Chapter 1101: The Secret Meeting between Gong Qiu and the Imperial Consort (Patreon)

Chapter 1101: The Secret Meeting between Gong Qiu and the Imperial Consort

In fact, both the deceased Gong Chang and the suspect Meng Yunzheng were not officials appointed by the court, despite being sons of the Gong family. Their case was far from being of concern to the emperor.

Not to mention that it did not warrant Assistant Minister Jing personally bringing the case files to the palace after its conclusion. Minister Jing's visit to the palace was naturally to report other matters. He would 'casually' inform the emperor about the Gong family's case, as it not only involved the Gong family but also the Duke of Liu's family.

The emperor was likely to be interested in hearing the whole story.

Sure enough, after Minister Jing finished discussing important matters, he conveniently presented the just-concluded case files to the emperor, as if he casually mentioned the murder case involving the Gong family.

The emperor had heard of the Gong family's case before and frowned after hearing the cause and effect, "So, the cause of this case was due to the conflict between Lady Dong from Duke Liu's family and lady Gong?"

"Yes, the young master of the Gong family had just returned to the capital and fell victim to an unfounded calamity. Now that the evidence is solid, I have released Gong Xiao. However, Minister Gong is not at home, and he has not been informed about this matter yet."

Sighing, Minister Jing continued, "It's troubling to see the family's children involved in such a mess. I imagine madam Gong is not feeling well about it either."

"Gong Qiu is not at home? Where did he go?"

"I don't know either. When we sent people to arrest Gong Ya, only Madam Gong was at home. We also dispatched people to the Ministry of Works to search for Gong Qiu, but he is not on duty there."

The emperor's brows furrowed, "One son was killed, and another became a suspect, yet he doesn't cooperate with the officials to find out the truth, and now he's missing. This Gong Qiu can't even handle family matters properly. He truly disappoints Us."

Minister Jing thought to himself that the emperor would be even more disappointed later.

Before he could finish this thought, the emperor's personal eunuch hurriedly rushed in, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead. Even someone as experienced as Minister Jing could see that the eunuch's face was filled with panic, and he was trembling slightly.

Minister Jing narrowed his eyes slightly and saw Xi Ping approach the emperor, whispering something in his ear.

The emperor suddenly raised his head, his eyes turning red, as if he was about to devour someone, "What did you just say?!!"

Xi Ping immediately knelt down with a 'thud', "Your Majesty, this servant wouldn't dare to lie. He's outside."

The emperor stood up abruptly, knocking all the memorials on the desk to the ground. His breathing became rapid, and he seemed to be gasping for air.

His health had not been good, and he had been seeing the Imperial Physician frequently over the past six months. Now, it seemed like he had received an enormous shock, and his body swayed after he stood up.

In the next moment, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Both Minister Jing and Xi Ping's faces turned pale, and they hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

"Your Majesty, are you alright? Call for the Imperial Physician, quickly!"

The emperor's body staggered, but with the help of the two men, he managed to stand firm.

His eyes were sharp, and he firmly grasped Minister Jing's hand, saying word by word, "No need to call the Imperial Physician. You leave the palace."

"But, Your Majesty..."

"I command you to leave the palace!!" The emperor turned his head suddenly, staring at him with blood still at the corners of his mouth, his face looking particularly ferocious.

Minister Jing felt a sense of trepidation, as if the emperor could have him dragged out and beheaded at any moment if he dared to delay.

Therefore, without saying another word, he immediately knelt down, "Yes, I will take my leave."