Those experts who were once considered medical masters were completely baffled by Zhang Lie's situation.
The only thing that's certain now is that Zhang Lie is a cripple, both as a man and as a Xuan Master.
The couple returned to the capital, and even from their carriage, they could hear people talking about Zhang Lie. They hadn't mentioned Zhang Lie to anyone when they left, but now it seemed everyone knew that Marquis Weiwu, Zhang Lie, was completely crippled.
Zhang Lie was almost ashamed to face anyone.
Baili Xi's face was long and extremely gloomy as she said, "It must have been deliberately leaked by someone with ulterior motives. Besides the two of us, probably only..."
Her voice trailed off abruptly, but Zhang Lie already understood that only the person who had so cruelly harmed him would know the details of his physical condition and be able to explain it so clearly to the outside world, making the rumors seem close to the truth.
Zhang Lie: "Tracing the source of these rumors might lead us to the murderer who harmed me." He couldn't help but grit his teeth as he spoke.
The news of Zhang Lie's return to the capital spread quickly, and his leave had also expired. Although he was somewhat ashamed to face the elders of the capital, he still hoped that his health would recover one day. So, he went to court early that morning, just as he was being forced to.
In truth, his body was perfectly healthy; he simply lacked the mystical energy and the essential attributes of a man. Therefore, after he diligently adopted his usual handsome and dashing demeanor, no one could discern anything wrong with him.
Therefore, some ministers asked him out of curiosity why such rumors had been circulating in the capital recently. People thought they were just making things up, so they didn't think much of it when asked to his face.
Zhang Lie was so angry he almost lost his temper, but if he vented his anger in public, people would know he was truly useless. So he put on a bright smile and said, "Lord Wen is joking. How many of those rumors are true? They're just people spreading them. I've always been perfectly fine. I only asked for leave a few days ago because I wanted to go back to Xuanmen to visit my master."
Lord Wen laughed and said, "Ah, I knew it! With your supernatural abilities, Lord Zhang, how could you possibly become a cripple? The rumors outside are getting more and more outrageous..." As he spoke, he moved closer to Zhang Lie and whispered, "There are even people spreading rumors that the Emperor is your and the Empress Dowager's illegitimate son. Tell me, what kind of rumors are these? Haha!"
“Such rumors are simply outrageous,” Zhang Lie said. “The Emperor is the son of the late Emperor; how could that be false?!”
Lord Wen quickly chimed in, "Who says otherwise!"
At the beginning of the court session, the officials entered in order and then knelt before the emperor.
The emperor sat behind the dragon throne, behind which was a beaded curtain, and the empress dowager sat behind the beaded curtain.
Upon seeing Zhang Lie, Chu Nian asked gently, "I heard that Lord Zhang has been unwell recently and has been on leave for some time. Has your condition improved?"
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, some of the bolder officials began to whisper among themselves, and many even glanced at Zhang Lie. Although they might not have meant any mockery—after all, Zhang Lie was a high-ranking and powerful official, and who would dare to ridicule him?—in his eyes, those gazes were full of sarcasm.
But since Zhang Lie had been directly called out by the Empress Dowager, he couldn't just stay silent, so he stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am fine, but I went to visit my master at his sect these past few days."
Chu Nian said, "I also heard that you and your wife went to your sect to treat patients, but I don't know how it went?"
Zhang Lie almost lost his temper: he had tried his best to make the officials believe that the rumors were false, but even so, there must still be many people who doubted that he was a cripple; now, Baili Nian was asking such probing questions in the court in front of all the officials, what did he mean by that? Was he afraid that his colleagues didn't know?
Zhang Lie: "My wife and I went to our master's school to discuss some matters, not to seek medical treatment. I am in very good health and have no illness whatsoever."
"It's good that Your Excellency is well," Chu Nian sighed. "I've been hearing the palace servants talking lately, saying that you've already..."
Alas, these past few days I've been so worried about my sister, fearing she'll end up like me at such a young age. Although she won't be a true widow like me, if her life is no different from one, then I… sob… sob…”
She used the same tricks as the original owner of the body again, making the court officials both laugh and cry.
Only Zhang Lie was filled with raging anger, wishing he could rush up and slap this hateful woman to death right now: with her making such a scene, people would probably be even more curious about whether he, the Marquis of Weiwu, was still a man.
The young emperor turned his head slightly in anger and whispered to Chu Nian behind him, "Mother, what are you doing? This is the imperial court."
Chu Nian immediately wiped away her tears and said, "Oh, I was overjoyed to hear that Lord was safe and sound, so I wept with joy! I wept with joy!"
The young emperor, however, looked at Zhang Lie with moist eyes and said, "Lord Weiwu's life is tied to the fate of the nation. Only if you are healthy can my Ziwei Kingdom remain safe. Therefore, no matter what happens, Lord Weiwu, you must take good care of yourself."
As he said this, his eyes were filled with concern and heartache, which warmed Zhang Lie's heart and moved him deeply, bringing tears to his eyes.
Chu Nian sat in the back. Although he couldn't see the emperor's face clearly with his eyes, he could see it clearly with his spiritual power. He cursed the little guy in his heart: Every night when no one was around, this thing would laugh so hard in the palace that he couldn't sleep. Now look at him! He's even more dramatic than a drama queen!
It seems this guy's acting skills are innate; it's unlikely he's had any special training in this area at such a young age.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, even if it's for Your Majesty's sake..." Zhang Lie said with great emotion, but then realized that his words might make people doubt his true relationship with the emperor, so he changed his words again and said, "For the sake of the country, I will be fine."
The young emperor smiled with relief and said, "That's good. Now I can rest assured."
These words still made Zhang Lie feel exceptionally comfortable.
After the court session, the emperor wanted to leave the palace incognito with Jiang Bai, and Chu Nian still wanted to go with them.
The young emperor said helplessly, "I have important business to attend to this time, so you don't need to come with me."
Chu Nian: "How can that be? Now that Lord Zhang has finally returned to the capital, I must personally visit him to confirm whether he is a whole person before I can respond to his previous proposal."
The young emperor looked helplessly at Jiang Bai, indicating that Jiang Bai should object. Jiang Bai replied, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager's words do have some merit."
The young emperor was startled, and at the same time felt even more helpless, so he quickly gave him several meaningful glances.
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