The ministers begged me to ascend the throne

Zhao Yao frowned, his expression turned a little cold, "Are you sure that father was poisoned?"

“Your Highness, I would not have made a mistake in the diagnosis. The Emperor’s stroke was indeed caused by poisoning.” The witch doctor was very confident in his medical skills and he would not make a mistake in the diagnosis.

"My mother said that before my father had a stroke, he had signs of weakness in his hands and feet and blackness in front of his eyes."

The witch doctor said: "This is also caused by the poison."

Zhao Yao's eyes suddenly turned cold. Sure enough, Father didn't have a stroke, but was poisoned. It must have been poisoned by the starling!
The moment he heard that the emperor had a stroke, Zhao Yao suspected that the emperor did not really have a stroke, but was poisoned by the King of Wei.

"Tell me honestly, can the emperor really wake up?" Zhao Yao asked again, "Are you really 30% sure?"

"Your Highness, I dare not speak rashly. I am 30% sure that I can make the emperor sober up, but I am afraid that the emperor's legs and feet will still be inconvenient."

"It doesn't matter if your legs and feet are inconvenient. What's important is to make Father wake up and let him speak."

When the witch doctor heard this, he said with difficulty: "Your Highness, if you want the emperor to be able to speak, you need acupuncture for a long time."

"I know. You can rest assured and give father acupuncture treatment."

The fact that the starling didn't kill his father shows that he doesn't want his father to die for the time being. To the starling, a father who has had a stroke is more useful than a dead father.

"Yes, Your Highness."

After a while, Zhao Yao took the witch doctor to see the King of Chu.

After carefully feeling the King's pulse, the witch doctor told Zhao Yao and the King that the King was too weak and would need a long period of recuperation before he could recover.

After hearing what the witch doctor said, Zhao Yao knew that the King of Chu was in poor health.

The King of Chu didn't care much about his own health. He hurriedly asked about Concubine Li's condition.

Zhao Yao said that Concubine Li was also very weak and would need several years to recover.

When the King of Chu heard what Zhao Yao said, he felt relieved.

Zhao Yao talked to the King of Chu for a while before leaving with the witch doctor. He asked Tongxi to take the witch doctor back to the King of Han's mansion, while he went to the Prime Minister He's mansion.

Prime Minister He had returned to his mansion after court session and was reading in the study when he saw the housekeeper walk in.

"Master, the King of Han is here."

He Xiang was not surprised at all by Zhao Yao's visit. He stood up and went out to greet Zhao Yao.

Zhao Yao had just sat down in the living room when he saw Prime Minister He coming and quickly stood up.

He Xiang walked into the living room and bowed respectfully to Zhao Yao: "Your Highness, the King of Han, is greeted."

Zhao Yao hurriedly returned the greeting: "What?"

"Your Highness, please sit down."

"Prime Minister He, I'm sorry to bother you with my sudden visit." This was Zhao Yao's first visit to Prime Minister He's residence. He had only been to the residences of several of his brothers, and had never been to the residences of other ministers. If it weren't for the Li family, Zhao Yao would not have set foot in Prime Minister He's residence.

"Your Highness, you are too kind." He Xiang knew the reason why Zhao Yao came to see him, but he pretended not to know. "I wonder what your Highness wants me to do?"

Zhao Yao knew that He Xiang was pretending to be confused. He did not beat around the bush and said directly, "I came to He Xiang for the Li family."

He Xiang did not expect Zhao Yao to be so direct, which made him slightly stunned, and then asked: "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

"Prime Minister He, you should know better than me that Myna wants to wipe out the entire Li family, so I won't beat around the bush. The Li family is not guilty, and even if they are guilty, they won't be executed." Zhao Yao knew that the Prime Minister He sitting opposite him was an old fox, a veteran official. Even if he played Tai Chi with him until the end of the South Heaven Gate, he would not tell him about the Li family, so it would be better for him to bring it up directly. "The Li family is a meritorious official of the Great Zhou. They once restored rituals and music for the whole world, and then trained scholars for the Great Zhou, and also cultivated many outstanding officials for the Great Zhou. If we let Myna wipe out the entire Li family, wouldn't it chill the hearts of scholars all over the world?"

After hearing what Zhao Yao said, Prime Minister He sighed in his heart, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Han is really straightforward and clear, completely different from the Emperor."

"Your Highness is right, but His Highness the King of Wei has made up his mind, and we are powerless." When the King of Wei punished the Li family, they tried to dissuade him, but it was useless. "Now in the court, His Highness the King of Wei does not allow anyone to plead for the Li family." In the past, many ministers pleaded for the Li family, but they were severely punished by the King of Wei. Since then, no one dared to speak for the Li family.

"Prime Minister He, you are different from other ministers. You insist on pleading for the Li family. I don't think my brother will make things difficult for you." With the means of Prime Minister He and Grand Tutor Liu, it is not difficult to prevent the Li family from being exterminated.

"Your Highness, I have been helping the Li family to plead for mercy, but Your Highness the Prince of Wei has turned a blind eye." He Xiang sighed, "Every time I want to plead for the Li family, Your Highness the Prince of Wei will interrupt me and prevent me from pleading for the Li family. I wrote a memorial to plead for the Li family, but Your Highness the Prince of Wei ignored it."

He Xiang did not lie to Zhao Yao. These days, he and Liu Taishi have been pleading for the Li family, but unfortunately they were ignored by the King of Wei.

Zhao Yao frowned and asked, "What if the ministers all plead for the Li family?"

"It's useless. The ministers knelt in front of the Purple Palace, and the students of the Imperial Academy knelt at the gate of the palace to plead for the Li family, but His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei still ignored them." He Xiang smiled bitterly, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei is unmoved."

Zhao Yao didn't expect the King of Wei to be so stubborn. It seemed that Bage really wanted to wipe out the Li family once and for all.

"Your Highness, you are on good terms with His Highness the Prince of Wei, why don't you try to persuade His Highness the Prince of Wei?"

"I tried to persuade you, but you didn't listen. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered you." Zhao Yao asked with a headache, "Prime Minister He, is there really nothing you can do?"

"If His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei doesn't even listen to your advice, then there is really nothing we can do."

After hearing this, Zhao Yao frowned and his face became gloomy.

"Your Highness, why don't you try to persuade His Highness the Prince of Wei again?"

Zhao Yao nodded and said, "I will." Now that Bage is determined to kill the entire Li family, no matter how he persuades, it will be useless. He will go and persuade Bage later. If Bage still doesn't listen, he will quarrel with Bage every day in the morning court. If that doesn't work, he can only use the treasure to exchange for the lives of the entire Li family.

"By the way, Prime Minister He, is there anything going on in the court? Is everything normal?" Zhao Yao asked again, "Mynah Brother, the regent, is not doing anything reckless, right?"

Prime Minister He did not expect that Zhao Yao would care about the affairs of the court. He was a little surprised, but also a little relieved.

"Except for the Li family's affairs, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei has not messed up in other matters, and everything is fine in the court." His Royal Highness the Prince of Han took the initiative to care about the affairs of the court, which is a good sign. As expected, the emperor guessed it right, His Royal Highness the Prince of Han would not ignore the affairs of the court.

"That's good." Zhao Yao felt relieved. "Prime Minister He, Bage is still young after all. If he does something wrong while governing the country, you must advise him and not let him do whatever he wants." Bage is very smart and resourceful, but sometimes he does things too extreme. He is really worried that Bage will tear the court apart.

He Xiang did not expect Zhao Yao to say this, which surprised him. "If His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei does anything that is not beneficial to the court, we will do our best to dissuade him." It seems that His Royal Highness the Prince of Han is not confident that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei will be the regent.

Zhao Yao did not talk about the affairs of the court anymore. He asked about Prime Minister He's health with concern and then left.

He Xiang personally saw Zhao Yao out, and only returned after Zhao Yao got on the carriage and left. When he returned to the study, he saw Master Liu drinking tea.

Seeing He Xiang coming back, Master Liu put down the teacup in his hand and asked, "What did the King of Han say?"

Just now, Zhao Yao was talking to He Xiang in the living room and did not come to He Xiang's study.

"He said something that surprised me." Prime Minister He told Grand Tutor Liu exactly what Zhao Yao had said to him.

When Grand Tutor Liu heard this, he was as surprised as Prime Minister He.

"This is really surprising."

"Your Majesty is right. The King of Han is not indifferent to the affairs of the court."

Master Liu said bluntly: "Like father, like son."

"That's true." He Xiang asked with a smile, "What do you think the King of Han will do next?"

Master Liu thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow, the King of Han will definitely attend the morning court, and he will plead for the Li family at that time. If the King of Wei does not agree, the King of Han will probably argue with him."

"Do you think the King of Han will quarrel with the King of Wei?"

"The relationship between the King of Han and the King of Wei has always been very good. Everyone in the world is afraid of the King of Wei, except the King of Han." Liu Taishi said, "For the sake of the Li family, the King of Han will quarrel with the King of Wei."

He Xiang felt that what Master Liu said made sense, and said with a smile: "Then there will be something interesting to watch at the court tomorrow morning."

Grand Tutor Liu suddenly asked, "The King of Han brought a witch doctor into the palace today to check the emperor's pulse. Do you think the witch doctor from Lingnan can diagnose that the emperor's stroke was caused by poisoning?"

"I heard that the witch doctors in Lingnan are very strange. Maybe they can diagnose it."

"If the witch doctor really diagnosed the cause of the emperor's stroke, then the King of Han should have guessed that it was the King of Wei who poisoned him." Liu Taishi raised his mouth slightly, and smiled very strangely, "Tell me, in the heart of the King of Han, who is more important, the King of Wei or the emperor?"

He Xiang snorted and laughed, "I hope it is the King of Wei who is important."

Master Liu said meaningfully: "Great minds think alike."

The emperor who had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed: "..."

He Xiang asked: "Do you think the King of Han will behave as the Emperor expects?"

Master Liu sneered, "I think he will get out of control."

On the other side, in the eastern warm room of the Purple Palace, Prince Wei was reviewing memorials.

After the Prince of Wei became regent, he would review memorials or meet with ministers in the East Warm Pavilion of the Purple Palace every day. In the evening, he would leave the palace and return to his Prince of Wei's Mansion. He never stayed overnight in the palace and never broke the palace rules.

Sun Doudou walked in with a cup of tea, and Yu Hai followed him.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Han has just come out of Prime Minister He's residence and is now on his way to the palace."

The King of Wei was not surprised that Zhao Yao went to see Prime Minister He. He looked at Sun Doudou and ordered, "Go prepare the tea and snacks that the King of Han likes to drink."

"Yes, Your Highness." Sun Doudou retreated respectfully.

A moment later, Zhao Yao appeared in the East Warm Pavilion. He did not rush to argue with the King of Wei, but drank tea and ate a few snacks first.

Just as he was about to speak, the King of Wei interrupted him: "No matter what you say, I will not agree to let the Li family go. There is no need for us to talk about this matter anymore."

Zhao Yao glared at the King of Wei, "You don't want me to say it, but I will say it anyway..."

Next, Zhao Yao spoke to the King of Wei in one breath without taking a breath in between, making it impossible for the King of Wei to interrupt him.

Yu Hai, who was waiting on the side, was stunned. He did not expect that His Royal Highness the King of Han was so eloquent.

Even the King of Wei did not expect this.

Zhao Yao's speech was based on quotations from classics and laws, and every word was reasonable, leaving the King of Wei unable to refute it.

"If you don't let the Li family go, I will quarrel with you every day and kill you."

King Wei didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "..."

Yu Hai: “…” His Royal Highness the King of Han is still the same.

Zhao Yao uttered these harsh words, turned around and left the East Warm Pavilion.

Yu Hai was stunned when he saw Zhao Yao leave like this. After a while, he looked at the King of Wei and pointed at Zhao Yao who had walked out of the East Warm Pavilion.

"Your Highness, Your Highness the King of Han..."

"Don't worry about him." The King of Wei shook his head with amusement, helplessness and affection, "He's still like a child."

Yu Hai: “…” What is His Royal Highness the Prince of Han doing?

When Zhao Yao returned to the Prince of Han's Palace, he called the witch doctor over and asked him carefully about the King of Chu's physical condition.

"Your Highness, the health of His Highness the King of Chu..." The witch doctor hesitated to speak.

"What's wrong with fourth brother's health?" Zhao Yao asked hurriedly.

"Your Highness, if His Highness the King of Chu follows the prescription I prescribed and slowly recuperates, he can still live for a few more years. If he is lucky, he may live for more than ten years." (End of this chapter)