After leaving the post station, the group rushed towards Kyoto without even taking a breath.
Shen Mingzhuang was filled with joy at returning to the capital. The thought that Jiang Wang could be saved made her heart leap with excitement.
In the capital, the May weather was already getting hot. As I rode my horse at full gallop, the wind swept across my face, ruffled the hair at my temples, and swept away the warmth left by the sun on my body.
It only took them a day and a night to get from Weizhou to the capital.
In the capital region, it was not safe to ride at full speed. The group slowed down at the city gate because the horses were too tired. They had been running non-stop for a day and a night without rest, and once they slowed down, they could no longer keep up the pace.
Shen Mingzhuang rode ahead on horseback. Because he was dressed as a man and had outstanding looks, he attracted many people's attention, even though he was dressed as a man. Some infatuated women even followed the group shyly, clutching their handkerchiefs, wanting to look at Shen Mingzhuang but not daring to.
Shen Mingzhuang found the thoughts of these young girls rather amusing. She turned her head to take a look, which immediately caused the girls to blush and shyly avoid her gaze.
Shen Mingzhuang had lived two lives and had long lost the naivety of a young girl. Seeing the coy and hesitant expressions of these flower-like girls, he couldn't help but laugh.
At this moment, Ling Feng and Ben Yue perked up and chimed in with Shen Mingzhuang, "Young Master, with your appearance, the girls in our capital city are probably all sleepless tonight. The capital city has gained such a handsome young master, which will keep the city lively for several days."
Shen Mingzhuang enjoyed chatting with them like friends, and laughed even more heartily upon hearing this. He Wenqing, who looked somewhat haggard sitting behind Ling Feng, suddenly said, "Hurry up and find a place, my old bones are about to be shaken to pieces!"
Shen Mingzhuang then remembered that He Wenqing was a genuine elderly person. Even young people like them were having a hard time keeping up with all this running around, let alone He Wenqing, who was over ninety years old.
With his playful expression gone, Shen Mingzhuang spurred the horse's belly and quickened its pace.
Shen Mingzhuang was eager to return home and had no intention of resting outside, so he went straight to the palace.
As the Empress, it was quite convenient for her to enter and leave the palace. Ling Feng and the others were imperial guards, so they counted the number of people and checked the names before letting them pass.
Upon entering the palace, Shen Mingzhuang felt a sense of trepidation, a feeling of being closer to home than to be truly at ease. However, she gradually realized that the atmosphere in the palace seemed rather strange.
Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, she did not see Tan Yonglin. She directly asked the eunuch at the door, "Where is the Emperor?"
The young eunuch was startled by her expression and said in a panic, "His Majesty is not in the Imperial Study, but in his bedchamber."
Shen Mingzhuang felt uneasy. He turned and instructed Shuangyue to follow him, leaving Benyue Lingfeng and the others to protect He Wenqing. He then turned and went to the palace.
The palace was quiet, but the smell of medicine filled the air as soon as you entered. Shen Mingzhuang frowned, and every two steps, a small figure rushed towards him, calling out, "Mother!"
Jiang Xuan flew into her arms like a kite. Shen Mingzhuang felt a pang of heartache and hugged her son tightly. She heard her son say through tears, "Mother, Father hasn't woken up for two days."
Shen Mingzhuang was holding his son, feeling a pang of sadness. Upon hearing this, he felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water on a cold day. He shuddered and stood up to walk inside.
Jiang Xuan wiped away her tears and followed her mother inside.
Tan Yonglin was standing guard by the dragon bed when he saw Shen Mingzhuang, and immediately burst into tears and collapsed.
"Your Majesty, you've finally returned!"
Shen Mingzhuang's gaze fell directly on Jiang Wang on the dragon bed. He was quiet, as if he were asleep, but with such a commotion, how could he not know? Shen Mingzhuang took two steps forward and grabbed Jiang Wang's hand, "Why are you asleep? Get up quickly."
As she spoke, she shook Jiang Wang's hand.
Those large hands were soft and warm, but the person on the bed was pale, which made her heart start to panic.
Tan Yonglin was still kneeling on the ground. Shen Mingzhuang turned to look at him, his lips trembling: "What's wrong, Your Majesty?"
Tan Yonglin shook his head, looking dejected: "I don't know what's wrong with His Majesty. The day before yesterday, after reviewing the memorials, it was already late at night when he suddenly said he wanted to go to the Jiaofang Palace to rest. This old servant thought that this wasn't the first time His Majesty had done this, so I ordered the sedan chair to go."
"His Majesty stood in front of the Jiaofang Palace for a while, as always, before stepping inside. But as soon as he entered, he suddenly swayed. This old servant immediately stepped forward to support His Majesty. The head of the Imperial Medical Academy, along with several senior physicians, examined him and said they had no solution. This is a case of cerebral congestion."
Shen Mingzhuang took a deep breath, said nothing, turned around and strode out of the main hall to find He Wenqing.
He Wenqing was surprised that the Emperor was already lying down. He wondered how the Emperor could have calculated things so accurately, but then he realized that something was wrong. This was not a waiting situation at all!
"Grandpa He Wen, I entrust His Majesty's health to you."
He Wenqing's withered, claw-like hand gripped Jiang Wang's pulse without speaking. After a long while, he released the hand and said indifferently, "That mediocre monk who took heart blood should be beaten to death with sticks."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang's heart sank even further.
He Wenqing didn't waste words with her and said, "If you trust me, leave the person to me. Don't interfere here. I'll find a way to save them. If you don't trust me, then figure it out yourself!"
Shen Mingzhuang certainly trusted He Wenqing; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to bring him back to the capital.
Shen Mingzhuang took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, made up his mind, looked deeply at Jiang Wang lying there, said nothing, asked nothing, nodded to He Wenqing, and turned to leave.
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