With Xuanyuan Lige having said this much, Yelu Qianqian and Yingzi understood exactly what he meant!

Something suspicious in the diagnosis meant either the diagnosis itself was wrong, or someone had tampered with something!

Without knowing the specifics yet, Xuanyuan Lige had only said the word “suspicious,” without pointing to any particular suspicion!

But Yingzi and Yelu Qianqian both understood well enough.

Yelu Qianqian instructed a few trusted aides to remain at the excavation site, then quietly slipped away with Xuanyuan Lige and Yingzi back to Xijing’s new capital, Hamabachu.

Yelu Qianqian was burning with urgency—having been in despair, Xuanyuan Lige’s words had at least given her a thread of hope, enough to sustain her.

But along the way, Yingzi hesitated repeatedly, wanting to speak yet holding back each time.

Xuanyuan Lige’s word “suspicious” carried far, far too many possible meanings—truly impossible to guess at.

Was it a misdiagnosis, or had someone tampered with things? Had the physicians themselves done it, or had someone outside the physicians tampered with things? Or perhaps, with the physicians’ tacit consent, others had tampered with things, and the physicians had simply covered it up?

Every possibility kept surfacing in Yingzi’s mind. If this was true of Situ Haonan, could the same be happening with Prince Yao?

Could there be something suspicious going on with Prince Yao’s case too?

After all, the physicians treating Situ Haonan and Prince Yao had both been in contact, and had consulted together as well.

If it had been anyone else who’d discovered this anomaly today, Yingzi would have asked without hesitation—but it was Xuanyuan Lige standing before him!

When Yingzi had once pleaded with him to come out of seclusion, he’d done so for the sake of the princess consort’s honor.

Yingzi understood full well the relationship between Xuanyuan Lige and Prince Yao—two men fighting over the same woman, yielding to each other, even managing to coexist peacefully!

But setting the princess consort aside, these two were mortal enemies!

He remembered how, in that cave beside Sha Qiuzi’s, Xuanyuan Lige had flatly refused Prince Yao’s help, rejecting without hesitation Prince Yao’s offer to find him life-saving medicine!

Refusing to let Prince Yao save even his own life spoke volumes about the depth of his hostility toward the man!

How could Yingzi possibly bring himself to ask now?

And Yingzi knew—if Prince Yao had sought out Xuanyuan Lige for the princess consort’s sake, Xuanyuan Lige might forgive it. But if Yingzi asked Xuanyuan Lige to go to the Da Zhou capital to save the prince himself, Prince Yao would absolutely never accept it!

Just as Xuanyuan Lige had once refused his own help!

Yingzi found himself in a bind, but had no choice but to hold his patience and wait—wait for the results from Situ Haonan’s side. If something truly was amiss, at least he could warn Sha Qiuzi to be careful.

Xuanyuan Lige and his companions hurried toward Hamabachu, while back in the Da Zhou capital, something was indeed suspicious about Jun Beiyue’s condition.

Deep in the still of night, it was once again Sha Qiuzi’s turn for the night watch. After several straight months of relentless strain, Sha Qiuzi was truly exhausted, yet he couldn’t bring himself to hand over the responsibility of the night watch to anyone else.

Unfortunately, he was, after all, getting on in years, and in the end he had to admit his age was catching up with him. At that moment, he was slumped over the table, dozing off, and failed to notice the anomaly in the medicinal pool—in that man.

Since the last consultation, the medicine in the pool had been completely changed. Sha Qiuzi had clearly sensed Jun Beiyue’s vital energy beginning to flow, little by little each day, from his dantian outward to the rest of his body. Unfortunately, the pace was simply far too slow. He and Imperial Physician Gu had discussed it repeatedly, unable to find any faster method—for now, all they could do was keep watch, and wait.

Yet at this very moment, in the dim light, beneath the skin of Jun Beiyue’s bare chest, his heart could clearly be seen pounding—thump, thump, thump!

Utterly unbelievable!

Given the severity of Jun Beiyue’s injuries—whether the external wound to his chest, or the damage from his depleted vital energy—his heart meridian should have been extremely weak. Several of the herbs in the medicinal pool were specifically meant to protect the heart meridian!

Yet right now, his heart meridian was clearly stronger than anyone’s, stronger than any normal level—that pounding was so forceful, so vigorous, it was visible even to the naked eye!

It was as though some force were hidden within his heart, straining with all its might, trying to break free of its bonds, to burst forth from its cocoon.

Such a phenomenon would be inconceivable even in a perfectly healthy person, let alone in someone as gravely wounded as Jun Beiyue!

What force was sustaining such powerful pounding in his heart meridian?

What force was struggling to break free of its restraints, to burst forth?

As his heart pounded with such vigor, color gradually returned to Jun Beiyue’s face. Though his eyes remained closed, one could clearly see his eyes moving beneath the lids.

He too seemed to be straining to break through something, trying to wake!

But whether that force hadn’t yet grown strong enough, or the restraints were simply too tight, as time passed and the sky gradually lightened toward dawn, the pounding in Jun Beiyue’s chest gradually subsided, and everything returned to its original state.

Imperial Physician Gu brought breakfast for Sha Qiuzi, and seeing him still dozing, a flicker of displeasure crossed his eyes—but he didn’t wake him. Instead, he quietly added more medicine to the pool, and carefully checked Jun Beiyue’s pulse, examining his wound.

The moment he saw the wound on Jun Beiyue’s chest, fury filled him, his old face darkening. He thought, if Han Ziqing really had died out there, he would absolutely have to dispose of Bai Mengmeng.

Since Situ Haonan would never wake again, only Bai Mengmeng knew the truth now—the moment she outlived her usefulness, he would make sure her life became a living hell.

Imperial Physician Gu’s scheme was playing out well in his mind—unfortunately, he had no idea at all about Xuanyuan Lige coming out of seclusion, having had his falling out with Yingzi entirely cut him off from that news.

Still less could he ever have imagined that Xuanyuan Lige understood medicine!

With Princess Yelu Qianqian leading the way, Xuanyuan Lige slipped into the capital without a sound, easily enough. A few days later, the three of them stole into Situ Haonan’s sickroom under cover of night.

Yingzi personally stood guard at the door, while Yelu Qianqian led Xuanyuan Lige inside.

Within the Xijing court, Situ Haonan was the target of everyone’s resentment—first because he’d eloped with the princess and sparked a war, and now because he held Xijing’s first-ever surrender token from Xiliang, his merit unmatched by anyone.

So even unconscious, the Xijing emperor still had him carefully protected!

Opening the hidden chamber, seeing Situ Haonan lying so quietly on the bed, Yelu Qianqian’s eyes reddened once again immediately. Haonan had been asleep for so long now—so long she could barely remember his voice, the way he used to smile.

Yet even overwhelmed with grief, Yelu Qianqian didn’t dare disturb Xuanyuan Lige. She stood quietly to the side, holding Situ Haonan’s hand, making no sound.

Xuanyuan Lige coughed lightly a few times, his already pale face growing paler still. Yet despite his weakened appearance, his sword-like brows were now furrowed tight, his expression grave and serious.

He didn’t rush to check the pulse, instead examining Situ Haonan carefully from head to toe, his gaze finally settling on the sword wound over his heart before he began his examination.

But the moment he looked, his expression changed sharply. “Princess Qianqian, do you know how this sword wound came to be?”

Yelu Qianqian shook her head—the physicians had only identified it as a blade wound, with no way of telling how it had occurred. Only those present in the tornado knew what had truly happened.

But what Xuanyuan Lige said next made Yelu Qianqian’s breath catch in her throat.