The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

Chapter 439 The Emperor's Wicked Heart Remains Undiminished

Inside the majestic palace hall, the candlelight flickered, casting two figures in shifting light.

The stagnant silence lasted for a full hour. Emperor Meiji and Qin Miaoxi did not utter a single word, but simply stared at each other in silence, as if they were engaged in a silent contest, or as if they were stubbornly refusing to compromise.

The intense competition was suddenly broken by the eunuch's shrill voice.

"Your Majesty, Marquis Xuanping requests an audience."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on both of their faces changed noticeably. Qin Miaoxi's tense facial muscles relaxed slightly; she had waited for this moment.

Emperor Meiji's eyes, however, were unfathomable, and his gaze grew increasingly deep.

He looked down at the woman below the stage, who responded with a nonchalant smile, which seemed more like a provocation: Now do you dare not make a declaration?

Emperor Meiji's jawline tightened, and his voice rang out solemnly: "Summon!"

The long, drawn-out sound carried into the distance. Lu Qingchen staggered into the hall, taking three or five steps before his feet wobbled and he half-knelt on the ground.

"How dare you, Marquis Xuanping! Do you even respect me?" Emperor Meiji roared furiously, yet his sharp eyes remained fixed on Qin Miaoxi, not moving an inch.

Qin Miaoxi scoffed inwardly. They really were using the same old trick of indirectly criticizing others; how boring.

She turned to look at Lu Qingchen, her pupils suddenly contracting as she was startled by the large patch of blood on his shoulder.

"You are hurt."

She quickly stepped forward to support Lu Qingchen. It wasn't that he was being deliberately pretentious, but rather that he had lost so much blood from the arrow wound in his shoulder that he was exhausted.

Lu Qingchen looked up, and after a moment of confusion, he regained his composure. "Wife?"

Knowing it wasn't appropriate to examine his wounds here, Qin Miaoxi immediately fed him a pill, saying, "Eat."

To everyone's surprise, he shook his head and stubbornly bowed to Emperor Meiji, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Emperor Meiji stared coldly at the two men, neither rising nor asking about the cause of their injuries.

Unfortunately, he was facing Lu Qingchen, who didn't play by the rules. Even without the Emperor's permission, he still had to finish telling his story.

He pulled a blood-stained booklet from his bosom, held it high above his head, took a deep breath, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, these are the officials who exchanged relief supplies for refugees with the royal family. Please take a look."

Emperor Meiji did not speak, but Qin Miaoxi would not tolerate his bad habit. Ignoring Lu Qingchen's frantic blinking, she took the booklet and presented it to him.

"Your Majesty, do not discourage the loyal ministers."

Emperor Meiji's expression hardened, and his grip on the dragon throne tightened unconsciously, but his face remained gentle and warm with a smile. "Of course."

Lu Qingchen glanced at the two of them blankly. [Am I hallucinating from excessive blood loss? Why is the Emperor treating my wife differently? Could it be that my wife…]

Qin Miaoxi lowered her head, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze, her heart pounding. Could he have guessed it?

My wife is truly adored by everyone; she's as beautiful as flowers. She's definitely one of my family's best friends.

Qin Miaoxi: "..."

It was a false alarm!

"Damn it, how dare they!" Emperor Meiji slammed his fist on the table in anger, causing the teacup on the table to wobble twice before falling to the ground and shattering into pieces.

The hall was eerily quiet. Normally, Eunuch Wu would have already stepped forward to comfort him, but at this moment... there was no one behind him, and below him were two utterly unruly men who made him feel uncomfortable all over.

"Marquis Xuanping, well done! You truly deserve to be called a pillar of the court. This time you have rendered a great service to the court."

Lu Qingchen humbly replied, "It is my mission to relieve His Majesty's worries and troubles, cough cough!"

Emperor Meiji seemed to only then notice the injury on his body, and hurriedly asked, "Minister Lu, where did you get this injury on your shoulder?"

"Before entering the palace, I was ambushed by a group of men in black. I thought that the roster could not be lost, so I took an arrow to avoid them and was able to present the roster to Your Majesty."

"It's that serious! Quickly summon the imperial physician; we can't delay the expedition!"

Emperor Meiji's eyes were full of worry, but his words made Qin Miaoxi's heart skip a beat. She then understood why Lu Qingchen had refused to take the medicine earlier. It turned out that the emperor had not given up on letting him lead the troops.

The imperial physician arrived breathlessly, carrying his medicine chest. When he learned that the physician was there to treat the Marquis of Xuanping's injuries, his anxiety finally subsided.

"Your Majesty, the arrowhead in Marquis Xuanping's shoulder is deeply embedded, and the arrowhead has barbs. If it is forcibly removed, it may damage the scapula and the tendons and bones of the arm. He will need to rest for 100 days before his arm can move normally."

Emperor Meiji was silent for a moment, then asked, "What if we don't take it?"

The imperial physician was stunned for a moment, unable to react. "If we don't remove it, it will worsen the wound. If it gets serious, we'll have to cut off the arm to save the patient's life."

Qin Miaoxi felt a chill in her heart. Emperor Meiji had intended to send him to the battlefield despite his injuries, not to bring him back!

The imperial physician lowered his eyes; he was just a junior physician and had no say in how to treat the patient.

"What are you still standing there for? Quickly take Marquis Xuanping to get treatment for his injuries."

How to cure?

The imperial physician dared not ask, and could only bite the bullet and agree, helping Lu Qingchen out of the main hall.

"The person is not dead, Lord Xuanwu can rest assured."

Sometimes, death brings peace of mind.

Their eyes met, and Emperor Meiji chuckled softly, "Does Your Excellency mean you're not going to treat it?"

Qin Miaoxi retorted sarcastically, "Is it because the Emperor still cares about my husband's life?"

"Does Your Excellency not wish to serve the country?" Emperor Meiji pondered meaningfully. "Does he intend to betray the nation?"

"His Majesty's mouth is getting more and more sharp. He uses纨绔 (spoiled brats) instead of military generals, which the entire court will not agree to. We, the Four Imperial Guards, will not let His Majesty act recklessly."

Both sides were testing each other's limits. Qin Miaoxi directly stated that she could represent the Four Imperial Guards. If Emperor Meiji insisted on going his own way, they would naturally have a way to bring everything back on track.

This was the right of their four imperial guards, and also the constraint that the royal family feared most.

"Is Lord Xuanwu threatening me?"

"No, it's just a reminder to His Majesty not to forget his original aspiration: how to be a wise ruler."

Emperor Meiji's grip on the dragon throne loosened, and then he slowly closed his eyes, saying in a hoarse voice, "I will not forget."

“If Your Majesty has nothing else to do, I should take Marquis Xuanping back to his residence, since it is not appropriate for men outside the palace to stay in the palace for long.”

Without waiting for Emperor Meiji's permission, she strode away.

As the sound faded into the distance, Emperor Meiji opened his eyes, revealing his angry gaze. It was this attitude of ignoring him that made him the supreme ruler. What right did those four have to be above him?

However, the commotion at the Marquis's residence should keep Xuanwu occupied, as for the other three...

Emperor Meiji whispered into the void, "We can proceed."

A voice replied from the shadows, "Yes."

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Be gentle, old man!" Lu Qingchen's pig-like screams could be heard before they even got there.

The imperial physician, sweating profusely, reassured him, "Young Marquis, please don't move around. We need to pull the arrow out."

"No, go find my wife, or don't touch me." Lu Qingchen insisted. How could his wife face the Emperor alone? If anything happened to her, he wouldn't even have time to cry.

"Nonsense!" Qin Miaoxi quickly walked to the imperial physician's side, patted the nervous physician, and said, "Thank you for your trouble. I will pull it out for him myself."

The imperial physician hastily abdicated, as he was utterly helpless against this little devil.

Lu Qingchen said pitifully, "Wife, let's go home! It hurts~"

"If you behave, it won't hurt." As soon as she finished speaking, the golden needle fell instantly. Qin Miaoxi asked the imperial physician to hand her a dagger that had been heated beforehand. With the slightest force of her fingertips, she slowly pulled out the barbed arrowhead embedded in her flesh, without pulling out a single piece of flesh or blood.

The imperial physician was shocked; his movements seemed so casual, yet they were incredibly skillful.

After the wound medicine was applied, Lu Qingchen let out a muffled groan.

Just as he was about to play the victim, Qin Miaoxi coldly interrupted him, "It didn't hurt when the arrow was pulled out, so what are you pretending for now?"

Lu Qingchen: "..."

【I was just afraid you'd feel bad if you heard! I should have yelled louder.】

"Can I leave?"

Lu Qingchen shook her head pitifully, "Where to?"

"go home."