Chapter 144: The Crown Prince's Men Are Precisely Who We Rob

"It is getting late, and we have kept the old imperial physician for quite some time. Chu Mu once again expresses his deep gratitude to the old physician for saving his life, and will visit your residence to offer heavy thanks another day."

As soon as Shen Zhao spoke these words, the old imperial physician very tactfully rose to take his leave, knowing that what followed was not meant for the ears of himself and the young scholar.

These were military secrets of the highest order, things they truly had no right to know.

"This old man shall return to the palace with this young scholar first. General Chu must take good care of his health. If there are any unusual symptoms, be sure to send someone to summon this old man; I am always at your service."

He was leaving, but not without imparting his final instructions.

"Rest assured, old physician, if anything ails me, I will surely send for you."

Only then did the old imperial physician happily walk out of the tent, though just before departing, he wore a momentary look of reluctance, unhappily returning the predecessor's medical manuscript to young master Xie.

Truth be told, he would have loved to take it with him, but young master Xie's fists made it clear that was not an option.

Having seen the old imperial physician off, Shen Zhao did not dismiss the others. Instead, she turned her gaze toward Deputy General Han and slowly said:

"Deputy General Han, oh Deputy General Han, how do you suppose the outside world is portraying you right now?

Will they say you long ago betrayed your master, turning your back on the Crown Prince to pledge allegiance to me?

Tell me, if the Crown Prince hears of this, will he still spare you? Especially since I deliberately kept you behind and spoke with you—this will surely arouse endless curiosity.

Suspicion is the most poisonous of all things, particularly in the presence of those in power. They would rather execute a hundred innocents than let a single potential traitor slip through."

Deputy General Han's heart plummeted into an abyss; he felt only impenetrable darkness ahead, without a shred of light.

Death was the only thing awaiting him. People often said that a woman's heart is the most venomous, but in his eyes, none compared to the cruelty of General Chu.

*Sob...* This woman was leaving him absolutely no path to survival at all!

Could today truly be the day of his execution, the day Han Wenzao met his end?

"General, what on earth must this humble subordinate do before you will spare my pathetic life?"

"Look how frightened Deputy General Han is. I am no man-eating monster; when did I ever say I wanted your pathetic life?

I am a person who cherishes talent. As long as Deputy General Han remains loyal to me, I can guarantee your safety. So long as I do not take your miserable life, no one else shall dare to lay a finger on it." She was confident in her ability to protect Han Wenzao.

Especially under the current circumstances, the Crown Prince would certainly not risk drawing further criticism from the Emperor over a mere Han Wenzao.

Moreover, in the coming days, the Crown Prince would likely have his hands full.

Not only would those people suspect that Han Wenzao had defected to her, but they would also suspect that the Crown Prince and she had formed a secret alliance.

For the other princes and factions, this would be a heavy blow.

Han Wenzao gritted his teeth and said, "This subordinate first thanks the General for sparing my life. I only hope the General will keep her word and protect this humble life."

***

He could no longer clear his name with the Crown Prince. No matter how he explained, once the events of today spread, the Crown Prince would never trust him again.

Rather than sitting idly and waiting for the Crown Prince to abandon him to his death, it was better to take a gamble.

What if... what if he actually found a chance to survive?

Besides, given General Chu's unusual demeanor over the past couple of days, following him might not turn out to be such a bad thing after all.

Shen Zhao looked at Han Wenzao with satisfaction. "Zhang Liang, accompany Deputy General Han back. All of my men must follow my lead.

Go to the granary and have the rations of Deputy General Han and his men moved to our camp."

"Understood, subordinate obeys, I will accompany Deputy General Han right away."

Having sent off Han Wenzao and Zhang Liang, Shen Zhao was in a rather pleasant mood. Snatching the Crown Prince's men felt quite rewarding.

At that moment, Liu Zhong, who had been out gathering intelligence, returned with a darkened expression.

He looked at Shen Zhao with a gaze full of pity. Why must his General's fate be so tragic?

How was he ever supposed to bring himself to speak of the news he had gathered?

The General had only just regained consciousness; there was no telling if she could withstand such a blow and collapse unconscious once more.

Seeing Liu Zhong's shifting expressions, hesitating and unable to utter a word, Xie Yuheng blurted out anxiously:

"Out with what you've found already! Chu's mother is still waiting for us to rescue her!

Did the capital magistrate wrongfully arrest people to bully Chu, or is someone framing him by using Elder Madame Chu as a pawn to deal Chu a fatal blow?"

Liu Zhong shook his head. Neither!

How could he possibly say it? How could he tell them that Elder Madame Chu was not the General's biological mother?

How could he say that the General's true mother had been murdered by Elder Madame Chu through treacherous means?

The deep respect the General held for the old madame was something they had all witnessed and kept in their hearts.

For the General, this would be nothing short of a fatal blow!

"What are you shaking your head for? What's wrong! Did you lose your tongue during your brief trip out, forgetting how to speak? You're going to drive me to distraction! Had I known, I would have gone to investigate myself.

This is maddening!" Xie Yuheng looked as though he wanted to pry open Liu Zhong's mouth just to check if his tongue was still there.

Shen Zhao already knew the reason behind it. Liu Zhong did not know how to speak of it because he feared she would not be able to bear the truth.

After all, Chu Mu's filial piety toward that old hag was deeply etched in everyone's minds.

"Liu Zhong, whatever you discovered, just say it directly. I can bear it."

***

Liu Zhong looked at his General with a heart full of sympathy. The General would find out sooner or later; it was better for him to speak the words.

"General... according to the intelligence I gathered and my verification at the residence, Madame... Madame, her arrest this time was reported to the authorities by the Second Master of the household..."

"What? You're saying Chu's mother was arrested because his second brother went to the authorities? Has Chu the Second gone mad?! That's his own mother! Is his brain broken, reporting his own mother to the yamen?" Before Liu Zhong could finish his story, Xie Yuheng cried out in shock, his voice pitching high.

In all his years, this was the first time he had ever heard of children reporting their own parents to the authorities and having them thrown into jail.

Did the man not fear being drowned by the spittle of public condemnation?

The others shared Xie Yuheng's sentiment. Had this Second Master Chu lost his mind?

Xie Yuheng hurriedly turned around to offer comfort. "Chu, don't panic. Little brother here will definitely figure out a way to rescue the old madame. Don't worry yourself sick; perhaps your second brother was incited by someone else into reporting your mother."

"Young General Xie, can you please let me finish what I have to say before making any plans?" Liu Zhong could not help interjecting.

That venomous woman was simply not worthy of being the General's mother.

Though he deeply despised the venomous woman's actions toward the General, he had no idea how the General would react upon hearing this.

After all, the weight of that venomous woman in the General's heart was second to none.

What if the General chose to let bygones be bygones regarding the venomous woman's deeds?

"Right, right, right! Go on, speak! What other news did you gather? Was someone bewitching Chu the Second, making him strike at the old madame first to get a grip on Chu's lifeline,

so that Chu would be forced to compromise and be used by them?"

Xie Yuheng was already concocting an elaborate scheme in his head.

"No—Young General Xie, please stop guessing wildly!" Liu Zhong looked at Xie Yuheng with utter helplessness.

"Then spit it out! What was the reason, then?"

Shen Tianci, standing off to the side, could no longer watch. "Then at least give Deputy General Liu a chance to speak! Have you given the man a chance to open his mouth? The entire tent is just filled with the sound of your babbling."

"You... Hmph!" Xie Yuheng originally wanted to snap back at Shen Tianci, but now was not the time; the matter of Chu's second brother causing his mother's arrest had yet to be sorted out.

Liu Zhong let out a long sigh and said, "General, you must be strong. What I am about to say next may well be a fatal blow to you."

"The old madame... the old madame is not your biological mother. She is merely a concubine who murdered your birth mother through scheming to rise to her current position."

"General..." everyone gasped in unison.