Reborn As Divine Doctor to Rule the World
Chapter 540 - 542: No Different from a Eunuch

Chapter 540: Chapter 542: No Different from a Eunuch

The ministers all implored the Emperor, insisting that this matter must be thoroughly investigated.

Pei Siyang and Pei Haolan exchanged glances, and involuntarily looked over at Pei Huaian. Seeing his open countenance, he slightly pursed his lips.

Pei Huaian then stepped forward and bowed, "Father Emperor, your son concurs with the ministers’ view. This matter is of great importance. If someone has treated Fourth Brother in such a way and it is not thoroughly investigated, would that not be a defiance against Father Emperor?"

The ministers were all somewhat surprised, but only the Emperor showed a relieved smile.

"Very well, you will be in charge of this matter."

No sooner had the Emperor spoken than Huaian immediately refused, "Father Emperor, your son fears he is not up to this great responsibility."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Now that Fourth Brother has been harmed, I fear the first suspect would be your son. To ensure fairness, your son must not handle this case."

After Pei Huaian finished speaking, based on the agreement among the ministers, they thought his reasoning made sense.

Pei Siyang silently nodded, fully agreeing with his statement. If Pei Huaian were put in charge, it would inevitably provide others with leverage to attack him. By then, how would he extricate himself?

"Then according to you, who would be a more appropriate choice to handle this?" the Emperor asked again.

"Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Yan Ze, is also unsuitable, as he has a close relationship with me. But the Minister of Justice would be a suitable candidate."

After the incident involving the Vice Minister of the Justice, Zhao Yuanjiang, the entire Ministry of Justice had begun to act with rigor. It was only fitting for them to handle this matter this time.

The Minister of Justice immediately felt like crying but had no tears—this was not a desirable task, and if possible, he did not wish to take on the case.

However, seeing the Crown Prince observing intently, he had no choice but to grudgingly agree.

The Emperor nodded in satisfaction and instructed, "Since that is so, you are to take full charge. Within seven days, I hope to find the murderer."

"Yes, your servant obeys," the Minister of Justice managed to squeeze out a smile and bowed.

The Emperor stood up, and Eunuch Li immediately waved the whisk in his hand, shouting, "Present your matters, otherwise, you may leave the court."

The ministers all bowed their heads, waiting until the Emperor’s figure had disappeared from sight before they turned and left the Golden Throne Hall.

In the Imperial Study Room, the Emperor coughed weakly twice and, looking at his few sons in front of him, he spoke earnestly, "My health is increasingly failing; you must take up the great responsibilities."

"Father Emperor, do not speak nonsense; you are still strong," Pei Haolan countered.

"Indeed, Father Emperor, rest assured. My third brother and I will wholeheartedly support the Crown Prince and will harbor no second thoughts," Pei Siyang solemnly said.

The Emperor, hearing this, nodded in relief, "I am well aware of the nature of you two brothers. Now that the Fourth Prince also has no claim to the throne, I believe he won’t have any other intentions."

After all, his body was now disabled, making it impossible for him to strive for the throne anymore.

"What Father Emperor said is true," Pei Siyang and Pei Haolan responded in unison.

The Emperor turned his gaze towards Pei Huaian standing to the side, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Father Emperor knows your capabilities are sufficient to become a wise emperor. But I also hope you can ensure the safety of the Fourth Prince and the Second Prince."

He did not want to see Pei Huaian and other princes hurting each other, which is why he had repeatedly cautioned Pei Jingyi.

Little did he expect that he would ultimately end up in such a state. But fortunately, he was still alive.

"Your son will heed Father Emperor’s teachings. As long as Fourth Brother and Second Brother remain compliant, your son will never turn a deadly hand against them," Pei Huaian replied.

Pei Huaian knew that Father Emperor valued familial ties, but with the incident involving Pei Jingyi, he feared it would not end there and would seek to place all blame on his shoulders.

He could ignore everything else, but he could not cross his bottom line; otherwise, all bets were off.

He would rather not be the emperor if it meant ensuring the safety of those around him.

The Emperor clearly understood the underlying meaning of his words, "Very well, I hope you can do as you say."

"Yes," Pei Huaian bowed.

In the Fourth Prince’s Mansion, Pei Jingyi slowly woke up from his coma.

He felt tightness in his chest and short of breath, with general weakness and soreness throughout his body. His head felt especially heavy, as if it were filled with lead.

"Fourth Prince, you’re awake. Do you feel any discomfort elsewhere?"

Pei Jingyi turned to look at the Imperial Physician, opened his mouth, but could not make a sound.

"Don’t hurry, Fourth Prince, your throat might take a while to regain speech after just waking up. It should get much better soon," the Imperial Physician reassured.

Pei Jingyi thought back to the events of the previous night, which felt like a terrible nightmare.

With this in mind, Pei Jingyi struggled to extend his hand to lift the brocade quilt.

But the moment he moved, a sharp pain emanated from his chest, causing him to frown.

"Hiss!"

He couldn’t help but inhale sharply, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he gritted his teeth and forcibly reached downward.

The intense pain caused the veins in his neck to bulge, and the Imperial Physician quickly grabbed his hand to calm him, "Fourth Prince, do not be agitated, it will cause your wound to burst open."

"My...is it still there?" Pei Jingyi said unclearly.

The Imperial Physician quickly realized what he was asking but was at a loss for words for a moment.

"Speak!" the hoarse voice came again.

The Imperial Physician let go of his hand and whispered softly, "Fourth Prince’s lower body was severed and could not be reattached, so..."

Before the Imperial Physician could finish, Pei Jingyi cried out in anguish, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at the Imperial Physician.

He already knew what the Imperial Physician meant—he was now no different from an eunuch.