novelhk Chapter 318 People are panicked
Chapter 318 People are panicked
Despite this, the Empress couldn't help but worry: "Your Majesty, natural disasters are merciless and will not spare Jing Han and Shu Yao just because of their identities."
"It is important to clear up the rumors and stabilize the court, but..." the Empress said firmly, "we should still send the imperial physician to Longzhou first."
"Even if... even if it's under the pretext that Jing Han was assassinated and his life was hanging by a thread, we must send all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital over there."
The Queen stopped speaking at this point.
She raised her head and stared intently at the emperor: "Your Majesty, what do you think?"
After a moment, the emperor sighed and said, "Very well, as you wish."
He treated Xie Jinghan as his own son, so how could he not worry about Xie Jinghan's safety?
The Empress's words make sense. Besides... he is already the ruler of a country, so what is there to worry about? So what if people are panicking? Once the plague is over, he can still suppress these rumors with his military strength.
With this in mind, the emperor made up his mind.
The guards watched as the emperor and empress talked back and forth, completely letting the matter slip out of Xie Jinghan's control.
He was both happy—for the safety of Xie Jinghan and the people of Jiangnan—and worried—because before he left, Si Qing had repeatedly instructed him to keep it a secret and not let the Emperor and Empress find out about the plague.
After he goes back... he'll probably have to stay at the border for several years.
Since the emperor had made up his mind, he immediately ordered all the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy to leave the capital with Chief Physician Zhou.
Apart from the few imperial physicians who remained behind, more than a dozen imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy, along with other well-known doctors from the capital, were all packed up and sent to Longzhou by ship.
At the same time, rumors spread that Xie Jinghan had been assassinated and was on the verge of death during the suppression of river bandits.
Liu family.
Inside the secret room, Minister Liu looked at Lord Gan with an inscrutable expression.
"Is Xie Jinghan really on the verge of death?" Minister Liu frowned. "I feel there's something fishy about this news."
Lord Gan stroked his beard and said with certainty, "This is what my spies in the palace heard with their own ears. You probably don't know that after the Empress met with His Majesty, she returned to the palace and cried for several hours."
Despite this, Minister Liu was not entirely convinced.
His expression shifted, then fell on Lord Gan: "Have you forgotten the palace coup a month ago? Back then, His Majesty and Xie Jinghan also joined forces to deceive us in the same way."
"If it weren't for the fact that neither you nor I had such thoughts, I'm afraid we would have died that night, just like Prince Xin and Prince Yan."
Minister Liu's advice was not without reason, and Lord Gan had no objection.
However, Lord Gan offered a reminder: "It's good that Minister is cautious, but don't forget... how Xie Jinghan treated our aristocratic families. The imperial examination incident is still fresh in our minds."
After saying this, Lord Gan added meaningfully, "We are not forcing the emperor to abdicate; we are merely purging corrupt officials from the court. People like Xie Jinghan should not exist in the first place."
Upon hearing this, Minister Liu pondered for a moment and said, "Let me think about this matter some more."
Lord Gan didn't mind, but reminded him, "We don't have much time left, at most three days. Within three days, you must give me an answer: whether to do it or not!"
"If we're going to do it, we'll kill him with one blow!" Lord Gan said, his eyes revealing a ruthless glint. "I will make Xie Jinghan pay with his life!"
The Gan family has been dishonest over the years. If other officials were to handle these matters, they would have given them a minor punishment as a warning. However, Xie Jinghan is a meticulous person who would make a big deal out of even the smallest offense.
His own son was sentenced to beheading in public simply because he was involved in those murder cases!
Lord Gan was concerned about his reputation, and he only had this one son.
He cherished his son like a precious gem, but he lost him to Xie Jinghan because of a single careless move. How could he not hate him?
It was precisely because Minister Liu knew this that he did not immediately agree to Lord Gan's proposal.
In Minister Liu's view, Lord Gan only made such an irrational plan when he was in a fit of anger.
Kill Xie Jinghan?
How easy is it?
Regardless of whether the rumors are true or false, even if Xie Jinghan is truly on the verge of death, their people have no way of getting involved.
Just by looking at how the emperor sent all the famous doctors from the Imperial Medical Academy and even the capital to Longzhou, you can tell that the emperor truly dotes on his younger brother Xie Jinghan to the core.
If the emperor fears Xie Jinghan and wants him dead, these people might still have a chance.
However, if... the emperor wants to save Xie Jinghan's life, then they will have no chance to succeed.
Clearly, the emperor's care and concern for Xie Jinghan was genuine.
These aristocratic families usually scheme for power and profit, and the emperor turns a blind eye to it. But if they dare to harm someone the emperor truly values... then their entire family will probably be buried with Xie Jinghan.
Thinking of this, Minister Liu's expression turned ugly.
He looked at Lord Gan and sincerely advised, "I know you want revenge, but... but you must act within your means! You have the entire Gan family behind you, so you must think twice before doing anything!"
Upon hearing this, Lord Gan glared coldly at Minister Liu: "Of course I know!"
"But the current emperor and Xie Jinghan are clearly boiling the frog in lukewarm water!" Lord Gan said with great distress. "If this continues, the interests of our aristocratic families will only be eroded step by step, until in the end, nothing will be left!"
"I'm not doing this just for personal grudges," Lord Gan said in a deep voice. "What I truly desire is for the Gan family to prosper forever!"
"But clearly... those two brothers are joining forces to prevent our family from benefiting." Lord Gan turned and left, leaving behind only his last words, "Are you going to be gradually devoured, until the family's century-old glory is lost in your own hands, or are you going to take a gamble... and fight for a century of glory in the future? Think about it carefully!"
After saying that, Lord Gan disappeared.
Minister Liu remained seated in the secret room, pondering for a long time, but still could not reach a conclusion.
Family glory...
He certainly wanted it.
But... now is not a good time.
When the imperial family prospers, the aristocratic families decline.
When the imperial family declines, aristocratic families rise.
This is an age-old truth, why can't Lord Gan understand it?
Now is the time for aristocratic families to lie low. After the emperor passes away and Xie Jinghan is gone for a hundred years, won't this world still belong to their aristocratic families?
Wise rulers and virtuous ministers are not something that can appear in every generation.
All they need to do now is wait!
The day the royal family declines will be the day their aristocratic family rises again.
However, he could only keep these words to himself and could not tell outsiders.