Perhaps due to excessive blood loss, the Marquis's eyes took a long time to focus. He tried to sit up, but Doctor Sun quickly stopped him.
"My lord, my ancestors! Please spare this old man! I was so scared I almost lost my soul! I risked my life to save you! Please stop this ordeal and rest. If your wound bleeds again, even a celestial being descending to earth won't be able to save you."
Li Laosi also knelt on one knee by the bedside and whispered, "My lord, the dagger in your shoulder was smeared with poison. It won't kill you, but it will improve your blood circulation. We just filled four basins with blood, and we haven't dared to pour it out yet."
The Marquis frowned, took a couple of breaths, and asked in a hoarse voice, "How is it outside?"
"Nothing's wrong in the camp, except that Emulek got away." Li Laosi glanced at the doorway and added coldly.
"My lord, the poison on the dagger came from the palace. Doctor Sun has seen it."
The Marquis's pupils contracted, and he was too weak to speak, but he stared intently at Doctor Sun.
Dr. Sun was so frustrated he felt like his scalp was about to explode; he was inwardly groaning.
He was just a military doctor with no power or influence. How could he not be afraid when he was about to be drawn into a huge vortex?
Seeing his concerns, Li Laosi advised, "Dr. Sun, it's come to this point, so don't keep it from me! Just tell me what you know."
"Don't be afraid. Whether the Northern Expedition succeeds or not, as long as you ask, our family can send you away anytime, far away from the North and the New Capital, to the Jiangnan water towns or overseas."
I guarantee your safety and well-being.
If it were anyone else, Dr. Sun would have kept it a secret, but when Li Laosi spoke up, he wavered.
Throughout Tianwu, everyone knows that the Li family is extremely trustworthy and can be described as the epitome of repaying a small favor tenfold.
He risked his life for the Li family, and the Li family would certainly protect him.
He doesn't have a wife or children, so going south for a change of scenery wouldn't be a bad thing.
Thinking this, he spoke.
"When I was young and ambitious, I made a name for myself among the common people. Later, I was admitted to the Imperial Medical Academy and enjoyed a period of great fame."
"Later, the eldest grandson's wife of a royal relative had a difficult childbirth. It just so happened that I was the only one on duty at the Imperial Hospital, so I went along to see her."
"As a result, the eldest grandson's wife died from postpartum hemorrhage. I noticed something was wrong, pondered for a long time, and investigated many old medical records before I realized that the woman had been given a blood-activating poison. Moreover, many concubines in the palace had died for the same reason."
"I was foolish enough to go to this place and tell them the cause of the woman's death, but I was kicked out, and then the Imperial Hospital also removed me from their ranks."
"I was indignant, so I inquired around and found out what was going on. It turns out the woman who gave birth came from a merchant family; she had a large dowry but no power. She was murdered, and not only did her dowry remain, enriching her husband's family, but her husband was also able to remarry a woman from a scholarly family..."
"I was afraid of being silenced, so I went into hiding as a military doctor and stayed in the army. If I hadn't seen this poison again today, I would have kept these past events to myself."
Li Laosi clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, and muttered under his breath, "The old saying is so true! The most treacherous people are often the ones you trust the most. The barbarians haven't even been completely driven out of the border yet, and the Emperor can't wait to make his move!"
Doctor Sun was terrified. He quickly gathered his things and said, "I'll go brew medicine for the Marquis!" With that, he nimbly fled the tent.
The Marquis's expression couldn't help but show some disappointment, but it was mostly cold.
“The emperor has his men in the army, and this knife was thrown from behind me.”
Li Laosi was stunned for a moment, and then jumped up!
Yes, the tip of the knife is in front of the shoulder, and the handle is behind the shoulder!
Someone sabotaged the fight between the Marquis and Emulek!
For nearly ten years, he believed that the Northern Expeditionary Army was as solid as an iron plate, impenetrable to any water!
Everyone can entrust their backs to each other without fear of betrayal.
But today's events were like a slap in the face, completely waking him up...
"Damn it! I must find this man and tear him to pieces!"
Li Laosi gritted his teeth. At this moment, his hatred for the traitor was even deeper than his hatred for the emperor!
"Investigate secretly, without alerting anyone. Maintaining morale is the most important thing right now." The Marquis spoke too much in one breath, and his forehead was sweating from the pain.
He paused for a moment, then said, "Find Ye Shan and send a message home: move south! Since the Emperor has taken action, there is no room for maneuver."
"In addition, I will rest in the army for three days. After I recover, I will continue to advance, but you will have to take my place in the army."
"That's what I should do!" Li Laosi quickly agreed, his eyes full of worry.
"I'll send word back home as soon as possible, so don't worry. Since the Emperor hired someone to assassinate us, he still wants to save face. Things shouldn't be too dangerous back home."
"Moreover, my second brother, Mr. Wen, and Old Master Liu will not sit idly by and wait to die. And Fu Niu'er... Speaking of which, we owe a lot to this girl today."
"Back then, when she went to war, she left two life-saving pills with me, and forbade me to tell you. She was afraid that if someone in the army encountered danger, you would send them out."
"Just now, ordinary antidote pills didn't work, so I used this life-saving pill. I didn't expect it to detoxify so quickly, otherwise today would have been truly dangerous!"
Li Laosi looked terrified, but also felt a surge of pride when he thought of his daughter.
At such a momentous occasion as the Northern Expedition, when the lost territory was about to be completely recovered, no one expected that the greatest source of confidence and support for the Northern Expeditionary Army was not the Emperor or the court, but a young girl!
Except for the first time, almost all the other military rations and medicines were provided by the little girl.
No one asked her where all that food and such good medicine came from.
Even if you could ask, you don't need to.
This girl is doing everything in her power to support them.
For the sake of the people of Tianwu, that's secondary.
Her biggest worry and concern were always her own father and the Marquis, the people she knew and was close to!
The Marquis's eyes were filled with relief and emotion. "For the sake of the two of us, Fu Niu'er has gone to great lengths."
Li Laosi waved his hand and instructed, "My lord, don't think too much. Get well soon and drive the barbarians out of the border. Then we will be victorious."
"When the time comes, this military power will be given to whoever wants it! As if nobody cares, they'll work themselves to the bone every day, exhausting their minds and bodies!"
"We're risking our lives to fight the enemy at the front, but no one is helping us from behind. Instead, they're constantly sabotaging us and attacking us from the shadows!"
"If we had known this would happen, why bother with the northern expedition? We should have just let the barbarians march all the way to Jiangnan and slaughter those cowards!"
He cursed vehemently, and then he saw that the Marquis had already closed his eyes.
He could only suppress his anger; of all the people who were heartbroken today, it was the Marquis who was most saddened…
Li Laosi dared not leave until Doctor Sun returned with the medicine and Wei Erniu brought in chicken noodle soup. Only then did he hurriedly go to find Ye Shan and pass on the order for a three-day rest...
Outside Kyoto, on the Broken Gold Beach, the night was as usual, and every household was sound asleep.
Occasionally, when the patrol team members, young and old, got hungry, they would take out the steamed buns they had brought from home, set up a fire at the village entrance to roast them, and chat quietly, making it quite lively.
Jiayin was half asleep when she suddenly woke up and couldn't fall back asleep, tossing and turning.
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