Wan Yan and Shen Yuning exchanged a look, and they could see confusion and enlightenment in each other's eyes. Zi Du was not from the Zhu family. Was Zi Du's elder brother the Crown Prince?
So back then, when the Queen had a difficult labor and both mother and child were rumored to have died, was it actually the case that only the Queen died while Zi Du survived and was raised by Jiang Heng?
Shen Yuning stared blankly at Zi Du. She had taken a hasty look at him a few days ago and knew it was Xuan Zhi, but she hadn't looked closely. Now she could see clearly. Perhaps because he had worn a mask for a long time, his complexion was a bit pale, but there was none of the affectation of those fair - skinned scholars in the capital. Instead, he had a cold and aloof air.
Even in such a desperate and sad state, his good looks were still evident.
Only now did Wan Yan see clearly. He subconsciously called out, "Jiang Xuan Zhi..."
Perhaps feeling that the atmosphere was inappropriate, he silently shut up. Then he looked at Shen Yuning and found that she had known for a long time.
He gave a bitter smile. No wonder Zi Du had said before that they had crossed paths. No wonder he couldn't remember where. Xuan Zhi and Zi Du were clearly the same person, yet they seemed so different.
It was the difference between a small snake hiding in the deep mountains and a real heavenly dragon.
Shen Yuning was filled with mixed emotions. Zi Du was a prince! A prince! She had raised this prince for over three years and bossed around this younger brother for three years, only to find out he was a prince. How could she come to terms with this?
The divine doctor, seeing the three people in the room with different expressions, couldn't help but feel anxious. He quickly asked, "My junior apprentice brother didn't receive the true teachings of our master and uncles. Although he's okay at treating ordinary ailments, he's not proficient in treating such difficult cases of poisoning. Even this prescription was left by our master before he passed away. Over the years, I've deliberately studied it. I removed a few mediocre herbs and added two rare ones. I don't know if it will be effective. But first, if the time limit passes, the patient may not be saved. We have to find a way for me to see the poisoned person!"
Only then did Zi Du put aside his grief. After pondering for a moment, he nodded and said, "Yes, I've decided to sneak into the city tonight."
Hearing this, Wan Yan quickly tried to stop him. "Sneak into the city? How? The city gates are heavily guarded. Moreover, the situation in the city is still unclear. If you go in now, isn't it just..."
Shen Yuning looked at Zi Du's cold and determined face. People around her always said she was stubborn, but only she knew that the most stubborn one in the family was clearly this younger brother. Once he made a decision, he would never change it.
If she were him, she would probably also do whatever it took to get into the city. There were loved ones in critical condition there, and he was their last hope. So even if there were dragons' dens and tiger's lairs ahead, for this last glimmer of hope, he would surely go.
Zi Du didn't have many belongings. He could only take a few personal attendants with him. Bringing the divine doctor in with them didn't require much preparation either.
Shen Yuning buried her head in embroidering a new handkerchief to hold the safety amulet.
Zi Du said in a low voice, "Back then in Daye, I was almost captured several times. That's when the cloth bag got torn. Sometimes I thought that maybe it was your prayers and protection that allowed me to return safely."
Shen Yuning couldn't help but shed tears. The tears dripped onto the handkerchief. The embroidered bamboo seemed to expand a bit under the reflection of the teardrops and also appeared more upright.
Zi Du's heart trembled. He took a deep breath and said, "Yuning, in the past, I didn't deliberately avoid you... avoid all of you. But since you know my true identity, you know how difficult the things I have to do are. I always thought that since I've resumed my real name and returned to my original identity, it would be better if I pretended not to know you. That way, if things failed, I wouldn't implicate you."
Shen Yuning gave a bitter smile and looked up. "Implicate? Aren't we a family? Why talk about implication? Do you know how many times we cried and how sad we were because of that one sentence of 'Please accept my condolences'?"
Zi Du walked over and squatted beside her, at the same height as her while she was sitting.
He placed his hand on her knee and looked at her tear - streaked face. There were countless things he wanted to say in his heart, but when it came to his lips, he couldn't say a word.
Her tears just rolled down one by one. Although the tears were warm, when they dripped on his hand, it felt like boiling water. It burned his hand and seemed to burn into his heart as well.
The handkerchief was embroidered. Shen Yuning carefully put the safety amulet into it and personally tied it around Zi Du's neck. "From now on, don't take off the safety amulet, okay?"
Zi Du nodded and forced a smile.
Shen Yuning continued, "Also, your identity is extraordinary. Since you were born, you've carried responsibilities that others don't have. I understand you. But since I've been your elder sister for a few years, I'll be your sister for life. This time, I'll forgive you. But in the future, you must remember that while the people of the Zhu and Jiang families are your relatives, we from the Shen family are also your relatives. Do you understand?"
Zi Du bit his lip with red - rimmed eyes and couldn't respond to this.
Shen Yuning got anxious and asked, "What? If we meet again in the future, will you still refuse to recognize me?"
Zi Du shook his head. "No, Yuning. In this lifetime, I, Yin Zidu, will never lie to you again."
Hearing his promise, Shen Yuning wiped away her tears. All the sad and parting words were kept in her heart and not spoken out. None of them knew what the future held for this journey.
There was a knock on the door. Wan Yan walked in. Seeing the red - eyed looks of the two of them, he also felt a bit sad.
He came over and helped Zi Du up, patting him on the shoulder. "It's getting late. At this time, there should be fewer guards at the south gate of the city. But how to get in is up to you... Yuning and I will wait for you to come back."
Zi Du nodded and said seriously, "Master Wan, if the situation changes, please find a way to take her away."
Wan Yan nodded. "Don't worry. I have merchant ships going to the South Seas. If something really happens, I'll make the proper arrangements."
...
After Zi Du and his men entered the city, there was still no news from inside the city for several days. The common people in the suburbs were in an uproar. Everything was in chaos everywhere.
After so many days, the common people could roughly guess. Now that the imperial power was unstable and the Tang family was too powerful, it was likely that the Second Prince was going to rebel.
However, there was the Zhu Family Army in the suburbs. Under the leadership of various centurions, they managed to arrange the common people outside the city in an orderly manner.
Wan Yan tried to contact the garrison commander, but they were in the same situation. They didn't know what was going on inside the city either. Arranging the order wasn't originally their job, but in these chaotic times, they had to take the risk of future blame and come out to arrange the situation outside the city first.
Shen Yuning saw the young general from Wuyun in front of her. He was in his twenties, not very good at speaking, but his eyes were firm. He was a capable young talent.
Hesitantly, she gave her advice. "The current situation is unstable. I've heard that a large number of the Gao Family Army has gathered in Cangshan. And your army is not very large in number. If you disperse like this, in case of an emergency, it may be difficult to gather in time."
The commander was also worried when he heard this. "I've also roughly heard about it, but our Zhu Family Army can't just ignore the common people. Now the village heads in all the towns and townships in the suburbs have stopped doing their jobs. They've all fled with their families. If we don't care, what will happen to the common people?"
Shen Yuning pulled him aside and whispered, "If a war breaks out, can you take care of the common people in the suburbs?"
The commander's heart trembled slightly. He had been in battles, but they were all to resist foreign enemies. The mission of the Zhu Family Army was to defend the country and protect all the people of the Great Zhou. There had never been a civil strife before.
Shen Yuning continued, "The reason why those village heads fled is probably because they noticed something wrong with the current situation. Although the Zhu Family Army can keep the common people at home and stabilize the current panic, can it also stabilize the future? Unless you decide not to resist, once the two armies confront each other, the common people will have nowhere to hide."
The commander was in a complete mess. For a moment, he didn't know whether it would be better for the situation inside the city to become clear and for no war to break out. Or if he should pray for heavenly soldiers to come and subdue all the Gao Family Army gathered in Cangshan.
After Shen Yuning's persuasion, the Zhu Family Army no longer dispersed in various places in the suburbs to maintain order. They only camped in the southern suburbs.
If the Cangshan army wanted to come to the capital, they would definitely have to pass through the southern suburbs. Even though the Zhu Family Army had less than ten thousand men and couldn't resist for long.
However, the commander had a clear mind. Inside the city, it was just a matter of whether the rebellion would succeed or not. If the Second Prince's rebellion succeeded, there would be no need for a war. The whole world would belong to the Second Prince. Even if they wanted to resist, without a monarch, how could they resist? If the Second Prince's rebellion failed, their few thousand elite soldiers would have to fight with all their might. They would probably be completely wiped out, but for each day they could hold on, it would give the Emperor and the Crown Prince one more day of hope. As long as the reinforcements returned...
What surprised Shen Yuning was that although Wan Yan couldn't get news from inside the city, he could get information from other parts of the Great Zhou. The capital had been under lockdown for six or seven days. Why hadn't there been any movement from other places?
Apart from the armies of the Zhu and Gao families, there were many other generals' armies in the Great Zhou, distributed in various places, far and near. Why were they all inactive?
When Wan Yan heard this, he explained, "At this time, the more unclear the situation is, the less they can act rashly. They're not from the Zhu or Gao families, so they don't have to fight to the death. The merit of supporting the new emperor at this time is not so easy to obtain."
Shen Yuning asked, "But the Emperor is still inside the city. They should follow the Emperor's orders."
Wan Yan burst out laughing, laughing at Shen Yuning's naivety. "At this time, it's even a question whether the Emperor is still alive or not."
Shen Yuning felt a bit sad. She had met the Emperor many times and thought he was a wise ruler. It was a pity that the previous Emperor hadn't left him a peaceful era. If he were to disappear silently in the power struggle among his sons, it would be such a pity.
At the same time, she was even more indignant. She had also met the Second Prince many times. He was a gentle, humble, and polite prince. But unexpectedly, such a prince was so ambitious that he ignored the safety of the Great Zhou. Even at a time when the Great Zhou was facing internal and external troubles, he wanted to get rid of his father and elder brother. If such a prince were to ascend the throne, how long could the foundation of the Great Zhou last?
Shen Yuning was woken up by the sound of iron cavalry in the middle of the night.
She got up and walked into the yard. Wan Yan was already there. He climbed up a tall shelf in the yard, put a small object on his eyes, and stared intently in the direction of the thundering iron cavalry.
Shen Yuning climbed up the shelf too. Wan Yan took out another small object and handed it to her, signaling her to put it on her eyes like him.
She looked in that direction and found this small object quite peculiar. It could clearly show things a mile away. The fire over there illuminated the sky like daytime, and from afar, the cavalry was still advancing towards the imperial city.
Her heart started beating with the sound of the iron cavalry. Was it the Gao Family Army?
As the iron cavalry got closer, Wan Yan's face showed joy. He pointed forward. "It's the Zhu Family Army."
The flags of the Zhu Family Army could be clearly seen.