Chapter 889: Tighten the Tail
"Okay, okay, that's great..."
The Empress Dowager held the letter and said repeatedly: "I hope you are safe and sound..."
"Brother is naturally thoughtful."
Tang Ning supported the agitated old man and whispered, "You know my brother's temper. The fact that he can speak like this shows that the situation in the northwest is under control. The court is now stable. The problems left by the aristocratic families and those with bad intentions have been dealt with. Prince Ji has also set out with troops, money and food to support the northwest."
"The court is working together, and I will also guard the rear. Brother, a great victory is imminent. Is Grandma happy?"
"Happy, happy."
The Empress Dowager's face was pale, but she smiled very happily: "I knew that Chen An would win."
Before, when news came from Southern Qi, chaos broke out frequently in the four countries. Even though she knew it was a situation, she was still worried. Now that she saw Xiao Yan's letter with her own eyes, she felt that her heart, which had been hanging in the air, was relieved. She smiled so hard that her eyes turned red and she was so happy that she didn't know why.
Tang Ning took the old lady's hand, which was a little too cold, and leaned against her, saying softly, "Brother will return after he wins. Grandma, please take your medicine well and listen to Madam Qin. When brother comes, he will hold the Beiling King's flag and the heads of those barbarians, and he will be as feared and powerful as Emperor Taizu was back then."
The Empress Dowager patted her head and said, "Okay."
The Grand Empress Dowager was in better spirits than that day. She talked about Xiao Yan's childhood and the past events when Taizu was still in the palace. She chattered on and on about the past, the future, and her hopes for her most beloved great-grandson.
From the initial excitement, her voice gradually became lower. When it was getting dark in the evening, the Empress Dowager fainted in Tang Ning's arms.
Madam Qin and the imperial physician who had been waiting outside hurried in. After examining the Empress Dowager, the doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau all lowered their heads, and Madam Qin seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Madam Qin: "Madam..."
Tang Ning's eyes were red: "When?"
Madam Qin opened her mouth and said, "Just these few days."
The Empress Dowager was holding on with just one breath, just like a dying person whose breath remains concentrated. Now that the breath has dissipated, her pulse is no longer as dangerous and changeable as before, and the force of prolonging her life no longer causes her pain and anxiety, but her pulse has already appeared, and she will only be dead for a few days at most.
The Imperial Physician knelt beside them, not daring to speak as directly as Lady Qin. They lowered their heads and said tactfully, "The Empress Dowager's life force is at risk. She may not survive this month. We, your servants, deserve death. We beg the Empress to forgive us."
It’s already the end of the month, and it will only take a few days to get through this month.
Tang Ning did not blame them. He just lowered his eyes and looked at the old man who was so thin that his cheekbones were slightly protruding after falling asleep, and whispered to them:
"You just need to do your best to treat the Grand Empress Dowager. If it is really difficult to defy the will of heaven, then let her pass away peacefully."
The people from the Imperial Medical Bureau immediately breathed a sigh of relief and kowtowed quickly: "Your Majesty, I obey your command."
…
The Empress Dowager never woke up from this sleep.
Madam Qin and the people from the Imperial Medical Bureau always stayed by her bedside. Even Tang Ning moved the memorials submitted to the court to Shoukang Palace. Except for attending the morning court every day and meeting with court officials outside, she almost slept directly in Shoukang Palace.
Everyone in the court had vaguely heard the news from the palace and knew that the Empress Dowager, who had "faked her death" before, was really in trouble. Looking at the Queen's increasingly cold and stern appearance during the morning court every day, they thought of the people who had been beheaded one after another in the past few days.
Everyone was behaving themselves to the best of their ability, no one dared to run into them and seek death at this time.
The entire capital was exceptionally peaceful over the next few days. In the northwest, the spy who had been released at the beginning went through many hardships and experienced life and death. He finally arrived in Fengcheng with the half dragon jade token in his arms. He carefully avoided the people of the Wei Dynasty and handed the half token to Xiahou Ling.
Xiahou Ling lowered his eyes and looked at the thing in his hand: "What is this?"
"have no idea."
The person next to him whispered, "I was guarding Fengcheng under the orders of the Imperial Master. When that person saw me, he only said that Master Mingke had important matters to attend to. He didn't mention this item at all. He was obviously wary of me. It wasn't until I brought him back to the camp to see you that he gave you this item."
"But I think it must be something very important, otherwise he wouldn't risk his life to protect it."
Xiahou Ling held the object in his hand and asked, "Where are the others?"
"In Deputy General Ao's tent, the military doctor is treating his injuries."
Xiahou Ling nodded, holding the thing in his hand and walked out.
Deputy General Ao was one of the deputy generals in the Beiling march and was also a close confidant of the National Master's Mansion. When Xiahou Ling arrived outside the tent, he vaguely heard someone talking inside. The person guarding the door saw that it was him and hurriedly saluted and lifted the curtain of the tent. After Xiahou Ling entered, the two people inside hurriedly saluted.
"National Master."
Xiahou Ling glanced inside the tent, his gaze landing on the man on the couch. He looked at the basin filled with blood beside him, and the man's clothes, which were almost bloodstained beyond recognition. He asked in a deep voice, "How is he?"
The military doctor quickly said, "Master, he's seriously injured. An arm is broken, and his back and legs are covered in wounds. Fortunately, his life is not in danger right now. Even if he recovers, I'm afraid he won't be able to fight anymore. His meridians and internal organs are damaged."
Xiahou Ling was not much moved when he heard this. He never cared about the life or death of these assassins and spies he sent out. He would just replace them with new ones if one was destroyed. What he cared about most at the moment was what this person had brought back at the risk of his life, and he also wanted to know the situation of the Wei Dynasty.
So, Xiahou Ling was extremely indifferent to the military doctor's words, saying, "Can you wake him up?"
The military doctor was stunned.
General Ao beside him glared: "What are you staring at? The Imperial Master is asking you a question!"
The military doctor was frightened. He was not originally from Beiling, but a prisoner captured by Beiling in the early years. He was kept in the wounded camp only because he knew medical skills. Later, he gradually became a military doctor and no longer had to follow other prisoners to serve as a pioneer for the Beiling people.
He had long known that the one leading the troops this time was Xiahou Ling, the national teacher of Beiling, and that he was an extremely ruthless person. Beiling had suffered many wounded soldiers in previous battles with Wei, but Beiling did not have many herbs to treat them. Xiahou Ling had ordered that the seriously injured people be secretly thrown into another camp and imprisoned to die.
Not many people in the Beiling Camp knew about this matter, but as one of the military doctors, he knew it very well.
Seeing Xiahou Ling looking at him coldly, he quickly lowered his head and said tremblingly, "It's OK. I can wake up with just one injection."
He didn't dare to delay and quickly took out the silver needle and stepped forward. After the silver needle stayed on the man for a while, the man who was originally sleeping on the couch woke up from the pain. He then quickly took out the silver needle and stepped back.
Xiahou Ling: "I don't want anyone else to know what happened today."
The military doctor quickly lowered his head and said, "I will keep my mouth shut and won't reveal a single word."
Xiahou Ling nodded: "Go down."
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