Chapter 49 I will find you medicine to heal your heart...
On the way back to the city, the two remained silent for a long time.
This matter actually had little to do with Shen Guitang, but he thought that Hengbo probably wanted some peace and quiet at the moment.
Although the old man's words were incoherent, perhaps the sight of a "familiar face" made his urge to confide particularly strong. The two of them managed to piece together the unknown truth of the heavily guarded Forbidden Court from his ravings.
Crown Prince Ji Jin was ordered to go to the palace to attend to the ailing emperor, but by then the late emperor's condition had deteriorated rapidly, and he was barely clinging to life.
The only reason he was still clinging to life was because the Empress Dowager needed to control his life to force Ji Jin to his death.
Ji Jin knew that this journey was a one-way trip, but the concepts of filial piety and brotherly love could crush a person, especially since he was already prepared to die for it.
The setting sun was like blood, an ominous sign. The palace gates slowly closed before him, and the young eunuch leading the way, seeing him still standing and looking back, couldn't help but urge, "Your Highness, His Majesty is still waiting for you."
The gentle man in the moon-white robe smiled, then turned away, concealing the reluctance in his eyes. From that moment on, there was no turning back, and no hope behind him.
"Ji Jin," the successor said, sitting in the superior position, her tone complex and difficult to decipher: "You are indeed very filial."
"It's just a pity that I was born into an imperial family."
Ji Jin remained gentle: "It's not Jin who's to be pitied, it's Mother."
The veins on her well-maintained, delicate hands suddenly bulged, and her face turned terrifying. She almost hysterically shouted, "How dare you? How dare you members of the Ji family pity me?!"
She rose from the dragon throne that should have belonged only to the emperor and walked towards Ji Jin. However, when she actually stood in front of him, her anger inexplicably dissipated. She looked at the face that was so similar to someone in her memory and remained silent for a moment before suddenly saying with a sense of melancholy, "If she hadn't died, how wonderful everything would have been."
Ji Jin remained silent. The "she" the Empress Dowager referred to was the late Emperor's first Empress and Ji Jin's birth mother.
If Empress Yuan had not died, the Empress Dowager, as her cousin, would not have been brought into the palace by the late emperor to secure Ji Jin's position as crown prince, nor would she have been separated from her beloved and fallen into the harem, which was no different from a deep prison for her.
The Empress's entry into the palace was facilitated by the Crown Prince's maternal family, the Ye clan, and the Emperor. In fact, it had nothing to do with Ji Jin's wishes. However, he still sighed, "It is the will of Heaven, but it is indeed my Ji family that has wronged you."
"Hahaha!" the Empress laughed loudly, "Since that's the case, then you shall atone for your sins with your lives."
As soon as she finished speaking, two eunuchs pushed a withered old man out of the inner palace. If one were not a close blood relative, it would be difficult to recognize this frail old man who was slumped in a chair with almost completely white hair.
Ji Jin's feelings for the late emperor were actually very complicated, but at this moment he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow: "Father!" He really couldn't believe that a man who was still healthy just a few days ago could have deteriorated to such a state so quickly.
Upon hearing this, the person in the chair struggled to open his heavy eyelids. As soon as he saw the person in front of him, he tried to get up, but without the help of the two people next to him, he only raised his body half an inch before falling back down.
"Jin'er, why are you..." He wanted to ask him why he had come, since he had clearly used coded language in the imperial edict to warn him to leave as soon as possible.
Ji Jin shook his head, then turned to the Empress Dowager: "Jin is willing to exchange his own life for Father Emperor's life."
Then she laughed mockingly: "Even now, you still dare to try to negotiate with me?"
Ji Jin was not annoyed by her sarcastic remarks and continued, "What if we also allow Ji Heng to rightfully ascend the throne, Aunt?"
After a moment of surprise, she realized that if none of this had happened, she would indeed be Ji Jin's aunt. Thinking of this, she murmured again, "It shouldn't have been like this."
“I agree, but,” she said, a smile playing on her lips, her bright red nail polish pointing at the struggling old man, “I want you to hang yourself in front of him.”
Her words caused everyone in the hall to gasp. This was nothing short of killing Ji Jin's person, but it also shattered His Majesty's spirit.
The old man in the chair was breathing heavily, his chest heaving like a broken bellows, each breath accompanied by a rough, labored "hoarse, hoarse" sound. "Poisonous woman!"
His fingers, which he struggled to raise, trembled uncontrollably. "I have given you and your bastard child a lifetime of wealth and honor. What else could you possibly want? Why would you want to harm me like this!"
"What are you dissatisfied with?" The Empress suddenly walked up to the old man and slapped him hard across the face. "There is no more hypocritical person in this world than you. You are clearly trying to blackmail me and Heng'er with our lives..."
She stopped speaking, unwilling to utter that name from her own lips. He was originally a carefree traveler from beyond the heavens, yet he had been burdened for half his life by her, this speck of mud. She could not tolerate desecrating him any further.
This most estranged couple in the world finally met as enemies at this moment.
Seeing this absurd scene, Ji Jin felt nothing but initial bitterness; he could no longer feel any other emotion. He missed his wife and daughters, and if there were an afterlife, he would never again enter an imperial family.
...
Although Hengbo had already anticipated that Ji Jin's death was inextricably linked to the Empress and her son, she still felt an overwhelming sense of grief. Her father, the most virtuous and upright man in the world, had been burdened with the crime of treason and patricide after returning his life to his biological father.
Furthermore, according to that old monster, the person behind the Empress is an extraterrestrial being. If that's the case, then Ji Heng's life will be in grave danger... Hengbo frowned. She had heard that her grandmaster Jiang Chaosheng had also entered the Heavenly Realm. Should she go back and ask for reinforcements?
However, she quickly dismissed the idea. Qingxuzi probably didn't even know where Jiang Chaosheng was now. Besides, she had only seen Jiang Chaosheng once since she went up Biyun Mountain, so she probably couldn't persuade him to come.
Seeing Hengbo sighing again and again, Shen Guitang finally couldn't help but try to be a comforting voice: "Why are you sighing?"
Hengbo asked him very seriously: "If I live longer, will I be able to outlive the extraterrestrial guest?"
Shen Guitang: ...
In fact, after her fierce battle with the old spider demon before Hengbo, she felt that her realm had loosened. If she could fully digest that unstoppable surging sword intent, she might be able to touch the threshold of advancement. However, she never forgot the tricks that fate played on her: once she entered the Heavenly Realm, she would surely die.
How can you kill someone when they're already dead?
Therefore, no matter how hard Hengbo racked his brains, he could only think of killing the extraterrestrial who was protecting Ji Heng before taking revenge...
Shen Guitang chuckled, "The little princess really has a unique way of thinking."
"Need not."
Hengbo:? ? ?
Shen Guitang tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead behind her ear. "I said, you don't need to wait that long. I will find you medicine to heal your heart."
A medicine to heal the heart? Hengbo had never heard of any medicine in the world that could heal the heart. Even if such a miraculous medicine really existed, it must be extremely rare. Why would Shen Guitang do such a thing for her?
What does he want?
“I want,” Shen Guitang looked directly into her eyes, “I want you to stop asking me what I want.”
Hengbo seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to, but she suddenly became curious about Shen Guitang.
Do you also want to kill Ji Heng?
Shen Guitang's eyes curved slightly: "I didn't originally have this idea, but now I can kill someone while I'm at it."
Yokobo paused for a moment, then couldn't help but say: So you really aren't from the Gikyoku, are you?
How could Yi Ge so easily decide to kill the reigning emperor?
Shen Guitang: ...
It has now been confirmed that the old monster was a eunuch who served the late emperor, otherwise he wouldn't know so much inside information. However, why he wasn't silenced back then remains unknown for now.
Shen Guitang believed that the old monster must possess other information, such as the identity of that extraterrestrial visitor, and the secrets related to that pure gold hollowed-out sphere...
“Princess,” Shen Guitang suddenly said, her expression turning serious, “did His Highness the late Crown Prince give you any instructions before he left?”
If we were to say who the late emperor was most likely to entrust with his belongings before his death, it would undoubtedly be Crown Prince Ji Jin. If those belongings were found, along with the wise prince who had been sent away long ago, Ji Jin might not be without the power to fight back.
The late emperor probably never expected that Ji Jin would repay him with his life.
Yokobo tried hard to recall the scene from that day, but ultimately shook his head.
Before entering the palace, Ji Jin did indeed hand Hengbo to him and asked her, "What do you want to do when you grow up, Yu'er?"
Ji Yu didn't know why her father suddenly asked her about something so far-fetched, but she still answered earnestly, "I want to be a great swordsman like my mother!"
Ji Jin suppressed a laugh and gently rubbed her face, which was unusually serious when she mentioned the word "swordsman." "Don't you want to be like your father?"
Ji Yu thought of the huge stack of official documents her father had to read every day, and immediately waved her chubby little hands, refusing and backing away, saying, "No, no."
Ji Jin finally burst into laughter, scooped her up and rubbed her for a while before letting her go. "I know, our Yu'er wants to be a swordsman who can protect her mother when she grows up. Go play."
Ji Yu stormed out, but in her heart she thought resentfully: Not only Mother, she also wants to protect Father!
He didn't tell her anything, and that was his way of telling her.
Shen Guitang originally wanted to take out the golden ball and ask Hengbo if he had any clues, but seeing that Hengbo seemed to be somewhat disinterested because he was thinking about the past, he stopped mentioning the golden ball.
He took out a thin blanket from the side and draped it over her. "If you're tired, rest for a while. I'll call you when we get to the manor."
Hengbo nodded. She was indeed quite tired today, but the roads in the suburbs were not well repaired, and the carriage was very bumpy. Hengbo's head bobbed up and down with the carriage, and she couldn't sleep soundly.
Shen Guitang was reading the news that had piled up over the past few days in the carriage, but seeing Hengbo's aggrieved look as if she were a chick pecking at rice, she had no choice but to put down what she was holding and sit down at the other end as well.
In her hazy state, Hengbo felt her head being gently placed on the man's broad shoulder. She couldn't help but snuggle closer until she found a comfortable position before finally falling into a deep sleep.
Shen Guitang looked at the fluffy head that was pressing itself against her neck, and flicked it lightly with her finger; it was crisp.
It's not fully mature yet, no wonder it's been slow to learn.
It was nearly midnight when they returned to Yujing City. Fortunately, Shen Guitang had been on official business at the Imperial Mausoleum for the past few days, and the guards let them pass as soon as they saw it was his carriage.
The carriage slowly came to a stop at the entrance of the Shen residence. Seeing that Hengbo was sleeping soundly, Shen Guitang simply didn't wake her, picked her up in his arms, and steadily got out of the carriage.
Sensing the change in posture, Hengbo wanted to lift her eyelids to take a look, but her nose caught a familiar scent first, so she simply let herself fall asleep again.
Shen Guitang carried Hengbo across the front yard, only to encounter an uninvited guest in the supposedly empty reception room.
"Hand him over to me." The faint glow of the luminous pearl on the wall illuminated his fair face, adding an extra layer of ferocity to it.
Shen Guitang paused, looked the guest who had blocked her way up and down, and then smiled slightly, like an elder indulging a child throwing a tantrum.
Gentle yet disdainful.
The young master's hair stood on end; even his father had never treated him like this! He wanted to rush forward and snatch the man away, but the annoying man in front of him stepped back to avoid him.
Shen Guitang put a finger to her lips and shushed him softly, "Don't make a fuss, she's asleep." After saying that, she took advantage of the young man's slight hesitation and turned to go to the backyard.
Just as the young master realized what was happening and was about to give chase, a man in black appeared out of nowhere and blocked his way: "Please wait a moment, young master. My master will be right back."
The young master glanced at him warily, and despite his anxiety, he could only purse his lips and sit back down in his chair.
Hengbo had already told him last night that he had some urgent matters to attend to today, and he naturally agreed. It just so happened that he also had some matters to attend to at his estate in Yujing, so he arranged to visit a few shops to take a look.
However, before he could even leave, he received an urgent letter from the Second Elder in Changzhou. In the letter, the Second Elder mentioned that after he left, the people in the manor accidentally discovered that someone in the martial arts world was inquiring about the whereabouts of the Master of the Hengbo Sword. Considering that his trip was to Yujing to meet an old friend, the Second Elder hurriedly sent the urgent letter, firstly to inform him of this news, and secondly to hope that he could return to Cangjian Manor as soon as possible.
Although the Second Elder has already given orders for everyone in the manor to keep their mouths shut, secrets never stay hidden forever. If the young master stays by that sword master's side for too long, he will inevitably fall into danger.
After receiving the letter, the young master was frowning. After dinner in the evening, he went directly to the Shen residence to wait for someone. The Shen family knew that he was Hengbo's friend, so they did not drive him away. However, he waited until late at night, and the young master's heart sank. Therefore, when he saw Hengbo in Shen Guitang's arms, his first reaction was that something bad had happened to Hengbo.
Even with Shen Guitang's explanation that Hengbo was just asleep, he couldn't completely relax. For some reason, he felt that the man was dangerous; no, he had to get him out of there for safety.
Fortunately, Shen Guitang came out without making him wait long.
Black Wind had already lit all the candles in the room. Under the bright light, the two men observed each other. Outside their battle, Black Wind looked at one and then at the other, inexplicably excited.
In the end, it was the young master who couldn't hold back any longer: "I will take Hengbo away when she wakes up tomorrow."
He thought this was tantamount to a declaration of war, and that the old man opposite him would surely be angry. However, Shen Guitang nodded slightly, as if he had already thought of this: "Since you have already paid off Cuihua's debts, this is only right."
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 00:59:30 on March 3, 2024 and 16:25:49 on March 5, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 67704713 (1 landmine);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Mini-theater:
The young master and Shen Guitang exchanged a glance.
Young Master: Ha, old man.
Shen Guitang: Tsk, brat.
P.S.: The character descriptions have been updated. Please check the synopsis. Those interested can try to guess who the unannounced characters are. Love you all, wink!
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