Chapter 462 Father, You've Been Emperor for Too Long, You Should Rest

After discussing it with Zi Xing, the next day King Xiao, accompanied by two attendants, went to the palace to request an audience with Emperor Wenjian.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Prince Xiao respectfully bowed deeply to Emperor Wenjian.

"Rise. What brings you to see me today?"

Emperor Wenjian waved his hand, subtly observing Prince Xiao's expression and demeanor.

Yesterday, he personally ordered the execution of his son's beloved, and it's unclear whether the son harbors any resentment towards him.

Although King Xiao spoke with sincerity yesterday, he still dared not fully believe him.

Emperor Wenjian saw that King Xiao remained calm and composed throughout, and did not appear haggard. Only then did he put aside his doubts.

"Father, I have something important to tell you, and I would like to ask you to dismiss all the palace servants."

King Xiao was extremely respectful, his expression solemn.

Emperor Wenjian frowned slightly. What could have made him so serious?

However, out of curiosity, he waved his hand and sent all the eunuchs and palace maids away from the hall.

"Prince Xiao, why haven't your attendants left yet?"

After all the people around Emperor Wenjian had left, he looked at Prince Xiao with a puzzled expression, only to see two attendants standing there motionless behind him.

"Father, how can they leave?"

Just then, King Xiao suddenly changed his expression and chuckled softly.

"What...what are you going to do?"

Emperor Wenjian quickly realized something was wrong. Seeing the terrifying look in Prince Xiao's eyes, he had a bad feeling.

"Come on---um..."

Emperor Wenjian was about to shout for help, but before he could even utter a sound, a servant beside Prince Xiao suddenly choked him with lightning speed.

Emperor Wenjian's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, but he couldn't utter a sound.

"Father, you have been emperor for so long, you must be tired. I am giving you a chance to rest. You don't need to thank me too much."

Xiao Wang walked up to Emperor Wenjian and smiled wickedly.

"Hmm..."

Emperor Wenjian struggled, his eyes glaring at Prince Xiao as if they were daggers. Had he known this day would come, he shouldn't have spared him just because he was his own flesh and blood!

He struggled desperately, trying to touch something to attract his guards, but before he could move, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

Because Zi Xing had just lit a bewitching incense stick in his palace.

Not to mention Emperor Wenjian, even his secret guards had been drugged without their knowledge.

After a while, Zi Xing changed into Emperor Wen Jian's clothes. She was very tall, not much shorter than Emperor Wen Jian, but a little thinner, so she stuffed some things into her clothes.

Her face was now disguised to look exactly like Emperor Wenjian, while the real Emperor Wenjian was disguised as the guard who had just been beside her.

When he left, Prince Xiao, citing Emperor Wenjian's disrespectful behavior in front of the palace, had him escorted back to his own palace.

All of this happened silently, and with Zi Xing's medication and face-changing skills, no one noticed.

*

Two days later, Emperor Wenjian announced to the outside world that he was seriously ill. He stopped attending court and meeting with ministers, and instead stayed in his Yangxin Hall every day to recuperate.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Prince Xiao entered the palace every day to serve the emperor, and soon his reputation for virtue and filial piety spread far and wide.

Emperor Wenjian took the opportunity to praise him in this imperial edict. In order to prevent Xiao Ye from becoming suspicious, Emperor Wenjian asked Prince Xiao to cooperate with Xiao Ye in handling political affairs.

When Xiao Ye went to the palace to visit Emperor Wenjian, he always used the excuse that it was not advisable to let his illness affect him, and he would observe him from behind a curtain.

Beneath the hazy curtains, Emperor Wenjian coughed incessantly, rarely speaking, and when he did speak, his voice was hoarse, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor.

"Father, why don't you ask the Crown Princess to examine you? She once obtained some precious medicinal herbs by chance, and her medical skills are no less than those of the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital. Perhaps she can cure you."

Xiao Ye said sincerely.

"No need, you can leave if you have nothing else to do."

Emperor Wenjian refused in a hoarse voice.

"Father, the Crown Princess still has a Snow Lotus. It might be used as medicine to cure illnesses. Don't you really want to give it a try?"

"What? There's also snow lotus?"

Emperor Wenjian couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Xiao Ye's brows suddenly furrowed; his father's voice sounded very strange.

"There is one last one, but the Snow Lotus is very delicate. Most doctors would not use it. It will require the Crown Princess's personal care to administer it to you."

"It's alright, I've eaten it before. Just have someone send this Snow Lotus to the palace."

Emperor Wenjian said.

She couldn't see Su Liluo and the others; they were much more perceptive than ordinary people, and the less she met them, the less risk she would expose.

If I hadn't heard about the Snow Lotus that has disappeared from this world, I wouldn't have said so much.

Having listened for so long, Xiao Ye, with his keen hearing, immediately became quite certain that the Emperor Wenjian before him was an imposter.

So, while the Emperor Wenjian was silent, he suddenly lifted the curtain.

"How dare you! What are you doing!"

Emperor Wenjian let out a soft roar in his hoarse voice, his eyes meeting Xiao Ye's.

Upon seeing that identical face, Xiao Ye had no choice but to immediately admit his mistake.

"Father, I was just anxious and concerned about you. I wanted to see your complexion so I could tell the Crown Princess when I got back and see if she had any way to treat you."

"Alright, you can leave now."

Emperor Wenjian said this in an annoyed tone.

She couldn't blame him for this reason; to avoid being exposed, all she wanted now was to get rid of Xiao Ye.

Upon seeing the person, Xiao Ye obediently retreated.

However, after returning to the Prince's mansion, he still felt strange. The voices were different, but the faces were exactly the same.

So he told Su Liluo and the others about his doubts.

"My lord, the emperor might be in disguise."

After listening, Su Liluo immediately offered her own guess and pushed Gao Yuanbin, who was standing to the side, in front of Xiao Ye.

“My brother is a master of disguise. Why don’t we send him and the secret guards to the palace tonight to take a look? That way he’ll know whether the Emperor has really been switched or disguised.”

"good!"

Xiao Ye naturally believed Su Liluo's words, and that very night, he, Gao Yuanbin, and several guards secretly broke into the palace.

The group moved swiftly and cautiously, scaling walls and rooftops. Before Xiao Ye could even get close to Emperor Wenjian's bedchamber, he noticed something different about the palace.

"Oh no, the palace's secret guards include Prince Xiao's men. The few we just drugged were Prince Xiao's subordinates."

Xiao Ye said.

"It seems there really is something strange about this palace. Should we still go over there?"

"Of course we have to go. We need to be 100% sure before we can move on to the next step."

"good!"

The group continued forward, knocking out many guards and secret agents along the way.

When they arrived at the Emperor's bedchamber, they peered over the roof and saw that Emperor Wenjian had dismissed all the palace servants and was about to undress to take a bath.