"Grandfather!"
Chu Qingluan's pupils suddenly shrank, and she took a step forward and held his arm.
On the other side, Chu Hong also reached out his hands almost at the same time, and the two of them firmly supported Duke Dingguo's arms on the left and right.
Duke Dingguo's body suddenly became extremely hot, and all his strength seemed to be suddenly drained away. He leaned on the arms of the two men, barely able to steady himself.
There was an uproar in the court, and the ministers exclaimed, "Duke!?"
The King of Chu also stood up suddenly and shouted sternly: "Quickly call the imperial physician!"
Duke Dingguo forced himself to stand, waved his hands, and said in a weak but stubborn voice: "It's okay, this old minister just had a surge of blood. I just need to rest for a while..."
Chu Qingluan noticed his fingers were cold and trembling, and her heart sank.
She took Duke Dingguo's pulse without hesitation. Although she was not an expert in medicine, she could feel that the pulse was disordered and weak, which was clearly a sign of a serious illness.
She looked up at the palace entrance: "Where's the imperial physician? Why hasn't he come yet?"
Soon, the imperial physician carrying a medicine box hurried over, knelt on the ground to take Duke Ding's pulse, and placed his fingers on his pulse.
Soon, the doctor's originally calm expression gradually became solemn. He switched to his other hand to feel the pulse, and finally flipped over Duke Dingguo's eyelids before bowing to report to the Emperor of Chu:
"Your Majesty, Duke Dingguo has a chronic illness, a cold contracted during his early campaigns, which has remained dormant. Perhaps due to his emotional excitement and the activation of his true energy today, the cold suddenly manifested. While not fatal, he must rest and recuperate. He must not be exposed to the elements again, let alone lead troops into battle."
"What?!"
Chu Qingluan clenched her fingers suddenly.
My grandfather had been a soldier all his life, but now he was broken by his frail body?
Upon hearing this, Duke Dingguo was stunned for a moment, then glared angrily: "Absurd! I was able to draw a three-stone bow yesterday, how could this be..."
Before he could finish his words, he suddenly started coughing violently.
"Your Highness, you may not know this," the imperial physician explained. "This cold syndrome is hidden in the bones and blood. Normally, people are no different from ordinary people, but once triggered, they will feel weak all over and afraid of the cold and wind. If you force yourself to exert yourself, you may damage your fundamental health."
Chu Qingluan's heart sank to the bottom, and she held Duke Dingguo's hand even tighter.
Chu Hong also held his other hand without letting go, his brows tightly furrowed.
Above, the Emperor of Chu closed his eyes and gave the order in a deep voice, "Come here, send Duke Dingguo back to his residence to recuperate. Have the imperial physician watch over him day and night. No mistakes are allowed!"
"Your Majesty, this old minister..." Duke Dingguo wanted to argue again, but was interrupted by Chu Qingluan.
"Grandfather," Chu Qingluan's voice was slightly deep, but it was filled with unquestionable strength. "If you continue to act stubbornly, I will have my cousin Jiuge personally watch over you. I will give you three bowls of medicine every day, and not a single drop can be left."
Upon hearing this, Duke Dingguo twitched his beard and glared at her, "You little girl—"
"Duke," Chu Hong also spoke at the right time, "there is still room for improvement in the situation in the northern border. Your health is the most important thing right now."
Duke Dingguo looked at Chu Qingluan's determined eyes, then glanced at the worried faces of the civil and military officials in the court. Finally, he sighed heavily and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, forget it. I will listen to you."
Chu Qingluan's expression relaxed slightly, and she turned to the palace servant beside her and instructed: "Send the Duke back to the palace, and make sure to take good care of him."
Duke Daiding was helped away by someone, and the Golden Palace fell into a brief silence.
The ministers looked at each other, some sighed softly, and some frowned in thought.
The matter in the north is imminent, but the choice of head coach has not yet been decided.
At this moment, a report from a palace maid suddenly came from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, the King of the Western Regions has requested an audience, claiming to have important matters to discuss! Perhaps this will help Great Chu overcome its current predicament."
"King of the Western Regions?"
When the ministers heard this, they began to discuss it.
"Your Majesty, the King of the Western Regions is asking for an audience now, I'm afraid he has no good intentions!" The Minister of Revenue hurriedly stepped out and made a request.
"The war in the north has just begun. Perhaps they want to take advantage of the opportunity to threaten us."
As soon as he finished speaking, all the ministers echoed him.
"That's right. The King of the Western Regions tried to use a large gift to win Concubine Jiang at the birthday banquet yesterday. Now he's trying again. It's definitely not that simple."
"But you can't say that. Now that he's here, why not listen to what he has to say first?"
The King of Chu pondered for a moment, then finally nodded and said, "Announce!"
Soon, Amur, dressed in Western clothing, entered the Golden Palace under the guidance of palace servants.
He stood tall and straight, walked steadily, and had a faint smile on his face.
He first glanced around the hall, and finally his eyes fell on the Emperor of Chu. He bowed and saluted, "Foreign Minister Amur, I greet Your Majesty."
The King of Chu looked at him and said calmly, "The King of the Western Regions has requested an audience with you. What is it that you would like to discuss?"
Amur stood up, his smile growing even wider. "Your Majesty, I heard that the northern border of Great Chu was attacked and the selection of a commander has not yet been decided. Therefore, I have come here to help Your Majesty."
"To relieve my worries?" The Emperor of Chu raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "I wonder if the King of the Western Regions has any good plan?"
Amur glanced at Chu Qingluan's position, and raised the corner of his lips:
"Your Majesty, my Western Regions are willing to form a friendly alliance with Great Qin. I am willing to marry your Princess Zhaoyang with a betrothal gift of 100,000 cavalry. I promise that after the marriage, the Western Regions army will immediately march to the northern border to help Great Chu quell the rebellion of the State of Chen."
boom!
Amur's words were like a thunderclap that exploded in the Golden Palace, and all the civil and military officials in the court were in an uproar.
The next second, before everyone could see clearly, a figure rushed straight in front of Amur and grabbed his collar.
"Do you dare to hit on her?"
Chu Hong's tone was cold, and his eyes shot straight at Amur like a knife.
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