The Legendary Female Strategist

Chapter 28 - Dutifully Carrying Out a Paid Service

"What did you just say!?"

A figure clothed in magnificent, golden robes suddenly stood up from where he had just been laying in bed. At his abrupt movement, all of his servants and guards immediately knelt on the floor in a panic. The doctor in front of him had also already hurriedly kowtowed as he tried to urge him to lay back down.

"Your Majesty! Please do not get up! After many hardships and trails, this humble doctor has finally been able to dilute most of the poison in your body. Your Majesty has only just awakened from a two-week coma! Please do not get so worked up yet!"

Long Yi ignored the doctor as he narrowed his furious gaze at all the people around him. Although his skin was still a sickly shade of yellow, Long Yi's eyes were blazing with anger. He was absolutely livid.

"What has happened while Zhen was unconscious! How did it manage to get to this state! Eunuch Li! Explain!"

Hearing his name called, the frightened Eunuch ran forward and dropped to his knees in front of Long Yi. He hastily bowed in fear several times on the ground so hard that his forehead was beginning to bleed.

"R-replying to Your Majesty!  We found that someone had poisoned the entire water supply in the palace with a lethal drug. The symptoms seemed like a simple poisoning at first, but after three hours, the condition of the patient would suddenly plummet at a frightening speed. Your Majesty along with other guests and servants all fell ill at the same time, but due to not having a current imperial doctor, we were unable to treat them all. Many guests and servants passed away during the banquet causing the general public to go into a panic. Some have even started calling Her Majesty, the Empress, as the reason for all this bad-luck."

"Then what about all the chaos in Zhen's court!? Explain that!"

Hearing the Emperor shout at him, the eunuch paled even more.

"T-two large factions of Your Majesty's court are currently fighting against each other. General Zhao and the Grand Chancellor have been hostile towards each other ever since Your Majesty fell unconscious two weeks ago."

"And why is that?"

"That is because..." The eunuch gulped. He didn't dare raise his head to glance at the Emperor. 

"The Zhao family found out about their daughter, Concubine Zhao, being used as a replacement for the real Empress. They caused a loud ruckus and all came to the palace to complain. Your Majesty knows that they have a quite powerful position in the army. If they wanted to, they might even be powerful enough to lead a revolt against the imperial family. Us servants were not able to keep the entire situation under control. And once the Grand Chancellor heard about General Zhao's intense anger, he began to openly act hostile towards their entire family."

Long Yi coldly closed his eyes and rubbed at his temples as another intense headache began. 

"Your Majesty, if this lowly eunuch is allowed to speculate..." The eunuch trailed off until he received Long Yi's icy look. Quickly, the eunuch rattled off the information that almost everyone in the palace knew by now.

"The Grand Chancellor's oldest and most brightest son is currently serving as a lieutenant general in the army. If the Zhao family ends up angering Your Majesty, they will all be exiled meaning that the Grand Chancellor's son will have room to take the role of General Zhao's position. That is why the Grand Chancellor is trying to provoke the Zhao family even more."

The eunuch hesitated making Long Yi angrily shout at him again.

"What else? Spit it out!" 

"Y-yes Your Majesty! As of three days ago, all twenty-two of the Imperial Concubines in the inner palace have passed away. We still have not been able to find out the cause. All of their respectable and influential families are furious saying that it was all because Your Majesty abruptly decided to make such a scheming woman as the Empress of the Wei Kingdom. Many of them have pulled their support away from Your Majesty."