Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C333. Poisoned? Not Really.

Chapter 333 Poisoned? Not Really

Being deceived is just a common excuse used to escape, and Gu Cheng'an casually used it without much thought.

Suddenly asked this question, he hesitated for a moment before reacting. Quickly searching for possible candidates in his mind, he planned to randomly pull someone out as a scapegoat.

Before he could think of anything, he felt a tightness on his neck, and then he was unceremoniously dragged forward. Gu Cheng'an, who would call for the imperial physician if he kicked a stone while walking, felt a fiery pain in his knees.

Fortunately, they didn't drag him far. He was about to seize the opportunity to blur the focus of the issue when his hair was violently yanked back. His scalp instantly ached, and Gu Cheng'an instinctively grasped his head, ready to yell. However, when he saw what was written on the window, his tone changed, "Chaoli tribe totem!"

Gu Yanxi let go and stepped back behind the Emperor.

"How could there be a Chaoli tribe totem in the palace?! This is..."

This is Lady Yi's bedchamber!

Gu Cheng'an's legs went weak; he understood the crime Tong Yi had committed!

But he would rather not know!

Their first lesson in the study room was about the history of the previous dynasty. During that period, their homework was to piece together various shapes to form the Chaoli tribe totem.

The Chaoli tribe worshipped the wolf as their guardian deity, and traces of the totem could be seen everywhere in their lives. Before a child even opened their eyes, they had to pray to the wolf deity. It was said that each member of their royal family had their own companion wolf, and they grew up alongside the wolves. The person whose wolf became the leader would be their king.

It was an absolute kingdom where strength reigned. Even ten soldiers from the Great Daqing Dynasty might not compare to just one person from the Chaoli tribe. But perhaps it was because these individuals were so strong that reproduction was relatively difficult for them, and despite occupying the Central Plains for a century, their population did not increase significantly. If not for this, they might not have been driven out of the Central Plains back then.

In the Founding Emperor's handwritten testament, he placed vigilance against the Chaoli tribe coming back at the top of the list. Even after generations in the Great Daqing Dynasty, no matter how foolish, weak, or disgraceful the princes and princesses might be, they must still be able to recite this information flawlessly.

Gu Cheng'an was no exception, so he knew how severe the consequences would be once this matter was linked to the Chaoli tribe.

He crawled and rolled in front of the Emperor, his face full of panic. "Father, your son has done many wrongs, but your son absolutely has no ties to the Chaoli tribe. Please see the truth, Father."

"So now you admit to committing many wrongs? When you sent someone to kill Hua Yizheng, did you think of the consequences? When you poisoned Wu Yong, did you consider the consequences? When you colluded with outsiders, did you think about whether you were opening the door to the wolves?"

The Emperor kicked him over, "I don't want to stir up trouble. I don't want to kill all my sons one by one before the end. I haven't even seen all that evidence. If I just kept you under house arrest, fine. Wait until you realize your mistake and then release you, haha. But now, right here, right under my nose, you've let a leftover from the Chaoli tribe come in, and she's sleeping in the same bed with me every day..."

His voice abruptly stopped as the Emperor suddenly clutched his throat, looking at the person he trusted the most, grabbing his hand tightly. "I feel very uncomfortable. Have I been poisoned by her?"

"Summon the physician!" Gu Yanxi forcibly moved the Emperor's hand from his throat, holding his pulse while saying, "The Chaoli tribe doesn't engage in such activities. Don't scare yourself."

"They may not, but couldn't they have obtained it from somewhere else?" The Emperor's breath grew heavier with each breath, as though he was about to suffocate at any moment.

Gu Yanxi was certain there were no signs of poisoning in the pulse. He gestured for Lai Fu to come over and press the Emperor's acupoint, then took out a pill from his body and placed it in the Emperor's mouth. Soon enough, the Emperor's breathing visibly stabilized.

Everyone in the room broke out in a cold sweat. Gu Cheng'an knelt on the ground, his head down, concealing the regret in his heart.

If Father were to leave just like this...

The Emperor still held onto his nephew's hand tightly, his voice rough, "Have I been poisoned?"

"You're fine."

The Emperor didn't believe him, "Then why did I..."

"I just gave you a blood-boosting pill."

The Emperor stared at him, and as the tension from the situation eased, he detected Gu Yanxi's displeasure.

The Emperor understood; this displeasure likely stemmed from him suppressing all matters. Patting his nephew's arm, he looked at his second son, whom he once wanted to raise high and gently place down, "Did Tong Yi come to the palace on the Tong family's own initiative, or was she requested by the Concubine Hui?"

Gu Cheng'an dared not be careless. After careful consideration, he said, "It was the old lady who mentioned it when she came to visit the Concubine mother. She said that Tong Yi was carefully cultivated by them and being from the Tong family, she would definitely assist her."

"Just that?"

Gu Cheng'an did not hide anything, lowering his head even further, "The Concubine morher said there hasn't been a prince or princess born in the harem for several years. For Tong Yi to establish herself in the palace, she must rely on her and the son, so the Concubine mother..."

"Father Emperor, I am unaware of the specifics regarding the Tong family, but my mother has been secluded within palace walls for more than twenty years. Given her isolation, it is utterly impossible for her to have any ties to the Chaoli tribe. I beseech Your Majesty to consider this fact."

The Emperor snorted softly, rose to his feet, and stepped forward a few paces to look up at the blinding window. He had been coming to this side hall often lately because of his fondness for Tong Yi, but he had never noticed such a mystery about the window before.

The Chao Li tribe had actually extended their reach into the imperial palace. Now that Tong Yi had been confirmed as a remnant of the Chao Li tribe, was she the only one in the palace?

No, it couldn't be. There must be her accomplices in the palace. The Emperor's eyes were dark, his heart filled with a violent rage that only murder could appease.

Gu Yanxi glanced at Lai Fu, who nodded in understanding and followed to attend to the Emperor.

Although disappointed, Gu Yanxi dared not slack off in the slightest. Preventing the Chao Li tribe from making a comeback was a mark imprinted in their bones. In the countryside, that dark period had gradually faded from memory under the intervention of the court, but the royal family had several volumes that recorded it clearly.

The Chao Li people were tall and strong, as strong as oxen. Even after ruling the world for a hundred years, they had failed to civilize their inherently cruel and barbaric nature. It was less accurate to say that they were guarding against the Chao Li tribe than to say that they feared that tribe.

The founding emperor had been so brave, but even with his martial prowess, he could only withstand the siege of six or seven people, let alone others. Ordinary soldiers were simply no match for them.

None of them dared to imagine what would happen if they allowed the Chao Li tribe to pass through the border again. The world had been peaceful for a long time, the generals had withered, and the military's combat effectiveness was no longer comparable.

Moreover, the Gu family no longer had the war god Gu Ningpei, and the Hua family no longer had the strategist Hua Jingyan.