Along the way, Gao Da and the others took the initiative to get closer to him. Song Qingshu had intended to win this group over anyway, so the two sides hit it off at once and chatted merrily as they quickly made their way up the mountain.
When they saw Zhao Gou lying in bed like a vegetable, every one of them was shocked. Wang Ziteng then came out and roughly explained what had happened on the mountain. As a trusted confidant of the emperor, his endorsement left no room for doubt.
The officials cursed Prince Yi as a treacherous rebel. At the same time, they expressed immense grief and concern for the emperor's current condition. Many even volunteered to recommend famous physicians, though Wang Ziteng politely declined every offer.
They were only using the opportunity to display their loyalty. With the emperor in this state, who could possibly save him unless an immortal descended from heaven? If the physicians they recommended failed, they would only bring trouble upon themselves, so they did not press the matter.
After the Lu brothers came up the mountain, they searched everywhere for Jia Sidao. Only upon seeing his corpse inside the coffin did they finally confirm his death. Both men turned deathly pale and stood there in a daze.
Perhaps they alone among the officials present understood the truth most clearly. As participants in this rebellion, they naturally knew what role Jia Sidao had played. At first, they were shocked and suspicious when Song Qingshu proclaimed that Jia Sidao had died protecting the emperor, but gradually they caught on and roughly guessed his intentions.
Though they feared being held accountable later, Jia Sidao was already dead, and their cause had already been lost. This arrangement would at least buy them some time, allowing