FRGNM -Chapter 220 Urgent Summons

After all, the woman before them had been injured while trying to save them. Purple Venerable Realm… just what kind of level did one have to reach to attain that?

“Enough, no need to worry about me. Let’s go, Mingyu.” Ling Ruoxi gave a cold smile and looped her arm through Luo Mingyu’s. She had no desire to see anyone connected to Lieyun again.

Qian Yi took her leave and returned directly to her residence, vaguely feeling that something big was about to erupt—yet she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

On the contrary, once they were out of the crowd, Ling Ruoxi released Luo Mingyu’s arm and said coldly, “As far as I know, Murong Hua rarely summons officials. Even Nangong Mo has only been summoned once. That guard said the Emperor summoned him—I think something has happened inside the palace.”

“Maybe. But Lieyun doesn’t dare make any big moves right now,” Luo Mingyu nodded. “The Supreme Emperor’s birthday is approaching. If he exposes himself at this moment, it’s basically suicide.”

Still, judging from the guard’s expression, something definitely felt off.

But with Nangong Mo’s strength, he should be able to handle it. Otherwise, how could he possibly sit on the throne? To become the true master of a nation, one must clear away every obstacle in one’s path!

A cold breeze rose. Inside the desolate sleeping palace, the lively singing and dancing of former days were gone. It looked abandoned and in chaos. White mourning silk hung throughout the chambers; even the wine pool had turned murky.

The courtyard reeked of alcohol, making people feel slightly dizzy.

Nangong Mo quickened his pace. Led by the eunuchs, he headed toward Murong Hua’s sleeping quarters. The concubines kneeling on the ground were softly sobbing, choking back tears. Their clothes were disheveled—some hadn’t even put on their outer robes, revealing their undergarments and full figures.

For some reason, Nangong Mo’s heart grew even more unsettled.

“Your Highness, please—please save His Majesty…” For a moment, the beautifully dressed women cried and wiped their tears, staring blankly at Nangong Mo.

They were still young. They didn’t want to die. If the Emperor passed away, they would be forced to die with him in burial rites. No—he had to wake up!

Nangong Mo’s face darkened. Unsure of the Emperor’s condition, he pushed open the door and looked inside.

The luxurious room was filled with priceless treasures. On the bed lay a man barely clinging to life—his face pale as paper, his aura weak, as if he had wasted away from exhaustion and indulgence.

“What happened to Grandfather Emperor?” Nangong Mo asked softly.

The guard beside him shook his head. “Your Highness, I don’t know either. His Majesty ordered that only you may enter. Please don’t make things difficult for us.”

Murong Hua had suddenly fallen ill in the harem, was helped onto the bed by the concubines, and never woke again. Two hours had already passed—no one knew if he was still safe.

“Guard the outside. No one is allowed in!” Nangong Mo shut the door and strode forward. He wasn’t skilled in medicine, and seeing Murong Hua like this, he didn’t know what to do.

“Hmm?”

The instant Nangong Mo approached Murong Hua, his expression changed. A sharp light burst in his eyes. He extended a finger—purple Dou Qi wrapped around his right hand as he gently touched Murong Hua’s pulse.

At that moment, a trace of black energy surfaced along Murong Hua’s arm, coiling within his body.

A cold light flashed in Nangong Mo’s eyes. He immediately injected his Dou Qi into Murong Hua’s body. Only after a while did he stand up and walk out.

“Your Highness, how is His Majesty?” the chief eunuch asked nervously.

“The Emperor overindulged and needs rest. His condition is stable for now,” Nangong Mo said calmly. Then he grabbed the eunuch’s collar, his qi vanishing instantly, and said coldly:
“From now on, everything about Grandfather Emperor is your responsibility. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take your head. No one else is allowed near him. All concubines return to their quarters. Guards stay outside only. You—your range of activity is limited to this room. Other servants take over outside. No one enters.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” the eunuch replied, cold sweat pouring down.

Everyone knew the Supreme Emperor’s birthday was approaching. With the Emperor ill at such a time, it couldn’t be delayed.

Nangong Mo strode out, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone. He ordered for horses to be prepared and left the palace.

“You’re saying the Emperor was poisoned?” Ling Ruoxi frowned slightly, propping her chin on her hand.

Nangong Mo nodded, sipping tea. “I probed him with Dou Qi. There’s a layer of black poison energy in his body. I could only stabilize his breathing—I know nothing about medicine.”

“Dou Qi?” Ling Ruoxi froze, then laughed helplessly. “Didn’t they say Dou Qi can’t be used in the Imperial City?”

Nangong Mo chuckled and shook his head. “Who told you that? It’s forbidden to use Dou Qi to fight in the city—but you can use it to protect your body. Otherwise, with so many cultivators coming and going, wouldn’t the city’s formation just kill them all?”

“So that’s how it works…” Ling Ruoxi muttered. If she’d known earlier, she wouldn’t have had to catch that arrow with her hand.

She refocused and asked seriously, “Nangong Mo, describe the Emperor’s condition carefully.”

“Pale face, weak breath, black poison energy in his body. Other than that, I didn’t notice much. Ruoxi, I’ll take you into the palace so you can examine him yourself, alright?”

But Ling Ruoxi shook her head. “No. If the Emperor is poisoned, that means it was planned. Lieyun’s people already know who I am—and that I know medicine. If you openly bring me in, they’ll use other methods to stop me. Instead, pretend you know nothing. Let them think the Emperor just overindulged and is resting.”

“But Grandfather Emperor’s condition—” Nangong Mo frowned.

Ling Ruoxi smiled faintly. “Do you think the disciple of a divine physician needs to see the patient in person to know how to save him?”

She produced a white jade bottle. “These are pills that can neutralize poisons. Three a day for the Emperor. And take this bottle—collect some of his blood.”

“Blood?” Nangong Mo frowned.

“Yes. The strongest concentration of poison is in the blood. I need his blood to identify the toxin and prepare an antidote—and give Lieyun a hard blow.”

She forced the bottles into his arms, her brows knitting. This matter was far more complicated than she had thought.

Nangong Mo didn’t delay. After parting, he rode straight back to the palace.

“What do you think about this?” Luo Mingyu lounged lazily on the couch, turning a teacup in his hand.

Ling Ruoxi shook her head calmly. “The bottle just contains flour—it’s not real antidote pills at all. Without the Emperor’s blood, I can’t identify the poison. But one thing’s certain—Lieyun has started making his move.”

Luo Mingyu smiled faintly. “Strike the king first—good strategy. But… if you were Lieyun, would you choose this timing to poison the Emperor?”

Ling Ruoxi froze. “You’re saying… the one who poisoned him isn’t Lieyun? Right—his birthday hasn’t arrived yet. Poisoning him now would only anger the Supreme Emperor and ruin all his plans. If it’s not Lieyun, then who?”

“Inside the palace, intrigue is everywhere,” Luo Mingyu said calmly. “Love, hatred, grudges—who can sort them out? A poison that only Dou Qi can suppress—what kind of poison would that be?”

He smiled faintly and left.

Nangong Mo handled the matter decisively, announcing that the Emperor was overworked and temporarily unable to hold court. He forbade all servants from approaching the Emperor.

Physicians were summoned—and the result shocked him.

“Your Highness, the Emperor is not ill from exhaustion—he has been poisoned. This poison can kill within three days. The antidote is extremely difficult to prepare. However, the person who administered it must possess the antidote. This kind of poison… can only be administered by a woman.”

So fast?!

Even Nangong Mo was stunned.

“Pass down the order,” he said coldly. “All concubines present that day are to be summoned. Not one is to be missing.”

Seated on the couch, Nangong Mo wrote down every concubine’s name from memory.

Soon, the harem beauties knelt trembling in the hall. Some were even younger than Nangong Mo—girls who had just come of age.

Nangong Mo sighed inwardly. Only an emperor could live like this.

His gaze locked onto a woman in a purple silk dress. Her features were delicate, unadorned by heavy makeup. Unlike the others, she wasn’t crying hysterically. She remained calm, her eyes unfocused, quietly staring ahead.

Her composure… was different.