"No, he's already done it!"

Xuanyuan Han seemed to be pondering something in secret, while muttering to himself.

"It...it's already been done?" Upon hearing this murmur, Consort Chun looked at Xuan Yuanhan's face in utter astonishment.

"Impossible, how could that be? He's from the palace. If I hadn't been desperate these past few days, I would never have let him get close to you at this time. So from the moment Zhang Zhiyuan entered the palace and came to your bedside, I stayed by his side every step of the way, watching his every move without blinking."

As Consort Chun carefully recalled the events over and over again, she hurriedly stood up and began to thoroughly examine Xuan Yuanhan's body.

She asked anxiously, "What did he do to you? What did Zhang Zhiyuan do to you? Are you feeling unwell? Tell your mother quickly, tell your mother right away."

Without allowing Xuanyuan Han to offer any explanation, he continued to loudly summon the people guarding outside the main hall.

"Summon Physician Yue! Quickly, summon Physician Yue! Someone, come quick!"

"Cheng Liang, Cheng Liang..."

Upon hearing the sound, Cheng Liang, who had been waiting outside at any moment and was still unaware of what had happened inside, hurriedly entered the hall.

She clasped her hands respectfully and said, "Your Highness..."

But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Xuan Yuanhan sitting upright by the couch.

He could hardly believe his eyes, so he rubbed them vigorously to make sure it was his master, and then exclaimed with delight, "Your Highness, you're finally awake!"

Xuanyuan Han nodded to him.

Consort Chun seemed to be possessed, completely ignoring the fact that Xuan Yuanhan was holding her arm tightly to stop her, and continued to give orders to Cheng Liang.

"General Cheng, go immediately and bring back that dog of a servant, Zhang Zhiyuan! Go now!"

"Arrest Zhang Zhiyuan?" Cheng Liang was clearly puzzled by this.

Seeing the hesitation in his eyes, Consort Chun scolded him, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and go! It's all my fault for not seeing through his wolfish heart today. He dared to hurt my son. I will not let him get away with this."

Seeing that Consort Chun had misunderstood him, Xuan Yuanhan had no choice but to raise his voice and shout, "Mother, please calm down. It was Zhang Zhiyuan who woke me up."

"What did you say?" Upon hearing this, Consort Chun finally quieted down.

Xuanyuan Han pulled her down to sit beside him and explained gently, "Alright, Mother, listen to me! Don't worry, it's not what you think. What I said is that he has already done it. Zhang Zhiyuan told me something extremely important while I was unconscious. It's not that he did anything to harm me. Mother, don't be so nervous."

Consort Chun relaxed a little, then asked with a puzzled look, "Did I tell you something important? What is it?"

Xuanyuan Han nodded, recalling his recent experience in Lu County, which still seemed to cause him great sorrow.

Recalling the past, he said softly, "These past few days, I have indeed been unwilling to wake up. I was afraid that if I woke up, I would have to face the fact that Yun'er was attacked by a sandstorm and has left me forever. I will never forget everything that happened in Lu County and all the efforts Yun'er made there."

Seeing how deeply the trip to Lu County had etched such a shadow on Xuan Yuanhan, Consort Chun was heartbroken: "My son, I'm so sorry! If I had been with you to stop her then, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way..."

Xuanyuan Han shook his head, recalling his unfortunate childhood experiences. His eyes hesitated, and he slowly said, "Since my father passed away, my mother also suffered misfortune one after another. I thought that in this life, I would have no more worries in my heart, only revenge."

He paused, then raised a rare, faint smile and said, "But it wasn't until that dark night, when I was injured, that I met her. Her appearance was like the only ray of light in the endless darkness, illuminating the entire world in my heart."

Consort Chun listened attentively to his story. Suddenly, Xuan Yuanhan looked at her face and asked, "Mother, do you know? It turns out that in this world, there really is someone whose presence can make your world feel warm and lonely. Her existence seems to warm the whole world."

Hearing these words, Consort Chun finally understood how important Yi Shangyun was to Xuan Yuanhan, and she felt even more guilty and remorseful: "But Yun'er is no longer here... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Xuanyuan Han shook his head, a smile playing on his lips, as if he were laughing happily. Suddenly, he blurted out, "No, Mother, Yun'er is not dead. She is still alive."

"What did you say?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Chun mistakenly thought that Xuan Yuanhan might have suffered some kind of shock or something was wrong with his mind.

Just as she was about to speak comforting words, "My son, your mother knows that you and Yun'er are deeply in love, but now that she is already... you shouldn't..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xuanyuan Han suddenly interrupted her, saying, "Mother, you may not know this, but today Zhang Zhiyuan told me personally while I was unconscious that Yun'er is still alive."

"What? It's Zhang Zhiyuan? So what you were saying about Zhang Zhiyuan... is actually like this?! It was him..." Consort Chun was instantly stunned.

Xuanyuan Han then added, "It was upon hearing this news that I woke up."

The Dowager Consort Chun quickly reviewed the events of the day and finally understood: "No wonder Zhang Zhiyuan was so certain when he left that you would wake up soon!"

Thinking of this, he hurriedly asked, "Where is Yun'er now? And how did Zhang Zhiyuan know that Yun'er is still alive? He works in the palace and has never had much contact with us. At this time, the palace would be hoping that you would never wake up. Why would he specifically come to tell you this?"

Consort Chun asked with deep doubt, and Xuan Yuanhan was also lost in thought...

“Zhang Zhiyuan, of course he wouldn’t dare to come to the Prince of Qin’s residence alone without the palace’s knowledge.” As he spoke, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly threw off the blanket and got off the bed.

Upon seeing this, Consort Chun quickly stopped him, saying, "My son, what are you doing? You've just woken up and shouldn't get out of bed yet. You should rest for a few more days."

Xuanyuan Han continued with what he was doing, replying, "Mother, there's no need to worry. I'm fine now. The only answer to all these questions is to ask Zhang Zhiyuan himself."

Seeing that Xuanyuan Han hurriedly changed his clothes and was about to go out, Consort Chun chased after him and asked, "It's already so late, where are you going?"

Xuanyuan Han said, "Go and find my queen."

Before he could finish speaking, he had already completely disappeared into the pitch-black night.

Cheng Liang, who had been standing to the side unable to get a word in edgewise, seemed still not quite in the mood, muttering to himself, "The Princess Consort... is still alive... Zhang Zhiyuan..."

Seeing that Xuan Yuanhan had already walked out without paying any attention, Consort Chun hurriedly urged Cheng Liang, "Hurry up, why are you still standing here in a daze? Hurry up and follow me."

"Yes." Cheng Liang finally came to his senses and quickly chased after him.

Consort Chun clasped her hands together, murmuring gratefully, "Thank God, Amitabha, may the Bodhisattva protect us..."

Inside the Western Qin Imperial Palace.

As soon as Zhang Zhiyuan came out of the Prince of Qin's residence to visit the ailing Emperor Jing, he hurriedly went to the palace to report back to the Emperor.

Upon seeing him inside the palace, he respectfully bowed and kowtowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

"Get up!" Emperor Jing said, then asked him with a hopeful look on his face, "Have you seen the King of Qin in person? How is his health?"

Zhang Zhiyuan said, "Your Majesty, I rushed to the Prince of Qin's residence immediately after receiving the order, but I was still a step too late. The Prince of Qin had already woken up!"

"The King of Qin has already awakened?" Emperor Jing murmured to himself, utterly incredulous.

After staring at Zhang Zhiyuan for a long time, the paranoid Emperor Jing suddenly questioned him: "Zhang Zhiyuan, you wouldn't be unable to bring yourself to do it, so you're lying about the Prince of Qin waking up to deliberately buy him time, would you?!"

Upon seeing the emperor's furious expression in court, Zhang Zhiyuan, extremely nervous, knelt down again with a "thump," prostrating himself on the ground as low as he could, his body trembling slightly as he said, "Your Majesty, I dare not! The Prince of Qin has indeed awakened. Your Majesty may send someone to confirm this."

Seeing this, Emperor Jing pondered for a while and finally came to believe him.

He changed his tone and said, "Alright, I believe you!"

Zhang Zhiyuan continued, "I saw it with my own eyes. The King of Qin has awakened, and I even took his pulse myself. His pulse is strong and seems even stronger than before."

"Damn it... utterly damn it..." He never imagined that his meticulously planned, flawless scheme would end in failure.

Fortunately, the Guardian is now under his control.

So he continued to ponder in his heart: "It seems that dealing with the King of Qin requires a more comprehensive plan!"

Upon realizing this, Emperor Jing exhaled a breath of stale air and could only helplessly wave his hand at Zhang Zhiyuan.

Zhang Zhiyuan slowly got up and left.

It was a close call, but we managed to fool Emperor Jing. Now we can only hope that the Prince of Qin will wake up soon, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable.

Zhang Zhiyuan was clearly terrified; his face was still deathly pale, and his forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, which he would wipe away with his sleeve every now and then.

He was already showing signs of extreme tension and exhaustion as he hurried out of the palace.

Unexpectedly, not far from the palace gates, in a secluded corner, a familiar voice called out, "Judge Zhang..."

Upon hearing the sound, Zhang Zhiyuan's heart, which had just settled, jumped again, and he quickly tilted his head to look in the direction from which the sound came...