All of this happened in an instant, so much so that the people present didn't react.
Until with a thud, someone bumped into Lu Yunqi's leg.
This person was not the fallen emperor, but the Empress Dowager who had been thrown to the ground and ignored.
She still couldn't speak, her body stiff, but she desperately charged at Lu Yunqi, making muffled cries.
This sound finally awakened the people on the scene.
"Protect His Majesty!"
The nearest Yuan Bao let out a shriek.
But he didn't rush forward, instead retreating, his face full of terror.
He knew Lu Yunqi was formidable, and he had always been wary, yet he never dreamed Lu Yunqi would raise his hand to commit regicide!
Regicide!
Regicide!
The emperor had been killed!
Yuan Bao's scream echoed, then he saw Lu Yunqi slightly turn his head to look at him.
Lu Yunqi's eyes were expressionless, but Yuan Bao felt as if a needle had pierced half his body, making it numb from the tailbone.
Not good...
The thought flashed, and he saw Lu Yunqi raise his hand.
The iron umbrella that had just blocked Miss Jun's thrown silver hairpin plunged into his chest with a puff, and with a bang, Yuan Bao's eyes widened, his mouth opened as he fell to the ground.
With another bang, the iron umbrella lodged in his chest opened, shielding the splattered blood.
After throwing the iron umbrella, Lu Yunqi still held the belt in his hand. With that gesture, the belt tightened, and the emperor, who was already blue-faced and sticking out his tongue, had his head slackened and drooped.
The main hall was in chaos.
In the blink of an eye, the emperor was dead or alive, Yuan Bao was killed, and the eunuchs were like headless flies, screaming, not knowing whether to aim their bows and arrows at Miss Jun and the Qingshan Army or at Lu Yunqi.
"Lu Yunqi! Release His Majesty now!"
A clear yet angry voice rang out amidst the noise.
Miss Jun immediately looked in the direction of the voice and saw another person emerging from behind the screen.
His official robes were neatly arranged, his face clear, it was Ning Yunzhao.
At this moment, his expression was angry.
As a son of the saint, Heaven and Earth, the emperor, parent, teacher, he was supposed to protect the emperor!
With such a civil servant, there was a reliance.
The panicked eunuchs couldn't help but pause, gripping the bows they were about to shoot, halting the large knives they were about to swing.
The Empress Dowager lying on the ground also felt a glimmer of hope.
Protect His Majesty.
Protect His Majesty.
"Imperial Guards, seize these eunuch traitors immediately!" Ning Yunzhao didn't keep them waiting long, immediately shouting.
He called for the Imperial Guard.
But apart from eunuchs, there were only the Qingshan Army in the hall, no Imperial Guard.
No, these Qingshan Army were now acting as the Imperial Guard in the palace.
Moreover, he was calling them to destroy eunuch traitors.
In fact, these eunuchs were not traitors to the emperor.
It's over.
The Empress Dowager's last hope was shattered.
Just as Ning Yunzhao's voice fell, Miss Jun raised her hand, and with her gesture, the Qingshan Army surrounding her shot out like arrows from a drawn bow with a thud.
The eunuchs, who had come to their senses, were a step too late in pulling their bows and waving their knives.
Long knives swung, flesh and blood flew, like harvesting rice in autumn, the screams were continuous, and people fell one by one.
No longer needed to protect Miss Jun, no longer needing to rush toward the emperor, and no need to worry about outside reinforcements from the eunuchs.
The Qingshan Army, with only the single goal of killing, was like wolves among sheep.
In almost the blink of an eye, the entire hall was cleared of standing eunuchs.
Either dead or injured, writhing and wailing on the ground.
The scene inside the hall was tragic to behold, ear-piercing noise, but compared to before, it was much quieter.
Ning Yunzhao looked at Lu Yunqi.
Lu Yunqi still held the belt tightly, the emperor hung limply in front of him.
"Didn't I tell you not to kill His Majesty?" Ning Yunzhao said.
His words were a reprimand, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
But at this moment, this reprimand and annoyance seemed rather strange.
This wasn't just a matter of deserved reprimand and annoyance, was it?
Lu Yunqi's expression remained wooden, not even looking at Ning Yunzhao, only looking at Miss Jun.
"I said it before." He said, slightly frowning, "This is pointless, it'll only hurt yourself."
His hands still held the emperor, with splashes of Yuan Bao's blood on him, the hall in disarray, the situation outside unclear, yet the first thing he said was this.
"Good thing I got here in time." He continued.
As if in this world, only this mattered the most.
This person, this person...
Miss Jun looked at Lu Yunqi, her hand at her side clenched, her previously calm face filled with complex emotions.
He...
What does he mean?
What is his meaning?
What exactly does he want to do?
Lu Yunqi looked at her, then at the emperor in front of him.
"I'm giving you the answer." He said, "It wasn't illness that killed him, it was this."
Such a way to reveal the truth is too...
So, father was strangled to death?
Miss Jun looked at the unresponsive emperor.
This is how he died.
It would have been quicker to stab him to death with a knife.
Dying like this is painful.
Especially since father was already sick, his body unwell, already struggling to breathe.
Miss Jun seemed to see her father's painful expression before he died.
Then they said her mother hanged herself, it was clearly strangulation, wasn't it?
Her eyes blurred with tears.
"What are you still standing there for!"
Ning Yunzhao's voice rang out again.
"Quickly let His Majesty down."
Lu Yunqi looked at him, Miss Jun also looked at him.
"Didn't I tell you, His Majesty cannot die." Ning Yunzhou frowned, speaking with a hint of urgency, yet his face remained calm, his tone steady, "Quickly let His Majesty down."
Lu Yunqi released his hand, and the emperor toppled to the ground with a thud.
Ning Yunzhao was startled.
"Be careful." He said.
The Empress Dowager also made muffled sounds, trying to crawl over.
Ning Yunzhao looked at the Empress Dowager, seemingly just then noticing her presence.
"Don't scare Her Majesty." He said, nodding slightly to Lu Yunqi, "Let Her Majesty rest for a while."
Although his demeanor and tone were gentle.
The Empress Dowager certainly wouldn't count him as a gentle person now.
Her eyes widened, her muffled sounds grew louder.
Lu Yunqi stepped over and placed his hand on the Empress Dowager's neck with a soft click, she slumped down motionless.
"Don't kill her," Ning Yunzhao frowned, then quickly bent down to check the emperor on the ground, reaching out to test for breath.
"No breath!" He raised his voice, seemingly alarmed, looking at Lu Yunqi, "Lord Lu, you are supposed to be reliable!"
This might be the first time, aside from the emperor, someone praised Lu Yunqi for being reliable?
Lu Yunqi was indeed reliable, helping the emperor kill and rob and frame people.
Ning Yunzhao didn't give others time to ponder the strangeness of this sentence, he looked at Miss Jun.
"Miss Jun, quickly come and see if His Majesty can still be saved?"
Miss Jun didn't step forward.
Even without checking, at this distance, she could see the emperor could still be saved.
But only she could save him, for other doctors, he was already dead.
Ning Yunzhao understood her expression.
"Miss Jun, please save His Majesty." He said sincerely.
These words were quite absurd.
Just moments ago, she had almost killed him in a self-destructive attempt to take him down.
Save?
Why should she save him?
Miss Jun stared at Ning Yunzhao without moving.
"Miss Jun." Ning Yunzhao also looked at her, "Death is not the best way to solve the problem."
Miss Jun was indifferent.
"Actually, Miss Jun did not intend to kill the emperor like this. Today it was out of desperation that it became a matter of life and death." Ning Yunzhao continued, "Even if it turns into a situation where he dies and you live, it's not a good thing for Miss Jun."
Indeed, it's not a good thing for her, especially after having struggled to reach this point today.
Even if she retreats, it doesn't matter, but it will implicate Jiurong.
What she wants is for Jiurong to rightfully reclaim everything that belongs to him, not to be pushed onto the throne by being someone who kills the emperor.
Though for this emperor, dying like this is retribution.
Miss Jun was silent.
But save him?
"Miss Jun, now with him not dead," Ning Yunzhao said, "is the best result."
......
......
At this time, the tightly closed palace doors isolated the earth-shattering events inside, making everything seem peaceful and quiet from the outside.
Outside the Imperial City, the Imperial Guard was patrolling, citizens were walking in the streets, vendors were shouting their wares, all four city gates were tightly closed, and the soldiers on the city gate vigilantly watched the area outside, the once bustling road now deserted.
But it became noisy at the always serene and solemn Imperial Mausoleum.
"Who dares to stop me!"
"We are Ministers of Imperial Decree!"
"Now the Jurchen people are ravaging unchecked, the Emperor is away and has not returned, how can we bring peace and order to the country!"
"If you dare to obstruct, you are disrupting the government!"
A group of ministers shouted loudly, holding wood plates high, completely devoid of their usual refined demeanor, chaotically pushing against a group of Jinyiwei, rushing toward a palace in the Imperial Mausoleum.
The Jinyiwei seemed unable to stand the impact, or perhaps hesitated because of their words.
"Either you kill us all in front of the Imperial Mausoleum today, or we are definitely going to see the emperor!" Ning Yan said sternly.
Having experienced repelling the Jurchen woodcutters and defending the city at the head of the army, seen blood, and suffered injuries, even Ning Yan as a civil servant had become fierce.
"Exactly!"
"If we can awaken the emperor with our lives, it would be a noble death."
The ministers behind him also shouted angrily.
They moved forward again, and the Jinyiwei who were blocking their way began to retreat, ultimately being pushed aside by Ning Yan, just like a breach in a dam, the officials immediately surged toward the palace ahead like a flood.
The Jinyiwei followed them but did not obstruct them, watching as Ning Yan reached in front of the palace.
A group of eunuchs stood in front of the palace, angry and flustered, trying to block them.
But to Ning Yan and the others, these eunuchs were even more dismissive of, not as intimidating as the ruthless Jinyiwei, lazily saying a word, they knocked these eunuchs aside, pushing open the palace door.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, we…"
The officials' voices echoed chaotically inside the palace at first, but it quickly became quiet.
A group of people looked at the empty room in astonishment.
"Where is the emperor?" they asked.
The eunuchs who followed in looked flustered, hemming and hawing evasively, which made the court ministers even more surprised.
"Speak quickly, where is the emperor?" Ning Yan scolded with knitted brows.
"The emperor does not want to see you," a eunuch, although frightened, replied stubbornly.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he was kicked to the ground by Ning Yan.
"You treacherous slave!" he shouted, "Dare to disrupt the government!"
"Quickly, where is the emperor?" Other ministers also surged up, shouting angrily.
The eunuchs hadn't answered yet, when the Jinyiwei who had followed and stood by the door spoke up.
"The emperor was escorted back to the palace by Eunuch Yuan," the leading Jinyiwei stated with a blank expression.
Back to the palace?
Ning Yan and the others were stunned.
They had been pleading with him to return, and now he slipped back quietly?
Although the emperor left the palace secretly, he wouldn't be stupid enough to think that secretly returning would make everything as if it had never happened.
Something must have happened!
"Quick, return to the palace!" Ning Yan said with a calm face.
........
........
The silver bracelet on the wrist was opened, revealing an empty space inside, from which a thin silver needle was taken out.
Kneeling half-way beside the emperor, Miss Jun slowly inserted the silver needle into the back of the emperor's neck.
The emperor, who had been motionless, suddenly convulsed, and began making gurgling sounds in his throat.
"Pinch his throat," Miss Jun said.
Ning Yunzhao unhesitatingly reached out and pinched the emperor's throat.
Miss Jun swiftly pulled out the silver needle.
The small silver needle seemed to become extremely heavy, causing the emperor's body to lift halfway up.
Fortunately, Ning Yunzhao pressed down forcefully.
The emperor seemed to be strangled to the point of making breathing difficult, quickly opening his mouth wide and glaring, producing heavy dry coughs.
"He's awake!" Ning Yunzhao shouted.
The emperor's eyes showed a moment of bewilderment, then suddenly changed color upon seeing the people before him.
Seeing his reaction, Ning Yunzhao also instantly became tense and uneasy.
This signaled that the emperor's consciousness was fully restored, naturally also aware of what just transpired.
Recovering so quickly!
He instinctively reached out to hold down the emperor's mouth.
"No need," Miss Jun said, standing up straight, looking down at the emperor who was half sitting up, trying to break free from Ning Yunzhao's grip, "He won't live."
Won't live? Isn't he alive now?
Ning Yunzhao looked at the emperor in front of him.
The emperor had already opened his mouth wide, but didn't speak, only the coughing sound continued, and with Miss Jun's words, the emperor suddenly toppled back like a snapped bamboo pole.
Ning Yunzhao was caught off guard and his hands slipped.
With a thud, the emperor lay flat on the ground.
But his eyes remained wide open, his face flushed as if in pain, his expression a mix of anger and fear.
His consciousness was completely clear.
Ning Yunzhao looked at the emperor, listening to the stuttering coughs from his mouth, watching him struggle as if he couldn't move at all.
"He can't speak, nor move?" he said.
"You only said not to let him die," Miss Jun said, "but you didn't say let him live."
Ning Yunzhao looked up at her.
"So, this is half-dead?" he said.
Miss Jun did not speak, just silently looked at the emperor on the ground.
The emperor also looked at her, his eyes expressing anger and fear.
Only his eyes could say anything.
What else could he do?
"Impressive," Ning Yunzhao said, looking up at Miss Jun.
He did not get up, without waiting for Miss Jun to speak, he withdrew his gaze, half-kneeling on the ground, flung his hand, and took out a scroll from his bosom.
Due to her elevated position Miss Jun saw the scroll.
She recognized it as an edict style, and seeing only a few words, she already confirmed it was the document appointing the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince.
Miss Jun's eyes fell on the decree, clearly seeing the character for "Rong."
Jiurong.
Jiurong!
This decree!
Appointing Jiurong as the Crown Prince!
This decree would never be written by the emperor!
Her eyes fell on Ning Yunzhao, shocked and incredulous.
He...
Ning Yunzhao ignored her gaze, seriously unfolding the decree and showing it to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, you see, here, this is the decree appointing the Crown Prince." He said, his tone respectful and sincere as before.
His eyes more confused, the emperor remained with just the same expression, his breathing even, without the slightest fluctuation of his coughing.
Is it like this?
Is it enough just like this?
Ning Yunzhao's thoughts flitted by, and he saw Ning Yunzhao place the decree on the ground, draw a Jade Seal from his sleeve and hold it out to the emperor.
Miss Jun's expression was again shocked.
He... He didn't pay attention to her stare, but continued to respectfully and sincerely present the seal to the emperor, as if he was declaring, "Your Majesty, you see, here it is."
The emperor's gaze grew more chaotic, but it was still just his gaze, even his coughing kept a steady rhythm without any fluctuation.
Is this possible?
Can it really be done like this?
Admirable," Ning Yunzhao looked up at Miss Jun and said.
...
.....
(Two updates combined into one, oh)