Six years ago, Master Guangzhi gave the prince a medicinal solution he had prepared. After that, he said that as long as the prince didn't lose control of his emotions to the extreme, the twin snakes in his body would not act up on their own.
Now, how deep must his pain be? If it weren't for losing control of his emotions to the extreme...
Han Fen couldn't help his eyes welling up with tears. He turned his head away, unable to bear to look at the man with blood oozing from the corner of his mouth and despair filling his eyes.
What should they do now?
The prince had been struck by the poison, and the western expedition was imminent. Master Guangzhi had already left for the Jin region ahead of them...
The poison, the heart - wrenching pain, the extreme agony and fear assailed Song Yinghuai.
His body swayed violently a few times, and he vomited another mouthful of blood. Then his body went limp and he fainted. The glaring red blood on his lips made the man's face look coquettishly pale.
Han Fen was greatly shocked. He rushed forward and caught the fainting man.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Even with his eyes tightly closed, everyone could still feel the thick, dark aura surrounding him. They could clearly sense his pain and grief, as if his entire soul had fallen into hell with Caiyu's disappearance.
"General Han, what should we do now?" The left deputy general of the capital army was at a loss. "How about we send people to search along the river?"
They didn't know much about Song Yinghuai and were unaware of the emotional entanglement between him and Caiyu.
They were all soldiers. When they saw Caiyu bossing around the war - god whom the soldiers of Daye admired so much, they were naturally indignant.
So when it came to protecting her, they were very slack, even wishing that Caiyu would just disappear.
However, after seeing Song Yinghuai's reaction at this moment, everyone regretted it deeply.
Han Fen held the unconscious Song Yinghuai in his arms. His eyes were also blood - red as he looked at the rolling river.
There, the graceful figure was long gone. The river had swallowed everything, as if nothing had ever happened.
The rebel army that had attacked them just now had also disappeared silently without pursuing them further.
A strange feeling welled up in Han Fen's heart, but he quickly suppressed it.
It couldn't be!
Was there anyone in this world who could be so cruel to themselves?
She had taken an arrow to the chest and then fallen into the great river!
He shouldn't have any more doubts.
Caiyu was dead!
He gritted his teeth tightly and gave the order. "Accelerate into the Jin region with all our might! Send a signal to contact Master Guangzhi and ask him to turn back and join the army to treat the prince!"
"The Tartars are invading from outside. As soldiers, our first priority is to defend our country. We must not delay the lives of thousands of common people because of a single woman, let alone endanger the country!"
"But if the prince wakes up and finds that we entered the Jin region without salvaging and rescuing Caiyu..."
"I'll take the responsibility!" Han Fen helped Song Yinghuai onto the carriage, then quickly mounted his horse and shouted, "All generals, listen up! Follow me into the Jin region! Wipe out all the remaining rebel forces in Qin and Jin, and drive the Tartars out of Daye! Avenge Miss Caiyu's death!"
"Yes!"
"Eradicate the rebels!"
"Drive out the Tartars!"
The distant mountains were pitch - black, and the dense forests were as dark as ink.
The towering peaks were like ferocious beasts. Countless horses' hooves trampled on them, raising clouds of dust and howling winds.
On the twelfth day of October, the thirty - third year of Yuanzheng in Daye.
Master Guangzhi joined the capital army at the border of the Jin region. As soon as the national master's silver needles were used, Song Yinghuai finally woke up.
"Yuer!"
A low growl came from the former Jin Prince's Mansion.
The handsome man on the bed with a tightly furrowed brow suddenly sat up, sweating profusely. Fear filled his black eyes. The silver needles stuck in his body were shaken off by the internal force in his body and flew in all directions.
The maids waiting on one side were so frightened that their hands trembled. All the bottles and jars they were holding fell to the ground, making a clanging noise.
Master Guangzhi's eyes were sharp. He waved his hand, gathering all his internal force, and used the silver needles again, sticking them into the Shixuan, Erbai, Dagu Kongxue and other acupoints of Song Yinghuai, who was about to get up violently.
The twin snakes in his body faintly glowed red through his skin and then disappeared.
"Your Highness!"
"Is the prince awake?"
Han Fen stumbled in. When he saw the silent man sitting on the bedside, he let out a sigh of relief and immediately knelt down.
"Your Highness! Your subordinate is guilty!"
It took Song Yinghuai only a short time to figure out the current situation.
His dark and fierce eyes were cold. He scanned the area with one glance and gritted his teeth. "Where's Caiyu?"
Han Fen knelt on the ground and replied, "Before the army left, your subordinate had already informed the magistrate of Zhengyang County to lead the officers and soldiers to search and salvage along the river... Your Highness, the military situation was urgent, and since you were struck by the poison, your subordinate had no choice but to take you to the Jin region first to find Master Guangzhi."
Song Yinghuai's breath caught in his throat. Although he knew there was little hope, he still asked hopefully, "Any... news?"
"No." Han Fen knelt upright. "Your subordinate failed to protect Miss Caiyu and didn't stay to look for her body. It was your subordinate's own decision. Your subordinate asks the prince to punish him!"
Song Yinghuai closed his eyes tightly.
No news might as well be good news!
When he opened his eyes again, he swallowed all his pain and anger and calmly said,
"What crime do you have? As a general, you should put the common people of the world first. Get up!"
"Your Highness!" Han Fen looked up in surprise, looking at Song Yinghuai's calm face. "Aren't you angry with your subordinate?"
Song Yinghuai slowly got up. "Do you think I'm so unreasonable?"
"Get up. I'll avenge Caiyu by taking the lives of the rebels myself."
Han Fen let out a sigh of relief and burst into tears.
He was afraid that Song Yinghuai would be completely devastated and lose interest in the war.
But he didn't expect that the man's self - restraint was unexpectedly strong.
He quickly called the maids to come forward and change Song Yinghuai's clothes.
Who would have thought that before the maids got close, they heard the man's furious voice. "Don't touch me!"
Several maids were so frightened that they knelt on the ground with a thud.
Song Yinghuai supported himself on the bedpost and took a breath. He said,
"I'll do it myself. From now on, dismiss all the maids and replace them with attendants."
Han Fen's heart trembled. He stared blankly at the man's cold and sad face and finally realized that Song Yinghuai had just hidden all his pain deep in his heart.
Now no one could touch it.
Song Yinghuai turned to look at the silent Master Guangzhi and asked, "Master, use the fastest way to help me recover. The war is urgent."
"Amitabha." Master Guangzhi seemed to know his thoughts like the back of his hand. He smiled and said, "Your Highness wants to end the war as soon as possible and then go back to Zhengyang County to look for the person himself?"
"Suffering is not really suffering, and joy is not really joy. It's just a momentary obsession. Once you let go of the obsession, you will find peace in your heart."
"Let go of your obsession. Without the self and without attachment, you will be free from pain."
Song Yinghuai let out a bitter laugh. "Master, I don't want to be free from pain. Yuer's body is at the bottom of the Ruhe River. I want to experience endless pain for the rest of my life to remember this. Master, just give me the medicine and use the silver needles!"
Yuer had been shot in the chest and then fallen into the cold river. She must have been in so much pain. How could he forget the pain?
On the fifteenth day of October, the thirty - third year of Yuanzheng in Daye.
Three days after Song Yinghuai woke up, Emperor Guangwu passed away.
This founder of the Daye Dynasty was decisive in killing and ruthless in his actions during his lifetime. He only showed endless love to his first wife and his eldest legitimate son, Song Chengyuan.
He should have been a wise emperor, but because of Song Chengyuan, he left a stain in the history books.
However, his achievements in expanding the territory and stabilizing the one - hundred - year - long division of the previous dynasty were undeniable.
After Emperor Guangwu's death, the crown prince's grandson, Song Xiuzhu, ascended the throne as emperor with the support of the Duke of Dingguo, the Xu family, and other important court officials such as Xiao Rencheng. His honorific title was Renhui, and his reign title was Xuanwen.
Since the emperor was still young, he was commonly known as the young emperor.
The young emperor's biological mother, Lü Baiwei, was named the Empress Dowager Xiaoci.
After the young emperor ascended the throne, he did three major things.
The first was to confer the title of regent on Prince Yan, Song Yinghuai, who was fighting the Tartars at Yanmen Pass in the Jin region.
The second was to rehabilitate the Lan family, the former Marquis of Yongchang, as the regent had wished.
The third was to imprison Wen Zilong, the Minister of War who had framed the Lan family.
The Lan family was finally cleared of their false charges, but unfortunately, the people were already gone.
The whereabouts of the Lan family's descendants were still unknown.
The third Miss Lan, who had captured the regent's heart, had also passed away.
The entanglement between the Lan family, the third Miss Lan, and the regent weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.