Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 112 The Queen Arrives

"The Queen has arrived!" The sharp announcement broke the solemn atmosphere in the room. Wu Tao's heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously clenched Hu Bugui's hand. Hu Bugui held her hand in his backhand, gave her a soothing look, then stood up and went out with Wu Tao to greet her.

The Queen, dressed in a bright red palace dress, walked hurriedly into the room with a look of anxiety on her face. She glanced at Hu Bugui and Wu Tao, and finally landed on Doctor Wang. She asked anxiously, "Doctor Wang, the Emperor..."

Doctor Wang knelt down and saluted, "Your Majesty, the emperor is not feeling well, but his life is not in danger."

The queen breathed a sigh of relief, but her brows were still furrowed. "What exactly happened? Why did the emperor suddenly become seriously ill?"

Hu Bugui stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have already found out that the Emperor did not catch a cold, but was poisoned by a chronic drug."

"Poisoned?" The queen exclaimed, her face suddenly turning pale. "Who is so bold as to murder the emperor?"

"This matter is of great importance. I have already launched a secret investigation, and I believe the truth will soon come to light." Hu Bugui's tone was steady, but it revealed an unquestionable firmness.

The Queen gave Hu Bugui a deep look, then turned to Doctor Wang and said, "Doctor Wang, the Emperor is now in your care. You must cure him, otherwise I will hold you responsible!"

"I obey your command!" Doctor Wang kowtowed.

After seeing off the queen, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao immediately returned to the room and closed the door. The atmosphere in the room became solemn again.

"It seems that our every move is under surveillance by others." Wu Tao said in a low voice.

Hu Bugui nodded, a cold light flashed in his eyes, "I'm afraid the Queen came here not only to visit the Emperor, but also to test us."

"So what should we do now?" Wu Tao asked.

"If an enemy comes, we will fight him with our troops; if a flood comes, we will block it with earth." Hu Bugui said calmly, "The most important thing for us now is to find the antidote. As long as the emperor wakes up, everything will be revealed."

In the next few days, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao stayed in the study room almost all the time, reading various medical books, looking for ways to detoxify. Although Wu Tao was not a doctor, he also provided some ideas with his knowledge of modern medicine. Doctor Wang was surprised by the princess's knowledge and admired the two of them.

Finally, with their unremitting efforts, they finally found a way to crack the poison. After taking the special antidote, the emperor's condition gradually improved and his complexion gradually became ruddy.

Seven days later, the emperor finally woke up. After learning the truth about his poisoning, the emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. Hu Bugui took the opportunity to present the evidence he had, pointing directly at the prime minister as the mastermind.

The emperor looked at the evidence in his hand with a terribly gloomy face. He never expected that the minister he had trusted for many years would do such a treasonous thing!

"Someone come!" the emperor roared, "Throw the prime minister into the prison and interrogate him strictly!"

As the emperor's order was issued, the situation in the court suddenly changed...

As the emperor's order was issued, the originally silent hall was like a lake with a huge rock thrown into it, and it instantly stirred up a storm. The prime minister's face turned pale, and he collapsed to the ground, muttering to himself: "Impossible... Impossible..." He had carefully planned everything and thought it was flawless, so how could it be discovered by Hu Bugui?

The guards did not dare to neglect it, and quickly stepped forward, tied up the prime minister, and took him away. In the court, the ministers looked at each other and whispered to each other. No one expected that the prime minister who was so powerful in the court would become a prisoner overnight.

Wu Tao stood behind Hu Bugui, watching the scene in front of him, but he didn't relax at all. The prime minister had been in the court for many years and had many followers, so how could he surrender so easily?

As expected by Wu Tao, after the prime minister was taken away, several officials in the court stood up to plead for the prime minister. Their words were sincere and heartfelt, as if the prime minister was the victim.

Hu Bugui watched coldly, without making any movement. He knew that these people were all the prime minister's confidants, and at this moment, the more they spoke for the prime minister, the more they exposed their own positions.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is loyal and has made great contributions to the court. There must be a misunderstanding!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, please be more discerning and don't wrongly accuse a good person!"

……

Listening to these people's explanations, the emperor's face became more and more ugly. Although he had just recovered from a serious illness, he was not confused. He had long been aware of the prime minister's ambition, but he had always turned a blind eye to it because of their old friendship. Now the prime minister was so bold that he wanted to murder him. How could he tolerate this?

"Enough!" The emperor shouted angrily, interrupting those people's pleas, "The evidence of the prime minister's guilt is irrefutable, how can you talk nonsense here! Come, arrest these people together!"

The guards took orders and arrested the officials who had pleaded for the prime minister. The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became extremely tense.

Wu Tao knew that this was the best time to disintegrate the Prime Minister's power. She whispered a few words into Hu Bugui's ear. Hu Bugui's eyes flashed with admiration and he nodded.

"Your Majesty," Hu Bugui stepped forward and bowed, "I have something else to report."

"Speak." The emperor looked at Hu Bugui with trust in his eyes.

Hu Bugui pulled out a list from his sleeve and presented it to the emperor. "This is the result of my secret investigation over the past few days. It records the names and evidence of the crimes of all the prime minister's followers."

The emperor took the list and read it carefully, his face becoming increasingly gloomy. On this list, not only court officials, but also local officials, and even some royal relatives were involved, which shows how powerful the prime minister is.

"What a prime minister! How courageous!" The emperor was furious and threw the list fiercely on the dragon throne. "Pass on my decree. All the people on the list will be dismissed and investigated. If there is resistance, they will be killed without mercy!"

"Yes, sir!" The guards took the order and quickly went down to carry it out.

In the court, the Prime Minister's followers who had originally hoped for the best were now pale and collapsed to the ground. They knew that this time, they were completely finished.

Wu Tao watched this scene and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although the Prime Minister's power was huge, the monkeys scattered when the tree fell. Now that the Prime Minister was gone, his followers would naturally become dogs without a home, and there was no need to be afraid.

However, Wu Tao did not take it lightly, she knew that the real test had just begun...

In the hall, the situation was changing rapidly. The prime minister who was so arrogant just now has now become a drowned dog that everyone wants to beat. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he felt desperate, but it also aroused his ferocious nature. Taking advantage of the guards' carelessness, he suddenly broke free from his restraints and rushed out of the hall like crazy.

"Hurry up and stop him!" Seeing the prime minister trying to escape, the palace was in chaos. The guards hurriedly chased him, but were knocked away by his desperate brute force and were about to escape from the palace.

"Want to escape? That's not that easy!" Seeing this, Hu Bugui rushed forward and blocked the prime minister's way. His eyes were sharp and his tone was cold, as if he was looking at a dead person.

The prime minister was so panicked that he drew his sword and stabbed Hu Bugui: "Get out of here! Whoever dares to stop me, I will kill him without a burial place!"

"You don't know your own limitations!" Hu Bugui dodged the attack by leaning sideways and kicked the prime minister in the chest, sending him flying.

The prime minister fell heavily to the ground, spitting out blood. He struggled to get up, but found a pair of black boots in front of him. He raised his head with difficulty and saw the person coming, his eyes were suddenly filled with fear.

"General Li..." The man who came was General Li, the commander of the imperial guards. He came on the emperor's orders to capture the prime minister.

The prime minister looked ashen, he knew that he was finished, completely finished. General Li was a man of integrity, he never bent the law for personal gain, if he fell into his hands, there was no chance of survival.

General Li waved his hand, and several soldiers stepped forward, tied up the prime minister, and took him away. He walked up to Hu Bugui, bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous."

"General Li, you are too serious. It is everyone's responsibility to eradicate the treacherous and corrupt officials." Hu Bugui said calmly.

General Li nodded and turned to leave. He knew that this storm was far from over, but at least they had taken the most important step.

The emperor ordered the prime minister to be brought to the imperial study. He wanted to personally interrogate this daring traitor. The atmosphere in the imperial study was suffocating. The prime minister knelt on the ground, trembling. He knew that what awaited him would be the emperor's thundering wrath.

"Do you have anything else to say?" The emperor's voice was cold and emotionless.

The prime minister raised his head and looked at the king who had trusted him so much, his heart was filled with regret and despair. He opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but found that he could not say anything.

"Come here, throw this traitor into the prison and wait for your punishment!" The emperor gave the order directly without giving him any chance.

The guards took the order and dragged the prime minister away. The emperor was the only one left in the imperial study. He looked at the empty room, and a trace of fatigue and loneliness flashed in his eyes. This storm made him see many things clearly and made him cherish everything in front of him more. He knew that there was still a long way to go in the future, but he believed that as long as Hu Bugui and Wu Tao were there, the Tang Dynasty would definitely get better and better.

 Peach blossoms shine brightly in Chang'an

 Chapter 112: Sudden Change

The Prime Minister's defeat was like a huge rock falling into the water, causing a thousand waves inside and outside the court. The people rushed to tell each other and applauded. They had long been dissatisfied with the Prime Minister's tyranny, and now that the evil man had been brought to justice, they were naturally very happy.

The atmosphere in the palace was not as relaxed as it seemed. Although the emperor had dealt with the prime minister, he was also exhausted by the incident. He knew that the prime minister had been running the government for many years and had followers throughout the government and the country. It would take time to completely eliminate his influence.

The wisdom and courage shown by Hu Bugui and Wu Tao in this storm won respect and praise from both inside and outside the palace. The emperor relied more on Hu Bugui and often summoned him to the palace to discuss state affairs. The queen also praised Wu Tao and often invited her to the palace to accompany her. They were quite close in their conversation.

One day, the queen summoned Wu Tao to Fengyi Palace, ordered the palace servants to serve her fragrant tea and cakes, held her hand, and asked kindly: "You have worked hard these days."

Wu Tao quickly stood up and saluted: "Your Majesty, your words are too kind. I dare not take credit for them."

The Queen motioned for her to sit down, and sighed softly, "I know that if you and the Prince had not been prepared for this incident, the consequences would be disastrous. Don't worry, the Queen and the Emperor will remember your and the Prince's contributions."

Wu Tao knew that the queen was sincerely thanking them, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. She smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. Everything that the minister and the prince have done is for the Tang Dynasty, for the emperor and the queen."

The queen nodded with satisfaction, chatted with Wu Tao about family matters for a while, and then let her leave.

The tense atmosphere in the palace gradually eased, and Hu Bugui and Wu Tao finally had a rare moment of peace. They cherished this hard-earned peace, strolling in the garden of the palace, chatting, and enjoying each other's company.

However, the gears of fate have never stopped turning. Beneath the calm surface, undercurrents are surging, and a greater crisis is quietly brewing.

That evening, the sun was setting and the sky was burning with a fiery red cloud. After finishing his official business, Hu Bugui returned to his study and walked to the desk as usual, only to find an unsigned letter on the desk.

Confused, he picked up the letter and opened it. He saw only two short lines of words on it:

**“The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Be careful of the person next to you.”**

The handwriting was sloppy and sharp, revealing a chilling chill. Hu Bugui frowned, and a bad feeling rose in his heart...