The immense shock caused Ye Tingyun's long-dormant heart condition to recur. Fortunately, Jiang Rumuo’s timely treatment prevented it from reaching the severity of before.
When the Emperor awoke, Ye Tingyun was still unconscious. The Empress Dowager sat on a soft couch nearby, her fatigue unconcealable.
Eunuch Gao, standing beside them, was the first to notice. He quickly stepped forward, "Your Majesty?"
Startled by the exclamation, the Empress Dowager looked up, seeing the Emperor being helped to sit up by Eunuch Gao.
"Emperor, how are you?"
The Emperor was truly ill. The mere act of sitting up from his couch had exhausted him considerably.
After a pause, he spoke with a weak breath, "You must already know the current situation, Mother. I will be brief, and you must remember this."
For the past few days, he had sensed his body weakening day by day at an alarming rate. Jiang Rumuo had examined him but found nothing unusual.
He had initially felt some improvement after resting for two days. However, the urgency in Yuzhou and his intense worry had taken their toll. Today's severe blow from the betrayal and defection to the enemy country made him realize his time was short, and he had to make some arrangements.
Unforeseen by the Empress Dowager, his first words upon waking were these. Grief washed over her face, her eyes reddening.
The Emperor, too weak to comfort her further, clung to his last breath and continued.
"The court cannot be without a ruler for a day. I have left a decree for the establishment of an heir in the imperial study. If I pass away, I ask that you, Mother, order someone to retrieve the decree and, based on it, support Yun'er’s ascension to the throne."
"However, matters of the court are no trivial affair. Yun'er is simple-minded and may not be able to bear this great responsibility alone. He will require your guidance, Mother, to eventually be capable of handling matters independently."
He had already cleared most of the obstacles in the court. With the decree in hand, the Prime Minister and others would undoubtedly assist with all their might.
Yet, despite all his efforts, he had ultimately failed to completely eradicate the rebels, allowing them to exploit a loophole and defect to Yue Country, leaving behind future troubles.
The Empress Dowager agreed to his every instruction. Seeing this, the Emperor's last breath finally faded. With a sense of relief, he lay back on the couch.
Lingering worries remained, but he was now powerless to do anything more. He had made all the arrangements he could. Whether the future would be smooth or perilous, he could not know.
The scene before him began to blur. With a sigh so faint it was almost inaudible, the Emperor slowly closed his eyes.
Meanwhile.
Feng Yinwan and Song Qing'an pursued the mysterious person out of the city. When they finally stopped, they found themselves near Wolong Valley.
As night fell, the Emperor had collapsed, and the inner palace descended into chaos. This mysterious person had taken advantage of this interval to sneak out of the palace.
Along the way, they dared not get too close, only following from a distance, unable to discern the person's intentions.
The night wind rustled, and the valley was silent. The person moved stealthily in the darkness for a moment before stopping.
Soon, a faint flicker of fire appeared at the edge of their vision, as if someone had been waiting for a long time.
A moment of silence passed, then the two began to converse.
From a distance, they could not hear what was being said. Feng Yinwan frowned slightly and cautiously moved closer.
As the distance shortened, low murmuring voices could be heard intermittently, but the words remained indistinct.
Feng Yinwan attempted to move forward again, but her action was silently halted.
Their eyes met, and Song Qing'an shook his head.
From their pursuit earlier, he knew the person's injuries healed incredibly fast.
Now that this person had an accomplice here, he could not guarantee her safety if they were discovered.
Just then, a gentle breeze blew, carrying the voices a little closer. Feng Yinwan listened intently, her eyes narrowing.
The voice belonged to a woman speaking Yue Country's language!