Chapter 100 When the combined forces besieged the city, she would protect him...
But rather than being in a coma, it would be more accurate to say that he was clinging to his last breath, supported by an ice bed and countless imperial physicians and rare medicinal herbs.
His breathing was so weak that he could pass away at any moment.
Today, Jiang Shuifu went out. As soon as she returned, she squatted by his bedside, wiping his face and telling him about what had happened outside:
"They're all better."
The people are better off now, they can run and jump again, but the only thing left in their bodies is the lingering poison.
She thought, if she told him, he would be happy to hear it.
If you're happy, you'll wake up.
Next, Prince Yu asked the Kingdom of Wusu for the antidote, brewed it, and personally distributed it to the people. The people were extremely grateful to him, and all the previous events were repeated.
"His Highness Prince Yu is a patriotic and benevolent prince who saves the country and its people. He is the savior of all the people and the only choice for the position of Crown Prince!"
"Yes, yes, yes! We swear to support His Highness Prince Yu to the death!"
"Long live Prince Yu!"
Currently, the entire capital is filled with praise for Prince Yu, and people are calling for the imperial family to make him the crown prince.
With fame and support, Prince Yu became even more arrogant, frequently opening the city gates and welcoming the Ussuris people into the capital under the guise of foreign exchange and rescue.
Within just half a month, people from Wusu have spread to every street and alley.
This was his confidence, his trump card. If his father did not abdicate, he would take action in secret.
So far, two forces have emerged in the capital: the loyalist faction led by He Beiqing, and the faction led by Prince Yu and the people of Wusu who are determined to seize the palace. Both sides are eager to make their move, and only one opportunity is needed for a major war to break out in the capital.
At the same time, cities outside the capital also fell into Prince Yu's hands.
Now, he is the savior, sitting high on the altar. He took this step effortlessly, stepping on Shen Jizhao's "corpse," and easily won the hearts and minds of the people and their support without bloodshed.
Everything was going according to his plan, and before long, he would be the emperor of Dabei!
Jiang Shuifu stood atop the gates of the Forbidden City, overlooking all living beings and taking in everything. Then, expressionless, she turned and left, returning to Shen Jizhao's bedside.
Shen Jizhao is currently very fragile, yet he seems to be gradually getting better. The dark veins on his face have all disappeared, and he has regained his original handsome appearance, the one she loves most.
He was no longer afraid that she would find him ugly. Could he open his eyes now?
She rolled up her sleeves and used a bamboo stick to apply medicine to his festering wound:
"You always say I spoil you, but how much better are you? It's been so long, and your wound is still inflamed and oozing pus. It keeps coming back, and no matter how I apply the ointment, it just won't get better. You're so delicate! My hand hurts so much, Shen Jizhao, please wake up..."
She complained to him, pouting and hoping he would open his eyes and rub her sore hands.
The man on the bed remained unmoved, his eyes tightly closed, his lips white and purple, lifeless, clearly showing signs of the toxins accumulating deeper and deeper.
That's right. Although the Gu worm came out of his body, the damage it caused was devastating. He was just a hair's breadth away from exploding and dying.
That's why she stabbed him; her purpose was to lure out the Gu worms inside his body.
This move was both alarming and dangerous. It was a solution she had found by staying in various places and consulting famous doctors. When she saw the Gu worms in his body suddenly rise up and shout as if they were about to break through his flesh, she knew that she had no other choice but to use this method.
Now, the remaining Gu worm toxins are slowly eroding him, spreading throughout his body. The toxins in his body are getting deeper and thicker, and only this century-old ice bed can slow down the spread of the toxins until they exhaust his last drop of heart blood.
Jiang Shuifu stared at him blankly, her whole body radiating coldness that made her shiver.
All she could do was hold his hand, interlock her fingers with his, and try to transfer her warmth to him.
She persistently breathed on them and rubbed her hands together until her palms were red and raw. Finally, her palms warmed up and started to burn.
She thought that as long as her hands were hot enough, he would feel that someone was warming him, someone caring about him, someone waiting for him, and someone loving him as always.
She tried her best to warm him, wrapping and rubbing each of his fingers until his cold, white fingertips were powdered before finally letting out a sigh of relief, smiling slightly. Then she began to tell him about what was happening outside, knowing he was listening:
“Chen Jizhao, the people all want to support Prince Yu as the crown prince, treating their enemies and sinners as their saviors. But I am not resentful at all, and I believe you are too, because he is the next you. Becoming a god to the people is not a good thing. I think his karmic retribution is coming soon.”
He didn't respond, but Jiang Shuifu wasn't discouraged and continued to whisper in his ear.
She told him that the kalanchoe she had given him had bloomed, blooming fully and beautifully, with a joyous and auspicious appearance, so he would also live a long life.
She told him that his mother had made him many clothes and shoes, just like when he was a child, and combed his hair.
She told him that his father, the emperor, often visited him, often bathed him, and fed him medicine.
...
What she wanted to tell him was that he was not lonely, and that he was not an unloved child.
There are people in the world who love him, some who have always loved him, and some who have fallen in love with him again. They all love him.
I hope that in the future he will be able to say: He is very happy.
Before long, a series of sudden deaths broke out in the capital, all of whom had taken the antidote given by Prince Yu.
Moreover, for some reason, overnight, the streets and alleys were plastered with evidence of Prince Yu's treason, the evidence was irrefutable and there was no way to refute it.
Now, people know the truth about the Gu poison, that the culprit behind it is Prince Yu, that the person responsible for the current tragedy is Prince Yu, and that Shen Jizhao is innocent and was framed.
Therefore, the people gathered outside the gate of Prince Yu's mansion, pounding, smashing, and chopping at the gate. The clanging sounds grew louder and louder, catching Prince Yu off guard, causing him to be routed, and leaving him speechless.
In an instant, his entire world was filled with furious roars, amplified again and again in his ears. He slumped on the throne, his hands and feet curled up helplessly, trembling with fear.
It turns out that everything was a scheme set up by Wusu. Their cooperation with him was not for the one or two cities that would be given to them after the deed was done, but for the entire Dabei.
The current turmoil in Da Bei, coupled with the death of its crown prince, presents them with a golden opportunity to devour their kingdom.
And he became a useless pawn, to be discarded and erased.
He gave a bitter laugh and a cold sneer. It seemed that his father was right. They were tigers, ferocious beasts. As ferocious beasts, how could they be willing to protect him? They had always harbored evil intentions, just waiting for this moment to bite him back accurately and quickly.
The force of that bite was enough to kill him.
Prince Yu did not flee. He knew he couldn't escape, just like Shen Jizhao, who had incurred public wrath and could not escape unscathed. Moreover, Wusu would not agree to it.
He only has one path: death.
So he sat quietly in the Prince Yu's Mansion, a place his father had bestowed upon him when he came of age, a place that symbolized his status and honor, a place he cherished and treasured.
He is going to die here.
In his next life, he will surely make a comeback, but he hopes to be the legitimate son.
Only the eldest son has the right to be loved.
The gates of the mansion were smashed, and the people outside rushed in, their anger reaching its peak. They were like raging lions and furious bulls, biting, tearing, and killing at the man in the center of the main hall.
Before long, drops of bright red blood began to fall from the throne.
The death of Prince Yu caused a sensation and spread like wildfire, but no one paid attention because Wusu launched an attack.
King Wusu led a large army into the capital and, in coordination with spies inside the city, officially began the massacre.
He Beiqing fought back fiercely, but outnumbered, he ultimately lost.
In the blink of an eye, the capital city was piled up with mountains of corpses; upon closer inspection, they turned out to be mountains of corpses.
Toddlers, women, men, the elderly... the number is countless.
The entire capital was filled with wailing and lamentation; day and night, the sounds of weeping and sobbing could be heard constantly.
They don't understand why things have turned out this way.
What heinous crime did they commit?
Why did the gods punish them like this?
They always deliver a fatal blow just when they think they're saved, time and time again!
Outside, swords clashed and weapons flashed in the darkness, streaks of silver light flickering in the night. Jiang Shuifu remained by Shen Jizhao's bedside, unable to resist touching his eyes gently and tenderly, calling his name word by word:
"Perhaps it's because I understand you and know you well, or perhaps my heart has long been biased towards you. I have never doubted you. I have always believed in you. Prince Yu is dead, you are innocent, you are clean. You have never been a traitor, you have never been a sinner. But, the country is in danger, the bloodline is in peril. Your Highness, are you still unwilling to wake up?"
Shen Jizhao, lying on the ice bed, still refused to open his eyes. At this moment, his lips had turned a deep purple. The poison had finally reached his heart. He looked so dark. She stared at him and waved her hand over his face, thinking it was the shadow cast by the curtains in the night.
But she couldn't shake it off...
A thin layer of mist gradually covered Jiang Shuifu's eyes, which gathered and fell as his breathing grew weaker and his lips became increasingly purple.
A moment later, a tear fell from the sky and landed on Shen Jizhao's eye.
The tear in the corner of his eye trembled precariously, about to spread and disappear.
Jiang Shuifu pounded his chest, but dared not use force:
"Shen Jizhao, don't you want to protect the people anymore? Don't you want to protect your family anymore? Don't you want to protect me anymore? Are you going to abandon us?"
But no matter how she called out, how she shouted, or how she complained to him, the man on the bed remained unresponsive, letting her cry and pound on him without moving an inch.
She withdrew her hand, smoothing out the wrinkles she had made on his chest, gently stroking it again and again, gazing at him solemnly as she made a promise:
"Alright, then when the enemy is at the gates, I will protect you."
She didn't want to look at him anymore; she was truly afraid that the last time she saw him would be the last.
She got up and left.
But as he turned around, a tear slid down the corner of the man's eye and into his pupil. As the tear fell in, it seemed to transform into a huge, heavy stone, splashing up a large amount of water and creating ripples.
It turned out that the tear was scalding hot, enough to startle him, so his eyelids twitched.
Jiang Shuifu went to her favorite place, Hongshan Temple.
This place holds the hopes of her various stages in life: the shy joy of first love in her youth, the wish to marry a good man and enter the Eastern Palace after coming of age, and the expectation of a loving and lifelong marriage after marriage...
She smiled silently. It turned out that all her wishes were related to Shen Jizhao.
As Jiang Shuifu climbed to the top, what came into view was a pile of withered leaves, a robust and vigorous ancient tree, and thousands of swaying red ribbons.
In just one year, everything has changed, but the red ribbons still crowd the tree branches.
People always have desires.
Unbeknownst to her, Jiang Shuifu walked to the tree of the Old Man Under the Moon, raised her head, and stared intently at the red silk above her head that carried her hopes and wishes.
The red silk fluttered in the wind, and the black characters on it swayed gently, drifting closer and then receding, enlarging and then disappearing. Some characters were delicate and graceful, while others were neat and orderly. The bells under the red silk also sang and danced playfully in the breeze, making a very pleasant sound.
Suddenly, her eyes flickered, and she took a step forward.
Some characters, however, are written with vigorous, flowing strokes, like dragons and snakes, powerful and unrestrained, in a wild, cursive style...
She raised her head and gazed at the scene for a long time, until the winter winds returned.
A sudden, fierce gust of wind whipped her cloak and skirt, making the bells on the branches ring incessantly. Countless red ribbons, unable to withstand the strong wind, all fell to the ground.
But how did that red ribbon manage to stay so firmly wrapped around and holding onto the Matchmaker Tree and the Wishing Tree?
Such a tall tree would probably require rolling up one's clothes and climbing step by step, using both hands and feet, wrapping one's arms around the branches again and again.
She remembered something: people say that wishes made at the highest point are the most effective.
Unbeknownst to her, the abbot slowly appeared behind her, not looking at her but at the Tree of Fate, and casually asked her:
"Is my wife still here to ask for medicine?"
Jiang Shuifu didn't look away; her eyebrows and eyes curved into a wider smile, her heart filled with joy, and she nodded.
"Yes, I've come to ask for medicine for...my beloved."
However, it wasn't a request for a contraceptive, nor a desire to distance oneself from Shen Jizhao; rather, it was a request for a life-saving medicine from the gods.
She prayed to the gods and heavens, hoping that her beloved, the man she had cherished for so many years, would live a long and carefree life.
She knelt and bowed repeatedly, as devoutly as when she first begged to marry him and win his favor.
As she made a wish to the gods, the aroma of Sichuan pepper wafted through the temple. She smiled again, a gentle and serene smile.
Then, a series of clear, bouncy tremolos were carried in the wind; if you listened carefully, you could hear the sound of her heartstrings being plucked repeatedly.
After she left, the matchmaking tree became even more vibrant and crimson, with all the red ribbons swirling around, their backs turned and their bottoms sticking out, refusing to let anyone see them.
The abbot nodded; he was right. It seemed that he had been completely reborn.
The divination he performed for her marriage indicated a fate of being put in a desperate situation but ultimately finding a way out.
From now on, their marriage will be happy and their love will be deep.
The attacks from Wusu were becoming increasingly fierce. The only troops in the capital were a few squads under He Beiqing and the palace guards. The rest of the soldiers had been sent to suppress the zombies when they broke through Suyang and scattered to other places.
This was also part of Wusu's plan: to first disperse the main force and then defeat them one by one.
Therefore, He Beiqing was defeated time and time again, and in the end, the capital fell. The last stronghold of Da Bei was the imperial palace.
Inside the palace were the imperial family and their descendants, all the surviving princes and ministers, and the soldiers who swore to protect Da Bei to the death. Outside the palace were enemy states surrounding the palace in layers, like hungry wolves poised to pounce.
The enemy country made a statement:
"If you surrender within three days, I will spare the people of Dabei and give them a way to live, and I will also leave you with a whole corpse."
The enemy's shouts echoed within the Forbidden City. Given the current situation, they were indeed confident of victory. The remaining military forces in the capital were limited, and compared to them, it was like throwing an egg against a rock. They were certain to win this battle.
As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you must first catch the king. Once you have completely taken over the capital, without the king, no matter how powerful or how much the remaining lackeys struggle, it will be in vain. Those millions of ants will naturally kneel down and submit.
King Wusu rode his spirited warhorse, circling the Forbidden City three times and three times again, tireless and never giving up.
This was his provocation, his mark, like a puppy urinating in a specific spot. He was marking that this was about to be his territory, his domain.
Such behavior is utterly outrageous and arrogant.
At this moment, inside the Imperial Palace Council Hall.
The ministers all wore expressions of sorrow and resentment.
"Your Majesty, Wusu has gone too far. Why don't I lead the attack and wipe them out without leaving a single survivor!"
"Your Majesty, our Great Bei army is strong. Even if we are outnumbered, we may still have a chance to win. Why don't we strike first and catch them off guard? Let them see our power!"
······
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, calmly watching them and listening to their advice, without uttering a single word from beginning to end.
The ministers gradually quieted down, bowing their heads and awaiting his reply and orders.
Only then did the emperor withdraw his hand from the armrest of the dragon throne, slowly rising to his feet. A powerful aura swept over everyone, enveloping each and every citizen of Da Bei. His voice, deep and resonant like an ancient bell, spoke each word clearly and deliberately:
"I will not be the last ruler of Da Bei, nor would I dare to be the last ruler of Da Bei. I only need your word: as long as you are here, Da Bei will exist!"
Upon hearing this, all the people of Dabei, both inside and outside the hall, knelt down, straightened their backs, and uttered a vow, each word stained with blood:
"We swear to defend His Majesty to the death! We swear to defend the Imperial Palace to the death! We swear to defend Da Bei to the death!"
The most powerful strategies, the most effective troop deployments, and the most formidable weapons are those from a united front, where everyone works together as one.
Soon, the last night arrived, and the imperial family came to visit Shen Jizhao again.
When he arrived, Jiang Shuifu was wiping Shen Jizhao's face. She knew he was very clean and would definitely not want any dirt on him.
She wiped it once and then soaked the handkerchief in water to wash it clean. Tianjia silently came up behind her. Seeing her meticulous care and her unwavering devotion, he finally admitted that having this woman was a blessing for his son. His son was noble, but this woman was precious, no less than his son.
For the first time, Tian Jia sighed and confided his innermost thoughts to the younger generation:
"Although I am the emperor, I am also a father. My son's face and dignity come before everyone else, including you. The price of three years is indeed a bit harsh for a woman."
For three years, she couldn't see her father, endured cold stares and ridicule, and couldn't remarry a good man. It was indeed too much. After all, she had served him and the Empress wholeheartedly for three years.
Jiang Shuifu paused in her movements, not expecting the Tian family to come, and even less expecting him to say such a thing.
Is he expressing remorse for this?
But in reality, she had no reason to blame him, nor would she blame him.
Jiang Shuifu immediately stood up to bow to him, but he stopped her. He took the handkerchief from her hand, sat down, and wiped Shen Jizhao's face.
From forehead to neck, then to arms... he wiped carefully and gently. By the end, his eyes were filled with a rare, unspoken tenderness.
"Jiu Zhao, Jiu'er, son, Daddy is here. Don't be afraid. Daddy will protect you."
As he said, he never wanted his son to die, and he would protect his son no matter what.
The imperial family sent Shen Jizhao and Jiang Shuifu into a secret passage, intending for them to escape to distant lands.
Inside the secret passage were his other children, not one of them missing.
The next morning, before dawn, when the sky was shrouded in fog and extremely dark, the banners of Dabei were planted in every corner of the palace and held in the hands of every Dabei person.
The military horses were also fully prepared, heads held high, chests out, posture upright, and ranks in perfect unison, all waiting for the daylight to break.
The first rays of dawn finally rose on the horizon.
People's last hope has been dashed; to this day, there are still no reinforcements.
Without reinforcements, this battle was incredibly difficult.
Inside the main hall stood the Emperor and Empress, dressed in magnificent dragon and phoenix robes. Like pillars of strength, they told their people with their majestic presence and proud spirit, "Do not be afraid, for they are with you!"
Above the three thousand steps outside the main hall stood countless upright civil officials, dressed in their cleanest and tidiest official robes, and tidying their messy hair and beards. This was the indomitable spirit of Da Bei, the unyielding backbone of Da Bei. The kingdom of Da Bei would not allow foreign enemies to invade!
Below the three thousand steps, on the vast and boundless courtyard, stood rows upon rows of imposing military generals and soldiers, each holding a spear and carrying a bow and arrow. This was their patriotic duty, their inevitable mission. The territory of Dabei would not tolerate foreign invasion!
At the forefront stood He Beiqing, clad in full armor and wielding two swords. His gaze was firm and fierce as he resolutely protected the country behind him and fiercely stared at the invading enemy. He vowed not to allow the enemy to trample on the palace of Da Bei!
Everyone is preparing for this battle. They are fully prepared. Da Bei will never admit defeat! They will never lose!
The King of Usu gave a mocking smile, his eyes both wicked and ruthless. He personally picked up the horn from his horse, brought it to his lips, and blew it sharply.
Then, horns of all sizes sounded one after another behind them, signaling the start of the battle!
"kill!"
"rush!"
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