News of Xue Zhan's death reached the capital five days later, and his body was also sent back at the same time.

It is said that the body floated on the river for two days before being spotted by the people of a nearby town who reported it to the authorities. The local officials did not recognize Prince Chen, but the imperial edict to arrest the rebellious prince had already been issued to various places. After seeing the half-disfigured face of the body, the local officials found a jade pendant with the character "湛" engraved on it. Only then did they gleefully send the body back to the capital as a meritorious achievement.

At that time, Emperor Cheng'an had already woken up and was recuperating. Upon hearing the news, he went with Empress Zhou to identify the person. After seeing Xue Zhan's swollen and deformed body, he immediately vomited blood and fainted.

Empress Zhou did not faint at the time, but she lay by the coffin crying and cursing. Finally, she was exhausted and fainted as well.

Upon hearing the news, Xue Shen slowly turned his teacup, thinking to himself that Emperor Cheng'an would be bedridden for a long time this time.

Just as he was pondering this, the gatekeeper came to report that the Crown Prince had arrived.

Xue Shen turned his wheelchair to greet him and saw Xue Heng walking over with a tired face. He waved to him and said weakly, "I have too much to do. I came here to catch my breath."

Xue Shen made way for him to sit, and slowly poured him a cup of tea before asking, "Is it about Prince Chen?"

Xue Heng took a sip of hot tea and, after a long pause, nodded.

"Xue Zhan staged a coup, murdered his father and mother—crimes that are unforgivable. Even if he were apprehended, the Emperor had no intention of letting him off easily. But then he suddenly died, and at the hands of the rebels no less..."

Xue Heng exhaled a breath of turbid air: "Father couldn't bear it when he saw the corpse. He had already suffered a stroke and was still recovering, and now the shock had worsened his condition... There are already many matters to attend to in the court, and now Father has ordered the troops to be dispatched to suppress the rebels..."

He gave a bitter smile: "Although the rebels in Jinzhou are a disorganized bunch, if you push them to the brink, so many of them will fight to the death, and it's not something that can be resolved in a day or two. Besides, we're still fighting the Northern Rong people in the north. How can we withstand being attacked from two sides?"

Xue Shen held his teacup in silence.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Xue Heng complained, "At least give me some advice."

Xue Shen raised an eyebrow and smiled lazily: "What ideas could I possibly have?"

Xue Heng hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Yuan Jin, have you ever thought about returning to the court?"

When this topic came up, Xue Heng spoke very cautiously: "You have a wealth of talent that shouldn't be buried. Now that Father's health is declining and the government has been handed over to me, if we work together, we will eventually be able to pacify the world."

Xue Shen paused, the teacup he was about to bring to his lips, then suddenly looked up at him and said, "Of course I will go back."

Xue Heng's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed. But then he saw Xue Shen suddenly laugh, slowly sip his tea, and act as if he had just been joking: "What nonsense are you talking about, brother?" He patted his legs: "How can I possibly return to the court in this state?"

Xue Heng's mood fluctuated, and his expression faltered for a moment before he finally spoke: "If you are willing, even if your legs are injured, it won't make much of a difference."

Xue Shen waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say anything more.

He said as if it were a casual remark: "If I ever return to the court, it will be after my legs have fully recovered from their chronic illness."

Upon hearing this, Xue Heng sighed slightly, drank a pot of tea at his place, sat for a while, and then turned to leave.

Xue Shen escorted him to the door, and after taking a few steps, he suddenly turned around. He was backlit, his face hidden in the shadows, and his expression was unclear. Only his lips could be seen moving, as if he wanted to say something.

"Is there anything else you want to say, brother?"

Xue Heng stared at him intently for a moment, but ultimately didn't say anything. He shook his head and left dejectedly.

As he left the Prince of Qin's mansion, he looked back at the magnificent residence, but what came to mind was Xue Shen's joking remark—"Of course I will go back."

Actually, he hadn't told Xue Shen the truth. His father had not only instructed him to eliminate the rebels, but also felt that Xue Zhan's death was suspicious and asked him to secretly send someone to investigate, saying that Xue Shen might have been involved in the matter.

Xue Heng defended Xue Shen, stating that Prince Chen's coup had nothing to do with Xue Shen, as he was not even in the capital at the time.

However, Emperor Cheng'an's expression was quite frightening, and he insisted that he investigate the cause of Prince Chen's death.

After escaping the fire, Emperor Cheng'an suffered a stroke. Although it did not affect his mobility for the time being, his physical condition was much worse than before, and he was even too weak to handle state affairs. When he regained consciousness and learned that Prince Shou had been deposed by Prince Chen, he did not hesitate to issue an edict to reinstate Xue Heng, who had saved the emperor, as the crown prince.

Currently, most of the court affairs are handled by Xue Heng, but Emperor Cheng'an is not without manpower. Xue Heng knows that Emperor Cheng'an is wary of Xue Shen, and if he refuses to investigate, his father may secretly send someone else to investigate.

Rather than doing this, it's better to let him do it.

Before coming to the Prince of Qin's residence, he was quite certain that the death of Prince Chen had nothing to do with Xue Shen.

But Xue Shen's words made him momentarily doubtful, and he remembered Xue Shen's coincidentally timed return to the capital.

And, the rumors and gossip that circulated in the imperial court and among the common people a few years ago.

Xue Heng closed his eyes briefly, then turned away and boarded the carriage with heavy steps.

The carriage slowly made its way to the East Palace. After a long while, he lifted the curtain and instructed the guard, "Go to Jinzhou and find out where Shen Muyu is."

Xue Zhan was killed by the rebels, so it makes no sense that Shen Muyu, whom he took away, has disappeared without a trace.

*

After Xue Heng left, Xue Shen felt depressed and went to Tingmei Pavilion.

Today, the weather was unusually sunny. Shen Youying and her maids were carrying books out to air them. She was wearing a casual purple-pink dress with the sleeves tied up with shoulder straps. As she bent her head and arranged the books in the warm winter sun, the bright sunlight fell on her snow-white skin, giving off a soft and beautiful glow.

Xue Shen looked at it for a moment before turning his wheelchair forward.

When Shen Youying saw him, she casually asked, "Big brother, you left so soon?"

Xue Shen hummed in agreement, dismissed the maid, and deliberately went to get the same book as her. Their hands touched in mid-air, and Shen Youying instinctively pulled back, but he caught her hand.

Xue Shen kneaded her slender, fair fingers, counting them one by one, and whispered, "In two more days, we will set off for Chuyun Temple."

Shen Youying frowned slightly, walked around the bookstall that stood between the two of them, and squatted down in front of him: "So fast?"

She thought of Xue Heng, who had been frequently visiting the Prince of Qin's residence these past few days, and asked worriedly, "What about my elder brother..."

Xue Shen had previously told her that when the time was right, they would go to Chuyun Temple. Everyone knew that the Fire Cave Master of Chuyun Temple was supported by the King of Qin, and that the King of Qin's old illness had not relapsed thanks to the Fire Cave Master's pills over the years.

If Xue Shen wanted Guan Mingzheng to "cure" his legs properly, he would naturally have to borrow the name of the Fire Cave Immortal again.