expected that the rumors in the palace were actually true and that the Emperor's life was hanging by a thread.
"Now people inside and outside the palace are saying that you're a femme fatale. It was because the Emperor took you out for a pleasure trip that he was assassinated. How can I explain this?" he continued, his eyes a bit moist.
He came here today just to find out about the rumors. He didn't want to hear people outside slandering his daughter anymore, for she was the apple of his eye.
After hearing his words, Dongfang Yi lowered her eyes, making it hard to see her expression.
"No, it's all my fault. It was really me who wanted to go out of the palace, and the Emperor blocked the poisoned arrow for me."
"Child, you..."
"I've harmed Helian Qi, so I'll definitely try my best to save him, even if it means exchanging my life for his." she said in a deep voice, with an undeniable determination in her tone.
After hearing this, Prime Minister Dongfang couldn't control his emotions anymore. Frowning, he shouted, "Dong'er, what are you talking nonsense about? If anything happens to you, how can your mother and I go on living? Stop talking nonsense!"
Even though he was very worried about the Emperor, seeing his beloved daughter in such pain, he couldn't bring himself to blame her. He could only comfort her with all his heart.
Dongfang Yi didn't expect the man in front of her to say such things. Suddenly, her heart softened and she threw herself into his arms. After so many days, she finally cried like a child, as if pouring out all her grievances to her father.
Sure enough, in any era, a father is always the haven that a daughter wants to rely on. As long as the father is there, daughters can always be little princesses. Even crying will be considered cute by him.
After Dongfang Yi had vented all her emotions, she got out of his arms. A large part of the man's chest was wet. She couldn't help but blush a little and scratched her nose shyly. Prime Minister Dongfang raised his hand and rubbed her head, saying, "Dong'er, you're still the little girl you used to be!"
Although he didn't know when his weak and bullied daughter had become so strong, he thought that the little girl who used to cry easily and was very shy would never come back. But now she had reappeared.
Dongfang Yi felt that the man in front of her was her closest relative, so she could vent all her grievances to him.
After the father - daughter duo had shared their feelings, they started talking about Helian Qi. Dongfang Yi told him everything about their trip out of the palace and the assassination.
Finally, she mentioned Bai Juechen and told him that as long as they found Bai Juechen, Helian Qi's poison could be completely cured.
But the most important thing now was to keep it a secret. No one should know that the Emperor was poisoned and in a coma, in order to prevent those with evil intentions from doing something extreme.
Prime Minister Dongfang nodded in agreement. As a court official who had been in the court for decades, he naturally knew the stakes involved.
Although the biggest person with evil intentions, Nangong Liuyun, was not around, his subordinates and accomplices were waiting eagerly for a chance to bring down the Emperor.
Thinking of this, his brows furrowed even more. Then he asked his daughter, "Do you know who was behind this assassination?"
Hearing his question, Dongfang Yi lowered her head and thought for a while. Yesterday, Sizheng had come to tell her about the Golden Wolf Guards and said that this assassination organization was probably the newly - risen Golden Wolf Guards.
So he had sent a roster, which marked the noble families that had once cooperated with the Golden Wolf Guards before they were wiped out.
But after a day of looking through it, Dongfang Yi found that all the noble families in the capital had more or less some connection with the Golden Wolf Guards. They were either being instigated or assassinated, just a matter of the degree of harm.
She had a splitting headache from looking at it and couldn't find anything useful. She couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. So she sent Sizheng out to continue keeping an eye on the assassination organization and ordered him to come and report as soon as he found any useful information.
Thinking of this, she sighed and then asked her father in front of her, "Father, do you know about the Golden Wolf Guards?"
As soon as Prime Minister Dongfang heard the words "Golden Wolf Guards", his pupils dilated instantly. As if he had heard something extraordinary, he replied, "Why do you ask about them?!"
Although Dongfang Yi didn't know why her father was so surprised, she still said with confusion, "My people found out that this assassination organization is related to the former Golden Wolf Guards, and it's very likely a new rise of them."
After she said this, Prime Minister Dongfang immediately stood up. Flicking his sleeve and frowning, he said, "That's absolutely impossible. The Golden Wolf Guards were already completely wiped out by the previous Emperor!"