In the Southern Neighboring Country.
On the palace throne, the emperor of the Southern Neighboring Country sat upright, listening to the voices of the ministers below. Suddenly, a sweet taste rose in his throat. He couldn't help covering his mouth and coughing. When he looked at his hand, he saw blood.
The ministers below also witnessed this scene. Instantly, the court was in an uproar. They all asked what was wrong with the emperor.
The emperor of the Southern Neighboring Country also felt a twinge of worry. After all, he had never experienced such a thing before. Could there be something wrong with his body?
Thinking of this, he waved his hand and said to the ministers, "I coughed up blood just because the weather is too dry. The court session today ends here!"
After saying that, he left the court with a flick of his sleeve, leaving the ministers and elders whispering in worry.
The emperor of the Southern Neighboring Country immediately summoned the imperial physician. After taking his pulse, the imperial physician frowned and said, "Your Majesty, you just have qi deficiency and excessive liver fire. There is no other serious problem. You just need to recuperate for a while."
Hearing this, the emperor let out a long breath and felt much more at ease. He thought that his physical discomfort today must be due to excessive worry.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside the palace. Then came the announcement, "The Second Prince is here!"
Soon, Ye walked in wearing a purple robe. Behind him was Yaoji with a veil on.
"Father, I heard that you're not feeling well. Are you ill?" he asked.
The emperor of the Southern Neighboring Country immediately shook his head and said, "The imperial physician said that I just have excessive liver fire. It's nothing serious!"
Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "Is there any news from the Eastern Victory Country?"
Hearing this, Ye couldn't help frowning. Then he lowered his head and said, "I heard that the emperor of the Eastern Victory Country has recovered."
When that mysterious man came to him before, he claimed to be the leader of the Wolf Guards. Looking at the boy who was only fourteen or fifteen years old, Ye was still a bit skeptical. Later, he sent people to the Eastern Victory Country to investigate and found that everything the boy said was true, so he believed him.
At that time, the boy promised him that Helian Qi would never wake up again and asked him to prepare for the military campaign. But in the end, he only got this news. Just thinking about it made him angry.
The emperor of the Southern Neighboring Country sneered and said in a tone as if he had expected it, "I've long expected this. How can the words of a fourteen - or fifteen - year - old boy be trusted? You're still too naive!"
There was a hint of disdain in his tone, as if he was not satisfied with his son's decision, which had wasted manpower and resources only to end up in vain.
Hearing this, Ye's heart skipped a beat. Then he frowned tightly, but he still pretended to be okay and looked up with a smile and said, "Father is right. I won't make such a mistake again!"
The king of the Southern Neighboring Country gave him a sideways look, then waved his hand and said, "Step back!"
Then the two of them left the imperial bedroom together.
As soon as they were in a deserted place, Ye stopped and said in a cold voice, "Did you poison him?!"
Hearing this, Yaoji immediately knelt on the ground, lowering her head and looking a bit scared. "I... I..."
She couldn't finish her sentence. The man in front of her threw his head back and laughed. From the moment he saw his father, he was sure that his father's spitting blood must be due to poisoning.
His lips were dark, his face was haggard, and his hands were trembling. All these signs indicated that his body had been invaded by toxins.
Although Yaoji knew that the man in front of her was proficient in both poison and medicine, she didn't expect that he could see the problem just by one glance. Seeing him laughing, she felt a bit uneasy.
"What are you laughing at?" she asked in a low voice, looking at him with a confused look in her eyes.
"Why shouldn't I laugh? If he is poisoned to death, it will be me who inherits the throne. What's there not to laugh about!" Ye lowered his head and whispered in her ear.
Then he straightened up. His beautiful eyes were slightly squinted, as if he was thinking about something.
Yaoji didn't know why she felt that the man in front of her was extremely terrifying, especially when he laughed. It seemed that he disdained everything, including her.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help asking, "Should I continue to poison him?"
The poison she had used was a slow - acting one. It had been seven days, and the emperor had already shown the symptom of coughing up blood. It seemed that within a month, he would die suddenly.
Hearing this, Ye curled his lips and replied, "Why not continue? You can rest assured to poison him. I will surely not treat you badly."
After saying that, he turned around and left with a swagger. Yaoji, who was still standing there, stood up and let out a long breath, feeling that the pressure released by that man just now had almost made her out of breath.
But then a triumphant smile appeared on her lips. She remembered that it was her own father who had sent her away, and she had suffered all kinds of humiliation. So even if she poisoned him a hundred or a thousand times, it would not be enough.
Thinking of this, she left with a cold smile.
On the other side, Ye had returned to his prince's mansion. Zhuqing walked over silently, holding a cup of tea in his hand.
Ye picked up the tea and drank it in one gulp. Then he asked, "Is there any news from the Eastern Victory Country?"
Hearing this, Zhuqing took out a letter from his bosom. It was sent by Meng Yu, the young master of the Golden Wolf Guards.
The letter said that he had reached an agreement with Nangong Liuyun to jointly wipe out the Helian royal family. But he didn't trust the Nangong family, so he would send timely messages to the Southern Neighboring Country. He asked Ye to send troops and asked him to believe that he really wanted to cooperate this time.
After reading the letter, Ye sneered and then burned it on a candle.
"Is the young master of the Golden Wolf Guards trustworthy?" Zhuqing asked.
"Trustworthy? Why should I trust him? He's just a scumbag. I don't need to stoop to making a deal with a person like him." Ye replied disdainfully, raising his eyebrows.
But as if remembering something, he continued, "But if he wants to send me messages, I will naturally not refuse."
After saying that, his smile deepened. On his extremely handsome face, his blue eyes were like a lake, but one couldn't see his expression clearly, nor could one figure out his thoughts.
But Zhuqing nodded in agreement. After all, for him, the words of the man in front of him were as sacred and inviolable as an imperial edict. So even if the man asked him to do anything, he would do it at all costs.
Thinking of this, he lowered his head, bowed, and then left the room.
Ye stared at the back of the leaving young man without blinking. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips.