Chapter 140 How dare you hurt my senior brother!
Xiao Jingheng stepped forward and looked down at Doctor He.
"Dr. Crane, how have you been?"
Do you still remember me, the young master?
He had been trying to find out about this person, but he never expected that he would appear at the Royal Hunting Grounds.
A hint of confusion flashed in the eyes of the Divine Physician Crane. He frowned as if trying to recall something.
But my mind was completely blank, and I couldn't remember anything.
"This name... it sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it. Who are you? Do you really know me? My name is Doctor Crane?"
Xiao Jingheng's heart sank. He took a deep breath and asked him, "How did you faint here before this? And do you remember the little eunuch who spoke to you here earlier?"
The other person continued to shake their head, and a look of pain appeared on their face as they tried to recall the events.
"I...I don't know...I don't remember anything..."
Xiao Jingheng's face immediately turned ashen, and the pressure around him suddenly dropped.
I just got some news about Su Xiaoyu, but what a coincidence, she's lost her memory?
He waved his hand impatiently and ordered the guards, "Someone, go and fetch a doctor."
...
A quarter of an hour later, a white-bearded imperial physician rushed over, carefully examined the injury on the back of Physician He's head, checked his eyelids, and took his pulse. Finally, stroking his beard, he solemnly replied to Xiao Jingheng:
“Your Highness, this gentleman suffered a severe blow to the back of his head, and there is blood stasis in his skull. In my opinion, this is a sign of ‘dissociation syndrome,’ which has caused him to lose his memory and forget his past.”
Dissociative identity disorder? Amnesia?
Xiao Jingheng's face showed a brief moment of surprise. He closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, his eyes were like a bottomless, icy pool.
"When will he get better?"
"this……"
The imperial physician looked troubled. "Whether it can be restored, or when it will be restored, I can't say for sure. Right now, I can only prescribe some blood-activating and stasis-removing prescriptions. The rest is up to fate."
Xiao Jingheng gritted his teeth.
What fate? He never believed in fate! All he knew was that the reckless girl was courting disaster, and he had to find her as soon as possible to stop her from doing something foolish!
"Changfeng," Xiao Jingheng ordered in a deep voice, but he stopped abruptly before he could finish speaking.
wrong!
The guards said Su Xiaoyu appeared nearby disguised as a eunuch. Where would a maid like her get clothes that fit? And how did she manage to bypass all the checks and sneak into the heavily guarded hunting grounds?
There must be someone behind her helping her.
But who could it be?
Suddenly, a name popped into Xiao Jingheng's mind.
Shen Guangnian.
Yes, others might not know, but as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, he had investigated Shen Guangnian's background—the Shen family of Qinghe County. If he remembered correctly, Xiaoyu had a close friend who was a daughter of the Shen family, and she happened to be in the capital recently.
Su Xiaoyu must have gotten in touch with Shen Guangnian through the Shen family's daughter. Only Shen Zhangyin, who holds immense power and controls the Eastern Depot, has the ability and the motive to do so.
Having figured everything out, a cold glint flashed in Xiao Jingheng's eyes, and he changed his tune to Changfeng, saying, "There's no need to make a big fuss about searching."
Changfeng was taken aback: "Your Highness?"
Xiao Jingheng mounted his horse and said decisively, "Immediately find out where Master Shen is. I want to meet him in person."
He wanted to ask this Master Shen why he had hidden his men!
-
Achoo!
Inside the side tent, Shen Guangnian sneezed several times in a row. His trusted eunuch, Xiao Xizi, hurriedly served him a cup of hot tea, his face full of worry.
"Godfather, did you catch a chill from standing in the wind for too long? You must take good care of yourself!"
Shen Guangnian took the teacup, chuckled and shook his head, "I'm afraid it's not a cold, but some unknown deity gossiping about us behind our backs again."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xizi immediately became indignant, feeling wronged on behalf of his godfather:
"It must be those ignorant people gossiping behind our backs again. What do they know! They only know how to talk about how the Eastern Depot is this or that, but those who were punished, weren't they all guilty and deserved it? They were corrupt, lawless, and formed cliques for personal gain."
"If it weren't for your swift and decisive actions, Godfather, in purging His Majesty of treacherous officials, who knows what kind of chaotic and corrupt atmosphere the court would be in. This slander is so baseless; I feel so sorry for you."
Shen Guangnian didn't care; he was used to it.
"What's the use of fame? It can't fill your stomach or clothe you; it's just an illusion. Let them talk."
"Besides, His Majesty trusts me and has given me authority, so I will use it to do what I should do and protect those who should be protected. As for what will be judged after my death—whether I am loyal or treacherous, virtuous or wicked—let future generations decide. What does it have to do with me?"
His words were spoken calmly, yet they conveyed a sense of aloofness and strength, as if he were at the center of a whirlpool, yet still went his own way.
Just then, a young eunuch rushed in and hurriedly reported, "Master, something terrible has happened! We just received news that Physician Crane was beaten and unconscious outside the camp. He was found and rescued by the heir of the Yongning Marquis, and is now being housed in the medical tents on the west side."
"What!?"
Shen Guangnian's eyes sharpened, and he stood up abruptly, instantly exuding a cold, murderous aura, a stark contrast to his previous nonchalant demeanor.
He strode out of the tent, his anger palpable.
"Very well! I'd like to see which fool is so audacious as to dare to injure my senior brother!"
Unfortunately, just as Shen Guangnian stepped out of the tent, he bumped into Xiao Jingheng.
Coincidentally, neither of them looked too good at the moment; one was ashen-faced as ink, his expression so dark it seemed to drip water.
One had a frosty expression, with a fierce glint in his eyes, clearly in the rage of a man.
Their eyes met in the air, and both paused for a moment, as if the surrounding air had turned colder.
Suppressing his anger, Shen Guangnian resumed his forced smile and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:
"Young Master Xiao, the hunt is in full swing. Why did you suddenly return to camp instead of guarding His Highness the Crown Prince at the hunting grounds?"
Xiao Jingheng didn't speak, his sharp gaze sweeping around.
Shen Guangnian understood, raised his hand, and gestured for everyone behind him to step back.
After everyone had left, Xiao Jingheng no longer concealed his intentions and spoke in a cold tone: "Master Shen, let's not beat around the bush. Are my men here with you?"
Shen Guangnian understood immediately, and a hint of guilt flashed across his face.
Oh, right. He had almost forgotten about it.
He wasn't annoyed, and pretended to realize something, saying, "So it turns out that Young Master Xiao came for Miss Xiaoyu. To be honest, she was indeed brought by my family. When that girl came to me, she was crying very pitifully. As you know, Young Master, my family is soft-hearted and can't stand seeing pretty young women cry. In addition, she is Yuejiao's good friend, so my family... really couldn't refuse."
He changed the subject and assured him, "But don't worry, Young Master Xiao, Miss Su is perfectly safe and sound. I will have someone bring her to you safely and without incident."
“No need,” Xiao Jingheng refused. “Wherever she is, I will go find her right now.”
Shen Guangnian thought for a moment, looking troubled: "I'm afraid it won't work now. Miss Su just went to the dense forest with our godson Fugui. The forest is full of interconnected paths, and I don't know where they are right now."
"What did you say?!" Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingheng's brows furrowed deeply, as if he could trap a fly in them.
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