Chapter 187 Corpse
The dusk was as dark as ink, slowly permeating the entire forest, and the light around it became dimmer.
Quan Minghe looked at the darkening night, the anxiety in his heart spreading like a raging fire.
Shen Yuning had been gone for a long time, but until now, there was still no sign of her.
He gritted his teeth, endured the severe pain from the wound in his abdomen, supported himself on the tree trunk beside him with both hands, and stood up.
Although every movement involved the wound and the pain made beads of sweat cover his forehead, he prepared to look for her in the direction she left.
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind: "Your Majesty!"
Zhao Cong saw from afar that His Majesty's figure was swaying slightly in the darkness, as if he would fall down at any time.
I was shocked.
He quickly quickened his pace and ran closer.
When he saw the shocking bloodstains on His Majesty's clothes, his eyes widened instantly.
His face was full of shock and concern: "Your Majesty, are you injured?"
"I'm fine."
Quan Minghe waved his hands, suppressing the discomfort in his body.
"The Empress is missing. Send everyone to look for her immediately."
He always had an ominous premonition growing in his heart.
"Yes, I will arrange it right away."
Zhao Cong quickly agreed, but looking at the pale face of His Majesty, he couldn't help but persuade, "But Your Majesty, you are seriously injured, you must go back and let Doctor Hu treat you."
"I said it's okay, finding the emperor and empress is the most urgent matter."
Quan Minghe's tone became more and more firm. His worry for her made him have no time to care about his own injuries. He just wanted to find her as soon as possible.
Zhao Cong frowned and looked embarrassed, but he did not dare to disobey His Majesty's order.
Seeing him hesitate, Quan Minghe urged him again: "What are you still standing there for? Go find it quickly!"
Zhao Cong had no choice but to follow His Majesty closely at all times, while the other guards raised torches, quickly dispersed, and conducted a carpet search in the vast mountains and forests.
Time passed quietly and the night grew darker.
Since Quan Minghe's wound was only simply bandaged, the pain became more severe and his face became paler and bloodless.
Suddenly, he stumbled, became unstable, and almost fell.
Zhao Cong was quick to move forward and hold him firmly.
"His Majesty?!"
Zhao Cong looked at the pale face of His Majesty who had fainted, and immediately shouted loudly, asking someone to drive the carriage over, and carefully helped His Majesty into it.
When Your Majesty returned to the camp, Doctor Hu had been waiting there for a long time.
Seeing His Majesty return, he immediately went forward to treat him.
When Doctor Hu saw the golden medicine applied on His Majesty's wound, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He carefully examined the wound, frowning, "Your Majesty, the wound is not serious, but it is not shallow. In addition, Your Majesty has been delayed for such a long time to come back. If it weren't for your strong body, if it were an ordinary person who had suffered such a torment, I'm afraid he would have lost his life long ago!"
Zhao Cong was also frightened.
Two days later, Quan Minghe slowly woke up.
The moment his eyes opened, there was a hint of confusion, as if he had not yet fully woken up from his coma.
But the next moment, his eyes suddenly became sharp and looked straight at Zhao Cong who was guarding nearby.
He asked anxiously, "Have you found the emperor and empress?"
Zhao Cong had no choice but to lie because Imperial Physician Hu had specifically instructed that His Majesty must rest and recuperate and must not be provoked by anything again. Even though the emperor and empress had not been found at this moment, he had no choice but to lie.
"Your Majesty, the queen has been found. But the queen was injured and is recovering carefully."
Quan Minghe's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down. After he breathed a sigh of relief, he immediately got out of bed to visit Shen Yuning.
Zhao Cong hurried forward to stop him: "Your Majesty, Doctor Hu said that the queen is weak and needs some extremely precious medicinal herbs to recuperate."
"But the medicines prepared by Doctor Hu are all for His Majesty, and are not suitable for Your Majesty, so Your Majesty has been sent to Ruijin County first."
He paused and continued, "Your Majesty, just take care of your health these days. When we slowly make our way to Ruijin County, we will be able to see the Queen."
Quan Minghe frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said, "My body is fine now, let's go immediately."
Zhao Cong tried to persuade him again, but he did not dare to insist too much, for fear of arousing the emperor's suspicion and exposing the truth.
He could only pray secretly in his heart, hoping to find the emperor and empress before His Majesty arrived in Ruijin County.
In the spacious and luxurious carriage, Quan Minghe sat quietly.
Imperial Doctor Hu took good care of him every day, and the medicinal herbs he used were all rare and top-grade products specially provided to Your Majesty. With such careful care, his wounds recovered very well and had begun to scab over.
As the carriage gradually approached the county town, the tense atmosphere became more and more intense.
The people Zhao Cong sent out to look for the emperor and empress finally got news.
However, this news was like a bolt from the blue, instantly shattering everyone's hopes.
The queen...
Died!
His Majesty's health has basically recovered, and Zhao Cong knows that he can no longer hide it.
With a fearless attitude, he stepped into the carriage.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty of a crime that deserves death. I have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. I have come to ask for forgiveness."
Zhao Cong fell to his knees with a plop.
Quan Minghe glanced at Zhao Cong coldly and asked in a deep voice, "What's the matter?"
That ominous feeling of uneasiness came over me again.
"A few days ago, I actually didn't find you. Doctor Hu said that you needed to rest and not be tortured any more, so I had the guts to hide it from you, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Cong lowered his head, not daring to look His Majesty in the eyes.
He knelt in front of Quan Minghe, his body trembling slightly.
Quan Minghe clenched his fists violently, and his joints turned white due to the force.
He said angrily, "You mean, five days have passed and you haven't found the emperor and empress yet?!"
"Today, the people I sent out finally found... found it, but..."
Zhao Cong hesitated, his voice becoming weaker and weaker.
Quan Minghe was extremely anxious and shouted, "But what? Tell me now!"
His ability as an emperor to hide his emotions always seemed to be ruined by Shen Yuning.
"When the guards found her, she had been shot in the chest by an arrow and was soaking in a river in the forest. By then, she was already... dead."
Zhao Cong had cold sweat on his forehead, and as he spoke, sweat kept dripping down his cheeks.
Quan Minghe stood up from his seat instantly, his face full of disbelief.
He would never believe that she died like this!
"Lead the way, I want to see it with my own eyes!"
Zhao Cong tremblingly led His Majesty to another carriage and slowly opened the curtain of the carriage.
Inside the car, there was a body covered with a white cloth.
Quan Minghe took a deep breath, stretched out his hand and lifted the white cloth.
What caught my eye was the clothes she was wearing when they parted that day.
The bracelets on her hands and the hair accessories on her head were all her belongings, but because they had been soaked in water for a long time, her entire face had become swollen and deformed, making it almost unrecognizable.
Quan Minghe felt dizzy and staggered, almost falling down.
"No, that's definitely not her!"
Quan Minghe roared.
Zhao Cong didn't dare to speak. He actually heard despair and unwillingness in His Majesty's voice.
Does Your Majesty have such deep feelings for the Emperor and Empress?
Quan Minghe murmured, "Someone must have switched the package. She's still alive, definitely alive!"
Zhao Cong said cautiously behind him: "Your Majesty, I have captured an assassin. After detailed interrogation, I learned that they are assassins in the martial arts world, and Liu Shu Ren sent them to assassinate the queen with a large sum of money."
"As early as two months ago, when His Majesty had just decided to travel south, Liu Shuren was planning to attack Her Majesty outside the palace."
"However, these assassins did not know the identity of their target. Liu Shu Ren knew the first base you stayed at outside the palace, so he asked the assassins to wait in a caravan and gave them a portrait of the queen, promising that if the assassination was successful, there would be a reward of ten thousand taels of gold."
"So these assassins followed secretly all the way, waiting for the right opportunity to strike."
"The arrow in the queen's chest is exactly the same as the arrow shot at the carriage that day. I guess the queen was found by the assassin again after she separated from you and was brutally killed."
Originally, Quan Minghe still had a glimmer of fantasy in his heart. Perhaps this was just a way for her to leave and escape from him.
But at this moment, listening to Zhao Cong's narration and looking at the unrecognizable corpse in front of him...
Could it be that...
Quan Minghe's eyes fell on the corpse, and he kept asking himself in his heart: Is it really you! Did you really die like this? !
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