Translator: 549690339 |
Another soldier, shivering from head to toe, said in horror, âYou, you werenât poisoned, were you? Why is blood flowing from every orifice?â
Maoâer continued to clutch his stomach and cry out in pain.
As he cried out, his voice gradually lowered, eventually turning into disorganized groans and then finally disappearing, leaving no sound at all.
The other soldier watched helplessly as Maoâerâs blood flowed from every hole, dying with his eyes wide open.
Looking at this way of death, it must have been from poisoning.
The soldierâs gaze shifted to the basket on the ground.
There were still quite a lot of food and drinks in the basket, and the roast chicken had been reduced to bones.
He knew that it was the food here that had turned Maoâer into this state.
Fortunately, he didnât eat any.
The soldier felt a moment of relief, but also a sense of fear.
This basket was sent by Concubine Xian to the Prince of Yu.
Could it be that Concubine Xian intended to harm the Prince of Yu?
The soldier swallowed dryly, looked ahead, and whispered, âMaoâer, Maoâer, people say that people die for money, and birds die for food. Youâre a court palace guard with a bright future, but today youâve lost your life for a bite of meat. I guess itâs just your fate!â
He didnât dare to verify anything.
This was a grudge between the Prince of Huai and the Prince of Yu; as a small fry, he neednât get involved, or else heâd end up like Maoâer.
The soldier quickly dragged Maoâer away and buried the food from the basket.
When someone finally noticed that Maoâer had disappeared in the afternoon, the soldier warned them, âDonât ask what you shouldnât, donât listen to what you shouldnât, and absolutely do not take what you shouldnât. Otherwise, even if you get it, you wonât have the life to spend it!â
Maoâer was the perfect example.
If he hadnât been greedy and accepted Concubine Xianâs silver to let her in, and then been gluttonous and eaten the food from the basket, he wouldnât have lost his life.
The soldier even suspected that this was the Prince of Yuâs punishment for Maoâer.
Maoâer dared to let people in casually and accepted Concubine Xianâs money; the Prince of Yu must have foreseen this.
At the same time, he must have also foreseen that a person as greedy as Maoâer would not be able to resist the delicious food in the basket, and would not truly follow the instructions to feed the food to the dogs.
Once he ate it himself, there was only one outcome â death.
In the end, it was all Maoâerâs own choices, and his greed that caused him to make one mistake after another, ultimately leading to his own demise.
On the morning of the fourth day, Li Hongyuan came out of the Ancestral Temple.
His slightly pale face looked translucent in the morning sunlight.
Sanli was standing not far away, holding a cloak, his expression excited, âYour Highness, I am here to receive you.â
He helped Li Hongyuan put on the cloak and handed him a water bottle.
Li Hongyuan took the bottle and chugged it down.
âEverything has been prepared in the mansion, including meals,â Sanli said softly. âYour Highness, you have been through a lot during this time. Also, the food sent by Concubine Xian yesterday was indeed poisonous. That soldier named Maoâer stole some of the roast chicken and died.â
Li Hongyuan replied with a nod, âI know. First, I must pay my respects to Emperor Father, Queen Mother, and my concubine mother.â
He headed for the Crystal Frost Hall.
The Empress was also there, holding the hand of the emperorâs eldest grandson, Li Tingqian.
Seeing his Fifth Imperial Uncle, little Xiaoqian, overjoyed, broke free from his great grandmotherâs grasp and ran to hug his uncleâs leg, âFifth Imperial Uncle, Iâve been missing you so much. Are you here to take me back to our home?â
Li Hongyuan patted his head, smiled and said, âGood, letâs go in a little while.â
He kneeled down and kowtowed to the Emperor and Empress..