Chapter 407 Entering the Imperial City
The operation to remove the bullet from Su Mo went smoothly.
Seeing Su Mo fall into a deep sleep, Shen Yuexi carefully let go of her hand and nodded to Xiao Beiheng on the other side. She stood up and followed Doctor Hua out of the room and onto the terrace.
Doctor Hua was standing by the railing on the second floor, gazing at the imperial city gate not far to the north, and pounding his waist with his fists.
As if he had heard Shen Yuexi's footsteps, Doctor Hua said without turning his head, "It will heal after a month of rest. It will just leave scars, which my old medical skills cannot cure."
Shen Yuexi recalled how Xiao Beiheng had cruelly treated his son Hua Duoduo. She knew that it was not easy for Dr. Hua to perform surgery on Su Mo.
"Dr. Hua, thank you..."
"No need to thank me," Doctor Hua waved his hand. "The young lady is a kind-hearted child. She has nothing to do with the young master. Besides, she is the master's daughter-in-law. Even if the young master doesn't ask me to save her, I will save her."
"So," Shen Yuexi also came to the railing and looked at Dr. Hua's aged profile, "you are also my mother's subordinate?"
Dr. Hua sighed and nodded slightly.
Shen Yuexi recalled the past events, and everything had a reasonable explanation. Why did Dr. Hua recognize her when they first met? Why did Xiao Beiheng appear when they encountered bandits? Why did Dr. Hua take her to find Xiao Beiheng? Why did Dr. Hua follow her to the border?
"When did you..."
"It was after I took Empress Wen's pulse," Doctor Hua stopped pounding her waist and placed his hand on the railing, "that's when I joined."
Shen Yuexi was a little surprised and said, "It was twenty years ago."
When Xiao Zhuo was under attack from all sides in Yongwei City, Doctor Hua had told her about Empress Wen, but he only told her half of it.
"The day after Empress Wen left, she came to see me again," Doctor Hua said. "She was dressed the same as Empress Wen and looked exactly the same. The only difference was that she wasn't wearing the jade pendant."
Shen Yuexi said, "That's Madam Pei."
She didn't need Dr. Hua to explain, as she already knew who would be visiting him the next day. Wen Yi was the only woman Pei Jingyun had chosen from hundreds of people to enter the palace. How could she not monitor her every move?
"At that time, I couldn't tell the difference between the master and Empress Wen, so I told her to take good care of the baby." Doctor Hua turned to look at Shen Yuexi. "I have seen people with terminal illnesses, and I have seen people whose wealth was depleted by illness. I have seen people who have lost their elderly parents, and I have seen people who have lost their young children. But the master at that time... was something I had never seen in my life."
Shen Yuexi didn't answer, and her heart ached. But this feeling was more than just despair.
No matter how much you hate someone, killing them will eliminate the hatred. Even if you can't kill them, escaping is also a solution. But the most torturous thing is to help that person despite the hatred that is heartbreaking. This kind of pain can no longer be described as despair, it is hell.
"The master knew that Empress Wen was pregnant, but she still spent a large sum of money to bribe the imperial physician to conceal it for her," Doctor Hua sighed. "The master has been planning this since she was nine years old, and she will not allow any mistakes to happen. Her hair started turning white from then on..."
Shen Yuexi reached out to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "My husband and I are going to see our mother and resolve this grudge."
Doctor Hua was silent for a moment before he said to Shen Yuexi, "The master's hatred for Empress Wen is something she cannot let go of for the time being. This hatred... even though Empress Wen has been gone for over a year, she still can't let it go."
"How can we know if we don't try?" Shen Yuexi said, "We're already here. Mother must be in the Imperial City, right?"
Doctor Hua shuddered, then slowly raised his head and said to Shen Yuexi, "She's here. But don't go see her, she'll definitely kill you. She's capable of doing that. You and Prince An are both good people, and I don't want you to die here. Go back to the mainland quickly. I have a ship hiding north of Guiyun Island. This ship can take you away."
Shen Yuexi asked, "Do you have a boat?"
"Yes, there's a ship with a signal flag." Doctor Hua raised his hand and pointed north. "I didn't stop at the dock, but in an uninhabited area on the northeast side of the island. It's marked by three huge rocks stacked on top of each other on the shore. The ship is hidden there. You and your wife and the Queen of Xiliang should all go back. Tell the captain that Hua Zhenghe sent you here, and he will take you away. Perhaps after a while, the master's hatred will subside."
Shen Yuexi shook her head firmly: "We are going to see mother now."
Although she had a way to leave the island, she didn't want to live in constant fear of assassination. The child she was expecting also had Wen Yi's blood and was Pei Jingyun's target. She would not leave until all the grudges were resolved.
Before Dr. Hua could continue to persuade her, she left the terrace and came into the house. She said to Xiao Beiheng, "Brother, you stay here and take care of your sister-in-law. We're going to see mother."
Xiao Beiheng was about to get up, but when he saw Su Mo was unconscious, he sat down again and handed the Yanque Sword to Shen Yuexi, saying, "Sister-in-law, give this to my brother."
Shen Yuexi didn't answer, but turned and walked downstairs: "We won't hurt mother."
She still didn't know how to resolve this feud. Pei Jingyun was Xiao Ming's legal wife, and Xiao Zhuo had to call her mother. Given Xiao Zhuo's character, he would never harm Pei Jingyun. But Pei Jingyun wanted to kill her and Xiao Zhuo. Escape was unrealistic. The only possibility was to persuade Pei Jingyun to let go of this hatred. No one else could do this; she and Xiao Zhuo had to do it.
She went downstairs and saw Xiao Zhuo standing at the counter, talking quietly with Mei Dai and Chen Lan. She approached the three of them and said to Xiao Zhuo, "Husband, Mother is in the Imperial City. Let's go see her."
Xiao Zhuo took her hand and said, "Okay, let's go."
Mei Dai also took Shen Yuexi's hand and said, "Sister, we will go with you. Maybe we can use your help."
Shen Yuexi said, "Sisters, Doctor Hua has a boat at the corner of the island."
This time, she went to see Pei Jingyun, not knowing whether she was alive or dead. She didn't want her two sisters to get involved. Doctor Hua happened to have a boat, so she planned to let Mei Dai and Shen Lan leave first. She told them the specific location and how to contact the captain.
Mei Dai was surprised when she heard this and said, "With the signal flag, we can avoid the fleet. Can we go back to Xiliang?"
"Yes, sisters, you guys should take the boat and go first," Shen Yuexi said to Mei Dai, "We don't know what will happen when we go to see mother. Sister Mei, you are the last person in the Mei family, and you have the responsibility to protect the Mei family fiefdom."
Tears welled up in Mei Dai's eyes, and she slowly let go of Shen Yuexi's hand: "Sister, you are right. I have dedicated my life to the Mei family. I can't take any risks..."
Shen Yuexi smiled and said, "It's okay, Sister Mei, go ahead. This matter is between me and my husband."
She didn't blame Mei Dai at all. She knew how much Mei Dai had sacrificed for the Mei family. The four Xiliang counties had only been maintained because of Mei Dai. If anything happened to Mei Dai, the Mei family would be completely wiped out.
She turned to Chen Lan and said, "Sister, you are Sister Mei's most respected military advisor. You should go with Sister Mei."
Shen Lan had been watching silently from the side. When she saw Shen Yuexi talking to her, she said, "Sister, after the Duke's Mansion was disbanded, it was just you and me. You are my only sister, and we grew up together. Now I have my own path to follow... The Queen's army still needs me to command."
Shen Yuexi opened her arms and hugged Shen Lan, saying, "Sister is right. You have found the path you want to take. So keep going. You have your own difficulties to face, and my husband and I also have our own difficulties to face. Even if we are thousands of miles apart, we must cheer each other up."
She and Xiao Zhuo bid farewell to Mei Daichenlan and walked towards the gate of the imperial city.
The parrot Liuli was basking in the sun on the wall next to the gate of the imperial city. When it saw Shen Yuexi approaching the gate, it immediately spread its wings and flew down, landing on Shen Yuexi's shoulder and calling out, "Yuexi, good luck."
"Well, Liuli is really good and didn't fly around," Shen Yuexi stretched out her fingers to tease Liuli, "Just come with us."
Xiao Zhuo walked to the gate and pushed the heavy, rivet-covered door. The hinges creaked and the gate slowly opened, revealing a square paved with smooth stone slabs. It was also empty, with no one in sight.
Shen Yuexi looked at the Golden Throne Hall high on the jade steps at the end of the square, and her uneasiness became even stronger.
This strange feeling made her feel even more uneasy than facing an army of thousands. She had only encountered Doctor Hua and her two sisters in the empty city. Now she had to face the empty imperial city.
"Yuexi, no matter what happens," Xiao Zhuo held her hand, "we must not separate."
Shen Yuexi nodded, and the two of them stepped over the threshold and entered the imperial city.
After walking only a dozen steps, Mei Dai called out from behind: "Sister, wait for us."
Shen Yuexi looked back and saw Mei Dai and Shen Lan also entered the imperial city and ran towards her and Xiao Zhuo.
"Sisters, you..." She stopped in surprise.
"Sister, we've discussed this," Mei Dai smiled and extended her hand. "If it weren't for you, neither of us would be where we are today. We've decided to accompany you to see Madam Pei. No matter what dangers may come, we'll face them hand in hand. If fate has us die here, we'll die together."
Shen Yuexi didn't say anything more and hugged Mei Dai and Chen Lan tightly.
"That's Mother."
Xiao Zhuo uttered four words briefly, causing the three to look towards the Golden Palace in surprise.
At the top of the tall jade steps, a figure turned and walked quickly into the hall. His head of white hair was extremely eye-catching in the midday sun.
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