Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 778 Testing
As Wang Yan lifted his foot and continued walking forward, the eunuch's face showed anxiety.

"Please come to court."

The eunuch suddenly noticed that although the court attendant was a civil official, he walked like a military general, taking unusually large strides, and the eunuch had to jog to keep up.

"Please wait a moment."

Wang Yan finally stopped, and the eunuch, caught off guard, almost bumped into him.

Wang Yan turned to look at the eunuch's expression. The eunuch's eyes were full of fear, worry, and urgency, but not of arrogant anger.

If it was truly the Emperor who ordered him to stay in the palace, how could these people possibly look like this?
Wang Yan coldly replied, "The Emperor has not summoned me, so why should I stay here?"

The eunuch was stunned. Wang Yan saw this and became even more certain that his guess was correct. His face immediately became even colder, but he did not ask the eunuch for the reason. His steps became even more hurried.

The eunuch had intended to stall for time until someone reported the situation, but now it seemed as if his vital point had been seized, leaving him with no way to act.

"What's going on here?"

Han, the eunuch who rushed over upon hearing the news, seemed not to understand the current situation. He smiled and bowed to Wang Yan, then gave the young eunuch a reproachful look.

"This child has only been in the palace for a short time. If he has done anything wrong, please forgive him, Your Excellency," Han the eunuch said. He then added, "These past few days have been hard on you gentlemen. Now some more documents have been sent in, and I will have to trouble Your Excellency again..."

Wang Yan said calmly, "Is it a document from the Imperial Secretariat?"

"This..." Han, the eunuch, hesitated. "We are not aware of this. It is up to the court official to look it up himself."

“It is not my job to select documents,” Wang Yan said. “My office has other matters to attend to. If there are official documents that I must review, I will have them sent to the Imperial Secretariat.”

Han, the eunuch, naturally wanted to continue to obstruct him, but before he could speak, Wang Yan suddenly said, "Is it really His Majesty's order to leave me in the duty room without cause?"

"If you don't let me leave, I will go see the Emperor right now."

Wang Yan suddenly took a step in front of Han, the palace attendant: "I have important matters to report and request an audience."

Han, the eunuch, froze completely.

……

As King Qin emerged from the Funing Palace, the eunuch Han immediately stepped forward and announced, "King Yan has left the palace."

The King of Qin frowned.

Han, the palace attendant, said, "If we continue to obstruct him, the court attendant will start clamoring for an audience with the emperor."

Wang Yan insisted on leaving. They couldn't very well order the Imperial Guards to arrest him, much less lock him up in the palace. Now that the Emperor was ill, the Funing Palace was extremely busy, and many matters were being handled by the Prince. It was only natural for the Prince to send a few officials to the duty room to handle documents, but the premise was that things shouldn't escalate. If there was a big disturbance, the Emperor would still reprimand him.

The King of Qin said coldly, "He does have some guts."

Han, the eunuch, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. They could have handled any other official, but this court attendant was a notorious tough nut to crack.

“He has seen through the situation,” said the King of Qin. “No matter what you say, he will not believe it.”

Han, the palace attendant, asked, "Then... what should we do next?"

The person was supposed to be kept in the palace for three days, but unexpectedly, they were released after only two days.

The King of Qin said calmly, "The Dali Temple has sent word that preparations are almost complete. Even if Wang Yan knows now, he can't change the situation."

Han, the eunuch, breathed a sigh of relief and glanced towards the inner palace: "His Majesty's health..."

The King of Qin's expression turned stern: "These matters are none of your concern."

Han, the eunuch, immediately responded, but seeing his lord's increasingly relaxed expression, he guessed that the Emperor's condition was not good. The Prince of Qin instructed, "If there is any movement from Cining Palace, report it immediately. Especially when Abbess Jingyuan comes to the palace, have someone keep a close eye on her."

Xie was acquainted with Abbess Jingyuan, and it was hard to guarantee that Jingyuan would plead for him in the palace. He didn't want anyone to block his way at such a critical juncture.

Han, the eunuch, said, "Don't worry, Her Majesty the Empress has been going to Cining Palace frequently lately, so we can take the opportunity to gather information from her."

The King of Qin had a feeling that power was gradually being taken into his hands.

Especially after the Jiang family persuaded those nobles and relatives of the empress to help him, he had more people at his disposal. The empress's family also came from a military background and had considerable influence in the army, but in the past year, the emperor had repeatedly weakened their power. If this continued, they might decline when the imperial power changed hands. Helping him at this crucial moment would allow her family to maintain their status after he ascended the throne.

The King of Qin took a deep breath; this day was drawing ever closer.

After Han, the palace attendant, left, the King of Qin returned to the Funing Palace.

The inner palace curtains were drawn low, and it was so quiet that it seemed as if no one was there. These past few days, the Prince of Qin would come early in the morning, and only leave the palace after dealing with the memorials. Sometimes the Emperor would summon a few ministers to talk, and he could listen in for a while. Sometimes the Emperor would ask him about state affairs alone.

Today, the Emperor only summoned Wang Bingchen and others to speak a few words, but has not yet summoned him.

The King of Qin sniffed, catching the smell of Chinese medicine wafting from inside. He wanted to step inside and get a closer look at the person lying there, but alas… he couldn't yet.

The King of Qin walked into the side room and sat down at the table.

He needs to wait patiently, especially now... perhaps the emperor is watching him closely to see if he will have other ideas.

Every emperor is suspicious, and even if he is seriously ill, he cannot relinquish his imperial power until the very last moment.

"Cough cough cough..."

The King of Qin heard a violent cough coming from inside the inner palace. He immediately stood up and, just as he reached the door of the inner chamber, he saw the imperial physician being invited in.

When the eunuch Huang saw the King of Qin, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Last night, the heater in Your Majesty's room was too hot, and Your Majesty's throat is a little uncomfortable. We dared not neglect this and went to invite the imperial physician to take a look."

The King of Qin breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

“His Majesty has been in much better spirits lately,” Eunuch Huang continued. “Just now, His Majesty said that it was all thanks to the Prince’s presence here.”

The King of Qin said, "It is my duty to share the burdens of Your Majesty. I only hope that Your Majesty will take good care of yourself and not be troubled by trivial matters."

“I will report your words to the Emperor,” said the eunuch Huang, and then hurriedly left.

King Qin returned to his side chamber and stared at the hourglass on the table. Half an hour had passed, and the imperial physician still hadn't emerged from the palace attendants. King Qin's heart pounded with anxiety.

The emperor's illness has worsened again.

The thought flashed through his mind, and the King of Qin became even more anxious; he had to find out the accurate information.

Now, he cannot barge into the inner room, but there is one person who can.

……

Wang Yan strode towards the palace gate, and from afar, he could already see Sang Zhi and Sang Dian waiting not far away.

Upon seeing her husband, Sang Dian disregarded everything else and immediately stepped forward, saying, "Madam has been arrested by the Dali Temple. Husband, please think of a way to rescue her."

Sang Dian's eyes were bloodshot. When he heard the news, he wished he could rush to the Dali Temple to save them. His master and son were both in the palace; those people were clearly doing this on purpose.

Wang Yan's gaze darkened, and he immediately took the reins from Sang Zhi, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the Dali Temple. Just then, a carriage arrived at the palace gate, and the next moment, Abbess Jingyuan lifted the curtain and came out.

(End of this chapter)