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Jiang Suizhou’s voice was so weak with almost only a breath left. In fact, his eyes closed before he could finish speaking.
The blue veins on the back of Huo Wujiu’s hand bulged, and his lips began to quiver.
He couldn’t tell what he was feeling right now.
He finally heard the words he’d been dreaming of all these days, the words he didn’t even dare to think about. However, those words gripped his heart tight, clutching the fragile organ in pieces. It hurt so much that he stopped breathing.
He couldn’t utter a word. All he could do was raise a shaking hand to check Jiang Suizhou’s breathing.
It was so faint that he could hardly feel it, but Huo Wujiu felt the fragile but stable breath in the blazing heat wave nearby.
It was as if he had finally found a life-saving straw in a hopeless situation. It might have been a whisper of a breath, but it was enough to stabilize his rapidly falling heart.
Huo Wujiu voice sounded low and hoarse with an indistinct tremor. He told Jiang Suizhou, “It’s all right. Everything will be fine. Don’t worry. No one can make anything happen to you.”
His tone sounded tense. He was clearly speaking to Jiang Suizhou, but the fluster and dread that could not be hidden in his voice were clearly trying to persuade himself.
After speaking, he looked around and saw a soldier trotting all the way and dragging the staggering imperial doctor through the palace gates.
Huo Wujiu hugged Jiang Suizhou in his arms and stood up. He turned to Wei Kai and said, “Have the doctor follow.”
The look on his face was still as solemn and calm as ever, as if he was deliberately hiding his panic, but his red and teary eyes could not be concealed.
Wei Kai immediately responded. He turned around and went to meet them. Huo Wujiu carried Jiang Suizhou up and turned around, then went straight to an intact palace room nearby.
After taking several steps, he stopped and glanced at the Hou Zhu next to him.
The Hou Zhu was slumped on his knees and was already limp. His face was flushed due to wine, but his gaze was straight and brimming with sinister hatred. He was glaring at Jiang Suizhou in Huo Wujiu’s arms.
Huo Wujiu lowered his eyes and gave him a glance, then turned around and left.
“Tie him up tightly and throw him into the fire,” he ordered.
——
A commotion erupted outside the windows.
The moment the army entered the imperial city, they seized all the courtesans and concubines up and down the palace. At this moment, Huo Wujiu’s soldiers filled the outside. The Hou Zhu was already dead, and everyone was busy putting out the fire.
The atmosphere inside the palace room, however, was tense.
The doctor’s hand was shivering as he checked Jiang Suizhou’s pulse.
Currently, soldiers in heavy armor were strictly stationed all around. The General standing beside the bed, whose armor was still stained with blood, was staring at him with cold eyes.
Huo Wujiu gave off the impression that if the person on the bed was in the slightest danger, he would immediately snap his head off.
He was quite capable of it.
The Imperial Doctor knew that this man had just led an army into the Imperial City and killed the Emperor.
After taking Jiang Shuizhou’s pulse, the doctor finally breathed a sigh of relief. He plopped on his knees and bowed in front of Huo Wujiu’s feet.
“General, rest assured!” He said, “Although His Highness was tortured, his injuries are not too serious. He just lost a little too much blood. In addition, his body is weak, and he’s mentally exhausted. Coupled with overexertion earlier, he passed out. I will prescribe medicine for His Highness, and then treat his wounds. By then, His Highness Jingwang will wake up!”
A subtle hum sounded.
Huo Wujiu, who was standing there with his strings stretched too taut, suddenly let out a pent up breath and experienced a momentary loss of strength. He swayed and leaned against the bedpost.
“Is he all right?” Huo Wujiu asked.
The imperial doctor nodded repeatedly: “It’s really nothing serious! General, just rest assured!”
Hearing that, Huo Wujiu released a slow sigh of relief.
“Go fetch the medicine,” he said. “Wei Kai, quickly go to Jingwang Manor and get Li Changning here.”
Wei Kai answered and hurriedly went out.
Huo Wujiu leaned against the bedpost and looked down at Jiang Suizhou.
His torn court robe was stained with blood. His hair was scattered on the pillow, soiling the bedding and pillow with the smell of blood. Even the few strands of messy hair on his cheeks were stained with blood.
His complexion was so pale, making the bloody smudges quite dazzling.
Hence, when the Imperial Doctor came back with his medical kit, he saw such a scene.
The stern General earlier was now half-crouching and half-kneeling at the side of the bed, carefully brushing the hair on the cheeks of His Highness Jingwang on the bed.
The strength of his hand was entirely light, and there was even trembling perhaps due to extreme caution.
The Imperial Doctor hastily lowered his eyes and turned a blind eye to it.
Simultaneously, a soldier outside rushed in.
It was Ji Hongcheng.
“General!” He rushed inside with a couple of strides and said. “General Lou told this subordinate to report that Pang Wei has brought his army and is almost outside the city!”
Huo Wujiu’s hand that landed on the side of Jiang Suizhou’s face paused slightly.
After that, he asked, “How many has he brought?”
Ji Hongcheng replied, “The headcount at present is uncertain, but at least say a hundred thousand! But looking at their formation, I think Pang Wei must have come in a hurry. The numbers are less than 300,000!”
Huo Wujiu stayed silent for a moment.
He wanted to stay in the room and keep an eye on the Imperial Doctor as he treated Jiang Suizhou, until the latter woke up.
But he also did not forget that if not for Pang Shao and Pang Wei’s dangerous plans, he would not have been forced to leave Lin’an, nor would he have left Jiang Suizhou alone in the city, allowing Pang Shao and Jiang Shunheng to find a loophole.
This grudge must be avenged.
He carefully caressed Jiang Suizhou’s cheek with his knuckles, then propped himself up on the edge of the bed with one hand and stood up.
“I’ll be there right away,” he replied.
Ji Hongcheng happily hummed in response, and turned around to lead the way.
But then he heard Huo Wujiuu say, “You stay.”
Ji Hongcheng was stunned. He turned around and asked, “Do you have any other orders, General?”
Looking at Huo Wujiu’s serious and indifferent posture, Ji Hongcheng thought: Could it be that there were still remnants of the enemy forces in the city that have not been wiped out? Or perhaps were there still some unstable factors in Lin’an city, which could impede their success?
Against all odds, Huo Wujiu turned his head and looked at the doctor who was carrying his medical kit at the door.
“Watch him,” he commanded. “Let him treat Jingwang well, and if he dares to do anything, kill him.”