After a long pause, the emperor suppressed the unusual expression on his face, pressed his temples, and said with great concern.
"I understand."
Silence fell in the hall, and no further words were heard for a long time.
Song Qingan bowed his head and performed a ritual, about to withdraw, when a violent coughing fit suddenly erupted from the other side.
A teacup was knocked to the floor, and the emperor, propping himself on the desk, found his face turning rather red.
Seeing this, Song Qingan's eyes narrowed, and he immediately called out, "Your Majesty?"
There was no response from the other side. He paused, then stepped towards the exit.
"This humble subject will go find the imperial physician."
Before he could reach the door, the emperor's coughing had already stopped. He took a breath and called him back.
"There's no need, I am fine."
He had felt a sudden tightness in his chest and wanted some air, but his breathing became erratic, and he coughed uncontrollably for a moment.
However, he felt much better now.
Song Qingan still hesitated, "Your Majesty's complexion still seems a little unwell, truly, is there no need to summon the imperial physician?"
The emperor waved his hand and sat up straight again.
"Imperial physicians can treat illness, but they cannot share my burdens of state. Summoning them would be useless, only adding to my vexation."
Ye Tinglan had been captured, and he was furious. Now, the matters being stirred up in the palace were related to the enemy country. He had no mood to see anyone else.
Song Qingan said nothing further.
Although he had heard a few words from Eunuch Gao about the morning's events, it was a matter of state. The emperor had not spoken of it personally, and it would be presumptuous for him to comment.
"Prince Mo was captured in Yuzhou, and those rebels dared to use him as leverage to threaten me into withdrawing my troops, even demanding the cession of two prefectures! This is outrageous!"
With the troops at the city gates, it was like an arrow nocked and ready to be loosed.
To withdraw troops at this moment would not only mean the complete loss of imperial authority but also further embolden the arrogance of those remnants. If they were to be eradicated in the future, it would be infinitely more difficult.
But if he did not withdraw the troops, then Ye Tinglan's situation...
The emperor's brow furrowed, and he impatiently waved his hand, "Enough, I was merely speaking my mind. You must not let this matter spread, lest it disturb the inner palace."
This matter had not yet been settled, and he had no intention of informing the Empress Dowager, Ye Tingyun, or others.
Song Qingan's heart sank slightly at this, and he nodded, "Yes."
...
Jiu Zhou Xiang Xie.
As dusk deepened, Feng Yin Wan sat by the desk with her eyes closed, fragmented information flashing through her mind.
Those silenced in the imperial prison were from the Moon Kingdom.
And the one who silenced them was the mysterious person she had been investigating.
From the previous appearances of this mysterious person, it could be concluded that they were undoubtedly linked to the Empress and were among the villains.
If that were the case, why would they kill the Moon Kingdom's spy?
What was the spy's purpose in entering the palace, and what was the connection between them?
Also, was Yu Guiren, the holy maiden of the Moon Kingdom, involved in this matter?
These questions, like a tangled web, bound her, preventing her from finding a point to untangle them.
As her brow twitched, the candlelight on the desk flickered and suddenly extinguished.
Without any warning or defense, a chilling, terrifying killing intent surged forth in an instant. Feng Yin Wan's heart leaped, and she immediately opened her eyes.
The room was plunged into darkness. By the faint moonlight filtering in, she barely had time to discern the person's silhouette before a sharp blade struck her.
It was a very ordinary dagger, but the force with which it was wielded was enough to slit her throat in an instant.
Feng Yin Wan narrowly dodged, and at the same time, a thought struck her.
It was him!
The mysterious person had come looking for her!