These words were not entirely true. The Empress pondered for a moment, then suddenly curled her lips, looked at Huangfu Mi, and sneered, "Fine, I will have you send the medicine there. Xiao Tong, you keep an eye on him!"
Xiao Tong was a general under General Gu, highly skilled in martial arts. He had also joined the Empress's side along with General Gu. Now, he agreed, holding the medicine bottle, and took the lead in walking out.
Huangfu Mi followed closely behind, pausing slightly at the doorway: "Empress, there is still one thing I do not understand. You killed my father and condemned me to eternal damnation. So how do you intend to explain this to the world? And who will inherit the throne?"
The Empress's smile deepened, as if she had heard the funniest thing in the world. "The people are all dead, what do I need to say? As for the throne, although you brothers are not up to par, don't forget, I still have Song'er. He is the most obedient, isn't he the best candidate for the crown prince?"
Huangfu Mi was taken aback, and then suddenly burst into a thunderous laugh.
Empress, oh Empress, you've really planned this well. You've even planned this out: by having the young Song'er inherit the throne, you can keep her in check. With General Gu's help, the entire empire will be yours.
"What are you laughing at?" The Empress frowned slightly in displeasure upon seeing this, but Huangfu Mi gave a cold laugh: "Nothing. To scheme against one's own husband like this, Your Majesty is truly the most shameless person in the world!"
"That's what His Majesty owes me!" His laughter displeased the Empress, who retorted loudly. Huangfu Mi, however, did not say anything more, but simply gave her a cold look before lifting his foot and striding out the door.
--
This was the first time Huangfu Mi had seen the emperor since that argument between father and son, and he finally understood why the emperor would let the empress run wild without doing anything about it.
It's not that he doesn't want to manage it, but that he can't.
When Huangfu Mi saw him, he was lying there barely breathing, and no matter how much she called him, he didn't move, as if he were asleep or had fainted.
Huangfu Mi's heart sank. He went over and helped the emperor up, saying, "Father, Father—"
He called out twice more, and the emperor seemed to hear him, his eyelids twitching slightly, but that was all; he still hadn't regained consciousness. Xiao Tong, however, expressionlessly handed the medicine bottle to Huangfu Mi, saying, "Your Highness, please give this to the Emperor."
Huangfu Mi's body trembled noticeably again, and she froze there, refusing to reach out. Seeing this, Xiao Tong repeated himself, and finally simply opened the bottle and forcefully stuffed the pill into Huangfu Mi's hand.
"Your Highness, please hurry. Otherwise, if we are delayed for too long and I do not return, Her Majesty the Empress will become impatient and may punish the Princess. You do not wish for that, do you?"
His tone was clearly threatening, but Huangfu Mi wasn't worried about that at the moment. He just couldn't act out his role yet.
Holding the pill in his palm, he said, "My father loved calligraphy and painting the most. I'm afraid he will never have the chance to see them again when he gets there. So I want to burn his favorite copy of the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion' so that he won't be lonely on his journey to the underworld. That's why I'm troubling you."
As he spoke, he took a book out of his pocket and handed it over.
Xiao Tong hesitated, seemingly unsure whether to do it, but seeing Huangfu Mi's determined gaze, he pondered for a moment before reaching out and taking the book along with the pills: "Don't try anything funny. Give me the medicine first, and I'll give it to you after I burn the book."
Huangfu Mi had no objection. He watched as Xiao Tong walked to the stove and almost without hesitation threw the book into the fire. He then raised his hand and, taking advantage of Xiao Tong's inattention, put a pill into his mouth.
Xiao Tong had already returned and handed over the medicine he had just taken from Huangfu Mi. Huangfu Mi took it, but remained unhurried, which made Xiao Tong anxious: "Your Highness, I told you, don't play tricks. Just give the Emperor the medicine as soon as possible. It will be good for you and for me to report back."
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Mi smiled instead of getting angry: "I also wanted you to finish your task quickly, but unfortunately..."
At this point, he deliberately paused, drawing out the last syllable, which startled Xiao Tong: "What's a pity?"
The fire crackled and popped in the brazier, its sound echoing in the silent hall. The flickering flames illuminated Huangfu Mi's face, making it glow. He curled his lips into a smile and asked instead of answering, "Can you smell anything?"
Xiao Tong froze, took a deep breath, and frowned at the lingering smell of smoke. "What...what's that smell? Don't waste time, hurry up—"
"Okay, hurry up--"
Huangfu Mi smiled, laid the emperor down gently, then stood up and walked step by step to Xiao Tong's side.
"What...what are you doing?" Xiao Tong asked, frowning, somewhat unsure of his meaning.
Huangfu Mi continued to smile. When he reached Xiao Tong, he glanced at the brazier and said, "I forgot to tell you, I accidentally spilled some bewitching powder on the pages of the book. You have to be careful not to inhale it, or you'll faint and no one will be able to watch over me."
Xiao Tong froze, then abruptly raised his hand to cover his mouth and nose, but it was too late. His head was buzzing, and he could barely stand. He wanted to shout for help, but before he could even utter a sound, he staggered two steps and fell straight down.
"Bang--"
Huangfu Mi watched from the side with a smile on his lips. Then he took out a whistle from his pocket and blew it twice. When he heard the sounds of fighting outside, he picked up the emperor and rushed out.
Chaos had broken out outside. Huangfu Yu, along with Puyang and Hua Jiuye's group, were at each other's throats. The guards at the gate were much more relaxed. He easily led the emperor through the crowd and headed straight for the horses that had been prepared in advance. They rode off.
This was something Huangfu Yi had discussed with Huangfu Yu beforehand. After rescuing the Emperor, he would first lead him out of the palace to meet up with Huangfu Yi and Meng Wan, while Huangfu Yu and his group would provide cover. Once the two of them had safely broken out of the palace, the rest of the group should not linger in the fight but follow them to meet up.
The reason for doing this is that the palace is now full of General Gu's men, and they are outnumbered and no match for him. So, they can only save people first. As for the rest, they have sent people to find Meng Junheng. He has a lot of military power and only he can fight against General Gu's men!
Huangfu Mi rode extremely fast, his only thought being to escape as quickly as possible. After all, the emperor was still unconscious, which was not his condition at all. So he had to find a safe place to treat him as soon as possible. Thus, he increased his speed and left the pursuing soldiers far behind.
--
Meanwhile, in Chonghua Palace, the Empress, who had been expecting good news with a sense of triumph, was instead met with the news that Huangfu Mi had rescued the Emperor and that Meng Wan had also vanished without a trace. Enraged, she immediately ordered the messenger, "Send down the order: capture them at all costs and kill them without mercy!"
--
Huangfu Yi and Meng Wan were waiting in the suburbs when they saw Huangfu Mi leading the emperor over from afar. They hurriedly went to greet him, saying, "Huangfu Mi!"
Huangfu Mi jumped off his horse, and the emperor followed suit, still drowsy and unable to wake up, a sight that made one's heart pound with fear.
"What's wrong with Father?" Huangfu Yi asked.
Huangfu Mi glanced behind him and heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance. He frowned and said, "Let's not talk about that now. Let's find a place to hide first."
--
The southern part of the city was the most dilapidated area in the capital. The village houses and farmhouses had been passed down for generations. The group rode their horses all the way there, shaking off their pursuers, and entered the village.
The village houses are densely packed, and although the space is small, it is easy to hide in, making it the perfect place to take refuge at this time.
Hua Jiuye also rushed over via a side path. She had been summoned by Huangfu Mi before leaving. The Emperor was still unconscious, and only Hua Jiuye's presence could put people at ease.
Fortunately, the emperor was only unconscious due to the poison of the datura, and there was nothing seriously wrong with him. After carefully taking his pulse, Hua Jiuye prescribed a medicine, and Huangfu Mi took the prescription to get the medicine.
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