The lively music in the hall came to an abrupt halt at Kang Wang’s words.
The Empress and the Crown Prince’s expressions changed instantly.
The Empress’s voice rang out in anger, “Kang Wang! What are you doing? Tonight is the Lantern Festival. No matter what the issue is, it should be reported later. Leave immediately!”
The Crown Prince sighed, looking at Kang Wang helplessly. “Eighth Brother, I understand that the Fengcheng Marquis is your future father-in-law, but you cannot prioritize personal matters over the state. Military affairs are handled by the Grand Secretariat and the Six Ministries. How could you overstep like this?”
Jin Wang and Qi Wang exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with excitement.
Jin Wang was the first to speak. “Crown Prince, that’s not quite right. Eighth Brother is taking a great risk to report this—clearly, the situation is dire. Didn’t you hear him say that the Fengcheng Marquis is gravely injured?”
“Indeed, Crown Prince,” Qi Wang immediately agreed. “The Fengcheng Marquis holds the frontier. With him there, Qinan remains stable. If he is critically ill, the war situation there may change. Such an urgent matter must be reported to His Majesty immediately.”
Consort Gui cast a glance at Consort Xian, then at the silent Consort De, before finally turning her gaze toward Xiao Muchen.
She saw that his normally icy face was now tinged with rare shock—clearly, he had been caught off guard by Kang Wang’s news.
So, even Duan Wang was unaware?
She turned to look at the Empress and Crown Prince again, sensing something amiss in their reactions.
Before she could think further, the emperor asked, “Why are you reporting this yourself? Why was the Qinan dispatch not sent to the Ministry of War?”
Kang Wang trembled slightly. When he spoke, his voice wavered with fear.
“Replying… replying to Royal Father, the one delivering the message was a close attendant of Fengan Marquis. He did not have a military token, so the guards at the Ministry of War drove him away. With no other choice, he went to see Fengcheng Marquis Madam. However, it so happened that Fengcheng Marquis Madam had been invited by Xingan Marquis Madam to attend the Lantern Festival banquet at the Xingan Manor tonight. The attendant could only seek out Miss Zheng. As a sheltered lady of the inner court, she had never encountered such a situation before, so she sent the attendant to Kang Wang’s residence. Since I was in the palace, the guards at the manor took the report he brought and delivered it into my hands.”
Kang Wang finally understood why his fourth brother wanted Fengcheng Marquis Madam to attend Xingan Marquis Madam’s banquet.
So this was the setup!
The emperor’s face grew even darker as he stared at Kang Wang and asked, “Why was the military report sent to the capital by Fengan Marquis’s attendant? Where were the army’s couriers?”
Kang Wang felt uncomfortable under his father’s suspicious gaze. But remembering his fourth brother’s words, he took a deep breath and said, “Royal Father, the army couriers couldn’t deliver the message. Fengan Marquis’s attendant said that the battle in Qinan was intense. Our Great Chu suffered heavy troop losses without reinforcements, and Fengan Marquis personally led charges on the battlefield.”
“After being wounded, he petitioned the court three times for reinforcements, but received no response. He suspected something had happened to the couriers, so he had his attendant disguise himself as a commoner and rush to the capital with the military report. Royal Father… Royal Father, I do not know what is going on, but Fengan Marquis is critically ill. Please send the imperial physicians to save his life!”
Kang Wang bowed his head heavily to the ground, the sound echoing through the hall. Xiao Muchen’s lips tightened into a thin line.
The emperor’s slightly clouded eyes swept over everyone present, and the hall fell into silence.
Then, the emperor stood up, his expression grim, and left Kunde Palace.
Seeing this, Kang Wang, in a rare moment of quick thinking, immediately followed.
Jin Wang and Qi Wang exchanged glances before swiftly leaving as well—this was an opportunity they could not afford to miss.
Even the crown prince strode out, and only then did Xiao Muchen follow behind him.
The empress sat high above, her face extremely pale.
How could this be…
Everything had been arranged perfectly.
Consort Gui, seeing the empress’s expression, blinked and spoke with a concerned tone, “Your Majesty, who could be so audacious as to block Fengan Marquis’s military report? This is a matter of life and death!”
Consort Xian’s cold gaze settled on the empress, her voice heavy with meaning. “Indeed, Your Majesty, who would dare? I truly cannot understand who would want to obstruct Fengan Marquis’s report from reaching the capital.”
Consort De sighed softly. “The lives of tens of thousands of soldiers are at stake, yet someone is so ruthless and reckless. No wonder His Majesty is furious.”
The empress: …
“Everyone, disperse,” the empress said abruptly, rising and leaving without another word.
Consort Gui was the first to leave. Stepping out of Kunde Palace, she glanced up at the bright moon hanging in the sky, her mind unsettled.
Did Kang Wang bring this matter before the emperor purely by coincidence, or was there more to it?
Given Kang Wang’s usual nature, how did he dare to do such a thing?
And yet, he did.
Thinking carefully, it wasn’t surprising—Fengan Marquis was his future father-in-law. it was only natural for him to speak up.
Consort Gui grew even more confused. What a pity that Consort Shu missed this spectacle—if she were here, with her cleverness, she might have figured something out.
With this in mind, Consort Gui changed direction and headed toward Cuiwei Palace.
if Consort Shu hadn’t come, she could visit her instead.
Such a grand drama—how could she miss out?
Meanwhile, the emperor returned to Chongzheng Hall and immediately summoned Gelao Zhang Qicheng and Minister of War Ye Fu to the palace.
The confidential report in Kang Wang’s hands was now in the emperor’s possession. After reading it, his expression grew even darker, like storm clouds rolling in.
His sharp gaze swept over his sons, making even the usually carefree Qi Wang stand rigidly, barely daring to breathe.
Had he known, he wouldn’t have come to watch the drama unfold.
The crown prince stood at the forefront of his brothers, his gaze deliberately drifting toward the military report on the imperial desk.
Stepping forward, he said, “Royal Father, please calm your anger. Your health is paramount. The truth must be uncovered, but Fengan Marquis’s life is also at stake. it would be best to send the imperial physicians to Qinan immediately.”
The emperor’s expression softened slightly at the crown prince’s words. Looking at Ding Zhao, he ordered, “Issue an imperial decree at once. Dispatch two imperial physicians to Qinan immediately.”
“Yes,” Ding Zhao bowed, accepting the decree before hurrying out of Chongzheng Hall to personally deliver the order to the imperial hospital.
The crown prince exhaled slightly. it was best for Fengan Marquis to remain silent forever.
Xiao Muchen glanced at the crown prince. He was happy too soon. By sending two physicians, Royal Father ensured they would keep each other in check.
Even if the crown prince had people within the imperial hospital, they would be too restrained to act recklessly.
Besides, Fengan Marquis’s critical illness might just be a ploy.
If the crown prince’s people tried anything drastic, they might fall into his trap instead.
The news that Zhang Gelao and Minister of War Ye had been summoned to the palace quickly spread.
With banquets in every household, it was impossible to keep such news secret.
By the time Mingxi received word, the entire capital already knew that Fengan Marquis was critically ill.
Mingxi placed a piece on the chessboard and looked at Duan Qi. “You lost.”
Duan Qi, now distracted, asked, “Elder Sister, is it true? Did someone really dare to intercept the army couriers?”
To a scholar, the world was still simple. When he left Fengan Marquis’s military camp, the situation had not yet escalated. He had never heard of couriers being intercepted.
How had things changed so drastically in the blink of an eye?
