The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 308 Changes in the Enclosure
Zhiwan was horrified to hear this, unable to imagine how dangerous it must have been for Jiang Shi to be stabbed in a vital spot and then thrown off the cliff.

Fortunately, Jiang Shi was lucky and survived.

"Jiang Shi, I'm so sorry you've suffered," Zhi Wan said sincerely.

Jiang Shi still felt lingering fear when he recalled the danger of that day.

If Zhi Ye's sword hadn't deviated by half an inch, even if the large tree below had cushioned his fall as he plummeted off the cliff, he wouldn't have survived.

However, he broke his hands and legs when he fell off the cliff.

If he hadn't been lucky enough to encounter a hunter in the mountains, he would likely have been devoured by wild animals, even if he hadn't fallen to his death.

The hunter was going into town to sell his game, so he took him there for medical treatment as well.

Fearing complications and that Zhiye might run into the person behind the scenes, he begged the hunter to take him to Zhiye's residence.

The hunter was in a hurry to leave the city, so he put him down and left quickly.

Later, Da Niu found him and carried him into the Zhi Mansion for treatment.

Now, he has successfully informed Chen Jiu, who will surely report to the Crown Prince.

With the mission accomplished, Jiang Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Not long after, he fell into a deep sleep.

Zhiwan was also tired, so she leaned against the carriage wall and fell asleep soon after.

She was awakened by the sound of rapid hoofbeats.

Curious, she opened the window and looked out, only to see a group of heavily armed soldiers riding horses and quickly disappearing into the distance.

Judging from the direction they went, they should be heading to the hunting grounds.

Zhiwan was somewhat worried. Although Jiang Shi did not say it explicitly, she vaguely guessed what was going to happen in the hunting grounds.

I hope everything goes well for my cousin.

Zhiwan thought to herself.

The group returned to the capital before the city gates closed.

When they returned to the Zhi residence, Zhi Wan's beggar attire startled Shuang'er and Chen the wet nurse, who thought she was a beggar from somewhere.

"Nanny, Shuang'er, it's me." Seeing the two looking frightened, Zhiwan quickly spoke up.

"Miss?" Granny Chen exclaimed in surprise.

"Miss, why are you dressed like this?" Shuang'er asked, equally surprised.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later. Quickly prepare a hot bath for me," Zhiwan said hastily. All she wanted to do now was take off these clothes and enjoy a hot bath.

She felt like she had completely gone bad.

She was suddenly glad she had come back first. Otherwise, if she went to see her cousin dressed like this and smelling bad, even if her cousin didn't mind, she would feel embarrassed herself.

Upon hearing this, Nurse Chen and Shuang'er immediately began making arrangements.

Zhiwan washed it several times before she was finally satisfied.

She changed into clean clothes, ate a meal, and then, remembering Jiang Shi's injury, decided to go and see him.

However, as soon as she reached Jiang Shi's room, she saw Shuang'er sitting on the edge of the bed with a bowl in her hand, carefully feeding Jiang Shi.

Although the two did not speak, Zhiwan sensed that the atmosphere between them was unusual.

She smiled and didn't go in to disturb them.

……

As night fell, bonfires were lit everywhere in the hunting grounds.

The aroma of roasted meat filled the air.

The dancers danced gracefully in the arena.

The ministers were so engrossed in song, dance, and wine that they were completely unaware of the impending danger.

Everyone drank one glass of wine after another.

Until one of the ministers suddenly slammed his fist on the table with a loud bang.

Before anyone could react, more people began to fall down.

This time, it wasn't just the minister who collapsed, but also the guards nearby. "The wine... the wine is poisoned..."

I don’t know who shouted.

Everyone's expressions changed drastically.

But it's too late.

They fell down one after another.

Lu Zhan and Duan Ling seemed to have drunk little; they held on for a while before collapsing.

Upon seeing this, the emperor on his high seat changed his expression drastically and immediately shouted, "Guards! Guards, come quickly!"

"Emperor Dog, take your life!"

Just then, a man in black leaped forward, wielding a sharp sword, and thrust it straight at the emperor's vitals.

The emperor's eyes widened.

"Choke!"

Just then, a long sword deflected the black-clad man's thrusting sword.

Shen Congrong, the commander of the Imperial Guards, stood in front of the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I am late in coming to your rescue. Please forgive me!"

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief. "Minister Shen, quickly capture that traitor!"

"Yes!" Shen Congrong replied, and then began fighting with the man in black.

"Didn't we agree not to kill the emperor first? What were you doing just now?" From an angle the emperor hadn't noticed, Shen Congren suppressed his anger and questioned in a low voice.

"My goal is to kill the emperor; I don't care about anything else," the man in black said coldly.

“Zhiye, once the emperor dies, Prince Rui can directly ascend the throne. By doing all this, aren’t you just benefiting others?” Shen Congrong suppressed her anger and said coldly.

The man in black was none other than Zhiye.

What the other person said reminded him of what Lu Zhan had said to him at the inn.

He sneered inwardly and asked calmly, "So what do you want me to do?"

“Naturally, we should capture the emperor alive and force him to write an edict of succession,” Shen Congrong said.

"To whom should the throne be passed?" Zhiye asked again.

"We'll talk after we capture them," Shen Congrong said vaguely.

Zhiye pondered for a moment, as if he had figured it out, and nodded, saying, "That works too."

Seeing that he had finally relented, Shen Congrong felt relieved and pretended to be no match for him, taking several steps back.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhiye leaped towards the emperor.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Shen Congrong shouted and leaped forward.

But the sword in Zhiye's hand was already pressed against the emperor's neck.

The emperor had not expected that his imperial guards commander would be no match for the assassin, and he sat frozen in his seat.

"Who...who are you? Why did you attempt to assassinate me?" After a long while, the emperor seemed to find his voice and asked in a deep voice.

"You dog emperor, you've done so many wicked things, haven't you had nightmares all these years?" Zhiye said angrily, then made a move to cut the emperor's neck.

"Don't kill me! Whatever your request, I will grant it!" the emperor hurriedly said.

Zhi Ye snorted coldly, "You possess the world, yet you are just like an ordinary person, afraid of death."

The emperor's expression was somewhat grim, and he said in a deep voice, "As long as you don't kill me, I will guarantee you wealth and honor. Even if you want to become an official in the court, I can grant your wish."

"Is that so? What if I said I wanted your position?" Zhiye sneered.

Upon hearing this, the emperor seemed to finally understand, and said disdainfully, "So you've come for my dragon throne. But with your rough nature, even if you were given the dragon throne, you wouldn't be able to sit on it securely."

Zhiye was furious. "I still want your dragon throne now. Come on, let's go to your dragon tent and write the edict of succession. When I become emperor, I can make you the retired emperor and guarantee you a peaceful and worry-free life for the rest of your days."

The emperor was forced to take him to the imperial tent and, following his instructions, wrote the edict of abdication.

But when he got to the part about who should inherit the throne, he stopped writing. "What's your name?"

Just as Zhiye was about to speak, Shen Congrong walked in, followed by another person.

"Your Majesty, you must reconsider! He is merely a bandit, how can he be entrusted with such a great responsibility? Prince Gaoyang possesses outstanding virtue and has repeatedly rendered meritorious service to the court; only Prince Gaoyang is fit to shoulder this responsibility. We urge Your Majesty to abdicate the throne to Prince Gaoyang!"