The Emperor's Soul Leaves His Body

Even after Qiu Yan entered the palace, Wang Fu, Ma Yang, and the others had yet to recover from their grief, and their hearts had gained another measure of doubt.

"They would not even let the imperial physicians enter, yet they allowed Qiu Yan inside. There must be something strange going on in there." Zhang Lian had already recovered from his surprise and murmured just loudly enough for the others to hear clearly.

At this hour, ministers like them should have been handling official affairs at their respective posts. The only reason they had gathered here was that something had happened to the Emperor.

Not long ago, that pitch-black bolt of lightning had exploded with a thunderous crash, flashing above the Imperial Palace and startling countless people. The Imperial Academy students were outside the city and had not experienced much of it firsthand, but those within the city—especially those near the Imperial City—had had their ears numbed by that clap of thunder.

Soon afterward, eunuchs emerged one after another and sought out the various chief ministers, informing them that the Emperor had fallen unconscious. Of course, the news had actually been sealed away, and only a limited number of officials were permitted to know.

With this, how could the chief ministers have remained in the mood to continue working? They immediately set aside their duties and hurried over.

Yet upon arriving outside the sleeping palace, they were told that the Emperor had awakened, but his body was too weak to receive visitors. With that excuse, the old ministers who had rushed over were all shut outside the door.

That was not all. They also learned from the surrounding guards that even the imperial physicians had yet to arrive, and that only the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the concubines were