"You, how did you get back?" the emperor blurted out, even reaching out to touch Yun Zhuo's face. It was warm, which startled him so much that he immediately pulled his hand back!
Yun Zhuo simply sat quietly on the palanquin, watching the emperor's actions without offering any resistance or attempt to evade him.
Why was he able to come back?
The hands resting on the knees slowly clenched, clenched tighter and tighter...
In the instant the canal overflowed and the tunnel collapsed again, he was swept away by the current in the underground river. In that brief moment, a lot of things flashed through his mind.
The guilt he felt towards Ye Qingxue was more intense and overwhelming than the current at that time, completely engulfing and submerging him.
He felt as if he were in another world, where he could clearly feel how his body was being impacted by the water and how it was hitting various pieces of wood and rocks.
Unlike others, he didn't flail his limbs or struggle desperately. He simply felt it quietly, as if he could still feel the absolute power of the huge current engulfing his body.
When his feelings of indebtedness to Ye Qingxue reached their peak, and he vowed to return to Ye Qingxue's side, he reached out and grabbed a support pillar that had been hit by the water several times, and held it tightly.
The tunnel collapsed a second time, and everyone thought he was not going to make it. For a long time, he was swept underwater by the waves. It was nighttime and there was a downpour, so no one found him.
He once built his own power by following the flow of the Grand Canal, and Gray Seven followed him all the way, rising and falling with him in the water. In the end, Gray Seven climbed ashore and followed the river to find one of his forces, Jiang Youqin.
After being rescued, he slept for a full ten hours before waking up. Due to his serious injuries, the doctor said he had to rest in bed.
He struggled to get it back.
Since someone dared to use the tunnel collapse to kill him, Ye Qingxue was definitely in grave danger. As long as he had a breath left, he had to go back as soon as possible.
Jiang Youqin had no choice but to have the doctor administer strong medicine to him. She also prepared a soft palanquin, a carriage, and manpower, disguised him simply, and personally escorted him back to the capital.
Jiang Youqin also had some influence, so sending Yun Zhuo back to the capital was not too difficult for her.
Moreover, everyone believed that Yun Zhuo was doomed under those circumstances, and no one expected that someone would be able to bring Yun Zhuo back alive.
Under the thick darkness of night, the person Yu Xiao and his group encountered outside the city was Yun Zhuo. Yu Xiao was worried about not being able to enter the capital city and contact Prince Yu and the others, so he was preparing for a final struggle.
When he met Yun Zhuo, it was like seeing a savior. The grown man immediately burst into tears and told Yun Zhuo everything that had happened in Wanliu Town.
Connecting the dots, Yun Zhuo understood why the people hiding among the river workers had suddenly made their move to kill him. He was also even more certain that if something happened to him, Ye Qingxue would be in grave danger.
Yu Xiao also told him that it would be very difficult to enter the city now, but with Jiang Youqin's help, it would not be difficult for Yun Zhuo to enter the city.
However, getting into the palace was very difficult.
Yun Zhuo immediately thought of a way to impersonate Liu Qinghe's people and enter the palace. Yu Xiao had seen what Liu Qinghe's people looked like when they were in Wanliu Town, so he described their clothing and appearance to Yun Zhuo.
Jiang Youqin quickly arranged for her people to prepare clothes.
Yun Zhuo then went to find Zhao Chengping, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and then changed his clothes to enter the palace under the pretext of delivering new medicine.
If you look closely now, you can still see the clothes that Jiang Youqin and her people were wearing, but they were simply made of coarse linen and the stitches were very rough.
To be precise, the garment was merely a cover-up, lacking any refinement whatsoever; underneath were their own clothes.
To save time, this is the best we can do.
In just two short days, Yun Zhuo seemed to have traveled a very, very long way, from the ends of the earth to finally arrive here.
Now the emperor asked him how he came back... his tone and expression clearly showed that he was not welcoming him back, but rather fearful of his return.
Beneath the emperor's terrified expression lay a hidden resentment towards his subordinates for failing to kill him and instead releasing him!
"Your Majesty, I am fortunate to have survived, protected by my ancestors, and rescued by others, which is why I was able to return." Yun Zhuo summed up his life-or-death ordeal in just a few words.
The Prince of Yu choked up and said, "To have survived such a thing and come back alive is truly a blessing from our ancestors and a blessing from Heaven for our Great Zhou!"
He strode forward and patted Yun Zhuo on the shoulder: "Nephew Crown Prince, you who have survived such a calamity are sure to have good fortune in the future!"
Regardless of whether others could see it or not, Pan Yuanzhou nodded emphatically.
The emperor's face turned uncontrollably grim.
Meeting the emperor's gloomy gaze, Yun Zhuo said, "Father, this time when I returned to the capital, I not only escaped with my life, but I also gained something else!"
The emperor's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately retorted angrily, "You are covered in injuries, so please have the imperial physician treat you first. We can talk about other things later! Do you think the entire Great Zhou Dynasty would be without anyone to do its work?"
As he spoke, he beckoned his men forward, preparing to forcibly take Yun Zhuo away, and to gag him first, no matter what he discovered.
Prince Yu and Pan Yuanzhou exchanged a glance, both finding the emperor's reaction strange.
However, Jiang Youqin quickly led her men to protect Yun Zhuo, preventing the palace guards from getting close to him for the time being.
Yun Zhuo said urgently, "Father, many boys and girls have gone missing in various parts of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This is the work of Prime Minister Ning Hongxi in collusion with the disgraced official Liu Qinghe! The Longevity Pill that you have been taking for the past six months was made by them using boys and girls as medicinal ingredients!"
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