Chapter 75 The dust settles. On the day the new emperor ascends the throne, the former crown prince launches a rebellion...

Shen Minghuai stopped upon hearing the sound, turned around and chuckled, "Aunt, I am also a member of the Shen family, how could I possibly harm you?" But there is still a big surprise waiting for you, Consort Shu.

On that day, news of the Crown Prince and Shang Shifan's brawl at the Luoyifang (clothing market) spread throughout the capital, all over a deceased courtesan. This courtesan, named Aying, had previously been the Crown Prince's concubine before being sold to Luoyifang, where she became pregnant with Shang Shifan's child.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yue fainted. Prince Su, who had just returned victorious from the northern border, rushed straight to the Funing Palace without even removing his armor. Only after the combined efforts of Physician Xu, who had been in the palace for several months, and the other imperial physicians did Emperor Yue regain consciousness.

The Crown Prince was confined to the Eastern Palace for a month. Shang Shifan was punished with twenty strokes of the cane, and his previous crimes were made public. Cui Chongqi cried out for justice in front of the government office for days. Everyone in the neighborhood knew Shang Shifan's character, so this was not surprising. However, a few officials used this opportunity to impeach Shang Liangsheng, the Minister of Personnel, for failing to properly educate his son.

Since his last fainting spell, Emperor Yue's health had deteriorated further, and memorials containing the words "Minister of Personnel" were scattered all over the floor. Qian Yao entered the Chui Gong Hall, first offering his greetings, then helping Eunuch Gao pick up the scattered memorials. He inadvertently caught sight of a memorial from an imperial censor impeaching Shang Liangsheng for accepting bribes, perverting justice, and selling official positions, and immediately presented it to his father.

Emperor Yue fainted again after reading it, but this time he grabbed Qian Yao's hand and ordered him to urge the three judicial departments to thoroughly investigate the matter before he finally fainted. As is often the case, things didn't go as planned, and Emperor Yue fell seriously ill and never recovered. After the Crown Prince temporarily took charge of state affairs, he was so busy that he had no time to deal with his father-in-law's corruption case. The Crown Princess, however, neither cried nor made a fuss, and never once pleaded for her father.

Emperor Yue dismissed all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy, but placed great trust in Xu Ning'an, who had cured his headaches. After several days in a coma, thanks to Xu Ning'an's tireless efforts, he was only able to regain consciousness for an hour a day. He would spend half an hour listening to the Crown Prince's reports on state affairs, and the other half leaning weakly against the bedside, talking to those around him. During this time, Consort Shu only visited once and never left Huarong Palace again.

After Prince Su and Consort Chen withdrew, Emperor Yue asked Xu Ning'an about his illness, but she handed him a bowl of medicinal soup.

"Your Majesty, please drink your medicine first."

The Yue emperor hurriedly drank the medicine, and as soon as he put down the bowl, in a daze, he saw the son of an old friend slowly walking towards him.

"Are you really going to do this? What if this is discovered..." Xu Ning'an stopped him, glancing at the Yue Emperor who was slumped on the bed. Although the medicine could temporarily make him lose his voice, it would only last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, or even less.

Shen Minghuai stared straight at the person on the bed, pulled out a dagger from his sleeve, its white light flashing faintly, "Now that we're standing here, is there any way to retreat? Think of your mother."

Her mother died inexplicably from that plague. She came to the capital to wait for an opportunity, and now that the opportunity was right in front of her, how could she back down... She couldn't personally take back those hundreds of thousands of lives from him, so she could only be a whetstone, ensuring that the knife she stabbed at him was extremely sharp.

Xu Ning'an withdrew her hand. "Okay. I'll guard it for you."

Emperor Yue watched helplessly as Shen Minghuai approached, unable to react. His pupils dilated with fear, and he tried to open his mouth but no sound came out.

Shen Minghuai gripped the trembling hand of the Yue Emperor, prying open his stiff fingers one by one, inserting a dagger between them, and clamping his left fist. He then slowly cut a bright red gash in the emperor's right arm. He took out a jade bottle to catch the dripping blood, filling it completely before Xu Ning'an tried to stop the bleeding. The Yue Emperor had already fainted again.

As Shen Minghuai, carrying his medicine chest, walked out of Funing Palace, Eunuch Gao happened to be returning from the Imperial Kitchen. The first snow of the year was falling heavily.

"Shen Sicheng, be careful not to catch a cold."

"It's lonely at the top, so I'll head back now."

The snow had already piled up in front of the Shen family mansion. The servants were all talking about how the snow had come earlier this year than last year, and that next year would surely bring a bumper harvest.

"Perhaps it is because the national mourning is approaching, and Heaven has taken pity on us."

Shen Minghuai reached out and caught some snow. She was always afraid of the cold and didn't know if it was snowing in Yangzhou.

The servants dropped their brooms with a thud, staring at each other in utter terror.

Old Master Du hurriedly came over and waved everyone away, saying, "The snow is falling heavily, so it's common to misunderstand!"

Bloodletting was performed once a month. When Shen Minghuai entered the palace for the third time, Emperor Yue grabbed his sleeve tightly, as if he wanted to say something, his eyes constantly glancing outside the hall. Just as he turned around, Emperor Yue took out a dagger from under his pillow and plunged it into Shen Minghuai's back. Although he didn't use much force, the tip of the knife was sharp, and an inch in was enough to make a person recover for several months.

The sound of the dagger falling attracted the attention of the Palace Guards. Xu Ning'an quickly made a cut on her hand and inserted several silver needles into three or five acupoints on Emperor Yue. The moment the Palace Guards burst through the door, the Emperor closed his ferocious eyes again.

"His Majesty was just out of his mind and injured me and my junior brother. Please go and fetch the imperial physician as soon as possible!"

After examining Xu Ning'an's pulse and listening to her description of the symptoms, the imperial physicians unanimously concluded that the cause was the elixir she had been taking in recent years. While such an elixir could temporarily restore a person to their prime, after several years, the body would gradually weaken, and one might even experience hallucinations. Emperor Yue had taken this elixir for two whole years; it was likely already deeply ingrained in his bones, beyond any hope of recovery.

In December of the fifth year of Jianping, Aguo accompanied Prince Su to the emperor on behalf of his father to demonstrate his complete loyalty to the southwest. Less than two months later, Emperor Yue died. His will stated that the throne should pass to Prince Su. On the day the new emperor ascended the throne, the former crown prince launched a rebellion.

Led by the Guangji Army, a force of 50,000 local troops, under the banner of "purging the emperor's corrupt advisors," marched north from Yingtian Prefecture, advancing with unstoppable momentum. Of the garrisoned troops, only the infantry in Xingren Prefecture were able to put up a fight; the rest of the soldiers had no chance to react and lost several cities in quick succession. After half a day of fierce fighting, the army encamped in Xingren Prefecture to rest and reorganize, preparing to launch a direct attack on the capital the next day.

The successive victories boosted the morale of the troops. Qian Xu walked into the tent alone; Shen Minghuai's bowl of cold rice was almost empty.

"Even at this hour, you still have such a good appetite. Ziqian, I truly admire you."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness."

Every meal Shen Minghuai ate here was forced down his throat, tinged with the rusty taste of his shackles. He had to survive. With this road nearing its end, how could he die on this ninety-ninth step?

Qian Xu squatted down beside him. "It's been four days already. The urgent letter sent to Yangzhou should have arrived by now, right? Do you think Wang Yan will come to rescue you?"

Shen Minghuai threw down the broken ceramic bowl, wiped his mouth, and said, "I don't think so, what does Your Highness think?"

"You have so little confidence in yourself. Have you been starving for days?" Qian Xu picked up the smooth bowl and shook it; not a single crumb remained. "Although I don't think so either."

With his hair disheveled, Shen Minghuai leaned against the table and closed his eyes. "So Your Highness, don't waste your energy."

"I don't believe it!"

The earthenware bowl shattered into several pieces amidst the joyful singing and dancing outside the camp, crunching under Qian Xu's feet.

"I've never understood why you would betray me for a woman?"

Shen Minghuai calmly replied, "I did not."

"Still denying it!" Qian Xu grabbed his neck. "You're the one who caused Mother to lose the Emperor's favor, aren't you? I've already given her to you, why do you still betray me?"

Years ago, Consort Shu sought out a Taoist priest, exchanging a hundred taels of gold for a prophecy. Just as the priest had predicted, Emperor Yue discovered a bronze box containing the former crown prince's birth date and time, along with a Ziwei star talisman, beneath the pavilion of the spirit path. Shortly afterward, the former crown prince drowned in the Golden Pond, not by accident. Qian Xu had personally witnessed the scene; the eunuch Gao, who served Emperor Yue, pushed the former crown prince into the pond. Qian Xu only told Shen Minghuai about this.

Shen Minghuai's breathing quickened, and he tightly gripped the hand that was attacking him. "Your Majesty... I didn't... cough cough cough—"

Qian Xu smoothed his clothes for him, "Once A-Guo brings that imperial edict, I will believe you."

"Your Highness! The Crown Princess requests an audience."

"Shang Nianyao? Wasn't she captured by the fourth brother?" Qian Xu quickly left the tent.

"My good disciple!"

A clanging sound came from outside the tent. Fu Jizheng, dressed in black, dragged in a unconscious soldier, quickly unshackled him, and helped him put on a military coat.

"Do you know where the antidote is? There are all sorts of tents, big and small, and it's really hard for your teacher to find it."

"No need to look, just go." Shen Minghuai collapsed onto Fu Jizheng after taking only two steps, and struggled to his feet with Fu's help.

"Are you alright? Why are you so weak?" Fu Jizheng helped him walk towards the back mountain.

"One meal a day, and it's always leftovers. It's a miracle you're still alive—"

Fu Jizheng immediately covered his mouth, "Save your energy, let's escape first."

Just as they were about to enter the forest, chaos erupted in the camp. Soldiers carrying torches surged forward like a flowing river, and soon someone spotted them.

"There it is!"

Upon hearing the sound, Qian Xu turned around, immediately picked up the bow and arrow handed to him by a soldier, and aimed it at Shen Minghuai's head.

call out--

Qian Xu scoffed and shouted, "Go and bring them back!"

"Report! Enemy cavalry, numbering about a thousand, have emerged from the northwest valley and are less than three miles from our camp!"

"Report! A large number of infantry have appeared on the southwest flank and are charging towards our army!"

"Report!!!! Jicheng has fallen! The supply lines have been cut off!"

The sudden military report caught everyone off guard, throwing the army into chaos. The leader of the Guangji Army issued an order to lead 500 elite troops to meet the enemy. Qian Xu hurriedly deployed troops to defend against the enemy, but urgent reports kept coming in. In a short while, Prince Su had already taken the head of the general. The army, which had no combat experience to begin with, collapsed instantly, cowardly before the battle even began. The sound of metal clashing against sand was incessant. In the blink of an eye, the pro-surrender faction had achieved an overwhelming victory.

Within an hour, the former crown prince was captured, still holding the real imperial edict that Shen Minghuai had mentioned.

Inside the Shen residence, Xu Ning'an and Zhu Yu rushed in carrying medicine boxes. Shen Minghuai lay on the bed, his face deathly pale, his lips black, and a broken arrow deeply embedded in his abdomen.

"Take the arrows first."

Zhu Yu herded everyone outside. Xu Ning'an deftly removed the arrow to stop the bleeding, applied silver needles, and forced the poison to her palms, allowing the poisoned blood to drain from the Eight Evils. Two hours later, Xu Ning'an opened the door and handed the prescription to Old Master Du.

Qian Yao, who had rushed over and was covered in dust, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the scene. He was eager to go inside to visit, but Xu Ning'an stopped him.

"Your Majesty may come again tomorrow. Young Master Shen is not yet completely out of danger."

After everyone dispersed, Xu Ning'an stayed up until late at night, personally feeding Shen Minghuai the medicine before finally resting, with Zhu Yu taking over for her.

Shen Minghuai had a very long dream. In his deep sleep, he couldn't remember anything except the sudden rain that fell on his face with a touch of warmth, burning his heart.

After slowly opening his eyes, the dream lingered. Shen Minghuai didn't care about his painful wounds anymore. He dragged his feet to the bookshelf and found that the box had been moved, but the two jade pendants were still lying there quietly.

"Why are you up?" Xu Ning'an walked in carrying the herbal medicine. "Do you think you're not going to die?"

Shen Minghuai asked in a trembling voice, "Has she been here?"

"Who?" Xu Ning'an glanced at him. "Many people have come here. I didn't expect you to be so popular."

“Wang Yan,” Shen Minghuai said in a hoarse voice, “has Wang Yan been here before?”

“Her,” Xu Ning’an pushed him back to sit on the bed, “even Young Master Li couldn’t find her, so how could she be here?”

"She's still blaming me." Shen Minghuai took the medicine Xu Ning'an handed him and drank it all in one gulp.

"I don't know anything about your situation. All I know is that if you dare to run away this month, you can forget about surviving the year." Xu Ning'an left after uttering this medical advice.

In February of the sixth year of Jianping, the new emperor ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty. Crown Prince Qian Xu was executed for treason, and the other leaders of his accomplices were exiled to various parts of Lingnan. Those who had been coerced or bribed were pardoned and sent back to their hometowns.

Winter passed and spring came, and the crabapple blossoms bloomed again. Xu Ning'an refused the position of head of Jishengtang and stayed with Shen Minghuai for three whole months until he recovered before letting him leave the mansion.

When the crabapple blossoms fell and Shen Minghuai arrived in Yangzhou, the first thing he ate was a refreshing cold noodle dish. After finishing the cold noodle dish, he went to Linjiangxian. Mai Zi even remembered him, but he hadn't seen his employer for almost a year. Shen Minghuai then drove to Wanchun Garden, but still couldn't find Wang Yan and Li Changling. Only Old Master Sun was guarding the empty garden.

The three, master and servant, found an inn to stay overnight. Hua Xin found Bu Xizhou's leader in Yangzhou and paid him a large sum of money to deliver a message to Li Changling. Sure enough, within seven days, Shen Minghuai entered Wanchun Garden as he wished, but did not see the person he wanted to see.

"Oh! A rare guest from the capital. In the past two years, Wanchun Garden has received guests with the surnames Wei, Xu, and Yang, but none with the surname Chen. You are the first one."

Li Changling, with her hair tied high in a ponytail, strode confidently from the other end of the corridor and replied with uncanny foresight, "Aying has gone on a journey, and I know nothing about her."

Whenever Wang Yan arrived in a new place, he would write to his family to let them know he was safe. He just didn't know where the next letter would come from.

Shen Minghuai stood for a long time in front of the cluster of unopened peonies, "Since Bu Xizhou can find you, he can also find her."

Li Changling leaned against the veranda, arms crossed, and asked curiously, "Why should I help you?"

Shen Minghuai looked up and saw, "One hundred taels—"

Li Changling waved his hand and turned away, "Don't try to bribe me! I'm not like that—"

“Gold,” Shen Minghuai added leisurely.

"Really?" Li Changling quickly turned back to where he was.

“A gentleman’s word is his bond,” Shen Minghuai thought for a moment and changed his mind, “Tomorrow I will transfer the land deed of a courtyard in Taipingfang to you.”

"Young Master Shen is so generous! Leave it to me!"

"Wait—" Shen Minghuai called out to Li Changling, who had already rushed to the door, "I'll go with you."

Shen Minghuai instructed the men who were not moored to tell Wang Yan that he was dying and that he should quickly return to the capital with Li Changling to see him one last time.

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Author's Note: The next chapter will begin the pursuit of my wife~