Chapter 357

“Your Highness? Your Highness?”

Shen Yuanbai felt someone lightly tapping his face.

He was extremely exhausted and initially didn’t want to respond, but the voice sounded too urgent, even carrying a hint of tearfulness.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Yuanbai struggled to open his eyes.

A charming face came into view—it was Yin Zhu.

“Your Highness!”

Yin Zhu saw Shen Yuanbai wake up and burst into tears of joy.

The Gu healer had said that if he could wake up tonight, it would be a sign of great fortune!

“Yin Zhu, where… where am I?”

Shen Yuanbai opened his mouth, his voice hoarse but his lips not parched.

He guessed he must have been well taken care of.

“Your Highness, this is the capital of Nanli Kingdom, and we are in one of the Crown Prince’s estates.”

Yin Zhu held a cup of water to Shen Yuanbai’s lips, but he shook his head.

“Help me sit up.”

Upon hearing this, Yin Zhu immediately put down the water cup and carefully helped Shen Yuanbai sit up.

Shen Yuanbai only moved slightly, but a sharp pain shot through his back.

Suddenly, he remembered that he seemed to have been hit by an arrow before losing consciousness.

He gritted his teeth and struggled, breaking out in a sweat, before finally managing to sit up.

Looking around at the Western Zhou surroundings, the room was clean and tidy, with a faint herbal fragrance.

Here he was, in a foreign land, alone…

Shen Yuanbai looked somewhat dazed, his expression faint and a hint of desolation between his lowered brows.

Yin Zhu watched from the side, her expression complex. Suddenly, she asked softly, “Your Highness, have you lost your fighting spirit?”

Shen Yuanbai didn’t answer; he felt utterly drained.

Seeing this, Yin Zhu’s expression became even more complicated. She suddenly pulled over a nearby stool and changed the subject.

“Your Highness, the Gu healer said your qi and blood were deficient. That arrow… if it weren’t for the Mother Gu tethering your heart pulse, you might not have made it back.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuanbai’s expression shifted slightly.

“Gu?”

Yin Zhu nodded, “It’s the Mother Gu that the Princess gave you. It has a symbiotic relationship with you; it wants to live too.”

Shen Yuanbai reached up and touched his chest, smiling wryly after a moment, “I see. It seems Mother Fei has saved my life again.”

After saying this, the room fell into a brief silence. Shen Yuanbai suddenly thought of something and looked down at his right hand.

He tried to make a fist, but his grip was weak, and he trembled slightly when he exerted force.

Seeing this, Yin Zhu whispered, “Your Highness, your tendons in your hand were severed. Although the Gu healer has reattached them for you, it will be difficult to draw a bow and shoot arrows like before.”

Shen Yuanbai stared blankly at his palm, thoughts of Qiao Diyi’s spirited face flashing through his mind. His temple throbbed, and finally, he closed his eyes slowly.

He didn’t yell or become hysterical, just quietly leaned there, silently digesting this failure.

Yin Zhu hesitated for a moment, preparing to leave. However, at that moment, Shen Yuanbai suddenly spoke up:

“Yin Zhu, Mother Fei mentioned in the Golden Lock that I must come to Nanli before going to the Northern Kingdom. Was it specifically for me to see you?”

“Is there a reason? What reason is there that I must see you?”

Upon hearing this question, Yin Zhu’s previously somewhat melancholic expression instantly disappeared without a trace!

She knew that if His Highness was willing to ask, it meant he hadn’t given up yet!

Immediately, she sat back down, her beautiful eyes fixed on Shen Yuanbai lying on the bed, and said solemnly,

“Because there are things that Zhou Liu and Aunt Rou didn’t know, and Aunt Rou didn’t want to mention. Only this servant dares to tell Your Highness!”

Shen Yuanbai raised his eyes to look at Yin Zhu, waiting for her to continue.

Yin Zhu clenched her hands, and a hint of mocking smile suddenly appeared on her face.

“Your Highness, the Northern Kingdom isn’t as good as Zhou Liu and Aunt Rou say. What do you think a country that survives on the princess’s alliances and marriages looks like internally?”

“In fact, the princess’s true wish is for Your Highness to become the Emperor of Yong, and then… to annex the Northern Kingdom!”

Shen Yuanbai’s brows furrowed sharply at her words, feeling shocked inside. Yet, for some reason, he also felt that this demand was the only reasonable one.

Zhou Bo had always told him that the Late King and King Jin had doted on his mother as if she were their own eyes, making her the most favored princess in history.

Yet he couldn’t help but wonder, if they truly cherished his mother so much, why would they allow her to risk her life by feeding the Gu alone into the tiger’s den?

Look at the Qiao family, he had no doubt that if it were Qiao Jiaojiao being pushed out, even if the Qiao family fought to the last man, they would never sacrifice Qiao Jiaojiao.

That was true affection, wasn’t it?

“Your Highness, I have a personal letter from the princess here. Except for me, no one else knows of its existence.”

“Your Highness, once you read this letter, you’ll understand everything.”

Yin Zhu took out a yellowed envelope from her bosom and presented it to Shen Yuanbai with both hands.

Shen Yuanbai stared at the surface of the envelope, his hand reached out to take it but didn’t immediately open it.

“Yin Zhu, first tell me about the situation here in Nanli Kingdom.”

Yin Zhu looked slightly surprised; she had thought Shen Yuanbai would eagerly open the letter.

She raised her eyes slightly and looked at Shen Yuanbai’s face, which resembled Yuliu’s so much that it was uncanny.

This look on a woman was enough to overturn a city, and on a man, it was equally captivating.

She had originally thought that His Highness, despite his early maturity, was inevitably fragile and hesitant in the face of great change. Yet even in the face of such upheaval, His Highness remained calm and rational, not allowing others to intervene.

Thinking of this, Yin Zhu felt a complex sense of relief and answered Shen Yuanbai’s question.

“Your Highness, among the three princes of Nanli Kingdom, the eldest prince, Baili Chengye, bears the character ‘long’. Although he indulges in pleasures and is fond of women, he is filial and favored by the King.”

“The second prince, Baili Chengzhi, is ruthless and decisive, with considerable power and high prestige in the court.”

“As for the third prince…”

When it came to the third prince, Baili Chengyou, Yin Zhu’s expression became much more serious.

“Your Highness, Baili Chengyou’s birth mother is the legitimate wife of the current King, so he bears the character ‘di’. Over the years, he has become increasingly outstanding, even the King frequently praises his competence in court.”

“Back then, he was just a harmless little boy, and now, he has become the most powerful contender for the throne.”

Shen Yuanbai nodded at her words; he already had some understanding of Baili Chengyou. This man was not simple.

Moreover, he had someone secretive like Meng Guxue by his side.

“Yin Zhu, there’s no rush to go to the Northern Kingdom. Let’s first find a way to help the eldest prince seize the throne.”

Shen Yuanbai’s voice fell lightly, and Yin Zhu couldn’t help but feel delighted!

For so many years, she had been secretly assisting the eldest prince in his battles of wits with the other two princes.

But as the ambitions of the second prince grew and the third prince emerged, she increasingly felt that her heart was willing but her strength was inadequate.

Now, with His Highness’s help, what couldn’t be accomplished!