He followed the maidens close behind until he got to the room. Inside the room, there were a few important people inside, and they all looked surprised at his entrance.
He looked at their shocked expressions as he walked in as if something was meant to happen to him, but he was used to those expression already. As they were the same every time he walked into a public gathering.
'But what could be the purpose of the gathering this time around?! The Emperor didn't announce any important ceremony coming up, neither did he ask me to prepare myself for any celebrations… so what is the reason for this unwarranted gathering?'
He averted his gaze from their eyes and moved into the room as quickly as he could, following the maidens closely to the Emperor's main bedroom on the other side of the wall.
He rushed quickly, swinging the door open in a heartbeat. 'Why am I reacting like this towards this message? Why do I seem like I care if anything has happened to the Emperor? Why is my heart beating continuously beneath my chest? Why?'
He noticed the Empress sitting on the Emperors bed, holding his hand tightly with tears flowing down her cheeks, and her royal maidens stood behind her, weeping silently.
It was at that moment he noticed it wasn't only the Emperor that laid on a bed in the room, he glanced at the other end and noticed another body laying there with its both hands crossed above its chest in a lifeless position.
"What the hell happened…..??!" He whispered loudly to everyone's hearing.
The Empress noticed him and glared at him with tears in her eyes. At some point, it felt like she wanted to hug him for some reason.
He rushed towards the Emperors side and sat beside him, holding his hands up in fear of what he thought the situation might be.
"Father…!! Father…!! What's wrong? Why are you lying down like this!!" He tapped his hands continuously, hoping for a positive reaction from him.
The Emperor's eyes opened slightly, glancing between the Empress and him. "You came…!" He coughed deeply, blood spewing from his lips.
Li Wei held him by the hands tightly and cautioned him immediately, "Be careful..! Don't say anything loud, now explain to me what happened here. What did this to you?!" He questioned, glancing around the room and noticing other people that stood around him.
'Every one of his concubines and wife's are here… which means this is bad, this is very bad..!!!' He turned back to the Emperor.
"Your mother will explain it to you, I don't have much time left to do so." He coughed terribly, more blood spewing from his lips.
"No, don't say that. You are the Emperor! Who is going to look after your subjects if you die here??!!" He yelled at him, turning around to the maidens behind him.
"Why are you all just standing there? Go get the royal doctor!!" He ordered with a frown on his face.
They didn't hesitate before they left the room in search of the royal doctor for his help. That was supposed to be the first thing they did before calling for him.
'What part of their brain do they use?'
He turned back when he felt the Emperor's grip on his hand tighen. "Father don't worry, the royal doctor will be here soon, and you'll be fine. Just hang on a bit and don't say anything."
"No son, I have to say something before I leave this world. The royal doctor won't get here on time… I would have left before he does.." he coughed up more blood than the last time.
He stopped Li Wei mid sentence with a hand gesture. "Listen, this is my last order to everyone in this room, and it should be obeyed without any complications involved."
"Before I leave this earth…. Cough cough cough!!" Li Wei held his chest, rubbing it slowly to ease the pain. "Before I leave this earth. I declare Li Wei to be the next Emperor after my stead."
Li Wei's hand stopped mid motion, and everyone's eyes glared open. Even the concubines standing behind the silk curtains were furious at it. They began murmuring between each other.
"What?!! Father! What do you mean? Jaiden is supposed to succeed the throne after you. What are you saying?!" He questioned, his brows furrowing at the declaration.
"He can't succeed the throne if he no longer lives on this earth. Your brother Jaiden has been killed, and I am next in line. Your other siblings were killed too, excluding the females"
"I want you, being the next Emperor, to find out the culprits who orchestrated this attempt on my life and make sure justice is brought to their table as it needs be. Do not forsake a dying man's last wish." He coughed terribly.
The Empress rushed to his aid, holding his hands and massaging his chest while Li Wei felt lost. He watched as the world blurred around him, and the background noise turned to faint whispers that wouldn't end.
"Father!! Father!!" He called out, pushing his body to wake up. But his body slowly turned cold, and there was no response from the attempts.
The royal doctor arrived almost immediately, pushing Li Wei out of the way and checking up on the Emperor. He responded with cold news that left everyone in the room shocked. "The Emperor….. has sadly left us."
Everyone in the room began crying deeply, tears trickled down their faces, and the sounds of wailing filled the room. Li Wei felt uncomfortable in there, so he stepped out a bit, and those outside rushed in after him.
He couldn't believe his ears, what had he heard from the Emperor minutes ago?. He couldn't believe his eyes, did the Emperor really just die in front of him?. It all felt like a dream he couldn't wake up from.
What scared him most wasn't the fact that the Emperor and his siblings had just died. What scared him most was that they were killed, and he was next in line as the next Emperor.
"What's going to happen next..?" The thought of it left him speechless.