Chapter 110 Awakening

"This is a great idea! No wonder you are the Prince of Dingxi."

Mr. Hu, a retainer of Li Yang, also entered the city after the initial cleanup following the war.

Following this, Hu Lin received the Eighth Prince's decision, and he applauded in approval.

Li Yang remained silent.

Seeing this, Mr. Hu thought for a moment and asked softly, "Don't you feel sorry for me?"

Li Yang thought for a moment, then shook her head and looked at the sky.

Mr. Hu began to feel uneasy.

To be honest, ever since he set off with the army under the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials," he had a vague feeling that Li Yang had changed and was no longer as insightful as before.

Although this was a good change for the prince, Hu Lin still felt a sense of unfamiliarity whenever he saw him.

Li Yang: "It's alright."

"I just don't think it should come to that."

He chuckled again, a hint of helplessness in his voice, "Of course, this is the most permanent solution."

Having been away from Beijing for two years, he had no influence in the capital, and any slight disturbance could affect him.

If we were to bring the eighth brother back unharmed, I fear it would lead to endless troubles.

Hu Lin: "It's best to play it safe in everything these days."

"Know."

Li Yang glanced back and saw that Master Zhao was stopping the bleeding and treating the Eighth Prince's wounds.

The arrow was too short-ranged, and Cen Yan dealt with it swiftly. Zhuang Dongqing glanced at it, but Cen Yan complained about the blood on the ground and said things like the place was filthy, tricking him into leaving.

Li Yang didn't leave; she stayed and guarded the place.

After examining the wound, Master Zhao said that the bones in the left shoulder were shattered. Even if the arm could be saved, the patient would be left with some disability. This shows how powerful the arrow was.

With his reputation tarnished and his body crippled, it would be virtually impossible for Li De to regain that position.

In some ways, this is indeed more painful than killing him.

Suddenly, a cry of pain rang in Li Yang's ears. He turned his head and saw that Master Zhao was stitching up Li De's wounds.

Li De couldn't take it anymore and screamed in agony.

Li Yang went over and asked, "What's wrong?"

Master Zhao truthfully replied, "The injury is too severe; the bones are shattered. If it's not stitched up now, the excessive blood loss will likely result in the loss of this arm."

Li Yang: "..."

Li Yang glanced at Li De, who had been awakened by the pain. His mouth was still stuffed with a rag, and he couldn't speak, but his eyes were bloodshot. Li Yang was silent for a moment, then looked at Master Zhao and said decisively, "Sew it up. Get a few more people here to hold down Eighth Brother."

Ignoring Li De's gaze, Li Yang called for the soldiers to come and help, and then voluntarily moved away from the stitching site.

As they walked further away, Hu Lin, who was following behind, wiped his sweat and sighed, "Your Highness has some impressive skills."

Such torment, yet somehow in a way that defies easy explanation, could probably only have been conceived by Cen Yan.

Li Yang replied, "It's already very kind of Master Zhao to come and treat us. If we were to be picky, we might just send an ordinary doctor later."

Hu Lin wanted to say it wasn't that bad, but the words got stuck in his throat.

After thinking it over, Hu Lin felt that Cen Yan wasn't incapable of doing it.

Hu Lin then flattered Li Yang, saying, "It's because you value our brotherhood that you've done what you could, regardless of what the Eighth Prince might think in the future."

Li Yang: "Really?"

Gazing at the distant horizon, he murmured, "If a crown prince had been established earlier, none of this would have happened."

Realizing who Li Yang was commenting on, Hu Lin's heart skipped a beat, but Li Yang didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

*

"Will there be any more troops coming to the capital to provide support?"

Having just emerged from a battle, the city was in ruins. Soldiers were regrouping and counting prisoners. Liu Qi found a relatively clean place for Zhuang Dongqing and Cen Yan to rest. During this time, Zhuang Dongqing thought of this and asked about it.

Cen Yan, experienced in the matter, said, "It will take at least half a day for the news to reach the capital."

“Li De has brought all the soldiers he could, which is roughly equal to our numbers. However, Li De has no experience in leading troops, and most of the generals who defected to him midway did not achieve good positions in the army and are not strong enough.”

The best military generals who went to the capital, those with high merit, would not easily take sides.

The remaining majority are all intricately connected to the Fourth Prince.

If the Fourth Prince is beheaded, the Eighth Prince, fearing unrest, will definitely deal with a group of military officers.

If you calculate it this way, there aren't many capable generals left in the capital.

It was precisely to exploit this loophole that Cen Yan waited for the imperial edict to be issued before launching his attack in Jiangnan. If Li De hadn't been given some time to deal with the military officers, the date for their return to the capital with their troops could have been brought forward even further.

Cen Yan analyzed the situation with Zhuang Dongqing, who nodded as she listened.

Cen Yan: "The lack of available personnel is one aspect."

"On the other hand, since this involves two princes, the old generals in the capital are probably in a dilemma. However, their headache won't last long."

Zhuang Dongqing looked at Cen Yan.

Cen Yan smiled and said, "Once His Majesty wakes up, this is no longer their concern, and they no longer need to worry about their stance."

Zhuang Dongqing understood.

No wonder Cen Yan wanted Master Zhao to study the elixir formula; it turns out it was for use in situations like this.

Cen Yan: "As long as the Emperor wakes up, regardless of whether he can handle things or issue decrees, they only need to follow orders. If there are any problems, they won't be blamed."

Zhuang Dongqing: "So we are now..."

Cen Yan: "Let's wait a bit."

"The city still needs to be cleaned up, people need to be cleared out, and people need to be stationed and patrolled."

"Secondly, this place is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If anyone in the capital wants to avoid sending troops, it is the easiest way for us to defend the city and fight back."

Finally, what Cen Yan didn't say was that he was giving Emperor Shengwu some time and waiting for him to wake up.

Once everything in the city was tidied up, Eunuch Feng followed the remaining troops into the city.

Cen Yan had already given Li Yang a heads-up about the Eighth Prince's situation and how it would be handled. When Eunuch Feng arrived, Li Yang was no longer weak and explained Cen Yan's proposed solution. The arrow wound was, as Cen Yan had said, caused during the pursuit while fleeing.

Upon hearing this, even though Eunuch Feng wanted to say something more, he shut his mouth after learning that the Eighth Prince might be crippled.

Simply put, it's not worth it.

They were destined to be discarded.

As Li Yang became more assertive, Eunuch Feng had no choice but to make some concessions for the sake of his future.

They stayed in the city that night. After disembarking, Zhuang Dongqing was able to sleep in bed again, which was a rare treat. After Liu Fu and Liu Qi made up the bedding, Zhuang Dongqing felt sleepy as soon as his head hit the pillow.

That night, Cen Yan spoke with him, but in her drowsy state, she forgot what they said, only vaguely remembering that he had responded with "okay."

On the day the city was attacked, news came from the capital that Emperor Shengwu was showing signs of waking up.

It took two more days for Emperor Shengwu to actually open his eyes.

One can imagine how bad Emperor Shengwu's health must have been.

Upon hearing the news that Emperor Shengwu had awakened, Eunuch Feng burst into tears and hurriedly wanted to return to the capital.

Cen Yan agreed.

Moreover, the Eighth Prince has rested for two days and is much better now.

What's the point of parading someone unconscious? They need to be conscious to properly enjoy the humiliation.

They lined up and got ready in the morning, and set off at noon.

Looking towards the capital, Cen Yan's face remained expressionless.

"What are you thinking about?"

Noticing that something was wrong with Cen Yan, Zhuang Dongqing spoke up.

Cen Yan's icy expression melted away, and he turned to Zhuang Dongqing with a smile, saying gently, "I've been thinking about what the situation is like in the capital right now."

That would only lead to chaos.

Cen Yan: "But it doesn't matter."

"This should be the last time I go to the capital before returning to my fiefdom."

There are still some things he and Emperor Shengwu need to clarify.