Phi-Fic Chapter 1001 Something's fishy
Chapter 1001 Something's fishy
Upon hearing that Zhen Song was lifeless, the Emperor froze, his hands gripping the armrests of his throne tightly. He stared intently at the kneeling imperial physician, his voice trembling slightly, and asked again in disbelief:
"Say it again? What happened to General Zhen...?"
Imperial Physician Tian kowtowed deeply, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, his voice trembling and choked with sobs as he answered the Emperor:
“Your Majesty, everything I have said is true! General Zhen not only had multiple stab wounds in his chest from sharp swords, but also several holes from unidentified objects. Those wounds had damaged his heart and lungs. When we examined him, the General… he had already lost his pulse and breath…”
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Feng and Tuoba Zeyang, who were standing to the side, exchanged a quiet glance.
The next second, Tuoba Feng feigned astonishment, his eyes wide open, his voice filled with disbelief:
"Imperial Physician Tian, what...what did you say? General Zhen...he's dead? How is that possible! Just now, when I personally escorted the General to the Imperial Hospital, he was still breathing!"
"Second Prince, it's...it's true! I dare not speak presumptuously, but General Zhen has indeed...passed away," Physician Tian prostrated himself in defense.
He knew perfectly well that, judging from Zhen Song's condition, he was probably already dead when the Second Prince brought him to the palace, but he dared not say it aloud and could only swallow his words.
"Father, I risked my life to save General Zhen from that soldier! He was still alive at the time! How... how could this happen..." Tuoba Feng continued his performance with great sincerity, seemingly feeling extremely wronged.
Emperor Dan was equally incredulous. Just over an hour ago, he had personally ordered Zhen Song to lead troops to intercept the Western Chu delegation; how could they have vanished so quickly?
He slammed his hand on the dragon desk, causing the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to crash to the floor with a loud crash, the sound particularly jarring in the hall. His eyes were filled with rage as he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! Fine! Feng'er, has someone secretly helped them again?"
Tuoba Feng shook his head. "Father, we don't have any powerful people helping them. The divine artifacts they possess are powerful enough on their own. I'm afraid we can't fight them..."
He wanted to take this opportunity to persuade his father, the Emperor, to temporarily stop dealing with the Western Chu Kingdom, but before he could finish speaking, the Emperor angrily exclaimed, "What a Western Chu Kingdom! How dare they lay such a vicious hand on my General Dan Yan! Feng'er, that soldier you mentioned must be a spy from the Western Chu Kingdom!"
At this moment, Crown Prince Tuoba Di, who had not yet left, was stunned upon learning of his father-in-law Zhen Song's death. What? His father-in-law Zhen Song was dead?
After a long while, he seemed to realize what was happening, and his gaze swept coldly over Tuoba Feng and Tuoba Zeyang.
He absolutely refused to believe that Zhen Song had died at the hands of the people of Western Chu, and he did not believe that the people of Western Chu would possess any powerful magical artifacts.
He was even less inclined to believe that a mere soldier could suddenly appear and kill the general; there must be something fishy going on.
He strode up to his father, the emperor, and said, "Father, shouldn't we quickly summon the head of the Imperial Medical Academy to personally treat General Zhen?"
The Emperor nodded, about to speak.
At this moment, Physician Tian kowtowed again and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Imperial Physician had already been trying to save General Zhen at the Imperial Hospital, but because there was no hope, he sent me to report this."
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Di's eyes filled with tears, and he knelt before his father, saying, "Father, I believe that General Zhen's death was suspicious. I implore you to issue an edict to thoroughly investigate General Zhen's death!"
Just then, the Prime Minister and several ministers heard the news that Zhen Song was seriously injured and that all efforts to save him had failed. They were skeptical, but rushed to the Emperor's temporary office.
As soon as they entered the main hall, they felt the emperor's fury, confirming the news of General Zhen's death. Everyone immediately knelt down, not daring to breathe, but their thoughts were varied.
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's request for a thorough investigation, officials from the Crown Prince's faction echoed his sentiments, earnestly urging the Emperor to conduct a thorough investigation.
In particular, the Crown Prince's maternal uncle, the Right Chancellor Wanyan Hengyi, straightened up and looked at the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, my opinion is the same as the Crown Prince's. The cause of General Zhen's death is unclear, and this matter must not be left ambiguous. I implore you to investigate thoroughly!"
"Your Majesty, I second that!" Several other ministers chimed in.
At this moment, the Emperor Dan was already filled with doubt. His sharp and complicated gaze fell on Tuoba Feng. He was filled with suspicion. Could Zhen Song's death really be related to his son?
Or was it his own brother, Prince Han's, idea? He then coldly glanced at Prince Han's son, Tuoba Zeyang. Was it because he had Zhen Song participate in the training of the Desert King?
Originally, the training of the Desert King was entirely managed by Prince Han and Tuoba Feng. He was wary of his younger brother Tuoba Honghan's ambition, which was why he specifically sent Zhen Song to keep him in check. Now that Zhen Song has suddenly died, he can't help but have many thoughts.
Tuoba Feng feigned innocence, but he knew perfectly well what was going on. He had originally planned to take this opportunity to suggest to his father, the emperor, that the goddess be dealt with. This would not only deprive the crown prince of General Zhen, but also cut off the support of the Danyan tribe.
But now his father's gaze was sharp as a knife, and his eyes were clearly filled with suspicion, so he had no choice but to suppress his thoughts and remain silent.
Just then, the Fourth Prince Tuoba Lei stumbled in and knelt down before the Emperor with a thud, his voice trembling: "Father, Father, my maternal uncle... is he...?"
Emperor Dan snapped out of his reverie, looked at the panicked Tuoba Lei, and slowly nodded, his tone heavy: "Lei'er, your uncle... did it for the sake of Danyan Kingdom..."
Before he could finish speaking, Tuoba Lei burst into tears, crying out, "No...it's impossible! Father, there must be a mistake...please have the imperial physician examine him again!"
"Lei'er, your eldest uncle... is currently at the Imperial Hospital. Go and see him one last time." The Emperor closed his eyes, his voice tinged with weariness.
Then, the Emperor took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and swept his piercing gaze across the crowd in the hall, his voice icy:
"Issue my decree! Crown Prince, in addition to the tasks I previously assigned you to investigate, you must personally oversee a thorough investigation by the Court of Judicial Review into the cause of General Zhen's death. The matter must be clarified within three days!"
"Your subject obeys the decree!" Tuoba Di bowed and accepted the order.
The Emperor then turned to Tuoba Feng and Tuoba Zeyang, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority:
"You two witnessed the events firsthand today, so you will assist the Crown Prince in investigating the case. Record everything you saw today without concealing anything!"
"My son, I obey!"
"Your subject obeys!" The two bowed in response.
The Emperor waved his hand wearily: "All of you, step back... I want to be alone."
Everyone bowed and withdrew from the main hall, leaving only the Emperor Dan seated on the dragon throne. Standing beside him was his personal eunuch, Eunuch Teng.
He slowly picked up the piece of paper on the table with a drawing of a strange flying object, his eyes complex and deep.
Today's blow was too heavy for him. It almost suffocated him, as if he were being held hostage by some unknown force.
Hearing about the unheard-of weapons of the Western Chu Kingdom and the sudden death of Zhen Song... it all seemed to be aimed at their Dan Yan Kingdom.