Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

Xiao Lie's eyes were serious, and no one could guess what he was thinking.

All he knew was that the Third Prince had touched his people and offended him.

Grandpa Xiao Tianze put in so much effort to train this messenger.

Even if Elder He intervened, he couldn't save his life.

Even with such severe injuries, he clung to his last breath to come and deliver the message.

Xiao Lie was determined to kill him.

"Tonight is destined to be a night of bloodshed."

Jiang Heng also kept many secret guards around him, and the head of those guards was someone he had grown up with since childhood.

Xiao Lie assigned Seventeen an assassination mission: to kill the head of the secret guards who had a brotherly bond with Jiang Heng.

Shen Qinglan spoke up to stop him, "Your Highness, the most urgent task is to figure out how to transport more supplies to the frontier."

"Why would we provoke the Third Prince?"

Xiao Lie's eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed unstoppable.

Seventeen was in a dilemma: should he accept the order and leave?

"Seventeen, wait a moment." Shen Qinglan noticed his predicament and spoke up to stop him.

She then went to persuade Xiao Lie, "Even if the Third Prince has extraordinary abilities, he can't turn the tide of things if he's imprisoned."

"You will have plenty of opportunities to avenge your fallen brothers in the future."

"Why are you in such a hurry? Aren't you afraid that all your efforts will be in vain?"

Seeing that Xiao Lie's expression had softened, Seventeen seized the opportunity to advise, "Young Master, Miss Shen is right. Shall we listen to her?"

After waiting for a long time, Xiao Lie slowly nodded.

The others in the room all breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Qinglan then remembered that she had come here for another reason.

"The Third Prince is also waiting for an opportunity to act. His foundation in the capital is more solid than ours and the Fifth Prince's, and he has far more capable people to rely on."

"Should we have someone take action against the Third Prince at the Imperial Clan Court beforehand?"

Xiao Lie had other plans; he still had a use for the Third Prince.

"Surround the Imperial Clan Court and don't let the Third Prince out." Fortunately, they also had people at the Imperial Clan Court.

They surrounded it secretly, without fear of attracting the emperor's attention.

"Your Highness, the Emperor is unconscious. Shouldn't you go to the palace immediately to keep watch over him?" Shen Qinglan thought that only by personally keeping an eye on him could it be more secure.

Xiao Lie raised an eyebrow. "Are you afraid the world won't know that our Duke Zhenguo's mansion harbors rebellious intentions?"

With Consort Yuan by his side, the emperor wasn't afraid of anyone getting there first.

"However, we still need to go and attend to your illness." Xiao Lie and Shen Qinglan discussed the follow-up plans before entering the palace.

In the side hall, they unexpectedly bumped into the Fifth Prince, who had arrived in a flurry of dust and grime.

The Fifth Prince, Jiang Yun, scoffed, "In what capacity does the Crown Prince come to attend to the sick?"

Fortunately, the emperor had previously used Xiao Lie as a test subject for medicine, which could now serve as a convenient excuse.

This, in turn, prevented Jiang Yun from finding a reason to drive Xiao Lie away.

Just then, several young imperial physicians with unfamiliar faces walked out of the hall.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Yun's face turned extremely ugly, and he angrily demanded, "Where is the head physician? Where is Physician Zhao?"

"Why didn't they come? Why were you the ones sent?"

Xiao Lie retorted sarcastically, "The Fifth Prince doesn't even know that such a big thing happened in the palace?"

More than half of the old staff of the Imperial Medical Academy have died. In order to save their lives, Physician Zhao and others have taken long leave and have not come to work for several days.

The Fifth Prince had actually heard about it, but he was so focused on winning over more people that he ignored it.

"You are all too young. Are your medical skills up to par?" The Fifth Prince was both afraid that the Emperor was still alive and afraid that he would die. "Go and invite the head physician and the others back."

Not long after, the head of the academy arrived with Physician Zhao, as it was an order from the Fifth Prince.

As for the other imperial physicians, the head of the academy decided not to let them come.

Even if more people have to die, the deaths of just the two of them are enough.

"Head Physician Zhao, please go in quickly and see how Father Emperor is doing." The Fifth Prince accompanied the two inside.

Xiao Lie was naturally unwilling to fall behind.

Inside the palace, only Consort Yuan was attending to the guests with one maid.

The Fifth Prince was annoyed. "Why is only Consort Yuan attending to my illness?"

"Where are all the palace servants around Father Emperor?"

Consort Yuan, relying on the Emperor's favor, did not take the Fifth Prince seriously. "They've all been killed by the Emperor, and we can't find any more people to spare from other palaces."

The Fifth Prince dared not say anything more.

The more questions you ask, the more you confirm the emperor's tyrannical and abusive behavior.

When the emperor wakes up and learns that he was the one who did the stupid thing, he will certainly not let him off easily.

He shut his mouth and sat down by the window to wait.

They didn't seem to be leaving.

After exchanging glances with the head physician and Imperial Physician Zhao, Xiao Lie and the two physicians stepped forward to take the emperor's pulse.

The emperor's pulse was weak and feeble, clearly indicating that the situation was hopeless.

Even if a supreme immortal were to descend to earth, they would be powerless against the heavens.

However, the head of the hospital and Physician Zhao exchanged a glance and reached a tacit understanding.

The head of the academy said to the Fifth Prince, "His Majesty is fine. He just took too many pills, which caused his blood and essence to become too strong, and he fainted for a moment."

"After we administer acupuncture to the Emperor, he will be able to wake up."

The Fifth Prince's expression was quite interesting, showing both disappointment and a hint of joy.

Xiao Lie stopped looking at him and instead focused on the two imperial physicians administering acupuncture.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the emperor slowly woke up.

The two imperial physicians knelt before the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty has finally woken up. Those elixirs were too strong and could harm your health; you absolutely must not take any more."

One pill a day is enough.

The emperor, however, would not heed any advice; he had already caught a glimpse of the fifth prince out of the corner of his eye.

"Did you bribe the imperial physicians to stop me from taking the elixirs?"

"What? Are you afraid that if I don't die, your dream of becoming emperor will be shattered?"

The fifth prince was suddenly reprimanded and knelt down in fear.

"Father, how could I possibly think that way?"

"I am overjoyed that my father will live for thousands of generations."

How could the emperor possibly believe, "Even if I cannot attain immortality, the throne will not be yours"?

"Don't be delusional."

"Get out of here."

The emperor then looked at Xiao Lie and saw that Xiao Lie stood silently to the side.

He became somewhat suspicious.

When he fell into a deep sleep, Xiao Lie came to the palace to guard him. What was his intention?

Was he planning to take the opportunity to assassinate the emperor so that his grandfather, Xiao Tianze, could ascend the throne?

"Xiao Lie, you are no longer allowed to be summoned and are forbidden from entering the palace without permission."

The emperor issued an edict banishing Xiao Lie from the palace.

The next morning, while Xiao Lie was still dreaming, Seventeen brought him the latest news from the palace.

The emperor ignored everyone's advice and instead suspected that no one wanted to see him gain immortality.

They even ordered a sorcerer to send them even more elixirs.

Previously, they would eat six or nine pills a day, but now they eat ten pills at a time, and several times a day.

Xiao Lie's lips curled upwards. "We don't even need to lift a finger; the emperor has already started to hasten his own demise."

The emperor had taken an excessive amount of elixirs, and his spirit had indeed returned to that of a young man. He first received a secret letter sent by the third prince.

This secret letter was the very one that Xiao Lie had intercepted, the one he had written to the Duke of Zhenguo.

The emperor was furious and ordered Xiao Lie to kneel outside the imperial city, holding up the four characters "I am a traitor".