In the Imperial Palace of the Capital City, within the Fenglan Hall, lies the Queen's chamber.
"What? Let Shen go out of the city to greet them? Fine! Fine! Fine! Xiao Heng, you truly are a doting father to Shen," she exclaimed.
"Nanny Ma, refrain from addressing His Majesty directly," a maid who had served the Queen since childhood quickly interjected.
"Nanny, I can't help but resent it. His Majesty is too partial. When that wretched Su Jinyun was around, he couldn't see us, mother and son. Even after that woman died, he still couldn't see us. The heart of an emperor is the cruelest."
Nanny Ma remained silent. They say emperors are heartless, but our Emperor is the most faithful. It's just that his heart isn't with the Queen, alas, such a doomed fate.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty's favoritism has been ongoing for quite some time. I understand you feel neglected, but you must consider the Crown Prince. For his sake, you must endure. Right now, the most important thing is the Su family. They are due to arrive in the capital in a few days."
"Humph, arrive in the capital? They'll need luck to return alive."
"Your Majesty, you must stay calm. The issue at hand is this: His Majesty has decreed that if anything happens to the Su family, he will hold only the Crown Prince accountable. Therefore, consider whether you should recall them."
"Recall them? How can we recall them? The troops have already been dispatched," Queen Liu Xiruo fumed, her face turning ashen.
"In that case, what should we do? If something truly goes wrong, it will be the Crown Prince who suffers."
"Suffers? Is he going to kill Shen? He only has two sons, besides Shen, there's only that sickly one. Unless he wants to risk the throne, even if he doesn't like it, he can only offer mild punishment."
"Yes, Your Majesty is right. This servant also worries for the Crown Prince."
Liu Xiruo's expression softened momentarily, but then turned fierce, "If the operation fails and the Su family manages to escape unscathed, then it's their lucky day. But if the Heavens have any justice, let that old Su Huan die on the road. Hmph, a little scolding for Shen wouldn't hurt then."
"...Yes, this servant understands."
Meanwhile, Su Yue and his men had already joined the main army, but due to heavy casualties, they had to halt and regroup.
Su Yue and Xuan Little Three were busy attending to the wounded. Because of the large number of casualties, they hadn't rested for an entire day. Most of the injuries were external, and Xuan Little Three, lacking Su Yue's surgical skills, watched Su Yue work tirelessly, without even taking a sip of water. Xuan Little Four felt his heart ache seeing this.
Su Yu, having settled external affairs, looked defeated as he entered the area for the wounded. He spotted a large white wolf, nearly two meters tall, crouching outside the tents.
Su Yu, having just heard the situation from Su Yu, was momentarily stunned before proceeding forward. He stood before the white wolf, gave a respectful bow, then walked away. Whether it was when the white wolf saved his newborn cousin or when it saved Su Yu, such respect was warranted.
The white wolf's gaze shifted slightly: Hm, this cousin of mine isn't bad.
"How's the situation? None of you have rested. Can you handle this workload?"
Xuan Little Three looked at the newcomer, too tired to be impatient anymore. "That's about it, only the one in Yue's hands left. It's more complicated, with a torn tendon in the leg, needing to be reconnected."
"Torn tendons can be reconnected?" Su Yu's face was full of disbelief, suddenly lost in thought, pondering who knows what.
Xuan Little Four glanced at him, finding his reaction odd, but paid him no mind. Little Five worked so hard, all because of them. Yet, hmm, this eldest brother from the Su family didn't seem any better off than Little Five.
Several people watched Su Yue, her delicate hands flipping and turning, holding the finest needle and thread to stitch. The military doctor assisting beside her was fully focused, not daring to blink, afraid of missing any step.
After a moment, Su Yue took a deep breath. "It's done. You must stay in bed for the next few days and rest. But..."
"I'll make arrangements, don't worry. Even if we're rushing, those who need rest will definitely get it," Su Yu immediately understood Su Yue's implication and assured her without hesitation.
Su Yue looked at Su Yu, reaching out to feel his pulse. The one most exhausted was this eldest cousin, especially since he started the journey back to the capital before fully recovering from poisoning. She truly feared he wouldn't endure it.
"Elder cousin, remember to take the nourishing pills I gave you, and here, take these too," Su Yue turned to the small medicine box, retrieving two bottles of Spirit Spring from the spiritual spring space.
Su Yu smiled wryly. The one who had been most helped by their journey was him. He took the bottles without refusal. He couldn't refuse; he had to ensure their grandfather reached the capital safely.
"Grandfather is worried about you, so he sent me to check on you. You haven't eaten yet, go and have something with grandfather before resting," Su Yue suggested.
"Alright, let's go," Su Yue turned to tidy up the medicine box, only to see Xuan Little Four had already packed it up and was holding it for her, grinning foolishly.
Su Yue's eyes warmed, calling Xuan Little Three to join her as they exited the tent.
Meanwhile, Su Huan paced back and forth inside the tent.
"Grandfather, have some food. We'll reach the capital in three days. You can't afford to fall ill in these last few days," Su Huan urged.
"I'm fine. It's you all who are tired. Don't mind me. There's no need for formalities when away from home. You eat first," Su Huan replied.
"I'm fine. The tonic your niece gave me, I don't know what it's made of, tasteless but fills one with energy. Just now, she gave me another bottle on the way back, and I feel much better now," Su Huan explained.
"What is your niece giving you must be good. I wonder if she's finished her tasks yet. Sigh, I've burdened her," Su Huan lamented.
"What is grandfather saying? You're treating Yue like an outsider with those words," Su Yue entered, looking weary.
"Grandfather misspoke. Yue, don't be upset. You must be tired, come and eat. Xuan Doctor, Little Four, come join us. We owe you a lot this time," Su Huan said.
Nobody was concerned with formalities, and indeed, they were all exhausted, devouring their food hungrily.
After finishing their meal, Su Huan spoke a few more words, "Yue'er, is the one outside the tent the Great White you mentioned before? Does it need someone to arrange some fresh meat for it? Such a spiritual white wolf is truly rare. Thanks to it today, otherwise Yu'er wouldn't know what would have happened."
"No need, grandfather. Great White can find its own food, you don't need to worry about it. It can stay with us for these two days, but it will have to leave when we're close to the Capital City."
"Well, indeed. The situation in the Capital City is unclear now. For its safety, it's indeed not suitable for it to appear in front of everyone."
"Huh? Great White won't come with us to the Capital? I wanted to show it to Third Brother. Bringing it to the Capital would be quite impressive," Su Yu said reluctantly.
"Nonsense! That's your lifesaver, watch your words."
"Um, Grandfather, I know, I...," Su Yu stuttered.
"Grandfather, Third Cousin just can't bear to part with Great White, there's no other meaning behind it, please don't scold him," Su Yu intervened.
"Yes, Yue'er is right, I just can't bear it, um, can't bear it," Su Huan glanced at him, then looked at Su Yu, "We still have three days of travel ahead. It will only get more dangerous during these three days. We must be more vigilant."
Su Yu sighed deeply, "Understood, Grandfather."
Looking at everyone's exhausted appearance, Su Huan felt heartache, in three days, when he entered the Capital, he would make those scoundrels pay a hundredfold.
