After discovering it was Zhao Jin, he immediately asked the onlooking citizens to help carry Zhao Jin to his residence and immediately summoned a physician for treatment. Fortunately, although Zhao Jin had lost much blood, timely treatment saved his life.

While being fed medicine, Zhao Jin awakened once, but he only said one sentence before fainting again. It was precisely this sentence that made Du Ruhui decide to immediately enter the palace to see the emperor.

“The Turks intend harm against our Great Tang!” When Li Shimin heard these words, his expression immediately became serious. He stared intently at Du Ruhui, “Did he truly say this?”

“Although Zhao Jin spoke very clearly, I am certain I did not mishear.” After receiving Du Ruhui’s definitive answer, Li Shimin said nothing but immediately rose and headed outside.

Wu Yu knew he was going to the Du residence and quickly had someone bring Li Shimin’s imperial horse. The latter immediately took the reins and galloped toward the Du residence, with Chang He leading several imperial guards closely following behind.

Arriving at the Du residence, Li Shimin, led by Du Ruhui, saw Zhao Jin who had been placed in a side room. However, at this moment, he was still unconscious.

“Is there a way to wake him?” Du Ruhui asked the physician who had been specifically kept here before his departure.

“In response to both gentlemen, although he is not in mortal danger, his injuries are quite severe. Whatever you wish to ask, it would be better to wait until he awakens naturally.” Li Shimin was wearing civilian clothes, so the physician, who appeared to be over fifty, did not know that standing before him was the new emperor of the Great Tang Empire.

“In your opinion, when will he wake up?” Facing Li Shimin’s question, the physician stroked his long beard and said: “From what I can see, he will need at least until tomorrow to wake up.”

“That won’t do!” Du Ruhui said urgently: “We have very important matters to ask him. We cannot wait until tomorrow. Please, physician, you must think of a way.”

“This…” the physician said with difficulty: “It’s not that there’s no method. I could use needles to stimulate his brain and forcibly wake him, but doing so would inevitably deplete his vital energy and make his injury recovery much slower.”

Du Ruhui gritted his teeth and said: “The situation is urgent. We cannot worry about such things. Please administer the needles quickly. If Zhao Jin could hear our words, he would certainly agree to this.”

Seeing his insistence, the physician could only say: “Very well then.”

After needle after needle was inserted into his scalp, Zhao Jin’s eyelids trembled several times, then slowly opened. The physician said: “Ask whatever you need to ask quickly. He is extremely weak now and cannot hold on for long.”

Du Ruhui nodded and said to Zhao Jin, who had just opened his eyes and still seemed somewhat confused: “I have brought His Majesty here. You said earlier that the Turks intend harm against the Great Tang. What exactly is the situation?”

Only then did the physician realize Li Shimin’s identity and quickly knelt to pay his respects. As for Zhao Jin, after seeing Li Shimin who had also come to his bedside, the confusion in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by nervousness—indescribable nervousness. He spoke incoherently: “Your Majesty, immediately gather troops, immediately, two hundred thousand soldiers!”

Although Li Shimin was also eager to know what had happened, he knew this was not the time to press and said soothingly: “Don’t be anxious. Speak slowly!”

Zhao Jin caught his breath and said: “That day, I followed Your Majesty’s command and brought Your Majesty’s edict as an envoy to the Turks. The journey was smooth, and I quickly arrived in Turkish territory. Khagan Jieli personally met with me. After reading Your Majesty’s edict, he said he needed to consider it and had us temporarily stay in Turkish territory. I… I…”

Zhao Jin kept panting and couldn’t continue speaking. His face was frighteningly pale. Du Ruhui saw something was wrong and quickly said to the physician who had retreated far away: “Come quickly and examine him.”

The physician came forward as instructed and carefully examined him, then said: “After all, he has just returned from death’s door. Speaking so much in one breath is already his limit. Let him rest for a while.”

Du Ruhui helped massage his back, saying: “Slow down, don’t be anxious.”

Zhao Jin couldn’t speak and could only nod to indicate understanding. After a while, he finally recovered somewhat and said with difficulty: “I thought this was normal and settled down in Turkish territory. Who would have known that the next night, Empress Xiao suddenly came to my tent and told me to quickly leave the Turkish territory and return to Chang’an. She told me to inform Your Majesty that Khagan Jieli is not content with the Great Tang occupying the Central Plains. He has already contacted the Xueyantuo, Huihe, Bayegu, and other tribes that submit to the Turks, gathering two hundred thousand troops to attack the Great Tang. She asked Your Majesty to quickly prepare defenses.”

After another bout of panting, he said in an even weaker voice than before: “After I heard this news, I immediately secretly gathered my accompanying men and left the Turkish territory under cover of night. However, just as we were about to exit Turkish territory, we were discovered and pursued all the way. All the others died, and only I was fortunate enough to escape to outside Chang’an city. They knew that once I entered the city, it would be difficult to eliminate me, so they attacked outside the city. I fought desperately and finally managed to escape into the city.”

Du Ruhui frowned: “I remember now. When I discovered Zhao Jin, there were several people with faces somewhat different from ours lingering near the city gate. If those Turkish soldiers had discovered Zhao Jin when I brought him back to my residence, they would certainly have taken the opportunity to take his life.”

While he was speaking, Zhao Jin mustered his last bit of strength to grab Li Shimin’s sleeve and said with difficulty: “Your Majesty… there is one more thing, it is… it is…” Halfway through speaking, he could no longer persist and fainted again. With the matter concerning the Great Tang’s safety, Du Ruhui urgently said: “Physician, quickly wake him again.”

The physician said helplessly: “That awakening just now has already nearly exhausted his vital energy. Even if I administer needles again, it may not be possible to wake him again. Instead, it would put his life in danger.”

“But…” Before Du Ruhui could continue, Li Shimin had already said: “Ruhui, don’t make things difficult for the physician anymore. Knowing that the Turks are attacking is already enough. Let Zhao Jin recover properly.”

Seeing him say this, Du Ruhui could only nod in agreement. After ordering the physician to withdraw, he said: “From the Turkish territory to Chang’an, even with fast horses, it takes half a month. In other words, the Turks very likely set out half a month ago. Before long, they will reach Chang’an. We must quickly deploy troops for defense. However, I have one thing I don’t understand…”

Li Shimin continued his words: “If Khagan Jieli truly led troops to attack, why has there been no report from Yanmen Pass all this time?”

“Yes, this is too unreasonable.” Facing Du Ruhui’s words, Li Shimin said slowly: “In this situation, there are only two possibilities. First, the Yanmen Pass commander was bought off by the Turks and allowed them to pass through Yanmen Pass without concern. Second… Yanmen Pass has already been completely massacred!”

His words made Du Ruhui’s eyelids jump violently, and he blurted out: “Although Yanmen Pass doesn’t have many people, it still has several thousand. It shouldn’t be completely massacred. Previously, when Yanmen Pass was breached by others, it was never like this.”