Chapter 98
Yue Heng took Jiang Lin and the others straight to Emperor Changde's bedchamber. The Emperor lay weakly on the bed, but his eyes were fixed on Yue Heng, filled with fury and unwillingness.
Aside from them and Emperor Changde, only a loyal servant - Gan Yongfu stood guard.
Gan Yongfu watched Jiang Lin and the others warily and said to Yue Heng, "Your Highness, we agreed, tonight, you would give His Majesty the antidote. What is the meaning of this?"
Yue Heng took out a small porcelain bottle. "I didn’t say I wouldn’t. I invited them here to bear witness."
As for what they were witnessing, Yue Heng didn’t elaborate.
Gan Yongfu took the porcelain bottle, examined the pill inside carefully, and confirmed it matched the antidote Yue Heng had shown them before. Only then did he fetch warm water and help Emperor Changde swallow it.
The medicine took effect quickly. Before long, Emperor Changde looked more alert, alert enough to get out of bed and curse Yue Heng.
"You traitor! What new scheme are you plotting with these rebels? I’ve already passed the throne to the Fifth Prince. No matter what you do, you won’t succeed!"
Yue Heng stepped forward to support Emperor Changde. "I’ve told you before, the throne was never my goal. You just refused to believe me."
Emperor Changde shoved him away. "Get lost! I don’t need your false kindness. I misjudged you, I never imagined you were so ruthless and ambitious. But don’t celebrate yet. Once the Fifth Prince ascends, he’ll deal with you."
Emperor Changde was confident. With Yue Heng’s audacity and cruelty, the Fifth Prince would surely eliminate him to secure his own reign.
Emperor Changde glared coldly at Yue Heng, waiting for the day of his death.
Yue Heng could guess his thoughts and inwardly sighed. A man destined to die before him would never live to see that day.
Yue Heng spread his hands, feigning innocence. "Fine. If you insist on thinking that way, then so be it."
But his attitude only made Emperor Changde more suspicious. Convinced Yue Heng had another scheme, he leaned on Gan Yongfu and pointed at Yue Heng, ready to unleash another tirade when a fit of violent coughing overtook him.
Emperor Changde doubled over, coughing violently, his outstretched finger trembling. Gan Yongfu, alarmed, turned to call for a physician, but in that moment of distraction, Emperor Changde coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the floor.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, what’s wrong? Someone—fetch the physicians!"
Gan Yongfu, panicked, tried to lift Emperor Changde, but the man curled into a ball, convulsing not just from coughing but from pain. The pain was so intense his face twisted, sweat beading on his forehead.
Yue Heng clasped his hands behind his back and explained to Jiang Lin and the others, "Had he not taken the antidote, he might have passed peacefully. But greed has its price."
Emperor Changde clearly heard him. Gritting his teeth, he forced out a few words: "Traitor… you… won’t…"
"I won’t die well? I know. Save your breath, you’ll need it to savor your final moments."
Emperor Changde, enraged, coughed even harder.
"Cough… I’ll… kill you… cough… It hurts… it hurts…"
Gan Yongfu, heartbroken, rebuked Yue Heng. "Your Highness, this is regicide! How dare you!"
"Gan Yongfu, you should know by now how bold I am. As for regicide, you’ll need proof. What I gave you was the real antidote."
Gan Yongfu refused to believe it. "If it were the antidote, why would His Majesty be in such agony? It’s not too late, hand over the real antidote now, or… with the crime of regicide on your hands, you won’t fare well."
Yue Heng smiled. "Then wait and see how I fare. Summon the physicians."
Gan Yongfu’s earlier shouts had gone unanswered, but the moment Yue Heng spoke, someone rushed to obey.
Before the physicians arrived, Gan Yongfu struggled to lift Emperor Changde back onto the bed. Yue Heng, meanwhile, sat leisurely, fan in hand, utterly unperturbed.
Jiang Lin and the others became mere spectators as Emperor Changde’s pain escalated - from curling into a ball to writhing across the bed, screaming in agony.
He tried to curse, but the pain reduced his words to broken, powerless gasps.
Gan Yongfu hovered anxiously, glancing repeatedly at the door, afraid to leave Emperor Changde’s side lest Jiang Lin and the others harm him. Sweat dripped from his brow.
"Does he look pitiful now?" Yue Heng mused. "But what about those who died at his command? Were they any less pitiful? We didn't witness their final moments, did they suffer like this 'ruler of life and death,' begging for mercy only to be killed without pity?"
How many innocents had perished by Emperor Changde’s decree? No one had counted, but the deaths of Concubine Li, Wei Su, Su Yuan, and countless soldiers were enough to deem his suffering deserved.
Jiang Lin shook his head, unmoved by Emperor Changde’s plight. A wicked man, even in old age, remained wicked—his crimes unchanged.
Su Qiao also shook her head, her gaze icy as it rested on Emperor Changde. "I’ll never forget how the Su and Lu families died, over a hundred lives."
Wei Yunzhao said nothing, but his thoughts were clear, the death of his father left no room for pity.
Only Gan Yongfu objected. "Your Highness, this is Emperor Changde, your father! How can you speak this way?"
Yue Heng’s lips curled in mockery.
Emperor Changde, resilient despite his agony, still found the strength to curse Yue Heng between coughs. But Yue Heng ignored him, watching him with cold eyes.
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