Wei Dongling ignored Cheng Hao's skeptical look and waved her hand to give orders. "After we leave, you can sell those properties under your name at your discretion. If you come across those who are truly homeless, you can sell the properties to them at the purchase price. Anyway, you two can decide on your own."
Cheng Hao and the secret guard looked at each other and could only respond wordlessly.
After the two armies took a short rest, they set off and left Jiang City.
The Ninth Prince led the Heavenly Dynasty soldiers and headed back to the capital along the route that the Fifth Princess took when she was sent to get married.
General Cui Luo Xunlong led the Northwest Iron Cavalry. According to the Flying General's instructions, they first retreated in the direction of Hanzhong to confuse the spies of Xiliang. Then they took a detour to the capital to join the Heavenly Dynasty soldiers.
Wei Dongling was lying in the carriage, holding a warm stove in her arms and pretending to sleep with her eyes closed. She ordered the Heavenly Dynasty soldiers to travel day and night all the way to the capital. She was secretly counting the days in her heart. If they traveled fast, they could probably arrive in about seven days!
Jing Zhe pointed at a scribbled map and whispered a suggestion. "How about we arrange the army in the area around Nanfeng Ridge first? It's close to the capital, and we can attack at any time with just an order."
Nanfeng Ridge? Such a familiar name!
Wei Dongling recalled carefully. That was the place where Shangguan Yun took her to recuperate after they both fell into the lake and got injured when he made a big scene at Baoqing Tower for her! At the home of a highly skilled doctor named Doctor Liu, Shangguan Yun publicly announced that she was the wife of the heir. They slept in the same bed. He combed her hair, fed her medicine, and even helped her go to the latrine!
When she thought of that scene again, Wei Dongling felt extremely heart - broken! At that time, she only thought that Shangguan Yun was Miss Qi's sweetheart, and she didn't dare to overstep even a little. Moreover, she already had Yu Zixi in her heart at that time!
It was only after half a year that she realized how ridiculous and pitiful her obsession with Yu Zixi was at that time!
"Milady?" Seeing Wei Dongling looking sad and silent, Jing Zhe couldn't help interrupting her thoughts. "What's your opinion?"
Only then did Wei Dongling look up and reply. "Oh! It's good. Then secretly arrange everyone in the area around Nanfeng Ridge!"
Jing Zhe nodded in response.
After traveling day and night for so many days, the Heavenly Dynasty soldiers were gradually running out of strength. Wei Dongling had to let everyone set up camp in a remote mountain forest and prepared a lot of delicious food to reward them.
Recently, Uncle Li replied in a secret letter that he had thoroughly investigated the Prince Rui in private, but there was no news of Old Su even after searching everywhere! The palace was extremely bustling. The emperor was seriously ill, and the Tenth Prince's acting in managing the court affairs on behalf of the emperor had caused many people to protest, but there was also a large group of court officials who stood up to support the Tenth Prince.
Wei Dongling was worried about what to do about Old Su, but she could only be anxious and couldn't do anything to help.
Ruan Niang had been making more and more potent medicine in recent days. The bitter taste that rushed straight to her throat made Wei Dongling shed tears, but she could only grit her teeth and force it down.
Ruan Niang used the Nine Needles for Reviving Yang to puncture acupoints and let out blood day and night. Thanks to her careful care, Wei Dongling's heart - palpitating symptom had improved a lot. But she was still afraid of the cold!
Wei Dongling felt that this was the coldest winter of her life. It was so cold at night that she could only hug Cuilan and Ruan Niang on both sides and sleep between them, relying on their body heat to keep warm.
At night, Wei Dongling was sleeping soundly with her arms around Cuilan's waist when suddenly she heard someone shouting urgently outside the tent.
Wei Dongling was shocked. She quickly got up, put on her clothes, lifted the tent, and poked her head out to look. She recognized the person as the personal guard beside the Ninth Prince, so she asked him. "What happened that made you so panicked?"
The man knelt down and kowtowed. "Reporting to Lady Wei! It was Lord Pin Hao who sent me to look for you! His Highness the Ninth Prince suddenly suffered from heart - palpitations at night and has been unconscious ever since!"
What?
Wei Dongling's heart skipped a beat, and a cold sweat broke out on her back instantly.
The Ninth Prince, Murong Yuchen, suddenly suffered from heart - palpitations? What was going on? Was it the same as her, caused by poisoning?
Wei Dongling quickly pulled Ruan Niang and rushed to Murong Yuchen's tent.
There were already a lot of people surrounding the Ninth Prince's tent. From afar, they could hear Pin Hao roaring anxiously inside, scaring the military doctor who was feeling the pulse into a cold sweat.
Wei Dongling brought Ruan Niang and barged in. She urgently asked Pin Hao. "Why did the Ninth Prince suddenly become like this?"
Pin Hao looked exhausted and depressed. "The Ninth Prince has had heart - palpitating pains for some time. We always thought it was a minor matter and didn't take it to heart. Who would have thought that he would suddenly twitch and faint tonight! I don't know what's going on!"
Ruan Niang felt his pulse and checked the Ninth Prince's pupils. She asked Pin Hao. "Did the Ninth Prince say when the heart - palpitating symptoms first started?"
The Ninth Prince's personal guard replied. "His Highness the Ninth Prince has had this symptom since he was very young, but it rarely occurred before. It only started to occur more frequently after he entered the military camp last year."
Wei Dongling looked at Ruan Niang in disbelief. Ruan Niang looked at her helplessly and nodded. It meant that he was definitely poisoned, just like the poison on her!
Wei Dongling gasped. The Ninth Prince had this symptom since he was very young? It meant that he had been poisoned in the palace! The poison wasn't very deep before, and the symptoms were mild. Later, after he followed Shangguan Yun to the military camp, someone deliberately intensified the poison!
Wei Dongling dismissed everyone and gritted her teeth and said coldly. "Ruan Niang! You must save him! You can save me, so you can save him, right?"
Ruan Niang quickly took out the needles to seal the acupoints. Her face was pale as she sighed. "Your poisoning is still mild, and I can still turn the situation around. But he has been poisoned for many years. I really... I'm powerless..."
Wei Dongling knelt down shakily beside the Ninth Prince, tears streaming down her face. "Ruan Niang, although he has the surname Murong, his character is extremely kind! He can't have anything happen to him! You must save him!"
At this time, Pin Hao's eyes were also slightly red. He kept kowtowing to Ruan Niang, begging her for help.
The Ninth Prince was born to a maid who was favored by Emperor Murong when he was drunk. It was clearly the palace maid who was watched by the wet - nurses in the palace while drinking the contraceptive soup, but she still got pregnant! She secretly hid in the cold palace and gave birth to the child.
The newly - born Ninth Prince was pitifully thin. The mother and son were bullied by everyone in the cold palace. It wasn't until a kind and low - ranking concubine accidentally found them and told the Empress Dowager that they were taken out and raised.
His biological mother was weak and didn't survive that winter. The Ninth Prince was first adopted by a favored concubine, but soon that concubine was sent to the cold palace, and the Ninth Prince was left without any support again. He grew up all the way through hardships.
In the eyes of the current emperor, Murong He, it seemed that there was no such person as the Ninth Prince at all.
When the Ninth Prince grew a little older, he was lucky enough to meet Shangguan Yun in the Imperial College. From then on, with the protection and teaching of this Brother Yun, his life had added a lot of color.
It was just a pity that after Shangguan Yun's death, the Ninth Prince was extremely grief - stricken, and the heart - palpitating symptoms occurred more and more frequently.