After swallowing my anger and taking the blame, I became the lucky little queen

Lin Dequan's gaze fell on a certain point in the distance, getting closer and closer...

He was stunned and stammered, "Master...Master...Prime Minister Nian is here."

Li Zhongquan followed his gaze and saw Nian Chengyun, wearing court robes and walking towards the direction of the Yangxin Palace with heavy steps. Although most of his hair was gray, his eyes were firm.

Li Zhongquan seemed to see hope.

Someone saw Nian Chengyun, and word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Soon everyone knew about it, and they all looked back and also saw hope.

The emperor had been ill for so many days, and no matter how they planned and discussed, Nian Chengyun did not participate. He even refused to see someone who came to his house in person. Without Nian Chengyun to stabilize the morale of the army, they became even more panicked, so they were anxious to see the emperor.

The appearance of Nian Chengyun undoubtedly gave them a reassurance.

Everyone fell silent, their eyes following Nian Chengyun's figure without blinking, from the hallway, to the stairs, to the inner corridor. In their frightened eyes, Nian Chengyun was brought into the hall by Li Zhongquan.

No one could believe that Nian Chengyun could get in so easily.

Lin Dequan asked the ministers to stand up, but they refused and insisted on kneeling until Nian Chengyun came out.

As soon as you enter the Hall of Mental Cultivation, you can smell a strong medicinal smell. In the past, you could only smell the aroma of ambergris, but now the entire Hall of Mental Cultivation is marinated with medicine.

Nian Chengyun followed Li Zhongquan all the way into the inner room.

Six palace maids stood on both sides, and a person was lying quietly on the dragon bed.

The hall was very quiet, and the footsteps of the two people seemed particularly abrupt.

Li Zhongquan waved his hand, and the palace servants retreated to the outer room in silence.

The two men walked to the dragon bed. Nian Chengyun saw that the emperor looked sick, his lips were pale, and he looked lifeless. If it weren't for his chest still rising and falling, he would have been no different from a dead person.

Nian Chengyun's face also turned bad.

The emperor doesn't look like he's overworked. He just needs to rest and he'll be back to normal.

He had originally just suspected that the emperor's illness was not that simple. Now seeing the emperor's appearance, all his guesses were confirmed.

Li Zhongquan's eyes were slightly red. "Prime Minister Nian, you have seen the emperor's current situation... It's not that the emperor doesn't want to see the ministers, but... he can't."

After all, Nian Chengyun was a man who had experienced many storms and waves. In this situation, he was able to remain calm, steady his mind, and pull Li Zhongquan aside.

The two walked to the window and asked in a low voice, "What disease is the emperor suffering from?"

Li Zhongquan wiped his tears and replied, "The imperial physician said it was a stroke. In mild cases, the eyes and mouth may be crooked, and hemiplegia may occur. In severe cases, the patient may fall into a coma."

The emperor was clearly the latter.

Nian Chengyun felt as if struck by lightning. He pinched his brows and tried to calm down. "Did the imperial physician say when the emperor would wake up?"

Li Zhongquan looked embarrassed and shook his head. His sad eyes told it all.

"Sir Nian, you also know the plans of the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Now is not the critical moment yet. If the news of the Emperor's death spreads, Shengjing will surely be in chaos and the army will be unstable. By then, Prince Ren will not have to worry about it, and the country will be in his hands!"

Li Zhongquan had been in office for decades, and this was the first time he said such outrageous words, but he had no choice. If he really couldn't hide it any longer, he wouldn't have asked Nian Chengyun for help.

Nian Chengyun was well aware of the consequences of the news spreading. He glanced in the direction of the dragon bed and gave Li Zhongquan a reassurance: "I will try my best to buy more time. I hope that Your Highness and General Xiao can return triumphantly soon."

Li Zhongquan responded and cried with joy. Not to mention the ministers at the door, he himself felt much more at ease just by seeing Nian Chengyun.

The emperor's situation is not optimistic. Not many people know the inside story, so someone has to step forward to take charge of the situation. This heavy burden naturally falls on Nian Chengyun.

When Nian Chengyun walked out of the gate of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, everyone's eyes were on him. Those eyes filled with hope and expectation made him feel pressured.

He raised his head to glance at the fiery red clouds in the west, exhaled a breath, and walked down the stairs.

Several ministers kneeling in the first row struggled to stand up by supporting themselves on the ground, and Nian Chengyun stepped forward and gave them a helping hand.

Their legs were sore and numb after kneeling for so long that they didn't dare to stand up straight and could only talk to Nian Chengyun with their knees bent.

"Master Nian, please tell us the truth, what is the emperor's current situation?"

"Sir Nian, we are colleagues, and you are usually the calmest and most reliable. No matter what happens, we will follow your instructions." These words put all the pressure on Nian Chengyun. They had already prepared for the emperor to "fail".

"Yes, Lord Nian, we haven't seen the emperor for six days. There is a war going on outside. Please tell us the truth so that we can sleep well at night!"

The ministers in the back rows stood up one after another and surrounded Nian Chengyun, surrounding him in the middle.

It was a time of war and chaos, and most people believed that Liuli could not defeat the Northern Wei, and the fall of Shengjing was a matter of time. Half a month ago, many people wrote to the emperor proposing to move south, but the emperor did not agree. Rather than the emperor being critically ill, they were more afraid that the emperor would abandon everything and run away alone.

They urgently needed an answer to decide whether they should run or defend next.

If the emperor was still alive, they would definitely not be able to escape. If the emperor had escaped, what reason did they have to sit and wait for death?

Nian Chengyun knew their intentions very well, so his first words hit the nail on the head: "The emperor is in poor health and only said a few words to me, some of which I want to convey to my colleagues."

Everyone pricked up their ears.

"The Emperor said that although the Northern Wei had broken through several cities in our country, he believed that Prince Ren would definitely hold the last line of defense, turn defense into offense, and drive the Northern Wei out of Liuli."

"Not only will the emperor not agree to the migration south, he will also severely punish anyone who sneaks out of the capital during this period. From high-ranking officials to ordinary people, if anyone fanns the flames and spreads false rumors, causing panic and unrest among the people, he will not let them off easily!"

Nian Chengyun finished speaking calmly and looked around. Qin Zehai's followers were also present. He didn't dare to reveal too much. It was enough for him to let Qin Zehai know that the emperor placed all his hopes on him.

Moreover, not only the emperor, but also the entire Shengjing, and even the entire Liuli, depends on him.

"Besides these...did the emperor say anything else?" someone else asked.

For example... After so many days of fighting, where is the Crown Prince? Why hasn't he shown up?

For example, why did the general’s mansion close its doors to visitors?

"Yes, yes. We went to the East Palace and planned to discuss with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. However, the guards of the East Palace said that His Royal Highness was not in. We had not seen him for three consecutive days. We had no choice but to come to the Yangxin Palace to make trouble."

Even at this time, he still remembers to preserve his dignity.

Nian Chengyun sneered in his heart and said, "Half a month ago, the Emperor sent His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and General Xiao to borrow troops from the neighboring country."