MRE - Chapter 21 - Yizhan Fanfiction

Chapter 21

“Who?! Who did this! Who dare to harm the emperor!” The empress said during the emergency council meeting due to what happened to the emperor few days ago.

“Please lessen your rage Your Highness, we are already investigating who is the mastermind to this, we already captured a suspicious individual and interrogating him right now,” the prime minister said.

“That’s right Your Highness, you should rest as well. I will escort you first into your and I personally handle the investigation,” Youwen worriedly said, but the empress just clenched his fist and gritted his teeth due to anger.

After three whole days the emperor haven’t regained his conciousness, currently Xiao Zhan is the one who’s doing the official works and visits the emperor during the night. Xiao Xingchen also offered his help in nursing then emperor with Xue Yang and Lan Xichen guarding the chamber for the whole day.

As per the empress command, they only let the said person additionally the palace doctor to enter the emeperor’s chamber. Xiao Zhan suggested Wen Qing but Lan Xichen disagreed, he straightforwardly said to the empress that he do not fully trust him unlike the emperor since they are connected to the Wen Clan.

Everyone was wondering who is the mastermind of that explosion, especially it happened in front of the crown. Unfortunately it was only the emperor who was affected since it exploded in front of him and the others are on the safe distance during the time he is giving his respect to his late father.

Of course, the main suspect is the Prime Minister, and that was the people talking about since they are fully aware that he was in charge of that celebration, besides he also publicly humiliate the emperor by forcing him to duel with the minister of war.

However, due to lack of evidence and the prime minister also claimed that they already arrested one of the suspect, they cannot make a move to arrest even suspect the prime minister, that’s one of the reason why the empress has been having a bad temperament lately.

Additionally, Wen Qing also informed the empress to what have happened during her disappearance. She mentioned that she overheard the prime minister and other clan member together with Youwen, that they will have a surprise duel and Youwen would test the emeperor’s skill, if he is truly can no longer fight, but at the same time injured him in the process and let him miraculously win, just to humiliate him in public, it was also the first time that they will let the public to enter the palace and that is just for this reason, for the public to see that they have a weak emperor.

The empress fully trust Wen Qing, that is why they cannot arrest Wen Rouhan, since during their clan meeting, even him was so angry and commanding Youwen to find the mastermind as soon as possible. It seems that the prime minister is also aware that if they did not catch the culprit, he will become the first suspect and the people are already talking about it. That is why he asked someone to catch anyone and discreetly cut his tongue before handling to Youwen, he knew that the minister of war is in love with the empress so he might informed him as well.

Even now the empress hasn’t have any peaceful mind, thinking that there might be another assassination attempt to the emperor since they do not know who is the culprit, that even the Wen Clan is anxiously looking for. The empress visits the emperor at night, he is still praying and talking to the emperor who has bandages in his face.

“Lan Zhan, can you hear me? Please wake up soon and let’s get revenge to those people who did this to your face, I won’t forgive them if this will leave scars,” Xiao Zhan said to the sleeping emperor, however no matter how hard he convince him to wake up there’s still no sign, untill he also feel the sleepiness due to exhausting week, so while sitting beside the emperor’s bed, he also lean his forehead to have some nap, but before he falls asleep, he mumbles, “If you do not wake up, I will divorce you right now and ask Youwen to continue our supposed to be engagement.”

But before his eyes closed, the empress woke up with the sudden gripped on his wrist, he looked at the emperor, glaring at him, although he is not talking yet, but the empress didn’t even noticed this. He’s just happy that the emperor woke up and hurriedly call for the emperial doctor.

“How is he?” Xiao Zhan asked to doctor but weirdly enough for him, the emperor still holding on his wrist while he was being tested by the doctor. The doctor declared that he is already safe but might have a problem in hearing due to the loud explosion in front of him. After he dismissed the doctor, Lan Xichen also check the condition of his brother, but since he cannot hear him, he just stares at him and give him his reassuring smile. Xiao Zhan chose to stay since the emperor is not letting go of his wrist and he realized that since he has a problem in hearing, he didn’t hear the absurb and embarassing things that he mentioned when the emperor is unconcious thus he sighed in relief.

Since the emperor can move his hands, he asked the empress to give him a paper and brush. He tried to sit but the empress told him to just rest first, but he insisted, so Xiao Zhan assisted the emperor to sit so he can properly write.

“How are you?” the emperor wrote.

“I’m good, I should be the one asking you that,” Xiao Zhan wrote back.

“I miss you.”

The empress stiffened by what he have read, he wanted to cry, he has been worried for the last days and the real culprit hasn’t been captured yet, and all of the fatigue has been accummulated but he doesn’t want to cry so he wrote back, “I miss you too, welcome back!”

After another few days, the prime minister command to publicly execute the fake culprit as a real one to save his name. However, since the people do not what is happening inside the palace, they have blindly accept that the person in the execution platform is the real culprit, his head is covered by a black cloth and tightly wrap around his neck and cannot be be shown to the public due to gruesome condition.

The culprit can only make sound but cannot speak due to lost of his tongue, he is struggling desperately as they put his head in a guillotine to chop his head off, after a while his head flew off while still covered with black clothes. Youwen secured the head with another layer of clothes before the head falls out and the prime minister declared that the case has been closed and hoping for a peaceful empire.

“We received a report that the emperor already regained his conciousness, however it seems like he cannot hear so they are hiding this fact,” Wang Zhuliu said.

“Hahaha it seems that the heaven is on my side, we need to expedite the renunciation of the current emperor since he can no longer fulfill his purpose. Prepare immediately! Where’s Wen Chao? Inform him to prepare as well,” Wen Rouhan said.

“He is with Wang Lingjao last night, I will ask someone to fetch him,” Wen Zhuliu said.

“He is with that mistress again! That useless son of mine.”

Since it has been few days that the emperor woke up, he asked for an audience to the minister. After recuperating for a few days and with the help of the empress, the emeperor told them that he already regained his conciousness.

During the council meeting all of them are sarcastically asking for the emperor’s good health, but what they didn’t expect is that the emperor lpudly laughed at them due to absurb behavior of these officials.

“Y-your Majesty? Are you alright?” Some of them asked.

“Is he insane? Did he lost his mind?” Some of them murmured.

“It’s just funny how some of you look happy when your emperor almost got assassinated,” the emperor sarcastically said.

“Wh-what do you mean Your Majesty, of course we are worried and happy for your recovedy,” some of them said.

“Of course, you should be, since from now on, I’ll be the one who will arrest the culprit behind my assassination!”

The ministers was confused by the sudden declaration of the emperor, they insist that the culprit has been beheaded already and the case has been closed.

“Do you truly think that I would believe in all of your lies?!” The emperor said, thankfully he asked Youwen to escort the empress to their inn and Mianmian will temporarily hide him. He asked Wen Qing to drugged him and made him unable to move, the emperos doesn’t want him to hurt again so he decided to hide him first after cleaning the traitor in the palace.

The minsters was so mad by how their puppet emperor acts, they inwardly cursed him and mumbles that he is just a puppet emperor, but after a few seconds the door was recklessly opened by an army, to be specific army that was led by Lan Xichen and Xue Yangg.

“Arrest those traitors!” The emeperor commands.

The ministers was struggling even Wen Rouhan and even Wen Zhuliu cannot do anything, they only have few numbers of guard that was on their side and the army is currently pointing their swords on them.

“Please Your Majesty tell us what did we do to deserve this!”

“You are a traitor to the empire Prime Minister, you tried to assassinate the emperor,” Lan Xichen said.

“We already executed the culprit!” Wen Rouhan angrily screamed, Lan Xiche forcefully seal him so they cannot use their cultivation, he doesn’t want to use it but it was one of the talisman that Wei Wuxian has created when they were student and permanently banned due to its use.

“You executed the wrong person Prime Minister Wen,” the emperor said, and Xue Yang threw the clothes in front of them.

The horror was evident on their faces when they saw the head that falls out into the black clothe with a talisman on his head to reduce the decaying of the head.

“Y-young master,” Wen Zhuliu mumbles, while the prime minister froze on the spot. After the day of execution, Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao went missing and no one saw them ever since then that is why the prime minister is in a bad mood and greatly dissppointed to his son.

“I told you, you got the wrong person,” the emperor coldly said.

“No! No! Wen Chao!” Wen Rouhan screams out loud, no matter what he is still a fathef to Wen Chao.

“Hear me, this is a command today we will execute the traitors of the empire!” Lan Zhan commanded, the soldiers hurriedly dragged the minister to the public execution platform one by one.

The crowd was confused by what’s happening, while some of the soldiers who are wearing civilians clothes are relaying the news of execution of the traitor and real mastermind of the attempt assassination of the emperor. The ministers are begging in fear and asking for forgiveness and they only point to the prime minister. Xue Yang permanently removed the golden core of Wen Rouhan and Wen Zhuliu like waht they have been doing to others.

The emeperor declared that these officials will be executed due to the tyranny, corruption and attempt to subjugate the throne.

“People of the empire! Hear me! The emeperor has been clouded by the evil, he falsely accussed us without any evidence! You should let him hear your voice!” The prime minister screams.

“That’s right! Where’s the evidence!” Some of the people scream.

Lan Xichen, one by one declared of all the corruption that the officials did, not just simple corruption but also hoarding the necessary needs in market to sell it in a higher price. Lastly Xichen read the case of te prime minister.

“Lastly, the prime minister, like what have the othed ministers mentioned, it was directed by Wen Rouhan, he also discreetly experiment civilians especialy those who are homeless and soldiers and make them a fierce corpses, corruption, falsely accussing one of the soldier and falsely accused him the attempt assassinate to the emperor.

The civilian was stunned to what they have heard is that why there is a low number of homeless in their empire and those soldiers didn’t really die on a battlefied? What about their family? Is that why also there’s a lot of cases of fierce corpses attacking human? Some of the civilians murmured. A realization hits them that the inflation is always rising and they can no longef afford theid basic needs due to corrupt officials. They threw rocks at the mininters and called them demon.

“I am not the demon! This emperor is the demon! He killed my son! And how did you say we falsely accused someone when we killed someone to get the justice for your attempted assassination,” Wen Chao angrily declared and Xue Yang, brings out the head of Wen Chao.

“It is the proof that you falsely accused someone, you didn’t even check what he looks like, because you are just looking for a way for people not to suspect you. As everyone knew, it was the prime minister who was in charge of that ceremony, and this is the head of his son, who has the same sin as he did. They falsely accused one of my soldier, all of the evidence was found on their home, and this document shows their signature and print of their coalition, and your son was publicly beheaded by you,” the emperor said as Xue Yang declares evidence in public, together with the bodies of the soldiers that they were eperimenting.

Wen Rouhan have sudden realizations, that soldier that they falsely accused was one of the soldiers of the emperor, all of the evidence in one place, and some people are missing, the empress and his Wen attendants and Youwen, they betrayed him. He knew this day will come but he didn’t expect that the emperor will plat this kind of plot, wherein he even harm himself, he is indeed a good actor.

The emperor manages to fool them that he is the puppet, where in fact he has already wrapped around his string to his puppeeteers neck, and in a second Wen Rouhan saw himself as his head flew away from his body while he is occupied with his late realizations.

AN: Sorry no time to proofread, a bit long compared to my prev chaps😅