Fan Siyun took Fang Wenrui's hand and said, her delight written all over her face, "My lord, this physician is so skilled. Surely you ought to reward him."
Fang Wenrui said nothing, but his expression grew uglier by the moment. This adulterous couple had not only carried on behind his back and had children together-now Fan Siyun actually wanted him to pay to keep her lover?
Fan Siyun tugged at Fang Wenrui's sleeve and asked again, "My lord, what do you think?"
Meeting Fan Siyun's smiling eyes, Fang Wenrui sneered and slapped her across the face.
Clutching her cheek, Fan Siyun said in disbelief, "My lord, it's me."
"You're exactly who I meant to hit!"
"My lord..."
"Don't call me that! You've wanted me dead for ages, haven't you? So you could fly off together with this wretched man. Am I right?"
Fan Siyun went pale. How could Fang Wenrui know? She had kept everything so well hidden!
"My lord, let me explain..."
Fang Wenrui struggled to catch his breath and looked about to faint again. To keep the scene from growing even more chaotic, Su Zhouyue pointed at Wulang on the floor. "Hurry up and give the minister a few acupuncture needles."
Wulang scrambled up and was about to insert a silver needle when Fang Wenrui shoved him hard. The needle stabbed into Wulang himself, and he screamed.
Su Zhouyue: "..."
Was he really a physician?
Tong Aning said, "Mother, why don't we call another physician?"
Su Zhouyue nodded. Fang Wenrui stood up. "No need. Marchioness, I'm sorry you had to witness this disgrace. I'll take my leave now."
Fang Wenrui pushed Fan Siyun away. Tears poured down her face like rain. "My lord, think of our three sons. Think of how I sought medicine for you that rainy night. My lord, please think it over!"
Fang Wenrui had a heart ailment.
Half a year earlier, it had flared up, leaving him in such agony he wished he were dead. Even the Imperial Medical Academy had been helpless. Fan Siyun had heard of a miraculous physician and knelt in the pouring rain for half the night before finally obtaining medicine for him.
Though the children were not his, they had been husband and wife for over a decade. Surely Fan Siyun still had some genuine feelings for him. Listening to her sobs, Fang Wenrui grew increasingly moved.
There was a story about seeking medicine, too?
Tong Aning eagerly asked the system, [What medicine?]
[Let me take a look. Wow, they're vicious! They were already planning to poison Fang Wenrui to death half a year ago.]
[So it wasn't some miraculous medicine, but poison... Those two really latched onto Fang Wenrui and kept ruining him.]
"Pfft."
Fang Wenrui spat out a mouthful of blood and passed out.
The next day, at court.
Seeing the empty place of the minister of war, the emperor frowned and asked, "Where is Minister Fang?"
Tong Aobai stepped forward. "Your Majesty, Lord Fang was at my residence yesterday when anger overwhelmed his heart. The imperial physician said he would likely need a couple of days to recuperate."
"Such a thing happened?"
"Yes."
After court was dismissed, the emperor kept Tong Aobai behind alone.
The other officials were long past finding this unusual.
Though Marquis Tong's title was hereditary, after three generations, descendants with hereditary titles were left with little more than a name, far below officials who held real power. But there was no denying that the Tong family produced capable people.
Tong Aobai was now a trusted minister of the emperor, and Tong Yibin served in the Ministry of Justice, where his handling of cases had earned the emperor's unstinting praise.
Not to mention that Tong Aobai's third son and fourth daughter were still studying at the Imperial Academy and would likely both accomplish great things in the future.
The emperor often kept Tong Aobai behind alone. Still... though the other officials envied such an honor, they did not particularly want it for themselves.
That was the Son of Heaven, after all. As the saying went, serving a sovereign was like keeping company with a tiger. Even if such good fortune were offered to them, some of them would not be able to bear it.
Outside the hall, Lin Yu and the crown prince exchanged a glance.
They had not heard the slightest whisper and had no idea why the emperor had kept Tong Aobai behind this time.
Tong Aobai himself did not know either.
Tong Aobai asked, "Your Majesty, is there some important matter in which I can ease your burdens?"
"An important matter, yes."
The emperor walked over to Tong Aobai, took his hand, and led him into the study behind the great hall.
The emperor asked in puzzlement, "Marquis Tong, what's wrong?"
Tong Aobai wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Your Majesty's warmth fills me with trepidation."
The emperor laughed twice and offered him a seat before saying, "Marquis Tong, you're an old fox already. Are you still afraid of me?"
"Before the Son of Heaven's majesty, I cannot help but be afraid, lest I forget the proper bounds between sovereign and subject."
The emperor's smile deepened.
He knew Tong Aobai was a rare loyal minister.
But Tong Aobai was too stubborn. Even in his presence, he sometimes spoke bluntly without any regard for his dignity. The emperor both loved and hated that about him.
Yet lately, Tong Aobai seemed to have become much more restrained in his dealings with others.
That was not necessarily a bad thing.
If Tong Aobai offended too many people and they joined forces against him, even as emperor, he would likely find it difficult to intervene.
What mattered most was that Tong Aobai protect himself.
"Your Majesty, what exactly is the matter?"
The emperor looked at Tong Aobai, his imposing face now full of curiosity. "Tell me, what exactly happened to Fang Wenrui?"
Tong Aobai: "..."
So this was what His Majesty wanted to know.
Tong Aobai hesitated. "Those are all Lord Fang's private affairs..."
The emperor snorted. "Stop trying to fob me off."
Tong Aobai had no choice but to explain the entire sequence of events in full detail.
The emperor asked meaningfully, "Was it really such a coincidence?"
Pretending not to notice the probing undertone in the emperor's words, Tong Aobai lowered his eyes. "It was indeed such a coincidence."
His Majesty can probably hear Aning's thoughts too.
Tong Aobai nevertheless breathed a sigh of relief. Those who could hear Aning's thoughts were all good-hearted people. At least this proved that the emperor was a wise ruler.
Since Tong Aobai put it that way, the emperor accepted it.
Both tacitly left the matter of Tong Aning's thoughts unspoken.
"I warned Fang Wenrui long ago that he should treat his children equally. He bears some responsibility for the calamity that befell him today."
"Yes."
"Then, Marquis Tong, do you think Fang Wenrui can continue to occupy the position of minister of war?"
Here it comes.
Tong Aobai's heart jolted. "I do not know."
"Since you don't know, Marquis Tong, you might as well give it some careful thought."
"Yes."
"You may go."
"Yes."
As Tong Aobai left the study, he passed Xue Lin.
Xue Lin was still only a youth, yet he already had an imposing presence.
Tong Aobai cupped his hands. "Heir."
"Marquis Tong."
Xue Lin entered the study, and the emperor said with a smile, "Alin, I have an interesting story. Would you like to hear it?"
"Uncle, I'm not interested in such things."
"True." The emperor put away his smile and asked, "Have all the assassins been caught?"
Sichen, who stood beside Xue Lin, stepped forward. "They have all been caught, but none survived."
The emperor's gaze chilled. "Alin, death warriors have set their sights on you."
"Yes."
"Stay out of this matter. I'll investigate it myself."
"Uncle, let me investigate it."
Seeing Xue Lin's stubbornness, the emperor could only relent. "Very well. I heard you received advance warning this time. Who was this capable person?"
The image of Tong Aning's face, brushed by apricot blossoms, flashed before Xue Lin's eyes. He said calmly, "It was merely a coincidence."
"Oh?" The emperor's interest was piqued. "Marquis Tong's fourth daughter also happened, by coincidence, to expose the minister of war's secret."
Xue Lin, who had been about to leave, sat down to one side. Eunuch Wang had someone serve him tea.
The emperor asked, "What are you doing?"
"Uncle, didn't you say you had an interesting story?"
The emperor: "..."
"Didn't you just say you weren't interested?"
"I'm still young, at the age when it's easy to change my mind."
The emperor: "..."
What a bane his younger brother had left him.
My younger brother... Come to think of it, the anniversary of his and his consort's deaths is approaching.