Chapter 328 Is Shen Lanxi dead?

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because as soon as it was brought up, Shen Congwen's face darkened.

He couldn't very well tell his mother that he hadn't even entered the palace gates before the Emperor's men had told him to suspend his court duties and go home to take better care of his daughter!

How could Shen Lanxi have such a big influence?

His Majesty was definitely doing this for the sake of those military generals, after all, Shen Lanxi was ostensibly the general in charge of recovering Dongchuan and the Northwest.

"Mother, I am concerned about Lanxi and have no heart to attend court!"

No one knows a son better than his mother. She knew what was going on the moment her eldest son's expression changed.

Lanxi will definitely be of great use to His Majesty. Even if their whole family were tied together, they wouldn't be as good as Lanxi alone.

After realizing this, Madam Shen was shocked and quickly recalled her past attitude towards her granddaughter.

After thinking it over, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, her grandmother was a kind and considerate person. She treated Lanxi better than any other younger member of the family!

After figuring this out, Madam Shen began to look worried again.

"Lanxi, my poor granddaughter..." The old lady began to cry again, holding her handkerchief.

Shen Congwen stood at the door with a dark expression, pacing back and forth.

When Shen Yuanjing and the other younger generation saw their grandmother crying, some made vows, and others wept bitterly.

Those who didn't know the situation might have thought that Shen Lanxi was already dead and that they were preparing for her funeral.

The man Zhou Ruyuan sent to keep watch could hear the deafening cries from inside even through the gate, and he quickly went back to report.

Please don't let her die. Judging from what the prince said, His Majesty doesn't seem to want Shen Lanxi to die.

Liu Yanhui couldn't ask for leave, so she came to the Shen residence during her day off.

The staff who accompanied Shen Lanxi back to the capital received an imperial decree from Emperor Renxiao to go and express their gratitude first, and then went to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence without stopping.

Before even stepping through the gate, I already wanted to kneel down and wail.

"General...please slow down..."

"How can the Northwest function without a general guarding it?"

"General, without your great name to suppress them in Dongchuan, bandits and brigands will surely cause trouble..."

"General, may you rest in peace..."

Madam Shen, who was listening inside the door, was so angry that her heart was pounding with rage.

"Lanxi isn't dead yet? Hurry up and go outside to stop them."

Shen Congwen was unwilling to go, and turned to instruct his son and nephew.

"Yuan Jing, Yuan Xu, you two go!"

Those thugs, who knows if they'll cause trouble?

Upon hearing the news, Zhou Ruyuan had already fast-forwarded through two more versions.

"Your Highness, Shen Lanxi is dead!"

Zhou Ruyuan's eyes widened, looking as if he had gone mad.

"How is that possible? Didn't the imperial physician say he could hold on for another month or so?"

The person keeping watch immediately explained, "Many people went to the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence to mourn." Why would they mourn if he wasn't dead? He must already be dead.

Zhou Ruyuan's mind went blank. He stared blankly for a moment, then turned and ran out the door.

Bai Qingling was about to call Zhou Ruyuan for dinner when she saw him rush out and hurriedly called out to him.

"Your Highness, shall we finish our breakfast before we go out?"

Zhou Ruyuan didn't even stop, and left the palace in the blink of an eye.

Bai Qingling's face instantly darkened.

"Where has Your Highness gone?"

The people in the Prince's Mansion informed Bai Qingling of Shen Lanxi's death.

The latter's eyes lit up, and the next moment, he burst into maniacal laughter.

"Dead, good riddance."

Shen Lanxi is finally dead!

However, before she could laugh for long, her subordinates immediately reported the developments in the court.

"The news of Shen Lanxi's poisoning has reached the Northwest, and the Northwest is about to descend into chaos again. The two rebellious kings are just waiting for the Northwest to fall into disarray so they can take advantage of the situation. The southwestern barbarians are also stirring up trouble. His Majesty was so anxious during the morning court session today that he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown!"

Bai Qingling could no longer laugh.

...

Zhou Ruyuan rushed to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence in a great hurry. Before he even got close, he heard a deafening cry and stumbled twice.

"Impossible, how could he be dead? He was perfectly fine yesterday!" Zhou Ruyuan muttered repeatedly, as if possessed.

"Isn't she very capable? She even reclaimed Dongchuan and the Northwest. She survived such a dangerous war. How could a little poison have knocked her out?"

Zhou Ruyuan's heart first felt empty, and then began to throb with pain.

At this moment, he finally understood that he liked Shen Lanxi and was in love with her.

Unfortunately, he realized it too late.

It's too late!

"Lanxi..." After realizing his own feelings, Zhou Ruyuan rushed towards the Zhenbei Marquis's residence.

He didn't believe that Lanxi was really dead.

I want to see him alive or dead!

Unexpectedly, Shen Yuanxu stopped him as soon as he reached the door.

"Your Highness, the Marquis of Zhenbei is not dead. There's no need for mourning. Please go back!"

Shen Yuanjing was also explaining to others, "My eldest sister isn't dead, there's no need to mourn. Everyone, go back!"

Zhou Ruyuan: "..."

"Not dead?"

Shen Yuanxu and Shen Yuanjing nodded: "Mhm."

The next second, Zhou Ruyuan shouted, "You're saying she's not dead?"

The two brothers stared at the person who was shouting and laughing, and were momentarily speechless.

By the time they realized what was happening, Zhou Ruyuan had already run inside.

When Madam Shen saw Zhou Ruyuan arrive, she immediately appeared heartbroken.

"Lanxi, my poor granddaughter..."

Zhou Ruyuan wanted to go in and see what was wrong, but seeing the old lady crying so sadly, he stopped and offered a few words of comfort.

"Madam, Lanxi will definitely be alright."

Old Madam Shen covered her face with a handkerchief and cried her heart out.

Zhou Ruyuan glanced at her, then at the room, and turned to go inside.

Old Madam Shen's crying gradually subsided.

"Has Lanxi improved?" Zhou Ruyuan asked the imperial physician anxiously.

The imperial physician shook his head: "We have already used silver needles, and we need to find the antidote quickly."

Zhou Ruyuan watched Shen Lanxi, whose face was also turning dark, for a while, feeling as anxious as if he were being roasted over a fire.

"Where's Lanxi? How is Lanxi?"

Another anxious voice rang out from outside the door, and Zhou Ruyuan's face immediately darkened.

Wei Dongzhu entered the room and was about to speak when Zhou Ruyuan stopped him with a cold face.

“Lanxi is seriously ill. Your shouting will disturb her rest.” He completely forgot that when he first entered the room, his voice was no quieter than Wei Dongzhu’s.

Wei Dongzhu's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked travel-worn.

"Your Highness, I'm only concerned about Lanxi's health. There are so many people here. Even if it's affecting Lanxi's rest, it's not just me who's disturbing her!"

Zhou Ruyuan froze, then said coldly, "Lanxi and I are engaged. It's perfectly reasonable for me to wait for her to wake up in the room. General Wei, after you've finished your visit, please leave immediately!"

Wei Dongzhu stared coldly at Zhou Ruyuan: "I've only heard that Lanxi divorced the prince a long time ago, I've never heard that Lanxi and the prince were engaged!"

“You…” Zhou Ruyuan glared angrily.

"I will not argue with you. Once the imperial decree of marriage is issued, it will be clear who is Lanxi's closest person!"

Wei Dongzhu clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth.

Seeing this, Zhou Ruyuan's competitive spirit was finally satisfied.

"I must now go to the palace to report to my father on Lanxi's condition. General Wei looks travel-worn and is not suited to visit someone in the hospital. General Wei should go back and wash up and rest!"