"How is the princess?"
Baili Xi, who had been waiting anxiously, immediately surrounded the person sent to gather information as soon as they returned, asking eagerly.
"Reporting to the General, the princess's courtyard is heavily guarded by Black Armored soldiers. It was difficult for me to get close to gather any information!"
"Black Armored soldiers, Ling Mohan!"
Baili Xi exclaimed subconsciously. Had Ling Mohan begun to suspect something, and that's why he was making a move against the princess?
He genuinely couldn't imagine that Ling Mohan, the dignified God of War of Eastern Chu, who was invincible on the battlefield, would be capable of such a thing, acting against a woman; it was truly shameless.
"It wasn't Ling Mohan; it was Gu Beichen leading the Black Armored soldiers."
"Gu Beichen! How could it be him!"
This was even more surprising than Ling Mohan leading the Black Armored soldiers. He had also witnessed Gu Beichen's feelings for the princess and couldn't fathom that it was Gu Beichen leading the troops.
"Are you certain you saw clearly? Was it indeed Gu Beichen leading the Black Armored soldiers?"
"Your subordinate saw very clearly; it was definitely Gu Beichen."
Baili Xi's eyes tightened instantly, and his mind became a whirlwind of thoughts. He walked to the window, looked out, and after a long silence, he spoke again, asking, "How is the princess now?"
"The princess is perfectly fine. The Black Armored soldiers guarding outside are also very disciplined. They haven't restricted the princess's activities, only disallowed anyone within the courtyard from coming out, and no one from entering."
With a loud 'bang', the light blue porcelain teacup shattered into pieces on the floor.
Baili Xi angrily punched a nearby pillar, leaving an imprint of his fist on it.
"Gu Beichen, you have quite the nerve, daring to imprison the princess! Do you really think Xiliang is so easily bullied!"
Baili Xi paused for a moment. His anger gradually subsided, and after calming down, he stood up and walked out.
"Go find a few people to accompany me."
He wanted to use an excuse to ask Gu Beichen what exactly he intended to do, and also to probe the situation and see how things stood.
"Yes, General!"
The man following behind Baili Xi kept pace and walked out with him.
...
As darkness fell, Feng Jin rose and walked to Emperor Xuanwen's bedside. She placed her hand on Emperor Xuanwen's wrist. His pulse was gradually recovering, indicating that the toxins in his body had been significantly cleared. The next step was to expel the remaining toxins.
"Bring that basin."
"I'll go now!"
Chu Chenyi, who had been guarding the bedside, stood up with a slight stagger. He had been in the same position for so long that his legs were numb, but he dared not delay for a second. He quickly fetched a basin and handed it to Feng Jin.
Feng Jin, holding a silver needle, inserted the four-inch needle directly into Emperor Xuanwen's fingertips. Immediately, black blood began to flow out.
"The blood is black! Father Emperor was truly poisoned!"
"Nonsense. Besides poisoning, have you ever seen blood turn black at any other time?"
Feng Jin glanced contemptuously at Chu Chenyi. This was asking the obvious, speaking words without thinking.
After draining the black blood from all ten fingers, Feng Jin straightened up, her waist almost giving out, and patted her lower back. "Quickly take off His Majesty's socks. We need to drain the poisonous blood from his toes as well."
Chu Chenyi nodded busily, his movements not faltering in the slightest. He quickly removed the socks from Emperor Xuanwen's feet.
Feng Jin then used the silver needle to prick all ten of Emperor Xuanwen's toes. Black blood flowed out until the blood turning red. Only then did Feng Jin stop.
"Now that all the poison has been expelled from His Majesty's body, he should wake up soon. At this critical juncture, you must not leave this place. You only need to guard him closely, understand?"
Feng Jin's tone was very stern, leaving Chu Chenyi no room for rebuttal. It was the most crucial moment, and Chu Chenyi only needed to stay by Emperor Xuanwen's side without moving an inch. When Emperor Xuanwen woke up, the first person he would see would be Chu Chenyi.
This meant that half of the throne was already within Chu Chenyi's grasp. All his efforts had finally yielded some results, and he owed this partly to Chu Yanxi's instigation.
"This Prince understands!"
Chu Chenyi nodded solemnly. After this incident, he truly witnessed Feng Jin's capabilities and believed her words without question. If Feng Jin told him not to leave even half a step, he would stay put without moving an inch.
Besides, the outside was entirely guarded by Chu Yanxi's men, who had the entire imperial palace under tight control. Even if he wanted to leave, he couldn't fly away. His only way out was to stay here.
He wondered if Ling Mohan, who was far from the palace, already knew the situation within the palace. He also wondered when Ling Mohan would be able to rescue them.
And Lin Yuwei was still in the residence; he didn't know how she was doing. He was only worried that Chu Yanxi might make a move against Lin Yuwei. Being trapped in the imperial palace, unable to move an inch, was truly agonizing.
After hesitating for a moment, Chu Chenyi couldn't suppress his doubts and finally asked, "Do you have any way to inform Ling Mohan about our predicament?"
He was completely out of options and thought that Feng Jin, being so clever, wouldn't just sit and wait. Perhaps she had some way.
"Ling Mohan already knows our situation. It's estimated that he will be storming the imperial palace soon. At least we are safe for now, so don't worry. Lin Yuwei is being looked after by the Pingyang Marquis's manor outside the palace, so her situation must be better than ours."
"You are about to become a father; you must protect yourself and go to see Lin Yuwei safely!"
With Feng Jin's words, Chu Chenyi felt much better. Lin Yuwei's situation outside must be much better than theirs, trapped within the imperial palace.
Moreover, he believed in Ling Mohan's ability to defeat Chu Yanxi and the rebels and rescue them all safely.
Feng Jin was also tired and yawned. "My eyelids are so heavy I can barely keep them open. I'll leave things here to you; I'm going to get some sleep before I do anything else."
As she spoke, Feng Jin walked out, leaving the space to Chu Chenyi. She had done all she could; the rest depended on Chu Chenyi himself and whether he could win Emperor Xuanwen's heart completely through this matter.
"Is the Emperor safe now?"