0p0 Chapter 217 1 Thoughts of the Pass 20
Chapter 217 1 Thoughts of the Pass 20
"Who killed him?" Andi roared.
The guard replied tremblingly, "Your Majesty, Emperor Dawu was fine when he slept last night, but when it was time for dinner today, he didn't get up. When we went in, we found that he had died in the middle of the night. There were no external injuries on his body, nor any signs of poisoning. It was as if he had just fallen asleep."
Emperor An, his face ashen, slumped onto the dragon throne, his chest heaving as if he were about to suffocate. The eunuchs beside him hurriedly stepped forward to help him catch his breath.
After a long while, Emperor An finally caught his breath and was immediately enraged: "Emperor Wu was perfectly fine before, so how could he suddenly pass away after meeting with Prince Li? This must be Prince Li's doing! It must be him!"
Seeing this, Deng Hui quickly stepped forward and advised, "Your Majesty, this is not the time to be angry. Regardless of whether Prince Li was responsible for Emperor Wu's death, Emperor Wu ultimately died in the capital of Da'an. Once this matter is spread, the whole world will say that you ordered Emperor Wu's death. We must find a way to prevent this from happening."
Deng Hui's implication was clear: their immediate priority was not to be angry, nor to investigate the true cause of Emperor Wu's death, because the truth of his death was no longer important. What mattered was how to quickly control public opinion and shift the blame to the Kingdom of Wu.
At the same time, we must act swiftly to bring back the Wu Kingdom delegation as soon as possible, solidify this case, and give the world a satisfactory explanation.
If this opportunity is missed, and the Wu Kingdom delegation returns safely to Wu Kingdom, pinning the death of the Wu Emperor on An Kingdom, then the enmity between the two countries will truly be irreconcilable.
Because of Emperor An's previous breach of promise, his actions of temporarily increasing the ransom and detaining Emperor Wu, he had already drawn criticism from the other seven kingdoms.
If Wu Kingdom seizes this opportunity, raises the banner of justice, and unites with the seven kingdoms to attack An Kingdom, then An Kingdom will face annihilation, and the country will cease to exist.
After catching his breath, Emperor An gradually regained his composure and solemnly ordered, "Send down the order to do everything in our power to track down and capture Yang Ying and his group. We must bring them back!"
He grabbed Deng Hui's hand and said in a chilling tone, "Go and spread the news of Yang Ying, the Prince of Dawu, murdering the emperor. The sooner the better. Make sure it spreads to every corner of the capital before sunset today, including to those spies sent by other countries."
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!" Deng Hui responded without the slightest hesitation and turned to leave.
Just then, a palace attendant rushed into the main hall: "Your Majesty, Marquis Changqing requests an audience!"
Li Tongguang hurriedly entered the hall, and after bowing, without waiting for Emperor An to ask, he asked urgently, "May I ask Your Majesty, has something happened to Emperor Wu and the Wu Kingdom delegation?"
Andi asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Li Tongguang was at a loss for words, so he simply presented a piece of paper: "Once Your Majesty has read this, everything will be clear!"
Emperor An, still somewhat skeptical, had a eunuch fetch the paper. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the handwriting on it was clear: "Emperor An broke his promise, forced Emperor Wu to commit suicide, pursued and killed the envoy, and lost his position due to his lack of virtue."
Each word is sharp and incisive, concise and clear.
These sixteen words were enough to make Emperor An's eyes widen in fury. He asked in a stern voice, "Where did you come from?"
Li Tongguang's expression was grave: "These papers were carelessly scattered throughout the streets and alleys, and by now the news has probably spread throughout the capital and is known to everyone!"
"what!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor An felt his blood surge and his anger burn. He was about to rebuke him when he felt a sweet, metallic taste rise in his throat, followed by a surge of heat. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, then his body went limp and he fell backward onto the dragon throne, unconscious.
"Your Majesty! What's wrong?"
"Someone! Summon the imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"
The people inside the hall were immediately shocked, and their urgent shouts echoed throughout the hall.
Everyone looked flustered, and Li Tongguang couldn't help but feel anxious as well.
Although he didn't care about Emperor An's life or death, the situation was urgent, and Emperor An absolutely could not fall at this moment.
The news that Emperor An forced Emperor Wu to commit suicide and pursued the delegation has spread like wildfire throughout the capital, and countless foreign spies have already been secretly spying on the situation.
If Emperor An were to fall at this time, there would be no one to take charge of the situation in Anguo, causing the news to spread far and wide, with unimaginable consequences.
Because of his father, Li Tongguang suffered from the neglect and contempt of the Anguo royal family since childhood. This prejudice did not diminish after the Battle of Tianmen Pass, but instead turned into a deeper level of suspicion.
On the surface, his capture of Emperor Wu made him a figure of great prestige in Anguo, and he was even granted the title of Marquis of Changqing by Emperor Anguo, bringing him great honor. However, behind this honor, undercurrents were surging.
Although Emperor An outwardly trusted his nephew, he was actually wary and suspicious of him. He even risked offending the Xisha tribe by forcibly arranging a marriage between him and Princess Chuyue.
Faced with this situation, Li Tongguang had long since reached the limit of his wariness and suspicion towards Emperor An, and his personal feelings and interests were repeatedly suppressed.
But when faced with the safety of the nation, his personal interests seem insignificant.
The peace and stability of the nation is of paramount importance.
Therefore, Emperor An absolutely cannot fall now!
Upon hearing that the emperor was unwell, the imperial physicians dared not delay any longer.
He immediately followed the eunuch to the main hall, rolled up his sleeves, picked up a silver needle, and began stabbing Emperor An repeatedly.
Emperor An was quickly jolted awake, and the first thing he did upon regaining consciousness was to point at Li Tongguang and say, "You must immediately lead troops to pursue the Wu Kingdom delegation. You must stop them before they leave An Kingdom's territory. Border troops are at your disposal."
"The minister obeys the order!"
Knowing the situation was urgent, Li Tongguang disregarded everything else and immediately accepted the imperial decree to return and muster his troops to pursue the perpetrators.
Unfortunately, they had wasted too much time, and by then Yang Ying and the others had already escaped nearly a hundred miles away.
At this time, Li Tongguang was still judging people with old eyes, thinking that Yang Ying had just recovered from her illness and that Ning Yuanzhou and the others would be mindful of her health and would not travel too fast. Even if they left a few hours ahead of him, they would not have gone very far.
Therefore, his focus was entirely on searching rather than chasing.
In that instant, the distance between the two sides widened significantly once again.
By the time Li Tongguang realized something was wrong, Yang Ying had already left him far behind and couldn't catch up at all.
……
Yang Ying's figure galloping on horseback was like a strong grass in the wind, resilient and free, which made Ning Yuanzhou and the others admire her.
At first, they thought that Yang Ying's weak body would not be able to withstand the bumpy ride, but to their surprise, after traveling for several days, even the strong and healthy men felt exhausted, while Yang Ying was still full of energy and showed no signs of fatigue.
Just as everyone was marveling at the sight, a group of people appeared and disappeared on the border ahead of Xu Cheng, hesitating as if waiting for something.