Count Wey dispatched a messenger to Tianshui Main City, delivering a personal letter from Princess Weining.
In the letter, she ordered Suo Lun to immediately release Turingduo, Gui Qinqu, Nu’erdan, and nineteen other high-ranking warrior lords.
At this time, Suo Lun was not in the City Lord’s Manor, so Suo Ningbing followed Suo Lun’s prior instructions and released Gui Qinqu alone.
Not only that, but she also had Suo Ningbing disguised and dressed in Suo Lun’s clothes, with elevated shoe soles, impersonating Suo Lun’s appearance. Before departing, she arranged for her to meet Gui Qinqu once.
If it had been Turingduo, she would certainly have seen through this Suo Lun as an impostor at a single glance.
However, Gui Qinqu had never seen Suo Lun up close face to face, right up until his capture.
Moreover, during the meeting, the fake Suo Lun, Ningbing, was sitting upright writing a letter, while instinctively rubbing her lower back as she wrote, as if the area was extremely sore.
After finishing, Ningbing placed the secret letter into an envelope, sealed it with beeswax, and personally handed it to Ye Jingyu. In reality, this secret letter had already been written by Suo Lun long ago. Suo Ningbing was merely putting on a show of writing there.
Ye Jingyu handed the secret letter to Gui Qinqu, saying, “Deliver this personally to Princess Weining. Do not let anyone see it.”
Gui Qinqu nodded. Then Ye Jingyu escorted him out of the City Lord’s Manor, gave him a horse, and released him from Tianshui Main City.
As he galloped out of Tianshui City on horseback, Gui Qinqu let out a long sigh of relief.
Although this defeat and capture was not his responsibility, it was still a tremendous stain upon his life.
Fortunately, Suo Lun had not yet had the chance to extort him. Otherwise, who knew what price his father would have to pay to ransom him back from Suo Lun’s hands.
Although neither he nor his younger brother Gui Qinzhong had the chance to inherit the position of Lord of Linhai City, he still hoped to secure his own place in the great upheaval that would follow Weili’s succession in the future.
Once his father was extorted by Suo Lun, his own prospects would certainly grow much dimmer.
After all, he was not his younger sister Gui Qinshao, his father’s favourite. No matter what trouble she caused, it did not matter.
Galloping all the way, after more than an hour, Gui Qinqu entered Count Wey’s military camp and tent, where he met Princess Weining.
“Did you see Suo Lun?” Weining asked.
“I saw him,” Gui Qinqu said.
“What was he doing at the time? Were there any particular details?” Weining asked. Clearly, she too was worried whether Suo Lun might have slipped away in a golden cicada shell strategy.
Gui Qinqu said, “He was writing a letter to Your Highness the Princess, and he seemed to be injured. His other hand kept rubbing his lower back.”
Upon hearing this, Weining’s face immediately flushed hot.
Why Suo Lun was rubbing his back, she of course knew perfectly well. Within that hour or so, Suo Lun had erupted at least four times.
At the time, in the frenzy, it had not seemed like anything. Afterwards, it would certainly be a backache on the verge of breaking, just like Weining now, completely unable to sit or stand in comfort.
“The letter?” Weining said.
Gui Qinqu stepped forward, presenting Suo Lun’s secret letter.
First, she inspected the beeswax seal on the envelope. It was perfectly intact. Weining opened the envelope and took out the secret letter inside.
“Very well, you may leave,” Princess Weining said.
Immediately, Gui Qinqu withdrew.
Only when she was alone in the entire tent did she open the secret letter to read.
“Darling, only a few hours since we parted, and I already miss you. I miss your lips, I miss your hips, I miss your tightness, I miss your heat, I miss your softness, I miss your cries.”
The first thing to meet her eyes was a paragraph of utterly lewd parallel sentences.
Immediately, it stirred Weining’s memories once more. Those frenzied images surged into her mind again, making her delicate body burn with heat wave after wave.
“Scoundrel, shameless rogue!” Weining cursed inwardly, then continued reading.
“Ning, actually there is still another way of intimacy we haven’t tried. As the saying goes, three flats are no match for one round. I originally wanted to try it, but… I truly couldn’t endure it any longer. Next time, next time we shall certainly try it.”
After reading this passage, Weining almost could not resist tearing this secret letter to shreds.
Because she understood every word written above, and could even mentally picture the scene. Immediately, a certain part of her delicate body began to contract and twitch repeatedly.
“Ning, I know you do not trust me. Once I hand over all the hostages, your great army will attack my Tianshui City, and that will be my time of death. But why do you not trust me? Is it because I am sinister and cunning? Yes, I am extremely sinister and cunning. To protect Tianshui City, to protect my elder sister, I will do anything. Of course, that also includes becoming your kept man and selling my body to please you.”
Reading here, Weining could not help but curse again, “Shameless, utterly shameless.”
Suo Lun’s letter continued, “Ning, do you know what I said to Weiting’s eunuch Gao Ningshi on Chaos Stone Island? I had him take a message back. The message was: Weiting, you fucking idiot.”
Weining could not help but murmur aloud, “Weiting, you fucking idiot.”
Speaking such words aloud felt incredibly satisfying, especially coming from the mouth of a noble royal beauty of such high birth as herself.
“Ning, they say one day as husband and wife means a hundred days of kindness. We have been husband and wife four or five times now, so that should be several years of kindness at least. Can you truly bear to place me in such a deadly situation? Do you not want me to warm your bed every day from now on? Can you bear for any future child of ours to be fatherless? Believe me, I truly am willing to help you, to be loyal to you.”
“Note, loyal to you, Princess Weining, not to Prince Weili. I know he looks upon me with displeasure, and I look upon him with displeasure too. Our destinies clash. So my loyalty is to you. One year ago, for your sake I could run alone into the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range to search for the Dragon Seal rubbing. In the future, for your sake I can certainly destroy heaven and earth.”
“You might say, since I am so infatuated with you, what was I doing before? Why oppose you? That is because I first needed to reclaim my dignity. I must use my own wisdom to retake Tianshui City. Only then can I stand before you with a clear conscience. Only then can I make you fall in love with me. Only then can I righteously make love to you again and again.”
“Of course, originally I wanted to borrow the King’s power to defeat you and Weili, then take you into my bed. But now the King has abandoned me. Very well then, I shall let you take me into your bed instead.”
“Ning, do not test me further. I can swear by the ancestors of the Suo clan. Once your army enters Tianshui City by half a step, then I shall have only one result: fight to the death, mutual destruction. Ning, give me one chance. Let me prove to you how much I love you.”
This was a secret letter, but even more so, it was a love letter.
At least, after Weining finished reading it, her entire inner being was tingling and trembling.
She even had a faint impulse to immediately mount a horse and ride back to Tianshui City, then go utterly mad with Suo Lun one more time.
Women in love are blind. At least ninety per cent of women are so. And Weining happened to be the other ten per cent.
This love letter made her body go numb. It made her almost want to endure the burning, scorching pain and go utterly mad with Suo Lun once more.
But after this, her decision still remained unchanged.
Suo Lun must die, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with trust. For the sake of Weili’s great cause, for the sake of Weining’s future marriage, he must die.
Only the dead cannot speak. She, Weining, must remain pure and spotless.
Weining had already decided. After annihilating the Suo clan of Tianshui City and killing Suo Lun, she would immediately return to Raging Wave Royal City to find a sorcerer to repair her damaged purity. Then she would take medicine to completely destroy any possible pregnancy.
Of course, that sorcerer would certainly be killed by her to silence him.
She was to marry Prince Jimin of the Yan Empire. This marriage absolutely could not be affected or ruined.
“Someone, summon Gui Qinqu,” Weining said.
Very quickly, Gui Qinqu appeared in the tent once more.
Weining said, “I know you have just escaped from your ordeal, but I need you to return to Tianshui Main City once more as my messenger. Tell Suo Lun not to play petty tricks. If he wishes to save himself, first release Turingduo, Nu’erdan, and all the other hostages. If I do not see Turingduo and the others within three hours, I shall immediately order the great army to enter Tianshui City and destroy the Suo clan!”
Gui Qinqu was startled, then nodded, “Yes.”
Then, Gui Qinqu, who had just escaped imprisonment, had no choice but to mount his fine horse once more and return to Tianshui City to convey Princess Weining’s new conditions.
And Princess Weining had already made her decision. The moment Turingduo was freed, she would immediately order the hundred thousand strong army to advance, flatten Tianshui City, and annihilate the Suo clan.
…
Meanwhile, in the secret chamber of Duke Weiting’s residence.
Suo Lun said, “Ascertain the truth, determine the facts, and then… save the King!”
Then, correcting himself, “Save the King if at all possible.”
Princess Weiyan said, “Suo Lun, thank you, but… I have already invited the best medical practitioner from the Divine Dragon Temple. He is also the best doctor in the world, yet even he is helpless. He said Father probably has less than ten days to live.”
Duke Weiting said, “Suo Lun, although we still harbour hope in our hearts, we have in fact already given up. Once His Majesty the King falls, then all is lost. Once Weili succeeds to the throne, Yan’er will seek shelter with the Divine Dragon Temple. And I… will probably have to offer up all my family assets and wag my tail and beg for mercy before Weili. Even then, who knows whether I can preserve my life.”
After speaking, Duke Weiting let out a heavy sigh.
Weiyan said, “We know that Weining has very complicated feelings towards you. So we choose to break with you. With your charm and wisdom, we believe you can secure a place for yourself before Weining, and need not be buried along with us.”
Suo Lun said, “I am an extremely obsessive and mad person. Once I have chosen something, I absolutely will not turn back.”
Then, ceasing the emotional appeal, he directly asked, “Are you certain that His Majesty the King collapsed from a stroke?”
Weiyan said, “Yes, it was a stroke. His eyes can open, but they cannot move. And his entire body is immobile. I believe he can even see and hear, but he simply cannot move at all, nor can he speak. So he appears as if unconscious.”
Suo Lun said, “If it is a stroke, then it is a cerebral haemorrhage compressing the nerves and brain region, causing the brain to lose control over the entire body.”
Immediately, Weiting and Weiyan looked at Suo Lun full of hope.
Suo Lun said, “Take me into the palace immediately. I shall attempt to save the King. The longer time drags on, the more unfavourable it becomes.”
Princess Weiyan nodded, “Very well. Change into eunuch’s clothes immediately, and enter the palace with me.”
…
Half an hour later, Suo Lun changed into eunuch’s clothes and followed Weiyan’s carriage into the palace.
At this time, everything within the palace was as normal.
Although news of the King’s accident was gradually being guessed at by those with discerning eyes, everyone in the palace was a shrewd individual. Naturally, they would not show any abnormality.
Just like in later China’s history, if some super important figure failed to appear on the evening news for many consecutive days, those below would wonder whether something had happened to that person.
Now, the King had already not appeared for a full half month.
Of course, due to the special political situation of the Raging Wave Kingdom, plus the cold relationship between the King and the nobles and feudal lords, the King did not meet with ministers every day. Often there would be one grand council every three to five days. And sometimes, the King simply would not attend, directly sending Weili to represent him.
So previously, there had been instances of him not appearing for seven or eight days. But never like now, disappearing for half a month at a stretch.
The palace where the King resided was on a mountain within the palace grounds, named Purple Jade Mountain.
This mountain was guarded by the King’s most trusted eunuchs. No one was permitted entry, except for Princess Weiyan.
Princess Weiyan descended from her carriage and came to the entrance of Purple Jade Mountain.
At the entrance stood an elderly eunuch, his back so bent he could not even straighten it, as if a gust of wind might blow him over.
This was a person whose age was impossible to determine.
“Lord Gao, I wish to go in and see Father,” Weiyan said.
Lord Gao. Suo Lun immediately thought of a person: Gao Yin.
The eunuchs of the Raging Wave Dynasty had two factions, the Li faction and the Gao faction.
The current leader of the Li faction was Li Chenglian by Weili’s side. And the leader of the Gao faction was the Gao Yin before him.
Li Zhu by Weining’s side was Li Chenglian’s adopted son. And Gao Ningshi by Weiting’s side was Gao Yin’s adopted son.
Both factions of eunuchs passed down their lineage through the form of adopting sons and grandsons. Although previously they did not bear the surnames Gao or Li, after entering the school they all changed their surnames.
Before him, this Gao Yin seemed as if a gust of wind might blow him over, his image far inferior to Li Chenglian’s.
However, he had another title: the number one expert of the Raging Wave royal palace, and even the number one expert of Raging Wave Royal City.
If nothing unexpected occurred, this should be the person with the highest martial arts Suo Lun had ever seen.
Gao Yin immediately knelt down on both knees, saying, “Paying respects to the Princess.”
Weiyan stepped forward and helped him up, but unlike Weining, she did not speak any ingratiating words.
Gao Yin’s turbid gaze turned towards Suo Lun, saying, “This is Count Suo Lun, Lord of Tianshui City?”
Suo Lun bent in salute, saying, “This junior Suo Lun pays respects to Lord Gao.”
Gao Yin’s gaze towards Suo Lun actually revealed a trace of affection. Then, without asking anything further, he directly said, “Enter.”
Suo Lun followed Weiyan into Purple Jade Mountain. He had originally wanted to lag half a step behind, but Weiyan always maintained pace with him, absolutely not leading by half a step.
She was certainly not doing this to prevent Suo Lun from looking at the curves of her waist and hips, but to insist upon equality.
“Lord Gao’s look at me just now was very strange, as if… towards a nephew,” Suo Lun said.
Weiyan said, “In his youth, your father once served as my father’s attendant for several years. The two of them studied martial arts together under Lord Gao. My father learned rather ordinarily, but your father was exceptionally outstanding, Lord Gao’s most prized disciple.”
Suo Lun was startled. He truly had not expected there to be this past history.
Arriving at the summit of Purple Jade Mountain, the King’s Purple Jade Palace was before them.
Just as the name suggested, this was a purple palace. However, it was not large, only several hundred square metres.
Outside the door stood another elderly eunuch, though seemingly slightly younger than Gao Yin.
“Little Lord Gao, I have brought Count Suo Lun to see Father,” Weiyan said.
Little Lord Gao was Gao Yu, the second-in-command of the Gao faction eunuchs.
Gao Yu was very cold and rigid, opening the door with meticulous precision, without any exchange.
Suo Lun followed Weiyan into the Purple Jade Palace, passing through halls and corridors, arriving at the highest room.
At first glance, he saw King Bian lying upon the bed.
He was indeed already breathing faintly, on the verge of death.
His body was emaciated, eyes open, yet completely unable to move.
He had suffered a cerebral stroke. In Earth’s terminology, this was a cerebral haemorrhage. This condition was extremely terrifying even in modern Earth, with a very high mortality rate.
Moreover, the only way to save him was craniotomy surgery.
However, Suo Lun was not a doctor, and with this world’s medical conditions, craniotomy surgery would certainly mean death.
The key to cerebral haemorrhage was to completely drain the accumulated blood from within the brain, releasing the compression and impact upon the brain. Only then could the threat of death be averted. As for brain recovery, that was a relatively slow process.
At present, the King’s condition appeared very severe, yet somewhat optimistic.
Severe, because the accumulated blood had already compressed his most vital brain region, rendering his entire body immobile, even his eyeballs unable to turn.
Optimistic, because half a month had already passed, yet he still maintained his life.
But in this world, he was absolutely beyond saving. Because there was no craniotomy surgery. However, for Suo Lun, this was an exception.
“Demon Star, can you enter the King’s brain and completely drain the accumulated blood inside?” Suo Lun asked.
“Yes, effortlessly,” Demon Star said.
Suo Lun turned towards Weiyan, saying, “I can save the King, but I need to pierce a hole in the King’s skull. And when I save him, there cannot be anyone by my side.”
“Very well,” Weiyan said directly, completely without hesitation, exceedingly decisive.
Then, Weiyan drew her dagger, saying, “Where to pierce the hole, how deep, how large?”
Suo Lun pointed to the back of the head, saying, “Here, pierce through the skull, but do not damage the brain. A diameter of one quarter inch will suffice.”
The moment Suo Lun finished speaking, Weiyan’s dagger struck down like lightning.
In an instant, a hole was pierced in the back of the King’s head, just penetrating the skull.
This woman truly acts with decisiveness.
“May I leave now?” Weiyan asked.
Suo Lun nodded.
After Weiyan departed, Suo Lun used his dagger to cut his own finger, drawing blood.
Then, he pressed the wound against the wound on the back of the King’s head, their blood mingling together.
Demon Star’s energy tentacles entered the King’s brain through the blood, within the blood vessels.
Bit by bit, they drained the accumulated blood from within the brain, completely a hundred times more dexterous and exquisite than the most refined surgical scalpel.
Clearly, he was about to perform another miracle.