How did they end up on this southern border?
This place would be the ends of the earth in later generations. She never imagined that a former king and queen would travel incognito to such a remote and remote place!
For the sake of offspring?
She didn't believe it.
What was the purpose of that?
Empress Dowager Zhou stared at her habitually raised pinky finger, and a glimmer of hope rose in her heart. Then, she stared at the face with thick eyebrows and big eyes in front of her for a moment, and her heart was also filled with turmoil.
Heaven rewards those who persevere; she finally found it!
With each of them preoccupied with their own thoughts, the pulse-taking process took a little longer.
Emperor Shunqing, oblivious to what was amiss, coughed lightly and asked, "How is the divine physician?"
You Ran composed herself and said, "Madam's health is indeed not very good. It seems that she was cured of a serious illness."
Empress Dowager Zhou smiled, "The divine physician is indeed right. Why don't you take a look at my husband as well?"
Emperor Shunqing reluctantly extended his hand.
You Ran also took his pulse, her eyes showing surprise. "This gentleman seems to have been given a drug that would prevent him from having children."
That was something she didn't know.
Empress Dowager Zhou nodded. "Yes, so it's inevitable that we both have health problems and few offspring. I just wonder if the Divine Physician has any way to help us?"
You Ran advised, "Since Madam and Master already know about your health conditions, why bother..."
This word of advice seemed to have opened up a floodgate of conversation for Empress Dowager Zhou.
Empress Dowager Zhou immediately began to complain bitterly, "Young master, you don't know, my husband and I had a son when we were young. We thought that having a son to inherit the family business would be enough. Who knew that this rebellious son would refuse to marry at the age of twenty-five, let alone take a concubine. We can't let the ancestral foundation be ruined in the hands of our eldest son, can we? We have no choice but to think of another way to see if there is any hope of having another child."
You Ran was startled again.
Empress Dowager Zhou meant that Chu Heng has remained unmarried since ascending the throne.
Empress Dowager Zhou stared into her eyes and said, "Our foolish son says he's been waiting for someone he's waiting for. If he doesn't find that person, he'll never marry and have children."
The amount of information was quite large, but You Ran maintained a strong sense of calm on the surface.
Emperor Shunqing finally noticed that Empress Dowager Zhou was acting strangely. He looked at You Ran again, suddenly realized what was going on, and made a gesture behind his back.
His voice trembled with emotion as he cut to the chase, “My child, we’ve finally found you! You don’t know, after you left, Heng’er searched high mountains and deep rivers for you for three whole years. His secret guards sent word back that he was emaciated, as thin as a skeleton! It was I… we couldn’t bear to see him like this anymore, so we threatened to kill ourselves to force him to return to the capital. I entrusted the empire to him so that I could keep him bound to the palace and force him to eat on time… but he still couldn’t let go of you, so the Empress and I had no choice but to search for you in his place…”
As he spoke, tears streamed down his face.
Yuran's eyes were blurred with tears.
Empress Dowager Zhou continued, "Two years ago, my husband and I, under the pretext of traveling to famous mountains and rivers, specifically visited small towns and villages. Knowing that you had never used your banknotes and would surely make a living by practicing medicine, we used the excuse of having difficulty having children and seeking a divine doctor to search for you everywhere..."
The two most distinguished people in the world actually used this unspeakable illness as an excuse to search for her everywhere...
You Ran felt a lump in her throat.
She had always known that the Emperor and Empress had deep affection for their son, Chu Heng, but she never expected that they would go to such lengths for him!
At this moment, a figure walked in. It was the man who had visited the fishing village before. He must have received the message that Emperor Shunqing had just delivered. His eyes were bloodshot. "His shadow guards number seventy-three. For the past five years, each of them has been digging three feet into the ground in their assigned area, hoping to send your message back to the capital."
By last month, seven members of the Shadow Guard had been missing due to various natural and man-made disasters, and thirty-three others had been mistaken for thieves and handed over to the authorities during a covert investigation, but fortunately, they still had a talisman to protect them once they were in the authorities.
It's a pity that sixteen people were killed by those with even higher martial arts skills, who mistook them for spies.
Eighteen others were forced to leave the Shadow Guard Camp due to reaching the age limit. Since they had not made any contributions before leaving, they received no reward and could only find a way to make a living at the Escort Agency.
As for us shadow guards, many of us have been separated from our wives and children or had our futures ruined in the past five years.
"Princess! I beg you, please return to the capital!"
After saying that, he knelt down on the ground with a thud and began to kowtow.
You Ran never expected that she would be recognized so easily.
I never expected that Chu Heng would go to such lengths.
The appearance of the shadow guards indicates that Emperor Shunqing had already spread the word, and the clinic is likely already completely surrounded.
What other way could she go?
Thinking back to what Qianqian said last night, I really feel that living a nomadic life with two children is not a long-term solution.
They've grown up; they need complete family bonds, they need to start reading and writing, they need to make friends... These are things that her current situation can't provide for them.
Unless she stops hiding from those who are pursuing her, settles down in one place, and builds another wealth empire...
Most importantly, she could never satisfy their longing for their father in any other way.
Empress Dowager Zhou grasped her hand. "You Ran, Heng'er... Look at us. The poison in our bodies has been cured, and Heng'er is no longer in mortal danger. His bad luck has also been lifted. The Imperial Advisor has divined that you and he have a child, a knot that cannot be untied. I know he wronged you by concealing his identity from you, but that's all in the past. Now, he's not doing well, you're not doing well, and the child is even worse off. And then there's the Yun family, your grandmother, your mother, your brothers and sisters-in-law..."
You Ran was already in tears, unable to hold back any longer, and buried her face in her hands on the table, sobbing uncontrollably.
She's actually been doing alright these past few years. Although raising two children is tough, she's carefree and her days are fulfilling. She just can't bear to think about her mother back home, or her loving grandmother…
I can't stop crying whenever I think about it.
A cry came from outside the door, "Mother! Let me in! I heard you crying! Let me in quickly!"
It was the sound of night after night crying.
You Ran quickly looked up, wiped away her tears, and said, "Let them in."
Emperor Shunqing waved his hand behind him.
Wanwan and Qianqian ran in hand in hand.
With a serious expression, Qianqian quickly stepped in front of her mother and demanded like a little adult, "Who are you people?! Why are you bullying my mother?!"
Wanwan cried and threw herself into her mother's arms, "Mother..."
When Empress Dowager Zhou saw the two children, she was first surprised, then she was overjoyed to find that the two children looked exactly alike. "Oh my, Youran, you are truly a lucky star! You gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, in your first life!"
No wonder the shadow guards sent messages a few times saying they had clues, but none of them were verified.
The imperial strategist only predicted that she was pregnant and had given birth safely, but who could have imagined that it would be twins?!
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